S07.E05: Meme Is Murder

[WendyCR72]

When a web celebrity is murdered, Castle and Beckett explore the flashy world of internet fame. But when the killer posts pictures from the crime scene on a photo-sharing site, they realize they are up against a social media sociopath who may strike again.

[WendyCR72]

The usual DTWS/Castle schedule here in Upstate NY. You must be in a select market...

[Driad]

When this has happened in my area, the episode has aired on an "affiliated station" or later that night. So check your listings. Does the ABC web site usually have the episode the next day?

[KaveDweller]

I thought this was a really good episode.  It didn't have a lot of Caskett moments, but the case was actually interesting and suspenseful.  Very different from their usual murder by numbers.  I knew they were going to save the guys at the end, but I didn't know how, so the interrogation scene played out well.  I also liked them showing Beckett be competent, but not having the killer suddenly get remorseful and tell her everything. 

 

The Raging Heat web-commercial.  I could barely watch it was so awful.  But it was also really funny.

 

When Castle got the "spoiled brats" clue, I was like, "Are they putting Alexis in danger again?"  I can't be the only one, right?

[Cyranetta]

On the whole, as a COTW I liked it. Since Castle as a series is very much engulfed by social media the episode was somewhat meta, but not intrusively so.

 

Oddly enough, I'd rather like the retired depressed cybercrime cop to become a semi-regular (at least to the level of Dr. Burke). I wound up caring enough about him that I'd like to see him get in-series redemption.

 

The use of the 3D printer pleased me greatly and seemed pretty well accurately portrayed from what I've read.

[verdana]

This episode seemed like basic filler - dramatic filler - but filler nevertheless just like last week's did but that was "fun" filler. Lots of obvious case exposition to pad out scenes, way too much for me. This felt like they're basically marking time until the wedding and there was little Caskett spark to take my mind off the at times banal exchanges of information. 

 

Snappamatic, hell how many times did that get a mention? Need a drinking game on that one.

 

The Ryan Report "the musings of a homicide detective" Heh. Poor Ryan.

 

Obvious first suspect the boyfriend - he's not the one.
"Hans looks good for this" - and he's not the one.
Obvious suspect Bill Garrett a cop with tech experience who had a nervous breakdown - he's not the one either.

 

Do tech people ever get insulted by being always referred to as loners on TV shows and in movies all the time? 

 

Why is everything so dark and gloomy? Was Bowman on this?   They need some decent lighting in the precinct, hell they just need decent lighting. I'm fed up with tipping my computer screen up, down and sideways and playing with the settings to see if I can see things better.

[McManda]

The Raging Heat web-commercial.  I could barely watch it was so awful.  But it was also really funny.

 

I can't tell if I was laughing because it was funny or from secondhand embarassment. But an autotuned Richard Castle (Crichard Rastle?) made me laugh, for better or worse.

 

I liked how this case wasn't so cut-theme-by-the-numbers as usual. I actually though the killer was legitimately creepy, and someone that would have been believable as a killer (instead of the victim's best friend or coworker or whatever).

 

Not a real memorable episode in terms of getting the fandom talking (especially when it'll be overshadowed by the promo for episodes 6 and 7), but I thought it was strong enough.

[verdana]

Martha fussing over her son in the book promotion was great I love Susan and I want to see more of her and less of Tory. I'm pleased every time she gets something more to do outside the loft, yeah I'm not sure about the jacket either Martha. Great to see them continuing to highlight his career as a writer in these early episodes lets hope they continue, consistency with this is key, may be they're finally get the hang of that.

As for the OMG ending as teased by Jim Adler prior to the episode. Not impressed, I have a distinct aversion to Castle looking like a clown and being laughed at by everyone (which is exactly what happened here) and the song carried on too long and got irritating. I miss the good old days when Castle was suave and cool and had women draped over him whilst wearing a classic pinstripe suit (okay may be not the women).
 
But if anyone wants to hear the whole song again it's here. HI, I’M RICHARD CASTLE
 

Sorry but despite giving a smidgeon of back story on Tory this week the actress is so wooden in her delivery it takes me out of any scene she's in. She's now had more screen time this season I'm sure than Lanie, Alexis and Martha combined.  The writers seem intent on pushing this character on to me and I don't want her.

Edited October 28, 2014 by verdana

[sinkwriter]

 

Oddly enough, I'd rather like the retired depressed cybercrime cop to become a semi-regular (at least to the level of Dr. Burke). I wound up caring enough about him that I'd like to see him get in-series redemption.

 

Agreed! I love David Marciano. Makes me want to pull out my Due South DVDs.  

 

I liked the episode. I thought the case was interesting, it kept my attention to the very end, wondering how they would catch the guy, the kid was creepy yet in a small way I still felt sorry for him, and (like KaveDweller) I liked that Beckett didn't immediately get the kid to admit anything, all full of remorse. The only thing that I think would have amped up the episode even more was if Beckett and Castle had been the next targets, like the photo of them initially implied (before it was turned into a "we make it look like the NYPD doesn't take the case seriously" joke). I think that would have made it even more exciting. But beyond that, a decent episode.

 

And while I felt bad for Castle and get tired of his character being treated like a clown (instead of a better mixture of clown and sexy smooth writer man), I did laugh at his video. Not at first, because I felt bad for Castle, but the longer it went, the more I wondered how much fun Nathan had with filming it, and that made me laugh.

[verdana]

On the fashion front what is with Beckett's all denim outfit this episode? It's so unprofessional, fine for the weekend or off duty but not when you're a high profile detective in contact with the public frequently. I like the outfit but I don't like it to see her wearing it at work. Luke seems to be dressing Stana here not for the character and her role. And that jacket/shirt combo was doing Nathan no favours during the walk and talk at the start he looked dumpy. *sigh*

 

I've now figured out after watching over the last few weeks where they're cutting Nathan's screen time down on the show in comparison to Katic and that's during interviews - he hardly ever does with with her (or the other guys for that matter) any more.

 

On a side note, Marlowe said I would understand why they delayed the wedding once the season progressed and after watching five episodes I'm still none the wiser. It's like his disappearance and amnesia isn't an issue to any one, bizarrely least of all to Castle himself. I honestly don't know why they bothered.

The only thing that I think would have amped up the episode even more was if Beckett and Castle had been the next targets, like the photo of them initially implied (before it was turned into a "we make it look like the NYPD doesn't take the case seriously" joke). I think that would have made it even more exciting. But beyond that, a decent episode.

 

That would have improved the episode for me a lot if they had gone down that route, the kid was good and creepy although the interrogation scene? Meh, Kate being tough never impresses me that much so I spent the time watching her forehead vein pop out for fun as she got seriously vexed. I felt sorry for the actor having to drop in the clunky clues about stale air and tiled walls which found the two guys. I wish just once when she does her "bad" cop routine it fails and the murder suspect just shrugs her obvious baiting off.  It would make a nice change, why do they always have to break down? Yeah I know they have to solve the case in 45 minutes but I was willing the guy not to fall for it. 

[Driad]

 

My major moment of surprise -- that Castle does not already have a 3D printer.

[KaveDweller]

I've now figured out after watching over the last few weeks where they're cutting Nathan's screen time down on the show in comparison to Katic and that's during interviews - he hardly ever does with with her (or the other guys for that matter) any more.

 

That started last year, or maybe even the end of season 5.  It makes sense if Nathan really requested a 4-day work week.  Those are easier to take him out of than any of the more conversational/theorizing scenes.  It's a shame cause any scene with Castle and Beckett is usually better than one with only one.

 

I don't mind Beckett wearing denim to work, but no one should ever wear ALL denim.  That's just a crime against fashion.

[benteen]

Very good case of the week.  The actor playing "Netslayer" was good and I like how Beckett got him to trip up.  I liked the retired cybercop too.  The Raging Heat commercial was pretty funny.

[McManda]

And while I felt bad for Castle and get tired of his character being treated like a clown (instead of a better mixture of clown and sexy smooth writer man), I did laugh at his video. Not at first, because I felt bad for Castle, but the longer it went, the more I wondered how much fun Nathan had with filming it, and that made me laugh.

 

I think the best part was the dichotomy between Castle's and everyone else's reaction. Castle is (understandably) horrified but the three people he's closest to in the world all think it's hilarious. I really liked Nathan's (Castle's?) look of horror at what they'd done to his web-mercial. Him just staring at the TV, his look, and his "what the hell was that" is when I lost it.

Edited October 28, 2014 by McManda

[verdana]

I know they have to give me case exposition but increasingly it feels like the writers think I'm stupid and need to have everything spelled out to me in painful detail. People appear stating the bleeding obvious Gates, Beckett the boys. "She could be next!" Yes I know that! Argh! Stuff like this irritates. The scene of them in the precinct going through the video message was one such example of this dumbing down.  There wasn't anything remotely interesting about the scene to make that a worthwhile moment, it was unnecessary and boring but it pads out time and it's easy to write. 

 

So in two weeks time it's Terri's AU episode and presumably they will finally get married given the latest promo. I hope they manage to work it in well with the AU situation and it doesn't end up feeling tacked on to the episode. I got badly burned once and as the saying goes fool me once shame on you fool me twice shame on me. Pity there is a two week wait which just drags it out some more.  This episode got totally overshadowed by that promo release.

Edited October 28, 2014 by verdana

[GeorgieNY]

 

I don't mind Beckett wearing denim to work, but no one should ever wear ALL denim.  That's just a crime against fashion.

And for three straight days? That's the duration of the episode. Right? (I kept thinking- is it still the same day??)

[shapeshifter]

Very good case of the week.  The actor playing "Netslayer" was good and I like how Beckett got him to trip up...

I felt sorry for him having to suddenly cave to Beckett's interrogation methods. He did a good job, but it seemed unrealistic that he would cave at that point. But I guess they didn't have time for the long lost sister to talk him out of it trope.

As soon as they figured the location, shouldn't they have cut the power? It could have been cool to see someone take a chainsaw or axe to the power pole.

IMO, Stana Katic should always wear bangs.

[verdana]

That started last year, or maybe even the end of season 5.  It makes sense if Nathan really requested a 4-day work week.  Those are easier to take him out of than any of the more conversational/theorizing scenes.  It's a shame cause any scene with Castle and Beckett is usually better than one with only one.

 

Yeah it has been going on prior to this season which makes sense given what we've heard about Nathan's shorter work week. I've been keeping an eye on it more this season though and this appears to be how they work around it as a permanent thing now. Pity because like you said those interrogation scenes with them together used to be good, I'm not that interested in seeing Beckett or the boys interrogating a suspect, the show only works for me when Casket and Beckett are together doing their thing. 

Edited October 28, 2014 by verdana

[Nadine]

The work part alternates. One episode one will work more, another the other will. Just how it runs. Of course in the process it means we don't get scenes like the interview ones as frequent as we did in the past *shrugs*

 

Plus you have to remember this was filmed out of order with 706.

 

And he had most of the load in 704 with the school scenes and going by BTS stuff for 706 as well. Then they both had the load in 707.

Edited October 28, 2014 by Nadine

[verdana]

Nadine. Thanks, I'd forgotten it was filmed out of order.

[tankgirl73]

Sorry but despite giving a smidgeon of back story on Tory this week the actress is so wooden in her delivery it takes me out of any scene she's in. She's now had more screen time this season I'm sure than Lanie, Alexis and Martha combined.  The writers seem intent on pushing this character on to me and I don't want her.

 

And her eyes!!  They don't move!!  They don't  blink!! 

[sinkwriter]

 

I really liked Nathan's (Castle's?) look of horror at what they'd done to his web-mercial. Him just staring at the TV, his look, and his "what the hell was that" is when I lost it.

 

I know! I was waiting for him to start muttering about needing to call his "people" and that next time he'd make sure to get viewing rights before it goes online forever.

 

 

As soon as they figured the location, shouldn't they have cut the power? It could have been cool to see someone take a chainsaw or axe to the power pole.

 

Great point, shapeshifter! (I guess they wanted the amped-up drama of Esposito pulling the wires.)

[turnitwayup]

 

Agreed! I love David Marciano. Makes me want to pull out my Due South DVDs.

 

Even when he 1st appeared on Homeland I was like Ray! I rather him guest appear than Torybot.

 

 

I don't mind Beckett wearing denim to work, but no one should ever wear ALL denim.  That's just a crime against fashion.

 

Lol, I've been on the no to denim on denim and denim at work. Leave it for the home scenes or the upcoming dude ranch ep.

 

That Raging Heat webmercial was hilarious. I was dying of lulz. Plus perfect amount of Alexis for an ep. I did crack up at his tweet right as the east coast airing finished.

Richard Castle @WriteRCastle

This is so not the webmercial I envisioned. Calling my publisher right now.

 

Did anyone get poor man's version with these guest stars? Abby the 1st victim's pic on the murder board looked like a red head Sarah Michelle Gellar, the blonde German food lady looked like Anna Gunn and Adam look like a cross between Ben Affleck and Warren from Buffy.

 

 

Why is everything so dark and gloomy? Was Bowman on this?   They need some decent lighting in the precinct, hell they just need decent lighting. I'm fed up with tipping my computer screen up, down and sideways and playing with the settings to see if I can see things better.

 

It used to be a few of the eps a season were in the dark but it's like every ep now days. Maybe once they get married, the lights in the precinct will be turned on. I really hate that every interrogation scene is so dark with harsh shadows. Setup/Countdown was on TNT and the interrogation scenes were so bright. I miss the days where it actually looks like daytime in the precinct while now it looks like off shift in the middle of the night.

 

I did also like that they mentioned the Ryan Report. This Adler ep was a much improvement over the last one.

Edited October 28, 2014 by turnitwayup

[WendyCR72]

Maybe ABC Studios is just too cheap to pay its electric bill/use more lights.

[tankgirl73]

the blonde German food lady looked like Anna Gunn

 

Yes!  I actually kept wondering if it somehow was actually her.

[verdana]

And her eyes!!  They don't move!!  They don't  blink!! 

You're right, it's going to freak me out whenever she pops up in future.  Why can't someone kidnap her for a change?  When she admitted she had been letting strangers into her home I was hopeful for a minute she might finally disappear. 

Edited October 28, 2014 by verdana

[Nadine]

I think Roe's been mastering his skills from Bowman. To think Bowman has given us two of the lighter episodes (in terms of cinematography light and shade this season - Driven and Child's Play).

[verdana]

Plus perfect amount of Alexis for an ep.

 

Oh this so much, it was a relief that she was there but not annoying or freaking me out - unlike last week. 

[Elysium1973]

I don't even know what to say about this episode. I liked that Rick was confident that Beckett was going to get the goods from the netslayer guy. The days of Beckett and Castle doing interrogations are long over, I'm afraid. I think everyone's happy with them just spending the minimal amount of time together needed for an episode. As long as it's quality time, that's all I care about.

The case was marginally interesting but ultimately forgettable. Like most episodes of this show, sadly.

I have to say I wasn't all that excited about the wedding episode we've "been waiting (over a year) for". It's like oh here's our AU gimmick outing...with an extra special helping of wedding we should have had six months ago! From all appearances it looks like it'll be some tacked on afterthought that will happen in the precinct or some other godforsaken place. This show just exhausts me sometimes. All the goodwill from CAPD is over for me, at least.

That said I'm watching "Nicki Heat" from season 3, and I think it's making it worse. Everything was just so much better back then. So sharp and funny and sexy. What a waste.

[verdana]

I have to say I wasn't all that excited about the wedding episode we've "been waiting (over a year) for". It's like oh here's our AU gimmick outing...with an extra special helping of wedding we should have had six months ago! From all appearances it looks like it'll be some tacked on afterthought that will happen in the precinct or some other godforsaken place. This show just exhausts me sometimes. All the goodwill from CAPD is over for me, at least.

That said I'm watching "Nicki Heat" from season 3, and I think it's making it worse. Everything was just so much better back then. So sharp and funny and sexy. What a waste.

The AU idea intrigues me but I don't have a lot of confidence that Terri can pull it off without me thinking "what a waste" or "is that it?" Too many times the writers have built things up in interviews and tweets saying how amazing something is and the end result has been predictable and underwhelming. This is the last big milestone moment left for this couple (I'm ignoring the baby situation completely) - hope Terri grabs it but I fear the wedding is going to get swamped by the AU situation and both will suffer as a result. 

 

As for continuing to watch old episodes, my advice is don't it's much better than way. 

 

Back to 7.05, I wish the writers could make the characters more sympathetic at times, they don't develop them enough in ways that make me want to invest in their story or route for them, it's really tough sometimes to hold an interest in an episode with characters you don't really care about doing nasty things to each other. 

Edited October 28, 2014 by verdana

[verdana]

Maya Stojan @MayaStojan  ·  4m 4 minutes ago

That was a FANTASTIC episode! Great work from the whole cast and crew. @jimadler I loved it and thank you again for having #Tory ! #Castle

 

I wish someone would have Tory.  Sorry Maya but I'm praying Marlowe has an epiphany moment and decides she's yet another disciple of 3XK spying on Caskett and Tory meets her end in spectacular fashion during the mid season two parter. 

[TWP]

I liked the episode, given that it easily cleared my new high bar of "doesn't suck". I think the showrunners are doing their level best to put the romance where Marlowe wants it...on the back burner.

I live on the West coast of the US where denim is considered almost dressy when it's not torn. People actually wear it to the opera! but yes an ABC budget cut may have relegated Beckett to wearing the same clothes three days in a row? Or maybe the idea was to emphasize that she didn't leave the precinct for 3 days? Dedicated? Or perhaps shamed by this killer. I definitely like the new less made up Beckett. The actor who played the killer was good and the case had just a dash at the end of bullies getting the crap scared out of them, which was just a tiny bit satisfying (as a make believe scenario.) . Yes I also like the jaded cop character. I hope they bring him back.

Are they really going to get married next time? It all looked like a farce to me. For years I wanted the couple to get together, but I think marrying them is a bad idea. It takes away some possibilities, like short term speculating with old flames. But it does give the network some leverage in negotiating Nathan's contract. Without him, yes they can still have a show called Castle, because that will be Beckett's name....if she takes the name...who knows.

I still think the show has undergone a marked improvement this season. Not sure if this ep was enough to bounce them back out of last place in the time slot.

[Samantha84]

The case [a.k.a The A story] was more interesting than anything else [a.k.a The B story]. It also shined a spotlight on a terrible problem in our society today: cyber bullying via social media. My FAVORITE line of the episode; of the season, thus far? "You know the problem w anonymity? There is no accountability. It empowers cowards to become bullies" - Beckett. So very, very true! BRAVO, Jim Adler!

[KaveDweller]

And for three straight days? That's the duration of the episode. Right?

 

I think it was all one day.  Gates told her to go home and clear her head, but then they had a realization about Netslayer being a victim and went back to the precinct.  It was night when she got back there.

 

I felt sorry for him having to suddenly cave to Beckett's interrogation methods. He did a good job, but it seemed unrealistic that he would cave at that point.

 

He didn't totally cave though, that's what I liked.  She got to be a good cop who got him to slip up without being totally unrealistic with him confessing to everything.

 

Usually with the ticking clock, the suspect gets rather bloodied. She just had to use her wits, and that was a nice change.

 

The only times she's gotten physical are when the cases are personal (Alexis getting kidnapped, Castle's disappearance, her mom's case, etc).  She tends to lose it when that happens, but it's not like she regularly roughs up her suspects as general practice.  Or that that behavior is more common than her actually being a good cop and questioning people by the book.

 

The days of Beckett and Castle doing interrogations are long over, I'm afraid. I think everyone's happy with them just spending the minimal amount of time together needed for an episode.

 

I don't think they purposely minimize having Beckett and Castle in scenes together, I think that's just a side effect of giving the leads more time off.

Edited October 28, 2014 by KaveDweller

[mbutterfly]

I liked it, one of my favorites in a while. Often I find the COTW instantly forgettable. This one was fun. And I would surely enjoy a return of David Marciano. 

[BooksRule]

The Ryan Report "the musings of a homicide detective" Heh. Poor Ryan.

 

When he talked about his blog, the first thing that I thought of was Peggy Hill from 'King of the Hill'.  She would write a column that was sometimes published in the local paper called 'musings' or 'Musings of Peggy Hill' (something like that).  The few that were read out loud were really, really lame.  I figure that Ryan's 'musings' would be kind of boring like that.  

 

I like the tech person okay (Tory?), but I don't want to see her scenes increase at the cost of scenes with Lanie. 

[verdana]

He didn't totally cave though, that's what I liked.  She got to be a good cop who got him to slip up without being totally unrealistic with him confessing to everything.

 

That scene came over as the one they love to do on cop shows called "lets break the suspect" and I didn't find it that intense to watch but then again I don't find Katic's strengths as an actress are best served in those sort of moments. I wish he had refused to get riled up and told her nothing so they had to invent another way to locate those guys. I also found it was far too rushed in the end to find them with the countdown to death and the predictable oh WTH lets just pull the wires out and pray it works. 

Edited October 28, 2014 by verdana

[Julie23]

 

And for three straight days? That's the duration of the episode. Right? (I kept thinking- is it still the same day??)

 

I think it was all one day.  Gates told her to go home and clear her head, but then they had a realization about Netslayer being a victim and went back to the precinct.  It was night when she got back there.

 

Thanks! I was wondering the same thing. Saw her in the jacket, Havi was in a henley, Ryan in shirt and tie, then it seemed like everyone but Ryan was in the same outfit and it was the next day. I guess I wasn't paying enough attention to notice it was the same night!

 

Loved the web commercial, but it certainly wouldn't make me want to go buy the book!

[sinkwriter]

 

Loved the web commercial, but it certainly wouldn't make me want to go buy the book!

 

I think that's the part that bothered me. It was funny to watch, I like that Nathan probably had fun filming it, but why would Richard Castle's "people" think this kind of editing style would go with the tone of his book? They're selling a mystery novel, not a comedy. As entertaining as it was, it doesn't fit.

 

And it seems like they do it at the expense of Castle's character - he may be a lot of things, but he takes his writing seriously. He's not meant to be a joke in that regard but I feel like sometimes the showrunners forget that. He's smart, he thinks outside the box, he comes with interesting case theories and story possibilities, and he's very attuned to "What will make this a better story?" Creating a web commercial like this just seems like they wanted to do something silly to Castle that everyone would laugh at, regardless of whether or not it makes sense. What happened to the guy who corrected everyone's grammar and bitched when a case was "boring" because it takes the easy "whodunnit" solution rather than how he would have written it?

[Lamb18]

Esposito pulling out the wires at the end reminded me of when Castle pulled the wires on the nuclear bomb in the back of the van.

[moodyblue]

I liked this episode as a filler episode. I liked that they changed the formula and the murderer wasn't the first witness they interviewed like it usually is. Like others, I also liked the former cybercrimes investigator. There was a warmth about him, and I would rather have him than Tori, who usually doesn't bother me but her performance last night was very wooden.

I thought it was cute when Castle and Beckett were back at the loft after being sent home and Beckett was venting about being accused of not taking the case seriously. She said,"We're cops," and Castle gives a little smile because he was probably thinking what I was thinking; Beckett thinks of him as a cop.

I loved Beckett's expressions while watching the webmercial. At first, she was holding back laughter, then she was horrified, and finally the laughter broke through. But that commercial was embarrassingly bad, even though I laughed through the whole thing. I guess they can't completely get rid of Castle as the bumbling fool.

[sinkwriter]

Actually, I'd probably flip-flop that to say the show's premise really is all about the relationship between Beckett and Castle (whether it was just a flirtation and professional respect for one another in the early seasons or the burgeoning romance as they went along or the established relationship of late), and the procedural dramedy stuff is the secondary or B story in importance. That's how I see the show, anyway. Based on that I'd say the emotional connection between those characters (and by extension their emotional connections with the other characters on the show) should be of paramount importance in telling the stories of Castle. So it's disappointing when the showrunners choose to focus on forced plotlines instead of the richness of character development. 

 

But I'm not a TV writer and likely never will be, so what do I know? 

[sinkwriter]

That's a matter of opinion, though. This isn't like Law & Order where the procedural is the premise of the entire show and everything is about the case. On Castle, the premise is based on the characters and their relationship - a writer following a cop on cases, and the flirty, banter-filled potentially romantic relationship that is established between them.

[MDL]

Due to work, I have seen the first 2 episodes this year, and then this one. My question: Have they done something to Beckett's (Stana's?) appearance? I know that the hair is shorter, but she looked (to me) very differentcompared to the 2 earlier eps this year. Is it the hair style, lighting, makeup wardrobe (as some have mentioned) or is it just me not keeping up week to week?

Thanks to those with more knowledge about these things.

[madmaverick]

My major moment of surprise -- that Castle does not already have a 3D printer.

 

Same here.  I was waiting for him to make a knowledgeable comment about the tech or snarky comment about how he's already made 3D model figures of Esposito and Ryan in naughty poses together lol.

 

I like that they are referencing "new" technology in their cases between the cloaking tech and now the 3D printing this season, but they've both been around for a while now so it's not exactly cutting edge.  I got the Rich Kids of Tehran reference because it's been in the news.  Guess they are trying to be current, which isn't a bad thing, but I also don't mind good old-fashioned, well-plotted murders either (they don't seem to favour them though).  Not every case needs a tech-y moment where they look up the geotag or something that requires Tory. ;)  Plenty of detective shows do without that and still manage to solve compelling mysteries.

 

The COTW was better than most.  I would have found it even more compelling if Castle/Beckett had gotten entangled more on a personal level, like in the S2 two parter with the Nikki Heat stalker.  The episode was an improvement over this writer's last one.  The Caskett element was alright.  I did like Castle giving a frustrated Beckett a hug at the loft (don't think she would let many people do that when she's in that sort of mood actually) and I laughed when she gave him a little push to get out of the hug to vent some more heh.  I'm just glad we haven't gone back to the old sitting on a couch and drinking wine routine!  

 

Good to see Martha and Gates finally get a little more to do.  A very little but hopefully it was more interesting for the actors than pure exposition. ;)

 

As for the Castle web-mercial.... the clip itself was kind of funny as were the reactions of the fam (loved how they all skipped their way to the TV!)... but as I was watching it, I couldn't ignore the fact that in reality, Castle really would have seen the final edit and approved it before sending out to the world wide web.  And count me in as one of those who think they go too much to the laughing at Castle well too often and it's not balanced out well with his smooth, suave and sophisticated side that was just as prominent in the early days.  I understand taking his ego down a notch and giving him a kick in the nuts from time to time, but now it seems like his fame and status is mostly used to mock him.  And it feels like he's the only one who is ever really laughed at.  Not Beckett, not Alexis, not Espo.  Ryan, occasionally.  One thing I like about Castle is that I guess he would bounce back from this dent to his ego fairly quickly and he could have the last laugh if going viral in this way results in crazy book sales.  But they never really touch on his resilience and optimism in his character in that way.

 

ETA: I wasn't a big fan of Stana's hairstyle in this episode.  The parting looked a bit odd.  Is it me or is her hair looking different in each episode?  I am not a good observer of these things...

 

Oh, and I feel there was a message to fandom somewhere when they said it's easy to draw the wrong conclusions from a picture and you can't really judge from a picture, absent context... ;)

Edited October 28, 2014 by madmaverick

[madmaverick]

And it IS puzzling that a man can make a show with this premise then try to suck the romance dry.

 

He belongs to the school of delayed gratification. ;)  The school of "the less I show you, the more I keep you hanging, the more you'll want it". ;) 

 

Castle is a retro show and AM also strikes me as an old-fashioned storyteller.  

[turnitwayup]

ABC uploaded the complete webmercial without the intersecting ending scenes. I still lose it every time he trips over the corner tho I don't even know how he did it with the weird editing.

 

 

I thought it was cute when Castle and Beckett were back at the loft after being sent home and Beckett was venting about being accused of not taking the case seriously. She said,"We're cops," and Castle gives a little smile because he was probably thinking what I was thinking; Beckett thinks of him as a cop.

 

Yeah I liked that too.

 

 

That's a matter of opinion, though. This isn't like Law & Order where the procedural is the premise of the entire show and everything is about the case. On Castle, the premise is based on the characters and their relationship - a writer following a cop on cases, and the flirty, banter-filled potentially romantic relationship that is established between them.

 

Totally agree with you. ABC seem to fit more of the fantasy/scifi, dramedy and soapy dramas 1hr shows while CBS and few of NBC has a lot of the straight up procedural shows.

[sinkwriter]

 

It's not a matter of a opinion when on every creative report that comes out from the studio/network it says: Procedural. It's a fact.

 

That's just a label. It's paperwork. To me that's different, that's the network trying to box their shows into specific categories in order to sell it. Obviously, Castle isn't soapy like Grey's Anatomy or Scandal, but it's also not hardcore procedural like Law & Order or Homicide where the show is specifically case-driven as the main focus. With Castle, the show is about the relationships. That, to me, is where the focus lies (and where it needs to lie). That's how it started, and that's what draws me in each week. I mean, I appreciate when the case is smartly written, but that means nothing to me if the relationships are stupid and out of character or missing the kind of emotional depth that they presented in the early seasons.

[sinkwriter]

I'm not saying the show is purely romance and I'm not trying to be argumentative with you or demand that you call the show something that you don't believe in. I'm just saying that it's a matter of opinion what this show focuses on. You say it's procedural and "that's a fact." I'm saying, it's all subjective. We come to this show with different opinions on what the main focus is. To me, a procedural is pure casework, like Law & Order. But we could also say that there are gradations of procedural - where L&O is a hardcore procedural and Castle is relationship-based procedural where the case is relatively important but actually secondary to main focus of the show, which is the relationships between the two leads. I don't even mean relationships in a romantic sense. I just mean that their relationship is the main focus, whatever they're doing, be it smart-ass banter, or case-solving, or creating a burgeoning romance. That is what needs the nurturing from the writers. That's the kind of show it is. To me, anyway.

 

The relationship focus is key. And I mean all the relationships on this show, from Castle and Beckett to Castle and Martha to Ryan and Esposito. That's the foundation I see that this show was build on, all those relationships. In that way, it's more a relationship-driven program than a case-driven one. That's all I'm trying to say.

[sinkwriter]

 

We rarely even talk about the case, or if we do, it's to say it was cute or boring or whatever. It's a minor backdrop.

 

And there are Castle cases that I've loved, that weren't minor, such as the "nanny mcdead" episode or the "chill runs through her veins" episode or any of the early approaches to Beckett's mom's murder. But I contend that those cases still only served the relationships of the program.

 

For example, the Nanny McDead episode established Castle and Beckett's early working relationship together, and has an amazing moment where Castle looks at Beckett with fresh eyes, seeing how remarkable she is as a cop, talking down that nanny from the laundry room. The scene is wonderfully tense, but while the case is important and that moment contains the pivotal "catching the killer" revelation, what strikes me most about that scene is how Castle is practically holding his breath, waiting to see if that girl is going to mortally wound herself or give up and hand over the knife. And when it's over, he breathes this amazing sigh of relief, and what we see is that he's not Mr. Suave in that moment; he's shaken up and thinking about his own daughter and how she's not much younger than the women in this case, and how the ending to the "story" could have gone so much more horribly wrong.

 

And in one of the Beckett's mom case episodes, the one where Ryan and Esposito get nabbed by the assassin, I love how it shows Ryan and Esposito's relationship as partners and as "brothers." It's so intense, how Ryan is getting shoved into the water, with the assassin taunting Espo about what that icy water does to the lungs, and how Esposito only stops smart-assing when he knows it's getting really dire, when they threaten to shoot Ryan's kneecaps. It just demonstrates their relationship in a powerful way, in a way that engages me as a viewer.

 

And that's what I see as being the most important, for the writers to focus on these relationships and not forget the connections between all these characters, which make the cases and the overall stories so much richer.

Edited October 28, 2014 by sinkwriter