Castle: "Smells Like Teen Spirit"

By Michael Seese

I really enjoyed "Smells Like Teen Spirit," despite the fact that, upon further reflection, the underlying plot was COMPLETELY IMPLAUSIBLE. (Even more implausible than the fact that Beckett wears 4" heels without impeding her efforts to chase down bad guys.)

OK, SPOILERS.

So, we have not 1, not 2, but 3 pampered teen princesses who manage to slip out of their Manhattan penthouses several times a week (don't their parents at least stick their heads in the room to say "Good morning") who also have the skills to defeat security systems (not to mention lobby cameras), and the requisite ninja training to sneak past the sleeping occupants in order to steal valuables?

Please! The telekinetic theory holds more water.

Putting that aside, I did enjoy the episode. As we've seen many times before, Castle tries to sell the supernatural angle, and Beckett ain't buying. Then, all the pieces come together lightning fast at the end, and fit into a coherent (albeit COMPLETELY IMPLAUSIBLE) explanation.

The beginning was very cool. It was neat to see such a bizarre murder playing out in real-time.

That pretty much sums it up. On to lines...

Beckett: "What's a party without a DJ?"
Castle: "That's rhetorical, right?"

Beckett: "OK, Castle. Let's hear it."
Castle: "Isn't it obvious? Madison made The Hulk angry."

Castle: "I cannot wait to tell Stephen [King] about this."

Beckett: "Bearer bonds? I thought those only existed in Die Hard." My aside: And Beverly Hills Cop.

Castle: "1987. The year the Bangles taught us to walk like an Egyptian..." and the subsequent musical references.

And THE look: Beckett's smirk when Castle slinked into the principal's office.

Three picky observations, aside from the COMPLETELY IMPLAUSIBLE thing.

1. Castle grew up poor. How did he manage to attend a swanky private school?
2. The first suspect -- the victim's ex-boyfriend --  was described as being 6' 2", 245 pounds. The kid they had playing him was nowhere near 245 pounds.
3. Perhaps I missed something, but Jordan knew that Lucas staged the cafeteria event...right? If so, why would she spend money buying books on telekinesis, and seeking out that charlatan doctor?

Oh well.

Feel free to share your thoughts on "Smells Like Teen Spirit."

Video Games

A few weeks back, I listened to the Lana Del Rey album, "Born To Die," with the thought that I could review it in this space. But to be honest, I was less than impressed with the disk. If I were writing a CD review for a magazine or e-zine, well, that would be my honest assessment. But since this is my blog, I thought, Do I really want to devote an entry to saying, "It's so-so." So I had put aside the idea. But I kept coming back to it because of that song...

To this day, I can still remember the first time I heard Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit." (As an aside, we all know the original; have you ever heard the Tori Amos cover of it?) It made that much of an impact on me. And, I can say the same thing about Del Rey's "Video Games." (In fact, in both cases, I was driving in my car; the difference is that now I have a cell phone, which allowed me to call the radio station and say, "Who is this?")

Since, as I've stated in several previous posts, I don't listen to commercial radio stations, I don't know if the song is getting widespread airplay. So if you have not yet heard the song, find it and listen to it. (Or, just keep reading.)

There are so many adjectives I could use to describe "Video Games." Bittersweet. Magnificent. Mesmerizing. But I think "haunting" is the best. The song just grabs you, and stays with you. The musical arrangement is complex. Lyrics like "Take that body downtown" and "I say you the bestest," I simply adore. And her drawling vocal delivery is so dreamy. In fact, the latter is one of the things I would point out were I doing a full disk review: when she sings in her "girly voice," hit fast forward; but when she uses her lower range...wow!

The video is captivating as well. (And I think she borrowed Angelia Jolie's AND Steven Tyler's lips.)

Mikey sez check it out.