Castle: The Blame Game

by Michael Seese

Cool, cool episode! And somewhat like "Dead Red," two different shows. Like its glasnost-tinged predecessor, "The Blame Game" began with a humorous scene involving the Castle family, and then became something else. Though "The Blame Game" turned out to be much darker.

Castle: "Guess who's about to have the best day ever!"
Martha: "Could it be the fellow who just interrupted us rather rudely with boo-yah!"
Alexis: "What's going on, Dad?"
Castle: "I'm sorry, I can't tell you. I'm sworn to secrecy."
Alexis: "OK. So anyway, my psych professor said..."

Alexis: "Gram, you know he's going to keep pouting until he gets his way."

Martha: "Darling, if you think you're going to get top billing over Stephen King, you'll need more than luck."

And then....

BTW, SPOILERS!

... the trap is sprung, and a groggy Castle awakens in an elementary school classroom. If I may boast (MAJOR SPOILER HERE) I called Brandon as the murderer as soon as the four male hostages awoke from their slumber. Knowing (or being 99% sure) he was behind it did detract somewhat from the drama of the bee sting, the administering of the poison, and the discovery of the antidote. Still, I thought it was very clever writing the way Castle solved the riddle to open the cryptex, and mix the antidote.

I have to admit, were I one of the four people in that room, I would be dead. Because once I found the gun, I would have shot the wall three times to get rid of the bullets, and put to rest any possibility one of us would follow through. I guess it's good Castle isn't me.

As I thought about it, one of the things that made this a cool episode was that once Castle wakes up in the "traproom," the murder of Emma Matthews (remember her?) largely becomes irrelevant. The mass kidnapping turns into the crime. And yet the writers neatly begin weaving the two arcs together once Alexis and Hayley begin comparing notes with Ryan and Esposito.

Quick aside: WHEN are they going to have Espo and Hayley become an item?

Even though I loved it, a few picky asides:

#1. If the death of his twin caused Brandon to snap, he sure managed to research, plot, and implement a really intricate plan mighty quickly. If memory serves, it was mentioned that her funeral was the week before.

#2. And if Brandon were so distraught (and bent on suicide, as he said in the final scene) why not just kill his parents?

#3. Castle reasons that the person behind the plot used his (and ostensibly the others') phones to lure their spouses to 143 Nicholas Street. Come on... the FBI can't crack an iPhone. And Brandon could?

#4. How did he know that Meadow was allergic to peanuts? Perhaps he just made an assumption that someone could have been. Which kind of leads to my final point...

#5. I'm sure a statistical analysis guru could run the numbers, but it seems to me as though killing any of the captives changes the end game. Taken to an extreme, what if both Meadow and Patty (the two female hostages) were allergic to peanuts, and both smoked the cigarettes; then, Beckett used the booby-trapped gun to try and shoot the door? Suddenly, Brandon is down to three men (one of them him) and three levers.

Oh well. I still really enjoyed it.

Please let me know what you thought of "The Blame Game."

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."

"Beautiful Forever"

By Michael Seese

After a brief hiatus, agent Janet Reid is offering up another 100-word contest. As she explained on her blog:

"I had the pleasure of seeing Stephen King at a recent reading.  I was accompanied on this field trip by my boon companions in crime (and devoted King fans) Joanna Volpe, Dan Krokos and Brooks Sherman. At the close of the reading we got copies of his new novel Dr. Sleep.  Of course, I am not going to read it!! TOO SCARY!!! So, what better to do with it than offer it as the prize for writing contest! That it happens to be a signed copy all the better."

The words:

Beautiful
Await
Shining
Love
Craft

So here is my entry, "Beautiful Forever."

"Keep me beautiful forever."

Jessica’s words, her plea, haunted Wayne. His heart ached when he thought of watching the woman he adored fading, her shining star waning, as she awaited the curtain to fall on Act III. If he could craft a different ending to the final script we all must read...

Wayne smiled. "How do you feel?"

"Who are you?" Jessica asked, the sedative wearing off.

"Someone who loves you."

"Where am I? What are you doing?"

"Your ad. The billboard. 'Keep me beautiful forever.' Soon, you will be," Wayne said as the formaldehyde began flowing into her vein.

Feel free to share your thoughts of "Beautiful Forever."

Why Am I Doing This Again...

No matter how good of a writer I believe I am, at times I am wracked with self-doubt. What writer isn't? What writer doesn't fear that his or her efforts are nothing more than fanciful, self-indulgent drivel, and appealing to an audience of one? OK, maybe Stephen King never does. (Of course, what would scare that guy?) But I would imagine that the rest of us mortals occasionally wonder if we can "do this."

Case in point: my latest project, Nightmares. I think it seems like a cool concept. I think I concocted a compelling story. I think it's well written, with good action and realistic dialog.

I've sent out a few preliminary query letters to agents, and have gotten back three polite "no" responses. Am I ready to throw in the towel? Of course not, especially since in a blog I read the other day, the author said that she received 50 rejections before her book was accepted. So I'll put away the sharp objects and the noose for now. But still...

Am I good enough to be a Writer, with a capital "W?"
Will people want to buy my work?
Am I wasting my time?

And then I get something like this...

I had asked a few friends to review Nightmares, not as a proofreader, but more from the perspective of a fan of fiction. "If you started reading this book, would you keep reading?" I asked. One of my friends wrote the following:

What was supposed to be just at lunchtime turned into the rest of the afternoon.  I couldn’t put it down.  For me that says a lot.  I've been reading quite a bit lately and if a book doesn't catch my interest quickly, I stop reading it.  Yours, I enjoyed so much I started through it a second time this afternoon.

Yes, I know it came from a friend, who likes me, and therefore is biased toward my writing. Still, I asked for an honest assessment. And I believe I got one.

Now if you'll excuse me, I have a few more agents to query.