by Michael Seese
I think I would subtitle "Dead Red" as "A Tale Of Two Castles." I could have used "Crime And Punishment," but that would have been two easy.
The first half was funny. The second, not so much so. (Though no less effective.)
The opening scene was hilarious, once you got past the throat-slitting murder that is. In fact, I had trouble keeping up with all the zingers flying about as Castle is showing Martha and Alexis his prospective baby shower gifts.
Alexis: "No."
Martha: "Is that a bullet-proof baby...."
Alexis: "It's completely inappropriate."
Castle: "Then you're going to hate the onesie that says, 'I'm with Officer Stupid.' "
Castle: "What's wrong with Leonard Cohen lullabies?"
Martha: "It's more Silence Of The Lambs than Mary Had A Little Lamb."
Castle: "Do you have any idea how hard it is to find machine-washable Kevlar?"
Castle: "Why didn't you tell me this before I went shopping?"
Martha: "Because we would have so missed torturing you. You are our favorite reality show."
Castle: "Because Beckett asked for some time. So I'm giving it to her. Every day. Sometimes twice..."
Not quite a line, but I loved Sergei's term "Diplobrats."
Esposito: "So it's like catch and release, without the cooler full of beer?"
Castle: "If Boris is coming, can Natasha be far behind?"
Vasiliy: "Beckett without Castle is like Boris without Natasha, or Starsky without the Hutch."
I suppose there was more to the show than just the lines.
Minor SPOILERS follow.
Aside from the aforementioned gift scene, I really enjoyed Vasiliy's interrogation of Frank / Anatoly. He set it up (menacingly) well, touching together the sponge-tipped jumper cables. But then Castle jumped in and pleaded for time to break the riddle; Vasiliy generously agreed to 60 seconds, which he counted down rather emphatically.
I also thought the ending played out well. Sergei's cool confidence as he explained that he was being recalled to Moscow. Vasiliy's glee as he explained the plot twists of the Nikki Heat / Ice Cold thriller, which culminated in (I couldn't catch the name of the obscure Russian outpost) a place so cold you have to heat the ground for four days to bury a body. (Of course, if it's that cold, why bother?)
As an aside, I wonder whether at some point Sergei could have been arrested. Though he had diplomatic immunity, Beckett said that doesn't apply if the crime is murder. And though the Russian Embassy is technically Russian soil, what about the staff car which would have driven him to the airport? And, JFK certainly would not have been a safe haven. Oh well.
All in all, pretty good.
Please share your thoughts on "Dead Red."
By Michael Seese
Wow!
The folks behind Castle really found another gear this week. "That '70's Show" was fun on so many levels.
SPOILERS ahead.
Just the idea that in order to solve a decades-old crime they needed to recreate the era was an inspired concept. (Or one borrowed from the movie "Good Bye, Lenin!" I'm just sayin'...) Then, add on Castle's whole gung-ho "let's put on a show" attitude which, naturally, was countered by Beckett's skepticism, disbelief, and ultimate acquiescence. Finally, at the end throwing us a curve with the unrequited love angle. In many shows, a "gay surprise" comes across as contrived or cobbled on; here, I thought it worked.
(Note the photo of Jimmy Carter, above)
Other noteworthy bits:
- The "Starsky & Hutch" rip-off that Esposito was watching was great.
- The gangster's wives were wonderfully cliched.
Quick aside #1: Though I didn't voice it, something told me that Frank Russo's wife would be involved.
Quick aside #2: My wife did opine that Harold was faking his "trapped in the 70s" shtick.
- I had to back up the DVR and re-watch the scene where they took Harold into the precinct, focusing on the homage to Kojak.
- Ryan's "smooth speech" to Harold.
All in all, a great episode.
There were so many good lines, I lost count.
Martha: "I just wanted to wait until you two were finished doing whatever you were doing in there."
Castle: "Sleeping."
Castle: "A testament to the truly indestructible nature of polyester."
Harold: "Have you ever seen a cop with an ass that fine? If this women's lib I'm all for it."
Castle: "To be fair, you do have a very fine... Never mind."
Beckett: "Don't go there, cupcake."
Castle: "We will solve the greatest mystery of the disco era. Besides the popularity of disco itself."
Castle: "What is she? I said 70s. Not Pam Grier."
Alexis: "Halter tops were big in the '70s."
Castle: "So were those peasant blouses. Why didn't you wear one of those?"
Beckett (in the fake interrogation): "I want it now!" followed by a look at script, and a hand slam.
And the looks were everywhere...
Castle and Beckett, as Martha laid out her florid plans.
Beckett, when Harold called her "cop Kate."
Esposito's drop-jaw when he saw Lanie as Foxy Brown, followed by her "Don't say another word." (And then capped with Ryan's understated, "Nice dress.")
Quick aside #3: No "lividity" this week. I suppose with a 40-year-old corpse, it would have been pretty hard to say.
Two picky asides, which came to me this morning:
1. So we're to believe that Russo's wife (who did not look like a Russian shot-putter) killed Vinnie (without a trace of blood anywhere), loaded his body into a car (without a trace of blood anywhere), drove to a construction site, dumped his body in, fired up the cement mixer, and covered him in concrete.
2. Maybe it's just me, but I can't imagine the precinct wanting to party at a club 24 hours after arresting the (mob-connected) owner's wife.
Oh well.
Let's hope the fun continues next week.
Feel free to share your thoughts on "That '70's Show."
Castle: "What's wrong with Leonard Cohen lullabies?"
