Castle: Reality Star Struck

By Michael Seese

Three nights...three episodes of Castle. So we're all caught up. For about seven more hours, that is. I enjoyed "Reality Star Struck." Perhaps because "reality" TV is an eye-rolling phenomenon in my world, and therefore, anything that skewers it is OK in my book.

Naturally, the absurdity gave Castle plenty of grist for his acerbic wit. Yes, lots of lines and looks. But before I get to that, I suppose I could discuss the plot. Much like "Recoil," the murderer (SPOILER!) turned out to be someone who had not even been considered a suspect. And, if memory serves, like "Recoil," the killer had not even spoken a line up to the "We know you did it" speech. At least in this case, the murderer had a name. Last week, I think he was just "the driver," at least until taken into custody.

As an aside, when they arrested Penelope, I couldn't help but notice the several small scars on her left shoulder. I wonder if Gina Torres (who, incidentally, appeared in "Serenity" with Nathan Fillion) has had her rotator cuff repaired, as have I.  

As another aside, when Castle and Beckett busted Penelope and Bob in bed, my wife said, "They staged it for the ratings." And she was right!

I thought Captain Gates's obsession with "The Wives Of Wall Street" represented yet another peek into to quirky other side, much like her love of the "Gemini dolls" in "Secret's Safe With Me." And Castle's descent into fandom during his all-nighter was portrayed stupendously. Then the writers brought it all together by having Castle and Gates animatedly discuss it. 

 On to the lines.

Ryan: "I feel like the rooster in the hen house. Except for there's only one hen. A very bossy hen."

Peter Monroe: "You have to find who did this. The audience will want to know."
Castle: "Yeah, not to mention her family, D.A."

Castle: "All these clues will fit into a beautiful murderous mosiac."

Castle: "It's like eating one potato chip."
Beckett: "I usually eat one potato chip."

Castle: "You two back together? Spoiler alert!"

And then the follow-up.

Castle: "I wouldn't make fun..." (Laughs) "Fish in a barrel..."

The latter probably accompanied my favorite "look."

So...

I'm going out on a limb here to say that tonight's episode probably will score low on the "chuckle-meter." I'll make two predictions. When Beckett says, "Castle, please, you don't need to see this:"

1. "This" is a blood-soaked jacket belonging to Alexis, and
2. The moment he sees it, and the camera shows everyone's worried faces. the show will fade to black. 

Feel free to chime in on "Reality Star Struck." 

If you met Castle, would you be "Star Struck?"  Click to tweet.

Castle: "Head Case"

"Castle" is my favorite show. Actually, it's the only show we watch. So by definition, I think it has to be my favorite.

Though the interplay between the two main characters is great, at the risk of forfeiting my "hetero card," I watch the show more for Castle than for Beckett.

I like Nathan Fillion as an actor. IMHO, no one else could be Castle. I think his expressions and delivery are great. Stana Katic is good, too, of course, though I think she looked better with her season one short hair. Plus, as a cop, it makes more sense to have short hair...it gives the bad guys one less thing to grab on to. For that same reason, if you saw Monday's episode, you'll notice that Ryan removed his tie before they went on their first raid. My buddy the cop wears a clip-on for that very reason.

Speaking of Monday's show, we actually got to watch it live, which hasn't happened in...gosh, I can't remember how long. Of course, when you have a DVR, why watch something live?

So I thought I'd share a few thoughts, good, bad, indifferent. There are no spoilers per se, though I do discuss some tidbits.

- I like William Atherton. Usually he plays complete jerks--and he's very good at it. So I liked this role...25% jerk, 70% businessman who believes in his enterprise, 5% likeable.
- When they first visited the cryo-lab, Beckett had on heels that were at least 4" high. Yeah, perfect for chasing a suspect. (Yes, another hetero warning.)
- The pigeon with the .45 slug in it? I'm sorry. I'm not a ballistics expert, but I'm pretty certain that if you shot a pigeon with a .45, there would no longer be a pigeon.

- I always am amused by fiction (or for that matter, reality) which involves the cryonic preservation of humans, until "modern medicine can cure their illness." Ted Williams has been frozen, though I believe it was his son who actually did it. Don't these people realize that if they are revived 200 years in the future, they won't even be qualified to be garbage collectors in the "new world?" They'll be primitives.

Also, I thought it was funny that Alexis brought up the rejection letter which Castle has framed and hanging on the wall, a plot element which may or may not have been brought up before. (I'd never seen or heard about it.) Prior to learning of the letter, I had concocted the following snippet of dialogue.

Castle: "Do you have any idea what it's like to pour your heart and soul into something, send it off to a complete stranger, wait in agony, and then receive a rejection letter? Because you don't see it as a rejection of the novel. You see it as a rejection of you. They're not saying your writing stinks. They're saying you stink."
Ryan: "Wow. How did you handle that?"
Castle: "Handle what?"
Ryan: "The rejection letter."
Castle: "I don't know. It never happened to me. I had five publishers engaged in a bidding war over my first manuscript. But I've heard it happens."

So what did you think of the show?