Review - Castle Season 4 Episode 7 Cops & Robbers

An easy way to create drama on television is to subvert the viewers' expectations. After so many episodes, most people have a good idea what's coming, especially when it comes to Castle. Creating a completely unexpected event can be cheap, but none cheaper than what happened on Castle. Unfortunately, the writers still have not figured this out. When they have a gun pointed at Castle's head, everyone knows nothing will happen, but the writers linger on this forever, trying to get any tension out of the moment. But from the beginning, without the possibility of Castle getting shot or something weird happening, there was no tension. The explosion was probably the only thing that was unexpected, because it happened in the midst of other events and wasn't telegraphed completely.

I liked that the plot went beyond the normal "take the cash" scheme, but the eventual conclusion--the mastermind using the heist to find his ex-wife and son--seemed awfully elaborate. I guess some people will go to super crazy lengths to get their children back. With that kind of planning, though, you'd think he could hatch a plan that wouldn't require drawing so much attention.

Score: 7.7/10

Review - Castle Season 4 Episode 6 Demons

I hadn't expect a Halloween episode this soon, because next week's episode, after all, airs on Halloween, but I'm always game for Halloween episodes, especially on Castle. We get a decent ghost story, full of Castle wanting it to be true followed Beckett's usual denials, and some good scares along the way. This is the kind of Castle episode I want to see each week, one that can balance the humor with serious issues.

Score: 8.8/10

Review - Castle Season 4 Episode 5 Eye of the Beholder

I haven't reviewed Castle lately because I haven't had time (and if I did have time, I'd much rather review Hawaii Five-0), but I found "Eye of the Beholder" to a pleasant episode worthy of a review.

In general when I watch Castle, I'm bored by the case. The immediate details like how the person die may be interesting, but that quickly descends into lots and lots of expositional dialogue in which the characters say everything that's happening. I don't know about everyone else, but I'd listen to an audiobook if I wanted someone to tell me a story.

"Eye of the Beholder" is far less complicated than previous episodes and didn't have as much dialogue explaining what's going on. Or least the stuff on the side--the Drive reunion of Nathan Fillion and Kristen Lehman--was entertaining enough to push the dialogue away. The episode keeps a fast pace, as Beckett scowls in disapproval and Castle leers continuously.

Bringing up the Beckett and Castle relationship issue is a moot point, but it's something that continues to bother me. It's obvious what the endgame is, but the writers are taking sooooooo long that it doesn't even matter. Beckett has pushed her feelings down so much that she can't even begin to express what she feels in words. It feels like no progress is being made and it's very repetitive by now.

Score: 8.9/10

Review - Castle Season 4 Episode 3 Head Case

Castle isn't going to delve into deep questions about the ethics of cryogenics, but it can have lots of fun with the frozen head. With this premise, "Head Case" is solid episode with some snappy dialogue about the subject. The conclusion of the episode was better and more sobering than usual, as the wife had killed her dying husband so he could be frozen and later killed herself in the jail cell.

It was a little surprising that Alexis didn't actually get into Stanford. Television high schoolers always seem to get into the best colleges without studying or taking hard courses (and the occasional AP class obviously would not be enough in the real world). Alexis is unhappy but Castle saves the day as always.

Score: 8.7/10

Review - Castle Season 4 Episode 2 Heroes & Villains

After the serious season premiere, Castle returns to the basics with a light episode featuring comic books and superheroes. This subject area is right up Castle's alley, and the writers know how to push that geek button. The crime solving aspect of the episode is a little hard to follow if you don't pay attention to the name, but the general idea gets across.

Score: 8.6/10

Review - Castle Season 4 Episode 1 Rise

I've enjoyed most of the serious Castle episodes in the past because they upped the stakes and they were generally well-written episodes. Increasingly, these serious episodes have been changed to add more melodrama and the annoying will-they-won't-they dynamic. This reaches a new height in "Rise," with all sorts of manufactured drama. Kate's boyfriend wants to attack Castle, Beckett explains the wall she has, and finally Beckett tells her psychologist Worf that she remembers everything, which would include Castle's admission of his love. Oh, the drama!

The problem is, Castle isn't a show built upon these "moments," but its charm, something severely lacking in the episode. The episode in Los Angeles was intense at times but could fall back on humor. In "Rise," however, things are too dark to find the funny.

Score: 8.2/10

Review - Castle Season 3 Episode 24 Knockout

Here's one of my big problems with Castle: why can't the writers blend the "Knockout"-style episodes with the usual, fun, charming episodes? A few times in a season, Castle will turn to serious mode--there is a huge crime, lots of people are in trouble, and Castle and Beckett almost kiss. Then there's Castle in normal mode--fun, lax, and generally not that intense. The result is that the serious episodes have better plots while the normal episodes are more enjoyable if one isn't into super-intense episodes.

The structure is Castle is so that episodes like "Knockout" stand out, relative to the other episodes where nobody important gets killed and Beckett isn't as emotionally invested. In effect, the episode seems much better than it is, because the writers undershoot the other episodes. If the writers had the right mix--beefier plots to go alongside the funny--Castle could be greatly improved.

"Knockout," like those other special episodes is a lot more intense than normal episodes. The stakes are higher, the plot is directly related to Beckett, and the possible romance between Beckett and Castle, one of the drawing points of the show, is teased to death. What makes the episode work is the involvement of Montgomery in the events that led to Beckett's mother's death, We learn why he's so supportive of her and why he cares about her so much before his valiant death. He committed a crime in the past and did his best to make up for it. It's hard to fault a man for that, so I think Montgomery was given a good send-off.

The episode ends on a "cliffhanger," which was unnecessary and clichéd.We know Kate won't die unless the entire show goes through a DNA resequencer. We already knew someone was gunning for Kate. And after years of insinuation and non-action, was Castle saying "I love you" supposed to be the tipping point? Obviously this is another ploy to get the viewers to believe something will actually happen when the show returns in the fall.

Score: 8.8/10

Review - Castle Season 3 Episode 23 Pretty Dead

"Pretty Dead" reminded me of one of the reasons why I didn't want to review Castle week to week: it's a very normal, plain episode coming after a great episode. I have no problems with the episode itself, but the character interactions were the same asin most episodes. However, I do find it odd that the writers can write an episode like "To Love and Die in L.A." which has lots really funny lines and developments Castle and Beckett, and then turn around with the usual stuff.

Score: 8.4/10

Review - Castle Season 3 Episode 22 To Love and Die in L.A.

I've been thinking about Castle and the way Castle and Beckett have been handled, and after watching "To Love and Die in L.A.," I have a new mindset when approaching it. Yes, the writers do an inordinate amount of pointless teasing, but it ultimately falls under character development, which is always a good thing on procedurals.

In context of tonight's episode, we see, for the first time, that Beckett is willing to take a chance with Castle, and the counterfactual would be that there would have been heavy kissing had Castle not been in his room. Along with Royce's letter, these small changes seem to be going somewhere. We can see the natural progression from point A to B and beyond. Castle is only nearing the end of the third season and there could be more that could happen before a full-blown relationship.

If, on the other hand, there continues to be developments for more seasons without resolution, Castle will be in Bones territory, which has gone from point A to point B, exhausted the alphabet, and is now in no man's land. That would be a genuine problem, but it's fine for now.

Perhaps, though, my new ease about where Andrew Marlow is taking the show stems from the fact that I loved the portions of "To Love and Die in L.A." outside of Beckett and Castle relationship scenes. With Beckett and Castle in Los Angeles, the writers take full advantage of the situation to give Beckett and Castle unique Los Angeles stuff to do--visit the movie set, use the set for interrogation, the hotel, different clothes, etc--while giving Ryan and Esposito lots of fun scenes as well.

Score: 9.2/10

Review - Castle Season 3 Episode 20 Slice of Death

I've fallen into a familiar pattern with Castle this season. Everything has solidified, from the plots to the characters, but the one thing that has been consistently missing from the show since the beginning--and continues on today--is the inability for the writers to shake up the normalcy, aside from the two-parters that come every once in a blue moon. I like watching the episodes and seeing things unfold, but there isn't anything to look forward to, the possibility that something will change. In comparison, The Mentalist and Bones have both shown to be capable of going outside the box several times a season and not just for special occasions. Now in its third season, Castle should be able to do the same, stretching its wings a bit, but it doesn't.

What I'm getting at is that my motivation to review the show has severely plummeted. After tonight's episode, I asked myself what I could say about the episode. The pizza guys were funny, the Keyser Soze homage was cool, and the Alexis stuff was solid as usual. But did anything really catch my attention? No. I've come to expect these things from Castle, and the format for "Slice of Death" is the same as a majority of the episode. Castle and Beckett investigate a crime of an unusual setting, there are some puns, pop culture references, lots of suspects, and the arrest. Alexis and/or Martha have a problem in the meantime which seems large, Castle consults Beckett who adds her two cents from a female perspective, and the problem is resolved happily. Depending on how I feel next week, this may be my last regular review of Castle.

Alexis's line last week about her friend situation being complicated caught my eye last week, so I was pleased to see the writers follow up on that. Her "friend" Lauren tries to make her life miserable, and Alexis eventually fights back. According to Alexis, they "hug it out" in the end, so it's a happy ending. Thematically, it's not deep. as nothing on the show is, and we already know high school has plenty of bitches, but it once again allows for some good scenes between Castle and Alexis.

Score: 8.6/10

Review - Castle Season 3 Episode 19 Law & Murder

"Law & Murder" is a standard Castle episode--a case with several twists, a strong sense of justice, teamwork, and an Alexis dilemma which ends with her looking like a saint. There's nothing that really sets the episode apart from the pack, but a couple things that stuck out in my mind--Montgomery's involvement in the case and Alexis's line about her friend situation being complicated, a possible precursor to a more substantial plot.

Score: 8.7/10

Review - Castle Season 3 Episode 18 One Life to Lose

The meta of "One Life to Lose" is very fun, with Castle and Beckett visiting the set of a soap opera to solve a murder. We see the craziness of shippers and bloggers who are rightfully criticized for getting out of hand sometimes, and it's all well and good. The case is solved, and then there's a Castle and Beckett moment where Beckett that she used to watch the soap opera with her mother so watching it now makes her feel safe.

But Josh's face pops up on Beckett's phone. My reaction: instant facepalm. If the writers are going to make fun of ludicrous soap opera plots, how about not using the latest plot device, Josh showing up at the end of every Castle and Beckett scene as of late?

I have this theory about that scene and shipping fandoms in general. The writers deliberately lead shipper on by providing endless teases to tug at heartstrings, while never providing a good solution. Meanwhile, they create an opposing tension which generates buzz among the fans which eventually spills out to people who aren't fans of the show. This way, they can get more people to watch, continuously leading shippers on with endless teases and also new viewers who want to see what the hubbub is about. So maybe that scene was the writers acknowledging their role in infuriating shippers. Or they're just clueless.

The case suffers from the problem of the recognizable actress. We've seen Tina Majorino in Napoleon Dynamite, Veronica Mars, and just the night before, on the series finale of Big Love. Everyone else on the show had already been interrogated, leaving her as the only viable suspect.

Score: 8.5/10

Review - Castle Season 3 Episode 17 Countdown

The thing about procedurals is that by the end of the episode, nothing really happens. Sure, the perp(s) are arrested, but the nature of the genre is that the characters remain exactly the same at the end of every episode, ready to fight crime as they always have. Writers could certainly do much more with their characters, but for sake of ratings and general ease, most choose not to.

"Countdown" sets up several situations in which more can happen. Castle and Beckett are trapped in the freezer, on the verge of dying and holding each other for warmth. Does anything happen? Nope. They get out alive and, hey, Josh is there. Then, the dirty bomb is about to go off, with the timer ticking to zero. Castle and Beckett hold hands in preparation for the explosion. Does anything happen? Nope. Castle pulls out the wiring and it's all over. And, yeah, Josh is there yet again.

The procedural side of things was very tense, with Fallon nearly going into Jack Bauer mode. There are even two people whose names combined form "Jack Bauer." But the intensity of the episode doesn't completely blot out the useless teases.

After Josh returns and tells Beckett he didn't go to Haiti, she's obviously very happy that he choose her over work. So this thing will drag on longer, with Castle thinking but not doing and Beckett with Josh, but having Castle in the back of her mind.

There are two interesting tweets from Castle creator, Andrew Marlowe. 1) "Dear #Castle shippers. You may be impatient. You may be frustrated. But, trust me, there is a plan." "2) I'm heart, not Hart." Sorry, Andrew, but "Countdown" is exactly what Hart's been up to for six seasons. Hart always says he has a plan, but from we've seen, it's a shitty plan. Having a plan doesn't imply quality. In fact, a plan might me detrimental, depending on how long this is supposed to drag out.

Score: 8.7/10

Preview of Week 2/27/11 - 3/05-11

Castle - ABC, Monday, February 28, 10:00pm ET

The final of the two-parter airs Monday night and in line with Castle's previous two-episode endeavors, it should be good.

Supernatural - CW, Friday, March 4, 9:00pm ET

The last episode until April brings Supernatural back to the Mother of All plot after last week's meta detour.

Review - Castle Season 3 Episode 16 Setup

Wow, that was pretty intense, wasn't it? "Setup" is a setup episode, laying out the scenario of a dirty bomb and putting out the suspects, before narrowing it down towards the end. Apparently, the dirty bomb isn't in the hands of Muslim terrorists, as they are ruled out (again, Castle's wild imagination is correct).

The strength of the episode lies not in the plot, but in Beckett whose boyfriend is leaving once again. While under quarantine with Castle, she states what she wants, someone reliable and will always be there. Of course, that's Castle, but before anything else can happen, they're cleared. The episode ends with Castle and Beckett off the case officially, but working on the case together--and they're trapped in a freezer.

Score: 8.9/10

Review - Castle Season 3 Episode 15 The Final Nail

"The Final Nail" Castle and Beckett directly at odds with each other and allows us to see the understanding between them. One of Castle's old friends, Damien Westlake, from boarding school who got Castle into writing--basically starting Castle's multi-million dollar career--is suspected of murder. Castle has this idealized version of him in his head, refusing to believe Westlake could commit murder. Beckett, knowing that Castle loves and creates stories, shatters this vision, saying that Castle has created this narrative in his mind and has to see the truth. In the end, neither are entirely correct, as Westlake was not the murderer for this specific case, but he is a bad guy, revealed to have had his father killed.

While Stana Katic doesn't exactly have the range of Jennifer Beals, who delivered an incredible speech/rant in last night's episode of The Chicago Code, she does an admirable job when she confronts Castle and you could really feel the heat in the room. Afterwards, everything is fine and they go out for a drink, a friendly but not romantic gesture, which looks like the status quo for a while longer.

Score: 8.7/10

Review - Castle Season 3 Episode 14 Lucky Stiff

When that kiss happened two weeks ago, everyone got excited about the possibilities, and all these rumors were flying around. However, after "Lucky Stiff" it's safe to say that the kiss doesn't really matter. Sure, we all saw it happen, but what are the visible consequences? Castle and Beckett don't talk about it, there's not even hints about the kiss, they don't kiss again, and they don't even get close to kissing again. It was just another transitory occurrence on a procedural, where actions in one episode rarely carry over to another.

"Lucky Stiff" has the usual story of a lottery winner having bad luck, and a hasty twist towards the end to tie up the episode. But more importantly, the episode gave up the opportunity to expand on the kiss with Castle and Beckett at the nightclub. The situation bears resemblance to the one during the kiss, an undercover operation. Instead, the writers make it a Castle checks out Beckett's butt scene and it's quickly over.

Score: 8.4/10

Review - Castle Season 3 Episode 13 Knockdown

The only thing people will care about tomorrow morning is the kiss, so I won't bother talking about the plot other than that they now have an assassin who was hired to kill the dirty former detective. I guess you could call the kiss a fake out since it did not occur under normal circumstances. On the other hand, it was definitely a conscious decision since we see Castle stop Beckett from drawing her gun, and both are really into it. What will make or break the moment is what the writers do with the fallout in the next episode. If the writers follow up it and make something constructive out of it (not more artificial roadblocks and postponing), then it'll be worth it. If, instead, the writers ignore it or allow this thing to drag on longer, then we can collectively roll our eyes because everyone knows how they feel about each other.

As for the rest of "Knockdown," I liked the change of pace and tone, which is necessary for the subject matter, and the acting definitely fit in line. It'll be a while until we do find out who killed Beckett's mother, but these episodes are very good so far.

Score: 9.0/10

Preview of Week 1/23/11 - 1/29/11

Castle - ABC, Monday, January 24, 10:00pm ET

There's a new lead in the case of Beckett's mother's murder, and if you watched the promo, something big happens between Beckett and Castle, barring deceptive editing, of course.

Archer - FX, Thursday, January 27, 10:00pm ET

The raunchy animated spy comedy returns this Thursday.

Supernatural - CW, Friday, January 28, 9:00pm ET

Supernatural returns this week with an episode whose description says something about virgins kidnapped by a dragon. Confused? So am I.

Review - Castle Season 3 Episode 12 Poof! You're Dead

"Poof! You're Dead" uses the world of magicians very effectively, incorporating a key trait of magicians, illusion, into several plot twists. Along the way, Beckett and Castle get to play around with magic and Esposito tries his best to hide his relationship with Lanie, which everyone already knows about.

Castle breaks up with Gina at the end of the episode and Beckett gives one of her looks. Whether it's a sign of progress is another story. Sure, it can be interpreted as a step forward, but are the writers ready to pull the gun? For those who saw the preview for the episode in two weeks, there was a huge tease, but I'm predicting a fake-out.

For anyone who didn't read the news, Castle was renewed for a fourth season, which will make it somewhat of a TV veteran.

Score: 8.7/10