by Michael Seese
"It's Ryan Time!"
I liked "At Close Range," though I didn't take a lot of notes. Perhaps I was too busy enjoying it. The opening pulled us right in: a bloodied Ryan staring into, then punching, the mirror. Then the "6 Hours Earlier" jumpback. They've used that technique before; though, if memory serves, the opening teaser scene winds up being near the end, instead of pretty much at the beginning, as it was this week. (I have to say, a pox on the folks who developed the trailer shown at the end of "Hong Kong Hustle;" I vividly recall the emphasis being on the scene where a bunch of cops draw their guns and order Ryan to drop his, making it look like he did something.)
And, as I have said on other occasions, I enjoy shows which focus on one of the non-Caskett characters. As an added bonus, we got to meet (as far as I remember, it was the first time) Ryan's sister.
SPOILERS!
This one returned to the tried-and-true formula of "Is it suspect 1? Or 2? Or 3? No! None of the above." They kept us guessing right up to the end.
Boasting aside: I somewhat called it. As soon as I saw Lopez and Carolyn together, I thought, Affair. When Beckett called Ryan from the hospital to say she died, I announced, "They were having an affair, and he wanted her dead to clean up his act before the Presidential run." So I had it half right.
Picky aside: Like last week, I thought the motive was kind of sketchy. "You were going to dump me from your staff, so I killed your girlfriend."
And while I'm at it...
Picky aside #2: The gajillionaire Carl Shelton said in the interrogation that he funds a lot of groups, and can't know the people behind them all. That makes sense. So why was he talking to Chambers? Especially since, he would have had no way of knowing Chambers would be there, since he (Shelton) wasn't the one who arranged it.
Oh well. I still liked it.
Before finishing up here, I wanted to take a second and call out the scene where Beckett goes through Carolyn's purse. I just liked the way she waxed poetic about getting to know a woman's life by way of the contents of her purse.
The lines (not a whole lot):
Castle: "Ryan, is it One Direction? You'd tell me, right?"
Esposito: "They're in Hong Kong." (Nice back reference, BTW.)
Beckett: "You texted Castle and not me?"
Ryan: "Well, when you have a crazy theory, you don't tell the voice of reason."
Your thoughts, dear Castle devotees?
By Michael Seese
Excellent, excellent episode.
Oh, and LOTS OF SPOILERS!
As I have opined in one or two past entries (and probably more, but I was too lazy to look up another post) I often feel that the episodes where Castle or Beckett face mortal danger sometimes lack tension, because we know the writers are not going to kill off either of them. But secondary characters, like Ryan and Esposito...
After all, Seamus Dever or Jon Huertas could want to leave the show. (Though probably not in mid-season.) Still, you can't rule it out.
For this reason, I thought "Under Fire" was simply great. Two best friends. At first, potentially incinerated. Then, alive but trapped. Finally, passed out after a tearful goodbye. Toss an in-labor, on-site Jenny into the mix, and you have some real emotions flying.
Quick aside: I just noticed that the actress who plays Jenny Ryan is named Juliana Dever. And according to IMDB, she has been married to Seamus Dever since May 27, 2006. Aw, how sweet.
Back to the show. As is the case with many shows or movies where the heroes are trapped in a seemingly impossible situation, you sort of assume things will turn out OK. The fun comes in wondering how -- and then seeing how -- they arrive at a satisfying conclusion. In this regard, "Under Fire" did not disappoint.
Quick aside 2: As I have mentioned previously (still too lazy to look it up) I appreciate episodes of any show where the focus is on someone other than the main character; it's nice to flesh out the supporting cast.
So we have Ryan and Espo trapped in the basement of the burning building. There is no way out, no way out, no way out. Then Castle has his flash of insight regarding the arsonist's escape plans. And the pieces fall into place.
I thought the way they filmed the arrest was really cool. The burning building visible in the cell phone-cam, which pans down to reveal Beckett, gun drawn. I also liked her kick-ass approach to getting Kimball to talk.
Also noteworthy was the creepy interview with serial arsonist Adam Ferguson. "He needs to feel the heat. Listen to the music." Brrrr. Chilling!
Overall, this one was low on the humor scale. My favorite line / exchange:
Ryan: "Rather than pick a name for my kid, you should pick a date for your wedding."
Castle: "Pick a date for my wedding? I was planning on bringing her."
Beckett: "Really. When is that? I might have plans."
A close second:
The IT Chick (I've got to find out her name): "Wow. OK, a site which caters to fire fetishists."
Beckett: "I didn't even know there was a fire fetish."
Castle: "The actual term is pyrophilia, for proof that the Internet has something for everyone."
Beckett (whispering): "I'm not going to ask you how you know that."
And the best look / line combo came as Castle beat a hasty retreat from the potenitally dangerous first crime scene. Beckett's jaw drops, and she says, "I'm ... marrying him."
Feel free to share your thoughts on "Under Fire."
By Michael Seese
WARNING! Lots of spoilers...
As I have said here and there, I really appreciate the episodes which focus on someone other than Castle or Beckett, since it allows the writers to develop the other characters. "The Wild Rover" may have been the best of the bunch.
Esposito may be the one with Special Ops experience. But Ryan showed a real toughness in this one, a toughness that even his friends may not have appreciated. In fact, when Agent Walker sung Ryan's praises, Esposito positively beamed.
We got our eyebrow-raising moment, when Siobhan walked over and kissed Ryan, then he quietly said to his friends -- and his WIFE -- "I can explain." (Cue the commercial break!)
Ryan's brash, brazen alter-ego served up a nice contrast to the soft-spoken, buttoned-down detective we all know and love. And I thought his whole "I can do this" psych-up was a great scene.
Then the end...
In my review of "Hunt," I called the rescue scene the best two minutes of the show's history. The last ten minutes of "The Wild Rover" is a close second. When Liam confronts Ryan and tells him that they're going for a ride, both my wife's and my heart were pounding. It didn't get any less tense when Bobby S. asked Ryan to put a bullet in Siobhan, a woman who obviously, though never explicitly stated, he had loved. (My wife called the part about blanks in the gun.) Then that scene wraps up with the cavalry arriving, following a plausible explanation as to how Ryan got word to them.
But wait...there's more.
Then we got the satisfaction of seeing the murderer -- a non-suspect, up to that point -- brought in. (Remember? This all started with a murder.)
Next, we had Castle confessing to Beckett about his embarrassment at his college dalliance in plagiarism, which pushed him into his writing career.
Finally, we got to end the show on Ryan's and Jenny's happy note.
Despite the intensity of this episode, humor abounded.
Beckett: "I happen to be an expert on nothing, and this is not nothing."
Castle: "Most of what I say is meaningless. Why would it be any different when I'm asleep?"
Beckett: "Looks like he's not the only one keeping secrets."
Castle: "I'm going to ignore that."
Castle: "Did you see the way Siobhan gave him that flying lip-lock?" In fact, I think "flying lip-lock" is a keeper.
And the looks...
Castle's discomfort at being upbraided for eating the dead guy's cupcakes. "It was free samples," he pleaded.
Castle's anticipation when Ryan said, "It's complicated." "I love complicated," he said, sitting down like a 15-year-old about to hear an older boy describe what sex is like.
And in one big, huge, line- and look-fest...
Esposito gave us a great look when Castle asked, "Where's Ryan." Then, cut to the apartment, where Ryan and Jenny are preparing for their doctor's appointment, and she sends him off to do his duty. Followed immediately by Castle saying, "So master baker Jimmy Whelan..." Gut-splitting stuff.
I'm really looking forward to tonight's episode. As I watched the previews -- which promise an obvious homage to "Rear Window" -- I said, "Is Castle actually in a wheelchair?" Per the pictures on IMDB, he is.
Feel free to share your thoughts.
It wasn't Castle, but Ryan, who was the "Wild Rover." Click to tweet.
