S07.E17: Hong Kong Hustle

[WendyCR72]

Whoops, forgot to recheck the description, but here, just for posterity:

 

After a man is mysteriously murdered in a park, Castle and Beckett team up with a competitive, high-powered female detective from Hong Kong, who has information about the victim. But as Beckett digs deeper into the case, she realizes neither her Hong Kong colleague nor the victim may be quite who they seem.

[McManda]

I apologize for the disjointed thoughts.

 

First: Beckett, you didn't "leave" the AG's office in DC. I'm pretty sure you were fired. I don't think leaving was optional.

 

I don't know how the police work in Hong Kong, but if you're a legit police officer why would disarming NYPD and holding them at gunpoint seem like a good idea. Even Colin Hunt wasn't that stupid. I can tell I'm already not going to like Hong Kong Cop. There's being good at your job and then there's being stupid and cocky. She's much more the latter.

 

The setup for this case is interesting because Beckett was in this same situation before - a foreign city (well, not her city, at least), investigating the death of her friend she hadn't seen in years, butting heads with local law enforcement. Sound familiar? I wonder if Beckett will make the connection to her own actions 4 years previous.

 

FBI Agent Glassman is wearing a bolo tie? Really? In New York? He has no trace of a Texan accent, so ... I think the bolo tie is out of place.

Do Ryan and Espo not know Beckett at all? Not a competition? Please.

 

Annnnnd.... there it is. Perfect cop isn't so perfect. Don't want that life now, do you, Beckett? Shaw was much better at balancing her family and her job.

 

Is Mimi Tan's restaurant the same set from the Ryan's S4 episode with the Chinese Triad where his gun is used to kill the tutor/girlfriend? I don't remember if it was set or a location, but it looks familiar.

Edited March 17, 2015 by McManda

[merylinkid]

On the plus side, the anvils about Caskett babies were a bit lighter this episode.

 

ON the downside -- everything else.   Including the anvils about Beckett wanting a promotion, women can't have it all and Castle saying with a straight face that he knows what makes a marriage work since he is on his 3rd one.   

 

Hate HKCop from her first appearance.   She's a foreign cop in a U.S. City and pulls a gun first?   She's lucky she didn't get shot.   And then gets all pissed because they had questions for her.    Gee ya think?   

[Nadine]

It'll be interesting to see which anvil comes to fruition (as merylinkid stated) because you had taking a bullet (mention a few times in there), promotion, compromising and third marriage, etc.

 

I don't expect a marriage split (unless they kill someone off) - but I wouldn't be surprised if the having to juggle motherhood and moving forward via promotion does (which has been discussed extensively around here and hinted to by Amann comes into play). The taking the bullet part was interesting. I see that at this stage more like biting the bullet instead of taking a hit and jumping out of her comfort zone in the end.

Edited March 17, 2015 by Nadine

[verdana]

Ouch! Flying anvil. The writers sure didn't waste any time hitting me over the head that Kate is insecure about her career. Kate's sudden upset over "falling behind" at the start over her colleague getting promoted to captain didn't really ring true when she has shown no interest in promotion within the NYPD. I've never heard her talking about wanting to take exams or anything so it all seemed a bit out the blue and done for plot purposes.

 

Nice of Kate to pull the tape up for Castle when they're approaching a crime scene, I like little touches like that.

 

Lee Lofland will be thrilled both Espo and Ryan get their guns taken off them. LOL I loved the exchange with Castle and the boys when she was being interviewed, nice to see Castle giving them grief and them having to take it.

 

Why do the think it's funny to have Castle putting his foot in his mouth all the time with everyone? Sigh.

 

That scene in the restaurant felt kind of petty from Kate over being annoyed over the cute kids, my feelings mirrored Castle's at that point. I didn't watch the sneak peek but I agree with those that found it a bit much.

 

It won’t be a competition say the guys, have they forgotten who Beckett is? I mean Jesus how long have your worked with this woman?

 

She left the DC job did I catch that right? I thought she got fired. 

 

Have they forgot that Beckett used to be a good shot? Despite being "rusty" she could hit centre mass (check out Rise) and now suddenly she's off her game.

 

Castle is speaking complete sense about Zhang this episode I wish Beckett would listen. I like Zhang though I had no issues with her just because she dared be competent at her job and kick ass and care about her friend even if she did lose it. 

 

"She's not wrong" Good to see the need for justice and Beckett acknowledging that but Jesus Christ she goes off again ALONE to get Zhang. After what happened to her recently yet they just watch her go. *Sigh" Seriously that had me eye rolling.

 

Uh oh she's separated from her husband and her life is not that rosy in the garden. Saw that one coming  a mile away, of course she couldn't be happily married.

 

That restaurant owner Mimi Tam she looks so familiar what have I seen her in before, it's annoying me.

 

The end scene was okay, I would have preferred something a little more in-depth but I guess that's too much to ask for this show. I see they're truly settled into married life now with a book at bedtime, I can't believe some fans on tumblr think that final scene was hot, all I can say is they're easily pleased but then for the Castles I guess it was at least they didn't get interrupted just cut off by the credits.

 

My head hurts from all the anvils that just got hurled. 

Edited March 17, 2015 by verdana

[moodyblue]

I know it's been a while since I've posted here but I had to tonight because the episode was especially bad.

I'm not sure what was so "super" about Super Cop from Hong Kong. Was it the everything else she did outside of being a cop because her police work wasn't anything the Beckett and her boys couldn't do in any random episode. It was like, "OMG! Look at what she found on the security footage! Nobody has ever done that before...except Ryan in every single episode."

I'm know we were suppose to sympathize with Super Cop in the end, but when you make the character unlikable for the majority of the episode it becomes impossible.

A filler episode that will go in the small list of episodes that I have no desire to watch again.

[KaveDweller]

First: Beckett, you didn't "leave" the AG's office in DC. I'm pretty sure you were fired. I don't think leaving was optional.

 

I thought the same thing.  I was expecting Castle to point that out to her, but he went with that line about not compromising.  I guess

 

Do Ryan and Espo not know Beckett at all? Not a competition? Please.

 

I actually liked that part, because you had Ryan and Espo trying to school Castle in how to handle Beckett and he was so obviously right, while they were wrong.  I like the idea that he knows her better than Ryan/Espo, even though they've known her longer.  (Although, they still should have known she'd be competitive, because that's not exactly a hidden part of Beckett's personality).

 

I loved the end scene.  "You're so much better than Patterson."  Awe. And nice to see Castle get to be charming after his stumble with calling Hong Kong cop attractive.

[Nadine]

 

I loved the end scene.  "You're so much better than Patterson."  Awe. And nice to see Castle get to be charming after his stumble with calling Hong Kong cop attractive.

 

I did laugh at the threesome line when he said it in the precinct. Though that could be the cold/flu medication I'm on talking.

 

And yes to the AG thing. Maybe in her mind she thinks she knew by leaking the info it was her way out so she chose to make her path, albeit by getting fired. Heh.

Edited March 17, 2015 by Nadine

[Cyranetta]

A couple of trivial observations:

 

The introductory scene was more artistic than usual, with the silhouette use.

 

They seem to be going for variations of "serious" Beckett hair.

 

The 1 woman against a gymful of hardened men was ridiculous.

[S55]

merylinkid, you're right about the baby anvils, but those were replaced by anvils of another sort. Geez. I STILL don't get where this sudden Beckett insecurity was coming from. One academy buddy who's made captain (which, BTW, you take an exam for and don't obtain through a simple promotion. How hard is that to get right, folks?) and a fancier version of Jordan Shaw (at least at first glance)? She even out-and-out SAYS to Castle that she's insecure. Talk about an anvil.

 

This episode was the latest in a series of completely plot-driven episodes designed to push an character angle (this time on Beckett) that I just don't see based on past depictions. If Beckett WAS insecure, she may be insecure for like a second and then let it go. She wouldn't hang on to it and let it drive her the entire episode. 

 

Nothing about this held my attention very well (again, I was quite bored throughout) on top of the frustrating turn they took for Beckett. Sorry, Chad, but you probably shouldn't go solo again. 

 

ETA: The DC thing bugged me too. It's like they don't want us to remember that Beckett was FIRED and rather that she chose to leave on her own accord. Nice try, guys. But we remember something like that which just happened last. season. 

 

Also, on a purely superficial note, I still don't like whatever they're going for with Beckett's hair. At all. 

Edited March 17, 2015 by S55

[KaveDweller]

when she has shown no interest in promotion within the NYPD

 

I think the DC thing established that she would be interested in doing more, and she was the one to talk about being captian in the AU episode.  It doesn't surprise me that she's interested in a promotion.

 

"She's not wrong" Good to see the need for justice and Beckett acknowledging that but Jesus Christ she goes off again ALONE to get Zhang. After what happened to her recently yet they just watch her go. *Sigh" Seriously that had me eye rolling.

 

I don't think going to stop Zhang from talking to the drug guy was reckless or anything remotely comparable to what happened with 3XK.  In fact, I think it was the smart thing to do, since she was trying to get Zhang out of there without making it obvious there was a police investigation.  Beckett is capable of doing some things by herself, she doesn't always need a chaperone. 

 

I'm not sure what was so "super" about Super Cop from Hong Kong.

 

The only thing super seemed to be that she had been promoted to a level higher than Beckett AND had cute kids.  But it was clearly more about Beckett's insecurity than what Zhang had actually accomplished.

 

I can't believe some fans on tumblr think that final scene was hot

 

I thought that was kind of sexy, at least sexier than we usually get.  Guess I am easy to please.

[McManda]

Kate's sudden upset over "falling behind" at the start over her colleague getting promoted to captain didn't really ring true when she has shown no interest in promotion within the NYPD. I've never heard her talking about wanting to take exams or anything so it all seemed a bit out the blue and done for plot purposes.

 

I'm going to disagree with this. Just because she hasn't mentioned it before doesn't mean she doesn't want to advance her career. We've seen hints of it with her taking the DC job. But promotion within the NYPD? I imagine she's content with her job and where she's at ... until something (like Hong Kong Cop) comes along and she sees maybe she's just settling.

 

I kinda buy it because we know she joined the NYPD as a way to find justice for her mom. Okay. That was her sole reason of becoming a homicide detective in the first place, so that's where she stayed. And now she's gotten that justice ... so now what? She did the DC thing and it didn't work out (why doesn't really matter), so she's back at the NYPD and I can see her settling in and not wanting to ruffle any more feathers for awhile, so she contents herself with where she is. She got her old job back, after all. That's more than she thought she'd have after leaving DC. And now she's settled in and content and happy and in a place where she can wonder ... what now?

 

Comparing herself to her old NYPD buddy was weird. Bet he wasn't tied to his mom's murder, or locked in a freezer, or blown up by a bomb, or kidnapped by a psycho, or SHOT IN THE CHEST. I'd go out on a limb and say he's had to deal with a lot less than she has ... hence more time for a promotion.

 

I thought that was kind of sexy, at least sexier than we usually get.  Guess I am easy to please.

 

My only thought was it could have been longer. Or at least have a comment about the next mountain she's climbing being Castle or something. I'm easy to please, too.

Edited March 17, 2015 by McManda

[verdana]

I agree that Kate's hair situation has not improved - this is a cause for concern I don't want her left with awful looking side parting if this is it and S7 is the last.

[verdana]

I've been wanting more genuine focus on Beckett for ages pity it was spoiled by some sloppily written scenes as Kate tried to grapple with what she wants at this stage in her life. Had she forgotten about Jordan Shaw who seemed to be doing very well indeed balancing her high flying career with having a family? Okay may be she needed the jolt. 

 

However, I wish they would stop using a sledgehammer to crack a nut, there's rarely any subtlety in the storytelling these days.  Inspector Zhang was written at first glance to be the Asian version of Beckett married to her version of Castle the famous hubby, with a stellar career but worse she has kids too. Oh no, she's got it all!  But of course she hasn't. Naturally Beckett compares herself to Zhang initially and starts to doubt herself and what she has, problem was I didn't find her behaviour at times that believable. Everything felt too plot driven and forced. 

 

I dislike it when the writers make Beckett insecure or doubting for plot/comedic purposes. Beckett felt OOC at certain moments during this episode which detracted from the overall story they were trying to tell me. Beckett isn't so full of herself that she thinks she's the only woman out there in the big wide world who can do what she does, she's not infertile to my knowledge plus they've already established they want kids and she has a highly successful ruggedly handsome husband of her own who loves her so I didn't get the sudden insecurity. She can have what that woman has if she wants it. 

 

Castle was shown as being mature for once which was great. I love it when they have him act sensible, pity it can't be all the time. Whilst I can understand her being slightly insecure and competitive I wish they would have shown her approach this situation in a different way when it came to handling those feelings. I guess it's too much to hope for that they write both characters well simultaneously?

 

Although her insecurities in the past over various matters have been well established I felt she's always had this layer of self confidence about her and the writers have further rammed that home with reminding us over the years of her amazingness in almost every conceivable area from muscle cars to skateboarding. Furthermore the last few years have seen tremendous changes for Beckett both in her work experiences with both the NYPD and the FBI and of course her emotional stability (embracing a loving relationship and settling into wedded bliss) so the idea that Kate is suddenly knocked off her stride by this woman didn't make much logical sense.

 

To add to the problem, I didn't find Inspector Zhang that amazingly good looking or find what she was doing anything out of the ordinary detective wise whilst in "super cop" mode for everyone to be wowing over her. I was more impressed with Jordan Shaw's abilities than this chick.

[verdana]

On the plus side, the anvils about Caskett babies were a bit lighter this episode.

 

I thought the end scene was the perfect time to talk about children since they've been hitting me over the head about babies recently but they didn't which shouldn't surprise me any more that when I think it's natural for the them to talk about something the writers ignore it.  I presume they're leading up to a family v career situation for Beckett to face come the end of the season but I didn't like the way they approached it here. I imagine next week they'll have forgotten all about it as usual and they'll be no follow through. 

[KaveDweller]

so the idea that Kate is suddenly knocked off her stride by this woman didn't make much logical sense.

 

But I think the key thing was it was temporary.  She saw this other cop, admitted that felt a little insecure, but by the end of the episode realized she didn't need to be.  I think even the most self-confident people must have moments of doubt.  It's part of being human.

[verdana]

 

The 1 woman against a gymful of hardened men was ridiculous.

That made me eye roll. It's irritating. 

 

I still think it was a silly that Beckett went alone to this gym to go rescue Zhang. It makes sense you would take at least one of the boys along given this Hicks guy was dangerous and was known to frequent the place and what trouble might she already be in (or have caused) by the time they got there? That's not to say Beckett can't handle herself but come on. 

Edited March 17, 2015 by verdana

[oberon55]

I love how the people they interview say at the very end "Hmm I wonder if him disappearing at lunch on the day he was murdered is important" or "bye the way somebody was heading for the murdered guy's apartment 10 minutes ago" as an afterthought.

[WendyCR72]

I still think it was a silly that Beckett went alone to this gym to go rescue Zhang. It makes sense you would take at least one of the boys along given this Hicks guy was dangerous and was known to frequent the place and what trouble might she already be in (or have caused) by the time they got there? That's not to say Beckett can't handle herself but come on.

 

Besides, if TV cop procedure has taught me anything, cops always - or should always - have backup. Thank you, L&O franchise.

 

And that's one reason Beckett not having a "real" partner can be to her detriment, at times. Castle's a great guy...but partners in the police sense have the training and that extra gun at the ready!

[tankgirl73]

That restaurant owner Mimi Tam she looks so familiar what have I seen her in before, it's annoying me.

 

Keiko O'Brien, Star Trek TNG and DS9.  I'm disappointed in myself that it took half the episode before I could place her, though I instantly knew that I knew her from somewhere.  I should know by know - whenever I recognize an actor, it's from Star Trek.

 

I enjoyed this episode overall, although when I stop and look at it I have to agree that it was pretty bad in a lot of ways. I did like the recognition that Castle is a famous writer, and that he feels jealous about other successful writers.  I liked Ryan saying "Hi Castles" when they arrived at the crime scene lol... I actually liked her hair, not the weird bun thing but the 40s curled style.  I liked when Kate opened the restaurant door for him and he gave a surprised thanks and she grunted cutely.  I liked her pouncing on him at the end -- as they were both reassuring each other that they were 'better than' their competition - at least as far as both of them were concerned.

 

As for the anvils -- yeah, they were heavy.  But I can recall not long ago seeing many fan comments (can't recall if here or elsewhere) complaining about how Beckett was still just a detective, shouldn't she have a higher rank by now.  So they were addressing that.  And people complain about it.  Yeah it could have been done better, but at least they've finally opened up the topic.  And it does all seem to be leading down the path to kids -- the entire last conversation about wanting a new challenge?  That won't be a desk job.  Beckett wants babies.  Lots of adorable little Castle babies.

Edited March 17, 2015 by tankgirl73

[oberon55]

That made me eye roll. It's irritating. 

 

I still think it was a silly that Beckett went alone to this gym to go rescue Zhang. It makes sense you would take at least one of the boys along given this Hicks guy was dangerous and was known to frequent the place and what trouble might she already be in (or have caused) by the time they got there? That's not to say Beckett can't handle herself but come on. 

This just proves that Zhang really is better than Beckett. Every time Beckett goes off by herself she gets tortured or almost gets her face sliced off. When Zhang does it she kicks a whole gym full of men’s asses and does the face slicing herself.

[turnitwayup]

That restaurant owner Mimi Tam she looks so familiar what have I seen her in before, it's annoying me.

 

Maybe from the Joy Luck Club. She has a huge list of credits but I recognized her from The OC and she was just on Forever in a fall ep. Since she was recognizable and barely had lines in the 1st restaurant scene I knew she would have something to do with the victim.

 

Comparing herself to her old NYPD buddy was weird. Bet he wasn't tied to his mom's murder, or locked in a freezer, or blown up by a bomb, or kidnapped by a psycho, or SHOT IN THE CHEST. I'd go out on a limb and say he's had to deal with a lot less than she has ... hence more time for a promotion.

 

Heh. Now I'm wondering the ratio of men and women as captain in the NYPD. Anytime tptb mention a captain it's usually a man. Roy, the guy from ITBOTB, the commissioner from N1F, and now Beckett's academy classmate. It would be nice to see another woman besides Gates is captain somewhere in the NYPD.

 

Srsly the show is really into making the jog in the park really creepy with all that fog.

 

I'm enjoying Ryan's "Hey Castles" and Castle being supportive and encouraging about Beckett's insecurity. I did lol that super cop did Tori's usual job and what Ryan used to do before Tori showed up.

 

I hope Dara's solo effort is better otherwise maybe they should stick to doing the eps together.

 

Did anyone see the hair flip from the promo? Was I not paying attention? Cut scene from the ep? Random clip added to the promo? It's starting to bug me. Oh nvm, I think the hair flip was when she climbs on Castle in the end.

Edited March 17, 2015 by turnitwayup

[verdana]

 

I thought that was kind of sexy, at least sexier than we usually get.  Guess I am easy to please.

I wish he'd touched her instead of holding his hands out wide when she goes in to kiss him and again why can't they have her kiss him on the lips too instead of what looks like nuzzling his neck? Why do they seem to have them do something which always pulls me out the moment? It can't be that difficult to show normal intimacy between a loving couple which doesn't make me wonder why they're doing it that particular way instead of just enjoying the moment. It's simple stuff I'm asking for like an added touch here and there etc but they can't seem to quite manage it. 

Edited March 17, 2015 by verdana

[verdana]

Thank you for those mentioning the shows that lady has been on, it's infuriating when you can't quite place where you've seen them before and it's nagging away at you. I think it was The OC that I first recall seeing her.  

 

I hope Dara's solo effort is better otherwise maybe they should stick to doing the eps together.

 

Yeah me too, nice try Chad but this one wasn't the best.  I would have thought it would have been better if Dara had handled this one may be but who knows.

 

Beckett wants babies.  Lots of adorable little Castle babies. 

 

If she get pregnant by natural means it will be miracle. 

 

And it does all seem to be leading down the path to kids -- the entire last conversation about wanting a new challenge?

 

Whilst I do think they should have brought up kids at that point, the way she mentioned another challenge didn't automatically make me think oh yeah she obviously wants to have a baby now. I thought they were going more for the career angle on quick re-watch of that end scene. I wonder if they do get another season which seems likely to me at this point they'll hold off the baby stuff and go for yet another career move - this time within the NYPD. May be they kill Gates off for some drama in the finale (and it will save money if the budget is an issue) and she gets a promotion to Captain of the 12th and the most dangerous job in NY city. Because lets face it how many times can this woman leave because she wants a new challenge, finds it's not what she wants and then get welcomed back with open arms to her old desk job being detective as if nothing has happened?  

Edited March 17, 2015 by verdana

[DrScottie]

In addition to Rosalind Chao (Mimi Tam), Linda Park (Zhang) was Lieutenant Hoshi Sato on Star Trek: Enterprise. So, two Star Trek ladies. 

[verdana]

Castle Recap: Good, Better, Beckett by Matt at TV Line.
 

A couple other random thoughts on the episode:
* Why did the Zhang character have to be Asian? I am of course not questioning the need for diversity in casting, but in retrospect it seemed almost a superfluous trait, other than to have her hail from another country — though no commentary on cultural/societal differences came of it (a la Michael Crichton’s Rising Sun).
* Zhang’s successive disarming of Ryan and then Espo is one for the rewind-play-repeat files.
* Meanwhile, her 95 lb. self’s (largely off-screen) leveling of not one but, what, a dozen gym rats? A bit much.
* Beckett declaring, “I’m insecure!”: Did that help or hinder your enjoyment of her arc here? (Did it make things at all better that she hadn’t felt this was since she had pimples?)
* Linda Park is pretty gorgeous, right? Especially in those final goodbye scenes. Wowzers.
* So, have we officially had one too many “Castle quit writing Derrick Storm” mentions this season? Set-up for the “spinoff” series that got reported on a while back, or possibly pegged to Rick’s vanishing storyline/mystery?

Thought his last comment was interesting, aah yes Derrick Storm.
 
As for the "I'm insecure!" line made me wince. 
 

One thing I liked about the central conceit was how it did raise questions about Beckett’s trajectory — she even referenced the D.C. job she bailed on got booted from, and lord knows we here do wonder when she’ll start taking steps to that future senate seat. So I was a little disappointed that the “priorities” list she was working on at the end didn’t even tease what’s going on in her noggin.

Have to laugh at Matt mentioning the DC job.  I was also disappointed that we didn't find out more, as for the political angle please we not go there writers. She's so incredibly unsuited to a career in politics and I loathe the Time Will Tell "future" prediction of her as a Senator makes no sense whatsoever given what I've seen of character and behaviour to date. I like to pretend that reveal never happened. 

Edited March 17, 2015 by verdana

[verdana]

I kinda buy it because we know she joined the NYPD as a way to find justice for her mom. Okay. That was her sole reason of becoming a homicide detective in the first place, so that's where she stayed. And now she's gotten that justice ... so now what? She did the DC thing and it didn't work out (why doesn't really matter), so she's back at the NYPD and I can see her settling in and not wanting to ruffle any more feathers for awhile, so she contents herself with where she is. She got her old job back, after all. That's more than she thought she'd have after leaving DC. And now she's settled in and content and happy and in a place where she can wonder ... what now?

 

Whilst I agree she can wonder about her future the problem is what can she do about it realistically that fits with in with the premise of the show? Matt Mitovich is right now they've established this train of thought for Beckett they need to do something with it. But they can't have her leaving the job because that's the premise of the show - a detective followed around by Castle solving murder cases.

 

I don't envy the writers trying to figure out how to make Beckett not look indecisive whilst she vacillates between being a contented detective one minute to wanting to do more the next but she always ends up right back where she started. Although if they know they've only got one more season left may be it's a non issue and they can finally let Beckett move on to new things (or get promotion) as she would in the real world. 

Edited March 17, 2015 by verdana

[Nadine]

I wouldn't mind if they eventually went the DA route for her (or getting her own precinct, etc) - because she could still have Castle helping out if she became a DA. Plus it would be in line with her original plans (to become a judge) before her mother's murder. Or just get her to take over where Jim works that would suit me fine if we could get Jim pop up for more than 10 secs like he did at the wedding.

Edited March 17, 2015 by Nadine

[WendyCR72]

May be they kill Gates off for some drama in the finale (and it will save money if the budget is an issue) and she gets a promotion to Captain of the 12th and the most dangerous job in NY city.

 

But that would just be a Montgomery retread. And maybe more fantasy would obviously set in on the show (and hey, it's not one of the more "real" procedurals, so it can get away with it!), but actual precinct captains actually - at least on said grittier shows - seem more like desk jockeys who bark orders (although even on those, I did see exceptions to that rule).

 

But they were moments, not the norm.

 

Still, as I said, here it could work, having a captain as an in-the-field cop. Assuming Gates leaves and it doesn't become a copy of the last departing captain in the process.

[femmefan1946]

Have they forgot that Beckett used to be a good shot? Despite being "rusty" she could hit centre mass (check out Rise) and now suddenly she's off her game.

 

 

She did hit the chest on all her shots. But Zhang got her target in the head. Which I guess must be harder.

Although if you wanted to ask questions later, the head shots would be counterproductive.

 

Don't District Attorneys have to be lawyers? I know that American judges are elected, so I guess they don't have to be, but DAs are public servants, so some credentials might be necessary to get past the first interview.

Most of the police I know took criminology  diplomas or degrees rather than law, although the ones who were working on promotion seemed to be taking law courses and a few had law degrees. (Mostly RCMP officers.)

[Nadine]

She did hit the chest on all her shots. But Zhang got her target in the head. Which I guess must be harder.

Although if you wanted to ask questions later, the head shots would be counterproductive.

 

Don't District Attorneys have to be lawyers? I know that American judges are elected, so I guess they don't have to be, but DAs are public servants, so some credentials might be necessary to get past the first interview.

Most of the police I know took criminology  diplomas or degrees rather than law, although the ones who were working on promotion seemed to be taking law courses and a few had law degrees. (Mostly RCMP officers.)

 

Yep usually they have to have a law degree because of the court work involved.

[WendyCR72]

Yep usually they have to have a law degree because of the court work involved.

 

By the way, there are exceptions (taking over another person's term or whatnot), but District Attorneys are also usually elected to office here in the US.

[verdana]

Did anyone see the hair flip from the promo? Was I not paying attention? Cut scene from the ep? Random clip added to the promo? It's starting to bug me. Oh nvm, I think the hair flip was when she climbs on Castle in the end.

 

 

The hair flipping, straddling Kate Beckett.

 

Yeah she did the hair flip whilst straddling him that was the best on the romance front.

 

Although I did like the moment when she clasped their hands together whilst they were talking before that.  

[verdana]

She did hit the chest on all her shots. But Zhang got her target in the head. Which I guess must be harder.

Although if you wanted to ask questions later, the head shots would be counterproductive.

 

Heh, I thought the idea was that cops are taught to aim for the centre body mass first (like Beckett was doing) because you had more chance of hitting something vital there then aiming for a head shot and may be missing and having a very angry individual charging after you but then I'm hardly a gun expert so may be someone else can help me out there. 

[Nadine]

By the way, there are exceptions (taking over another person's term or whatnot), but District Attorneys are also usually elected to office here in the US.

Good example of highlighting that at the moment is on The Good Wife (well State Attorney, etc)

[S55]

ETA: Misplaced post, so just ignore this. lol 

Edited March 17, 2015 by S55

[Cirien]

Heh, I thought the idea was that cops are taught to aim for the centre body mass first (like Beckett was doing) because you had more chance of hitting something vital there then aiming for a head shot and may be missing and having a very angry individual charging after you but then I'm hardly a gun expert so may be someone else can help me out there. 

I'm from the U.K so this is going to sound weird....but the armed police officers we do have are taught to aim for the chest not only for the reason you state but because it's a  massive target that doesn't move. So yeah more chance of hitting something vital or at least hitting something.

[Lucynda]

As always, I am late to the game so the most important things have already been said but I find myself utterly irritated by the ending of this episode. Beckett's "problem" didn't get resolved and knowing Castle, it will probably not be picked up again. And what's more, we didn't learn anything new about Beckett. Like what her goals in life are and where she does see herself in a few years. She has those plans/priorities and I'd just love to gain an insight into them and understand her better. 

 

I thought her thoughts in this episode were very plausible, I'm sure a lot of people can relate to them, but I never sensed she was bored/unchallenged with her current work so that came very out of the blue for me. 

By the way, I adored the Castle/Beckett dynamic this episode. They seemed closer than usual, more open-minded and it was sweet how Castle showed support and tried to reassure her. That hasn't happened in a long time. 

[ae2]

Best line was easily, "Hey Castles."

 

There was a Patterson book on the shelf in the murder victim's apartment.

[S55]

...I find myself utterly irritated by the ending of this episode. Beckett's "problem" didn't get resolved and knowing Castle, it will probably not be picked up again. And what's more, we didn't learn anything new about Beckett. Like what her goals in life are and where she does see herself in a few years. She has those plans/priorities and I'd just love to gain an insight into them and understand her better. 

 

You make a great point about how none of this episode's B story really truly moves Beckett's story forward. Though I suppose this is the first slow step in her new arc. I sense we won't see those plans/priorities again until the finale. You can almost bet money on that. 

[kbs]

I got enough entertainment out of this one that I'm a fairly happy viewer.

The Castle/Beckett interaction was on point for me the whole time, although I got a bit distracted by Beckett's hair. Not a fan at all.

 

Zhang taking out all these guys in the gymn was so bad it made me laugh.

 

[stonehaven]

I lost interest when the Hong kong cop faced NO charges for disarming two cops and hold them back..I would think that an attempt to charge her for simple assault or interfering with an ongoing investigation would be called for..then they let her work with them?

SMH..

[KaveDweller]

This just proves that Zhang really is better than Beckett. Every time Beckett goes off by herself she gets tortured or almost gets her face sliced off. When Zhang does it she kicks a whole gym full of men’s asses and does the face slicing herself.

That's not at all true. Beckett does things by herself all the time with success. Zhang going off by herself like that is a sign that she's not a great cop, because (in my opinion) good cops don't go around torturing suspects for intel.

You make a great point about how none of this episode's B story really truly moves Beckett's story forward. Though I suppose this is the first slow step in her new arc. I sense we won't see those plans/priorities again until the finale. You can almost bet money on that.

I think this episode was all set up for something coming at the end of the season. But I'm okay with it not being resolved, it's more true to life that someone thinks they want a change, but isn't sure what.

Thought his last comment was interesting, aah yes Derrick Storm.

I can't even begin to describe how much I hate the idea that Castle's disappearance is connected to a real life Derrick Storm.

[pepper]

I don't think Ryan and Esposito had identified themselves as cops (Ryan certainly hadn't) when they were disarmed. And at that point it made sense to check their credentials before giving them back their weapons. I didn't have an issue with her not getting in trouble over it. She'd be more likely to get in trouble over the B&E and obstruction for taking things off the body, but even there I understand why they would let that go as a professional courtesy once her story had been verified.

 

The episode wasn't stellar, but I found Beckett's crisis of professional confidence completely believable and in character. When you're used to being the youngest (or close to it) to achieve professional milestones, hitting a plateau can be a jolt. And it makes sense that a type-A personality would need to have a plan. And seeing "reflections" of herself who have achieved more than she has, could logically trigger than thought process. Her life has been in upheaval for a few years since Castle showed up, so now that things have settled down, it's a good time to make choices.

 

I though the Castle/Beckett interaction was also good. He got to be the steady one while she freaked out a bit, which was nice. And they both showed admirable self-awareness about the issues they were facing, which is a nice change. I like it when they act like intelligent adults who love each other.

Edited March 17, 2015 by pepper

[McManda]

I wish he'd touched her instead of holding his hands out wide when she goes in to kiss him and again why can't they have her kiss him on the lips too instead of what looks like nuzzling his neck?

I'm pretending she's telling him what's about to go down.

... and I realized that came out pretty dirty. Oops.

[madmaverick]

Yawn. What a boring episode.  It's that time of the season again where we get weaker filler episodes and characters being a bit OOC as the writers try to push a certain angle for whatever conflict/drama they want to generate at the end of the season.  Coming off a series of strong and entertaining episodes with the PI arc and the 2 parter, this episode felt especially weak to me.  Beckett's dizzying array of hairstyles was more interesting/distracting than the case itself, which I found myself zoning out of.

 

As an aside, it seems like Beckett has to do a hair flip and head tilt to the right angle every time she straddles Castle or goes in to kiss him nowadays because of her long, flowing locks.  And does Beckett have a Castle neck fetish?  Heh.  The ending scene was OK to me.  Not terrible, not spectacular.  Would have preferred a kiss but a neck nuzzle wasn't bad.  It just felt cut off too soon.  Basically could have done without the whole episode except for the 2-3 minutes of domestic Caskett scenes ;) so would have liked more dialogue at the end.  I did like what Castle said to Beckett and vice versa in bed.  Some of the better lines in the episode.

 

Subtlety was lost for most of this episode.  Beckett's anvilicious "I'm insecure!" declaration made me groan, as did Castle's line about being on his 3rd marriage, without the character noting the irony.  Writers, please always go for the smart, dry and witty with a healthy dose of self awareness and irony instead of dumb, cheap laughs. The characters are smarter than this.  The audience is smarter than this.  Felt sorry for both actors to have to say such duds.  

 

Also, how could the 10 or so writers in the writers' room miss out on the fact that Beckett was fired from the AG's office and didn't leave of her own free will like it sounded in the episode.  This kind of sloppiness/misrepresentation is so annoying.  

 

Unfortunately, it's fairly clear to me at this point that the majority of the writers on staff are not very capable of writing with subtlety and deftness when it comes to characterisation and character arcs, including those at the very top.  So it never feels smooth or organic when a character starts suddenly having some sort of crisis.  It's only human to be insecure from time to time, but the way they wrote Beckett feeling that way in this episode didn't feel organic to me.  Nothing's holding her back from more goals in her career (or her personal life) except the show necessity for Beckett to be a NYPD detective on the streets. ;)  

 

Also tired and not fond of storylines involving professional women who seem to have it all but turns out they don't.  Also storylines of characters avenging old friends have been done to death.  Can't the writers show some creativity? ;)   Jordan Shaw was a much more interesting and fully realized character than HK supercop in comparison.  This felt like regression instead of progression.

 

Another aside is that the characters all pronounced Zhang incorrectly, including Zhang herself. ;)  Oh well, the jurisdictional issues and all the supercop stuff was all so implausible anyway, the language implausibilities were just another thing to ignore.

I'm pretending she's telling him what's about to go down.

... and I realized that came out pretty dirty. Oops.

Heh.  We need all the dirtiness we can get to liven up such a boring episode!  

 

The scene did end quite abruptly, maybe due to the editing.  It wouldn't have hurt to have had a few more secs of actual (tame) making out. ;) 

[verdana]

Subtlety was lost for most of this episode.  Beckett's anvilicious "I'm insecure!" declaration made me groan, as did Castle's line about being on his 3rd marriage, without the character noting the irony.  Writers, please always go for the smart, dry and witty with a healthy dose of self awareness and irony instead of dumb, cheap laughs. The characters are smarter than this.  The audience is smarter than this.  Felt sorry for both actors to have to say such duds.

 

Yeah when you watch scenes like this play out it's like everyone is getting their intelligence insulted and it hurts. 

[AV8n]

The opening stuff with the mysterious stealthy figure in the park who later does some ninja shit to take Ryan's and Espo's weapons reminded me a lot of the ninja episode from last season, right down to the part where ninja-lady turns out to be a good guy. I guess that's what the writers figure Asian women are good at.

[verdana]

Castle: Hong Kong Hustle – A Good Cop/Bad Cop Review by Lee Lofland at The Graveyard Shift

 

Lee offers some insight into cops and how they feel about fellow officers making career advancements in his review this week, as he so rightly says moving into a leadership role is not for everyone and for a lot of them they love the jobs they've got. 

 

This made me laugh and of course he takes note of the Espo and Ryan losing their guns, a cardinal sin for a police officer. 

I did question how Ryan knew the killer took the victim’s keys and cell phone. I mean, how could he possibly have known the dead guy had those items prior to being killed? Was there a note/inventory list in the corpse’s pocket that read, “If I’m dead when you find me please know that I had these items in my pocket at the time I was murdered—key ring, cell phone, three Fig Newtons, and an antique shoe horn.”

 

As far as the rest of the show went…same old, same old. The killer was predictable. Someone lost their gun (actually, Ryan and Esposito lost theirs at the same time).

 

Edited March 17, 2015 by verdana

[MaryM47]

I think the whole reason for this episode was to have a bad guy real estate mogul they had to find, so someone could utter the immortal words, "Where's Wadlow?"