Castle 4.03: "Head Case"

[icepixie]

Okay, the writer of that has to be a Fringe fan, I mean really. Becket & co. wander, guns drawn, into a spooky cryo facility storing bodies in space age capsules? Esposito and Ryan find a homemade operating room of horrors in a no tell motel? The victim's frozen head is stolen? Hell, the ending, with Castle and Becket hoping the frozen lovers get their happy ending in the future, is kind of Fringey, both for the sci-fi aspect (not to mention the "using sci-fi to illuminate a story about love" method it uses) and the hopeful twist Fringe often ends its episodes with. Not to mention there was that completely unconnected opening where we track from space down to the city, which just set the scene.

Even at the very beginning of the episode, when Ryan said, "Ack, that word, 'pattern.' Jenny and I are..." I was sure he was going to finish that sentence with "watching Fringe, and now patterns freak me out." Because you Ryan is totally the type to get into that show.

So, yeah, that was basically what I got from that episode. There was also Alexis thankfully getting rejected from Stanford; maybe now they'll let up on her Ashley obsession. Poor kid, though. I've totally been in that place where you realize you were only good at school and now you have to find something else (haha, I've been in that place for about five years now), so I can certainly empathize with what she's going through. I was glad they at least gave us the one line about Alexis being disappointed because she wanted to go to Stanford on her own, not just because Ashley was there.

Back to the case for one moment: to use a pun Castle would be proud of, when chasing Dr. Whatshisface down the fire escape, why did neither Beckett nor Castle think to head him off at the pass the moment they heard the window break rather than sloooooowly following him down the fire escape? Presumably there was an actual staircase in the hall. Ah, well, at least it provided the impetus for some banter and one-liners.

Comments

[nickless.livejournal.com]

All I kept thinking was that Beckett's snakeskin-print shirt buttoned all the way to the top was godawful UGLY...

[rowdycamels.livejournal.com]

Ha, opening an episode IN SPACE is always promising! Super Fringe-y! And no, Ryan, you are not allowed to use the word "pattern" in this episode.

Hooraaaaaayyyy Alexis didn't get into Stanford! Apparently the only thing strong enough to snap her out of the Ashley obsession was a hit to her pride. But I just can't buy the context. The Castles let Alexis apply to just one school? Granted, it's early, but just one school?? I don't care how precocious and adorable your kid is, you don't let her get away with thinking that getting into a top school is just a matter of ticking a box! Castle is not that bad a parent! Castle is not that unworrying a parent! Poor Alexis has been getting TERRIBLE writing lately!

Giving her her first big stumbling block was a good move, though. Nice to get her used to the crushing disappointment that is early adulthood right out of the gate.

why did neither Beckett nor Castle think to head him off at the pass the moment they heard the window break rather than sloooooowly following him down the fire escape?

Uh, why was nobody stationed in the alley when they were approaching a suspect likely to not want to talk to cops? Doesn't this scenario happen constantly on, like, every cop show? Don't Beckett and Castle watch tv?

This was excellent, though:

C: "OMG LOOK HE WENT OUT THE WINDOW AND DOWN THE FIRE ESCAPE!!!"
B: "Gee, ya think?"
C: "Just excited."

[alethialia.livejournal.com]

I was glad they at least gave us the one line about Alexis being disappointed because she wanted to go to Stanford on her own, not just because Ashley was there.

WORD. But at the same time...we never actually saw her wanting to go there for any other reason than Ashley. So while I'm pleased we at least got the line, they still could've done better with this.

But hey, I'll take what I can get.