by Michael Seese
I don't have a lot to say about "Kill Switch." Don't get me wrong; I did enjoy it. But perhaps because of the previously mentioned delays in seeing its conclusion, I felt less invested in it.
I thought it delivered what it promised. A tight, confined thriller (unlike the average episode which alternates between "We're in trouble" and "OK, now we're not.") which gave Esposito a chance to shine. So in that regard, it succeeded.
I really enjoyed the car-ride conversation about parenthood between Esposito and Ryan. Serious stuff.
"What kind of father do you think I'd be?"
Which, of course, they had to deflate.
Esposito: "Can you hear that? That sound?"
Ryan: "No. What's that?"
Esposito: "That's my biological clock ticking. Tick, tock."
Ryan: "We were having a genuine, honest moment, and you had to ruin it by being a jackass."
The writers somewhat bookended that bro-scene with another equally genuine, honest interaction at the end.
Ryan: "You had me scared."
Esposito: "That's because you're a wimp."
About the only other line worth noting is:
Castle: "We'll take the subway. Too soon?" And of course the bad pun follow-ups, "token" and "out of line."
The take-down was well-staged. When Aragon started unlacing her boot, I wondered why. But when she wrapped the lace around Stone's hand, it made sense.
Picky aside: It seems to me that when Stone stared at the hidden camera for like, 10 seconds before shooting it, that could have been a good time to go. Just sayin'
And I do have to say...
SPOILER!
... I thought the motive was a little iffy, as was the convenient deus ex machina revelation that Jarvis's husband was an attorney in the Erin Wilson case.
Oh well. One man's opinion. What are yours?
By Michael Seese
This was a gripping episode. (I decided to come up with a synonym for "intense.") To give you an idea, I stopped taking notes about halfway through, and just watched.
As I've said in other reviews, you knew that Beckett would get out of it. But how? And I must say, her salvation came from a completely unexpected (to me, at least) source, which made it all the more satisfying.
Something else that helped flavor "In The Belly Of The Beast." A year or so ago, "Hunt" put Castle out there, on his own. (OK, he eventually had help from his dad...work with me.) "In The Belly Of The Beast" had Beckett alone, and often unarmed. (Aside from her wits and charms.)
Because of the separation, the episode featured fewer lines and fewer looks than normal. But there were a lot of standout scenes. That is, "gripping" scenes.
(Though I did make note Esposito's, "There's more brass in here than a marching band.")
I enjoyed Beckett's giddiness at the prospect of a day off, culminating in my favorite line.
Beckett: "No goals, other than to waste hours on end."
Castle: "Stop describing my day."
The scene where Mr. Harden scanned Beckett for a wire oozed tension. Then, they set up some confusion when Beckett said, "I'm not a threat to anyone," and he replied, "You can just drop the act."
I also loved Beckett's several furtive attempts to phone / text her whereabouts to her colleagues.
Finally, her letter to Castle was both touching and exciting.
One nit-pick: the baddies all knew that Elena Markov was a slash-assassin. So why did Mr. Harden give Beckett a gun for her first assignment?
Finally, no Lanie, no "lividity" this week.
Next week's show (well, two weeks) looks to be back to the fun.
Feel free to share your thoughts on "In The Belly Of The Beast."
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
I'll say it up front: SPOILERS!
"Disciple" was the creepiest episode this season. And with a good underlying reason, which I'll go into later.
- The way the victims were hanged...CREEPY!
- The fact that the victims looked like Lanie and Esposito...CREEPY!
- The victims' milky eyes...REALLY CREEPY.
- The doctor...CREEPY!
- The murderer...CREEPY!
So, backing up to the creepies, the doctor, Kelly Nieman, just oozed cool creepiness, during the interview in her office, and especially during her interrogation at the station.
(Picky aside #1... the aforementioned interview took place at night; it occurred at the same Ryan and Esposito entered the boat. Her office sure seemed to be busy, considering the late hour.)
Then, Matthews was the essence of just-barely contained psycho-creepiness during his interrogation. The way he drummed his fingers on the desk sent chills up my spine. And then, they capped off the scene with the line, "I'll need a pad of paper. Several pads, in fact."
And what was with the milk-eyes of the victims? I don't recall ever seeing corpses look like that (on the show). And they offered no explanation. (Picky aside #2... why did the faux-Lanie have a tattoo? In case the person running the police records room were to say, "Prove you're her. Let's see the ink.")
Back to lines...
Beckett: "I was hoping for something more romantic and less Hobbity."
Castle: "Why does everyone always think those two are mutually exclusive?"
Castle: "Can I say something that will probably annoy you?"
Beckett: "Since when do you ask for permission?"
Castle: "Touché"
Castle: "I love when you get angry, I mean at other people, not at me."
And probably the best look: Castle's crest-fall when Dr. Nieman said his face had "amazing... potential."
Kudos to my wife: she asked, if Matthews was the killer, why did he act shocked when he found the body of Pam / Lanie? I suppose it could have been "for show," in case anyone happened to be around. But that's a bit of a stretch.
Kudos to me: I forget the exact leading line (and I'm too lazy to look it up, today), but when Castle opined that Matthews had help, I said aloud "3XK" literally one second before Beckett did as they walked through the police records room.
Kudos to me, again: I think I caught a gaffe. I could swear Beckett said, "It looks like our victims took files from 26 other cases."
Question to you all: was there a significance to the song played at the end, "We'll Meet Again?" Or was it just the message 3XK delivered?
Feel free to share your thoughts on "Disciple."
By Michael Seese
I felt a little lukewarm about "Under The Influence." Why? Because there was very little Castle, as the writers decided to expand Esposito's character. Understand, I think that's a good thing. Otherwise, as I have said before, the show becomes Two Stars (and everybody else). But, the downside is that there was less Castle-Beckett interplay.
Still, I'm glad they did it.
There were a few good lines:
MC Thug: " 'Or else' usually is enough!"
Ryan: "Artful Dodger. Or Artful DJ."
Castle: "Oooh! Nicely played!"
And I can think of one good look: Lanie's glare when Castle said (of her discovery that a Chinese restaurant may be involved), "Narrowing it down to every single block in Manhattan."
Really, though, the show belonged to Espo.
We got to see his tough side when he walked solo into enemy territory -- Shane's hangout -- took out his mountain of a bodyguard, and sat down to talk.
We got to see his smart side when he recorded his interview with Shane, got him to admit that he would sell Joey out, and then showed the video to Joey.
And we got to see his edgy side when he paid a final visit to Shane and laid two guns on the table.
We even got to see some humor: (To Ryan) "Come on fanboy, let's go."
My main complaint about this episode came from the scene where Castle and Beckett interviewed Regina Cane. If I may jump into the "WABAC Machine" for a minute, I didn't watch many episodes of Law & Order. But I recall one in which the detectives needed to interview the alibi of the primary suspect. We meet this fellow as he is walking out the front door of his stately club, sweater tied over his shoulders, talking backward to the detectives following behind him. Eventually, one of the detectives asked, "Do you know anyone who could commit such a crime?" And he replied, "No, and I hope I never meet him." He then drove off. And I remember thinking, Well, I'm glad you decided that the police were done talking to you. Regina pulled the same stunt when she replaced her eye shades and went back to bed. Normally, Beckett would have grabbed her ankle and had her @ss on the floor!
Oh well.
Feel free to share your thoughts.
.
Esposito: "Can you hear that? That sound?"
