Castle: "Knockdown"

[icepixie]

Can Will Beale write every episode?

I would also not object to having more than one episode per year devoted to Joanna Beckett's murder, because they always turn out amazing. (I am so, so hoping that the season finale will involve some consequences of "waking the dragon." This story just gets more and more twisted and interesting with each installment.)

I think my favorite part was...okay, everything, but Martha, actually. She got such a great scene, with her indignation that Castle could ask her why she cares so much when she loves him as much as he loves Alexis. And then she tells him that despite getting by on charm, wit, and talent, he's not at all ready for the real world with its gunshots and mobsters, and calling him on why he keeps hanging out with Beckett, thank you! I've been waiting for someone to do that for at least two years now.

Beckett also got some amazing material, too, especially that last scene. Wow. Her tossing Vulcan Simmons, or whatever his name was, into the one-way mirror was great, too; I liked that they left the cracked glass there for the next scene in the interrogation room. (And on a completely shallow note, that actor's voice was gorgeous.) The murder board (murder shutters?) in her apartment was simultaneously awesome and kind of creepy. I really liked the relationship between her and Castle in all of their scenes, including this one; the plucky sidekick thing was cute. Though I doubt that the full meaning of "it's not about the books anymore" can be encompassed by the feeling that he's her partner. At least not in a purely professional sense. Thank goodness he finally seems to realize this. (But oh, lord. When Beckett said that the plucky sidekick usually gets killed, and then they sat in front of a window, I spent the entire rest of the scene waiting for someone to shoot at them through said window. Really, Kate, you answer the door with a gun and then you sit in front of the window? Argh!)

I had suspected the highly-publicized kiss was going to be a stakeout fakeout, so...at least I wasn't disappointed in that, I suppose. I did think it was absolutely hilarious when Castle said, "That was amazing," and Beckett pretty obviously thought he was referring to the kiss (which he totally was), and oh, her expression. Perfect tension-breaker.

Anyway, Esposito, Ryan, and Montgomery all got awesome stuff, especially E&R. Loved, loved, loved them getting to get their investigative mojo on for a sustained period of time, and their kidnapping was impressively dramatic. (Loved Esposito's "The police know everything...about me and your mom!" *snort* And haha, Ryan's twelve years of Catholic school ensured that the head-dunking didn't even phase him, or so he claims. Aww.)

Plus there was bonus John Kapelos! I haven't seen him since his Forever Knight days.

In sum: amazing episode. More like this, plz.

Comments

[elflore.livejournal.com]

Definitely loved the ep (though I could've done without the cops-use-rape-as-a-threat bit). As for Castle and "it's not about the books anymore," I kind of want that to be MORE professional, or at least more encompassing. Not that I don't think Beckett and Castle are adorable together, but I don't want Castle's character to be so simple as "fights crime to get the girl." I want him to love the justice, too, and to love hanging out with that whole station of great, hard working cops. We know he does, we know he loves the Captain and Ryan and Esposito like brothers.

I don't want TV to reduce the equation to "Castle loves Beckett," you know?

[icepixie]

I see what you're saying. But I'm not sure I've ever thought that Castle was doing this for any other reason than that a.) he likes Beckett (as well as the other boys, but mostly Beckett), and b.) he gets to do the cool investigating stuff without the annoying paperwork part. Maybe loving justice enters into it somewhere, but I've never gotten the impression that it tops the list.

(Honestly, the conceit wore thin for me somewhere around episode six, but I put up with it because I love the banter and the characters. I just try not to think too hard about why Castle hangs out at the station.)

[elflore.livejournal.com]

By loving justice, I mostly mean that he's a compassionate person who cares when he finds out about the victims and wants to do right by them/their families...and that, as you say, he loves investigating without the paperwork.

I just don't want the show to be too much a romance. I love romance, but I think the best romances are the ones where the parties involved are complete people who complement one another. If romantic tension is the only reason or even the overriding reason Castle hangs around Beckett, he's diminished as a human being. Aeryn made life in the UT suck less for Crichton, but she wasn't the only person he cared about there, or the only cause he fought for. Aral brought Cordelia to Barrayar, but she fought to make their society better because she gave a damn about all the people, not just him.

I feel like TV writers think "Everything I Do, I Do It Fooooor You" is a much better song than it ever actually was. :?P

[icepixie]

Ah, I see. That makes sense, and I so, so agree with you about wanting to see two complete people who complement one another; characters who need someone else to be complete really turn me off. I don't think they'd leave out that part of his character, at least not in implication; he may wind up saying he's only there for Beckett, but I think his actions will continue to prove that he's there for other reasons, since the mystery plots are the show's bread and butter, at least right now.

I feel like TV writers think "Everything I Do, I Do It Fooooor You" is a much better song than it ever actually was. :?P

*snerk!*