The Rise and Fall of Grey's Anatomy -- A Season Eight Finale Post-Mortem

Well, the season eight finale of Grey’s Anatomy came and went exactly as I thought it would – Lexie Grey met her end in order to help pay for the renewed contracts of original series stars Patrick Dempsey, Ellen Pompeo, Chandra Wilson, Sandra Oh, James Picket Jr.,  and Justin Chambers. Thus, this once vibrant and iconic show is reduced to using the old “death of a main character” TV trope – again -- to gain publicity and ratings. My, how the mighty have fallen.

Once a must-see, talk about in the office the next morning type of show, Grey’s Anatomy has fallen from an astonishingly high 20 million+ viewers an episode in its initial seasons to an average of 11 million an episode. It also holds the distinction of being the single most DVR-ed American network show – which tellingly indicates it is no longer must-see TV for about half of its core audience anymore. So what brought this once-mighty TV titan down?

Castle: Always (S4.23) - Caskett Lives!

May 8, 2012

First off, interesting that the couple name actually has something to do with murder mysteries (Caskett = funeral casket). Just sayin’.

Second, that was half of a fantastic season finale. Oddly, just like The Avengers, the greatness from the characters interacting covered up a really thin plot but who really cares? It was great! So much to love in this finale:

·         “I’ve been waiting four years for you to see that I’m more than just a partner.” Swoon. Platonically, of course, ‘cause I’m a guy. A bro. A man’s man. Great speech.
·         The acting during the laying bare of the secrets. It could’ve easily been bombastic and over the top but instead it just all came out naturally
·         The kiss, of course, and the hand grabbing leading to the bedroom presumably
·         The split between Ryan and Esposito based solely on professional and completely valid differences of opinion and was totally believable; I liked that Ryan was the only voice of reason but the way he was acting made me wonder if his character had also been contacted like Castle and struck a deal to protect Kate
·         Gates justifiably giving Esposito and Beckett crap for withholding info and going off as rogue cowboys

Castle: Headhunters (S4.21)

April 17, 2012

Absolutely my favorite episode of the show so far. So well done on so many levels. Moved plot forward, moved characterization forward, a great new possibly recurring character and a decent and tragic mystery although the ending was a little too pat. Let’s look at all the great points:

·         Ethan Slaughter was a blast. Played perfectly by Adam, he was both a parody and an homage to all the stereotypical tough guy cops seen on TV and the movies and still managed to add something new. yet he had a great brain underneath. The practical jokes he pulled on Castle were great. When he coerces the confession out of the kid for all the wrong reasons, it added a very dark side to him like Vic from The Shield (another homage) and I was wondering if they would pull the trigger and make him a nemesis but I was actually glad he turned out to be a good cop in the end who does listen to reason and was in on the final interrogation. I really, really want to see him back on Castle.
·         Character wise, I love how he allows Castle to do everything Beckett won’t let him but then you slowly realize he’s actually just throwing Castle to the wolves and this is likely why his other three partners died.
·         The brown leather coat Castle offers Slaughter to allow him to ride along. They were both “Browncoats.” Not sure if that was intentional or not or how much of it flew over the heads of the audience. It was a lot more subtle that the episode where he tries on the Mal Reynolds Firefly costume for Halloween but just as funny if you picked it up.
·         Nathan’s physical comedy was great when he tried to stop the fleeing suspect in the bar while Slaughter looks on and snacks on popcorn. We know he can do fight choreography decently from watching Firefly and Serenity so it was fun to see him act out as the physical bumbler while still taking the suspect down
·         I love how Slaughter says all the obvious things that any other normal person would ask of Castle like “You’re tapping that, right?” when referring to Beckett. That would be what most people would normally think  as only on a TV show would people like these not end up together already
·         The bit where Slaughter asks Castle to testify on his behalf in front of the board in the car while using excessive force was both frightening and hilarious at the same time
·         And of course, love how Beckett conveniently had Castle’s back (and by proxy, Slaughter’s as well) for the investigation and comes in at the end but doesn’t steal the spotlight from Slaughter and Castle at the final interrogation

It’s very interesting that they’re doing all these “team-up” episodes with new characters who could actually be leads in other shows if done right. Basically, I loved the fact that they didn’t royally screw this up by making Slaughter a true baddie as they did with Sophia Turner. I still ache over the loss of her character, but both Slaughter and The Limey were handled very well. Both of these guys should come back.

Castle: The Limey (S4.20)

April 3, 2012

Great episode prepping for Sweeps in May and a cliffhanger to our “Will they or won’t they?” I liked our Limey detective as much as I liked Sophia and it was great that they did the same switcheroo this season. The mystery was interesting and not necessarily illogical like some of them. Of course, the big deal is the moving forward/backward of the status quo in the Castle/Beckett relationship. Again, the fact that much of this is plausible allows us to disbelieve the “They’re still not together?” routine.

The only small complaint I had was the implication that Castle was a womanizer by Laney. It has already been established that he has an active love life and 3 marriages, but by the same token he doesn’t sleep around and actually tries to make a go of relationships with the women he has had sex with. He’s not exactly a one-night stand type of guy despite his wealth and celebrity. Otherwise he’d be a crime solving basketball player, not a crime solving mystery author. So where the “He’s changed his womanizing ways” dialogue between Laney and Beckett was coming from is beyond me.

What I’m really enjoying about the last few episodes is that they also haven’t touched the mother’s murder conspiracy garbage as the dividing wedge between them. It’s actually based upon their feelings towards each other and the decisions they and they alone have made. God, I hope they wrap that silly storyline because it’s as annoying  as the whole X-File grand conspiracy was and will probably turn out just as lame.

Castle: A Dance With Death (S4.18), 47 Seconds (S4.19)

March 27, 2012

Nice of ABC to put on two new Castles in April outside of Sweeps. They were both very good episodes too as a whole, even if their individual parts were a little weak.

I liked last week’s mystery of the stripper who stole the dead woman’s identity not for any criminal intent, but simply to start her life over and live out her dream as a dancer. The fact that the real woman turned out to be both a crook and a murderer was a little too close to the new TV series Ringer but I could let that one go. I also appreciated the fact that the money/manager murderer killed her not so much to cover up his crime, but the fact that he was incensed that this woman was “insulting” the memory of his loved one. That was actually totally plausible and very true to how twisted a man’s thinking is sometimes.

The bits with Esposito and Ryan were also great, especially the part where after thinking his wedding ring is a woman repellant, Ryan puts a ring on Esposito and finds out it’s a chick MAGNET. It’s actually him that’s the problem! :D That was great and of course it was sweet that the real reasoning was that Ryan gives off the happily engaged to be married vibe which is why women stay away from him.

Last night’s episode with the riff on the Occupy movement was also really well done. The mystery was cool and they way they went about recreating everything in order to solve it was extremely well done and I liked how they tied it thematically to the characters, like a crime version of a Grey’s Anatomy (I really used to love that show…) episode.

There were a ton of great personal moments. The scene with Martha telling Castle to man up with Beckett but be prepared to move on if she’s a no-go was great. Alexis’ “breakup or Dancing With the Stars elimination” pancakes. Castle talking to Beckett about missed opportunities right before they’re interrupted. Castle listening on the other side of the glass without Beckett realizing it and the followup he has with Martha afterwards believing that Beckett must not have the same feelings for him.

I must admit, this was a pretty clever and completely plausible way of extending the “will they or won’t they” thread by setting up Castle’s willingness to “move on”. Preview for next episode looks to play up on this by giving Castle a new rival for Beckett’s affections.

Castle: Once Upon a Crime (S4.17)

February 28, 2012

Hmmm. Mixed feelings about this episode. Lots of charming parts to the episode which had nothing to do with the mystery at all. The actual mystery was pretty hard for me to swallow even given that this is Castle.

·         I loved the whole one-woman play on Martha’s life with its exaggerations and how she made Castle out to have ruined her life only for her to realize how great it was to be a mother. Awww…. Until she said he could be a much better son which was hilarious
·         Loved the bit about Ryan being afraid of dolls ever since Chucky
·         Yes, there is such a thing as fairytale fetish, sad to say. Google, some things are better left unknown

·         Now to the mystery itself. As soon as Castle said its “I Know What You Did Last Summer” I knew one of the girls was the killer. It’s never a good idea to reference another fictional plot because it can only go one of two ways: an identical plot or the exact reverse
·         Now Castle always has whacked out murders and mysteries, but I’ve never had a hard time swallowing any of them until now. I get that evil Charlotte was trying to save herself by killing her friends so nobody could tell what really happened the night Owen died, but there were two fatal flaws to her plan: If she kills off her friends, only she is left to pay the blackmail which is more of a burden on her but even more importantly if the blackmailer were caught everything comes completely undone. So why would she work so hard to set up the blackmailer and thus speed up her own undoing?

This was really the only time a Castle mystery made me go “Huh?” The killer’s motive made sense but her actions didn’t. In comparison, when the drug dealer killed the junkie to set up the cop that was a real life superhero, that made sense because even if she were caught, she wouldn’t be able to bring about his downfall. In this week’s case, the actions and motives were similar but the blackmail angle kind of messes it up.

Oh well. Out of this sweeps batch, I have to say the episode I enjoyed most was the dog trainer murder episode. And FYI, ratings-wise Castle is more than holding its own against Hawaii Five-0 and Smash and the horrid Alcatraz.

Castle: Linchpin (S4.16)

February 21, 2012

My God, but that conclusion made absolute zero sense. I was right about Gage not truly being a bad guy but that didn’t help make the conclusion any more enjoyable. It was designed to do nothing more than shock with twists – however illogical – with absolutely no regard to the reality of the characters (well, as real as the fictional reality of Castle is). In fact, the entire episode played out disturbing similar to a typically bad episode of one of the most hokey and overrated TV shows of the last decade, 24. They even got the “GASP! There’s a mole in the CIA!” cliché in.

Because the writers had clearly planned for it to be Sofia all along, they had the dilemma of making her extremely likeable for the majority of the two parter and then having to turn her quickly. Unfortunately, with the majority of the time spent making her both likeable and a foil for Beckett, they had absolutely no seeds planted for a believable turn and delivering the line in Russia about  the USA not really being her country was absolutely awful. Making things worse was that Beckett and Castle didn’t save themselves, but had to rely on the deux ex machina of Sofia’s set up partner who up until then was nothing but Mr. Exposition saving them at the last moment. That was awful convenient. May as well have just named him Jack Bauer.

On top of everything else, they completely blew off the effects of seeing this woman who Rick once loved killed right before him after revealing she’s a traitor. Aside from the forlorn look Nathan brought to it, there was nothing to even hint how it must’ve torn him up inside. Making it worse was that whole speech at the end about how the character he based upon her was really more like Beckett. Huh?

I really and truly cannot comprehend the complete waste of Sofia’s character. This had a great potential for recurring and her turn as the true villain was hokey and completely unbelieveable, though it was partly because of the great job Jennifer Beals did as Sofia. I was actually rooting for her and Castle to get it on again when she showed up on his couch.

In fact, she was the only thing I enjoyed about the episode. The scene where she gives Castle and Beckett shit and then shows up in Castle’s apartment were fantastic. I really believed there was a long complicated history between them and she had fantastic chemistry with Nathan, to the point where I was thinking I would love to see the prequel show with them in it. I also have to say that Jennifer Beals looked unbelieveably stunning. No way you would guess that she is 50 watching these episodes. She just oozed sex appeal.

Truly, truly awful stuff with the exception of a great performance by Beals as Sofia. Ah well. At least we’re going back to the fun episodes next week. 

....

There’s also a lot of positive standard Net recaps of this conclusion. I don’t get it at all. I do think the little bit Sophia dropped about Rick’s father possibly being CIA was an interesting little nugget, however.

I am sensing the same problem with Castle that I caught on to with the X-Files – they clearly have no idea where their main conspiracy storyline is headed and are writing as they go instead of completely mapping them out beforehand. Therefore, they have to throw other stuff in to keep the series going and Rick’s father plotline (an obvious mirror for Beckett’s mother plotline) is “the other stuff.” As with the X-Files, it’s always the one-off episodes that are more entertaining because they’re free of baggage. Like you, it won’t stop me from watching but definitely makes me a bit wary.

The other thing I find surprising that they don’t capitalize on enough is that Castle is a celebrity and that brings certain perks and abilities with it that could be entertaining if used properly in the series. And I don’t mean a book signing scene where Beckett shows up in a super hot dress, either. I mean a long overdue episode set at a comic convention or a mystery writers convention where a fellow mystery writer is murdered and the only others suspects are mystery writers.

Castle: Pandora (S4.15)

February 14, 2012

Fun episode to this week’s Castle but a little underdeveloped. I really wanted to see more of Sophia hanging around Castle out in the field to really push Beckett’s buttons. Perhaps next episode?

Also, the two –parters are now starting to show a very predictable pattern: major conspiracy crime, place Beckett and Castle in mortal danger, bring them close to the brink of admitting true feelings before the inevitable cop-out.

In regards to the plot, it’s got an interesting Macguffin in the lynchpin and an interesting “villain” in Gage. We of course have to wait for the whole thing to settle out, but here’s the major plot issue I have: Gage, who we know has killed at least one person in cold blood (the CIA agent) and is implied to have killed two others didn’t kill Castle and Beckett when he could’ve easily done so and gotten away with it. Regardless of the fact that you can’t obviously kill your two leads, this is the move of a.) Someone who is actually NOT a or b.) A really bad lazy writer who couldn’t be bothered to deal with such a large gaping plot hole if Gage turns out to truly be a villain.

So here’s what I am thinking where this might be going:

1)      Gage did not actually kill McGrath or the Professor. We’re led to presume that he did but this is not necessarily so.
2)      Gage is actually a good guy trying to prevent the lynchpin from being used which is why McGrath helped him in the taxi and was not necessarily a hostage in the truest sense of the word.
3)      The actual bad guys of our story are actually…. The CIA! Dun Dun Dun! I don’t know if they’ll have the balls to actually make Sophia Turner herself into a villain which would really mess Castle up bad, but I’m guessing the reason Gage is rogue is because he knows someone in the CIA wants to use the lynchpin to bring the good ol’ USA down and he’s trying to prevent it. Therefore, I think the CIA actually killed McGrath and the Professor and nudged Castle and Beckett in the water which despite what the show is trying to convey, is actually a pretty easily survivable situation.
4)      I think Gage did in fact kill the CIA guy from the opener but that’s because he was likely a bad CIA guy trying to bring him in.

So what’s your theory?

Castle: Till Death Do Us Part (S4.11), Dial M for Mayor (S4.12)

January 17, 2012

Just chiming in on the last two Castle’s. Very big contrast between the two. The one with the Casanova/industrial espionage was a very fun episode. Had it not been for the fact that I saw an episode of CSI Miami in its first year that had exactly the same plot and even the exact same resolution in its first year, this would have been a killer episode for me. Look, I made a funny! J 

In contrast, this week’s episode was a huge letdown for a number of reasons. The first is that they didn’t have the balls to make the Mayor actually the bad guy which would’ve been a game changer. The second is that they brought in the Beckett conspiracy plot thread complete with the Chain Smoking Man—er, the Mysterious Caller. This is the same problem that the X-Files suffered from: the buildup to the conspiracy was so vast and ominous that  the power of the conspirators was vastly out of proportion to the reason for the conspiracy itself which led to a “WTF? That’s it?!?” resolution for that series. I’m afraid Castle is veering dangerously close to this situation to the point where I am 100% certain that the writers made the same mistake Chris Carter did in not actually plotting out the conspiracy first and making it up as they went along.

There were a couple of very bright points, however. The new Captain showed quite a bit of integrity and character in her office scene with Beckett. Lots of respect for her there. The background of the victim and the constant twists and turns in who she actually turned out to be were pretty brilliant. She actually deserved a better story to be put into. And amazingly, Rick actually used his WRITING SKILL to solve the mystery by cluing into the “inciting incident” as the start and end of everything. Lastly, I completely bought the relationship between the Mayor and Rick. If you didn’t buy their friendship, you wouldn’t buy Rick’s lack of objectivity and the two actors really did great in bringing it to life.

Now, next week’s episode looks hilarious with a dog show murder and Beckett looking absolutely STUNNING in the preview going undercover as the stuffy show dog owner/contestant. That’s the absolute sexiest Stana Katic has looked on this show since the episode where she pretended to be Russian to save Rick’s life from the Russian mobster. The actual shot of her entrance reminded me of the shot of Rick made up as the Elvis impersonator. I’m sure it was no coincidence. I still question her chemistry a bit with Fillion but there is no denying she is a beautiful actress.

Castle: Kill Shot (S4.09)

November 22, 2011

Me have mucho mixed feelings on this week’s Castle. I loved what they did with Esposito’s character, really made him a badass. I also loved how Ryan counseled Castle on what to do and that they actually put Castle in a position where he actually didn’t know what to do. He isn’t a psychiatrist, after all.

The major issue I had was with the episode’s portrayal of PTSD. I know Stana was trying, but the way it was written and directed was patently absurd and clearly done by people whose only knowledge of PTSD is what they read on the Internet. Basically, it was the sanitized cheesy TV clean version of PTSD, conveniently leaving out the fact that PTSD sufferers often represent a danger to themselves and those close to them and are essentially suffering from a mental illness that has been forced unto them.

Let me give you a comparison. I studied a real case of cop PTSD many eons ago that was truly tragic: a white cop shot and killed an 11 year old black boy in Harlem because he believed the boy was going to shoot him and his partner with a gun because he saw a gleam in the moonlight as the boy reached for something in his pocket. The gleaming “gun” turned out to be the silver wrapper of a pack of gum. I’m not saying we should have Beckett shoot innocent young black boys but it would have been nice to see her really lose it on a criminal and unload on him. There should’ve been a point where Castle and Ryan and Esposito and even the new Captain should’ve been considering removing her from her JOB, not just this case.

And the lame-o villain was even worse. What a complete walking caricature. I lost my leg so now I go after happy people. Good Lord, that was stupid. How did they expect this to stand up when you could easily research the last sniper in the US and see what a truly twisted guy that was. Instead, they tried to make him sympathetic and tie him into Beckett’s situation which only made everything stupider. Just terrible all the way around. At least Esposito got to take him out in a cool scene.

And then, to really insult our intelligence, Beckett is all nice and good again. Geez, even Grey’s freakin’ Anatomy managed to get the portrayal of true PTSD right with Dr. Owen’s character over the course of several episodes and that was at least two years ago. Don’t the Castle writers at least watch their fellow ABC shows?

Castle: Cops & Robbers (S4.07)

November, 1, 2011

Really REALLY good episode that really showcased how far both Beckett and Castle have come along skillwise, with her able to adjust to a hostage situation and Castle not only deftly communicating with the outside but figuring that something was not quite kosher with the bank robbery. So much good stuff here with a great mystery. They had to lighten up the comedy but still got in a good one with Ryan andd Esposito. My thoughts:

·         The crime was brilliant. What would be more valuable than an actual vault full of money or a safety deposit box full of valuables? Custody of a child. What’s more priceless than your own kid?
·         The resolution, however, was not. I found it tough to swallow the idea of a professional merc team not being smart enough to check their own timed explosives but I could let that one go for the sake of the overall plot
·         Very brave and a bit more realistic NOT to have Beckett and Castle be a part of the final apprehending team and just having to wait things out
·         Now THIS was a mastermind criminal, unlike last week’s crooked murdering cop. His elaborate plot actually made sense and you did believe he might actually get away with this one, unlike last week’s non-loonie who really should’ve been a loonie. Loved how he went from first verbally attacking Castle, to “working with him” on “spying” on the “robbers,” to finally “panicking” and actually using Castle’s own sympathy and brains against him to get himself out of the bank with the faked epilepsy attack. Now this guy proved himself the equal if not better than Castle and that’s a good villain.
·          It was also great how he adjusted for Castle’s presence which he couldn’t have obviously planned for beforehand by attacking him for “calling the cops” which gets the unknowing bank employees to put him in his place. Using suspension of disbelief there, but it still makes him an awesome villain
·         I loved the bit in the apartment where Ryan comes up with crazy theories and Esposito accuses him of being “Castle Jr.” only for Ryan to turn around and accuse him of being “Supercop” when Esposito takes Beckett’s more grounded approach
·         Loved the look between Castle and Beckett that was interrupted by Martha. They didn’t play as much on the “I could lose him” that I thought they would but it was more than enough
·         FINALLY they ended the stupid Ashley storyline. Way overdue.

Looks like we’re back to comedy next week with the Elvis impersonation. Please please please let Nathan sing! It would be a crime if only geek Dr. Horrible fans realized he actually has a singing voice.

Castle: Demons (S4.06)

October 25, 2011

Cute little Halloween episode but not my favorite. By the very conceit of  the possibility of a ghost being the murderer, which by the show’s own rules we know can’t possibly happen, we’re just trudging along with it until the reveal of the murderer. Some thoughts:

·         I am hating the whole Alexis/Ashley subplot now. It serves absolutely no purpose whatsoever to the show anymore.
·         This may be the writer in me overanalyzing, but I thought there was a huge missed opportunity with the murderer sending letters to the victim’s brother saying that it was “demons” that killed him. I would’ve loved it if it turned out those letter’s were the cop gone bad’s twisted confession to the victim’s brother trying to explain that it was his own personal demons that drove him from being a good cop into a full-fledged adulterer and murderer and that’s what he was alluding to in the letters. The remnants of the good cop left in him were trying to offer an explanation to the victim’s family before he completely turned evil.
·         Without the above, he looks like a complete idiot. His master plan to convince people the house was haunted so nobody would find the body was ridiculous considering how calm and collected a murderer he was, especially since the whole point of the plot was that the haunted house actually ATTRACTED people instead of keeping them away. At least show him becoming a little unhinged to explain his irrational actions and then being stuck to continue with them.
·         They also missed playing upon the irony that the cop hated the fact that his paramour’s husband was abusive to her – and yet, he ironically committed the worst form of abuse in the end by brutally taking her life.
·         I can’t believe I’m going to say this as a straight guy, but…  I HATED BECKETT’S FRIGGIN’ HAIRDO!!!! Aside from being unflattering and misusing one of her sexier assets, it pulled back the skin on her face and made her look like a bit of an old hag. LET MY PEOPLE’S HAIR GO!!!!
·         I’m not sure that the Ghostbusters references were as clever as they thought it was. Aside from being totally predictable, I’m not necessarily sure the fans Castle aims to attract would get such an old reference. I could be wrong on that, but it is a nearly 30 year old franchise.
·         Though also predictable, I loved it when Castle screamed like a little girl when the desiccated skeleton fell out on top of him J
·         They were really kind of riffing on the X-Files with Castle/Mulder as the believer and Beckett/Scully as the non-believer. Might’ve been more interesting character development if it were completely reversed. That would actually be believable  as Castle’s research and writing skills could be seen as making him completely skeptical whereas Beckett’s unresolved feelings about her mother could lead us to believe she’s a believer in the afterlife if only for her own personal comfort

I definitely enjoyed last week’s episode with the insurance investigator more. This was was cute but doesn’t hold up well to a little bit of scrutiny.

Castle: Eye of the Beholder (S4.05)

October 18, 2011

Great eps of Castle this week, back to the humor. Lots to love here:

·         A great guest star in Canadian actress Kristen Lehman as the hot insurance investigator/reformed art thief. She previously worked with Nathan Fillion on their short-lived series Drive.  Probably explains the tangible chemistry between them
·         BTW, did you recognize Michael “Worf” Dorn as Beckett’s psychiatrist?
·         Great bit where Castle does the stereotypical, only works on TV “kiss the girl to distract her from noticing partner’s shenanigans” – only for Beckett to completely blow it by yelling “WHAT?!”
·         Loved the bit where Castle demolished the museum stand to find the missing art and then completely wrecked the artist’s display as he and Beckett confronted her only to realize it  was her client and not her that was the murderer. The look on his face when he realizes he’s not only wrong but going to have to pay for the wrecked museum was priceless. And they followed it up in the tag scene too when he gets the bill! Nice line there about being able to pay his kid’s college tuition fee with it only for him to add “Good thing I’m rich.”
·         And a great last line as she exits stage right from our hot insurance investigator Serena as she informs Beckett “I don’t steal things that belong to other people.” Awwwwwww…..

Man, I’d love to see Lehman back as Serena. Not sure if it was intentional, but she’s the Catwoman to Castle’s Batman – the bad girl who does good who will always have romantic/sexual tension with the hero.  Interestingly, I just picked up the new Batman Arkham City game for my PS3 and the voice of Catwoman is played by…. Stana Katic! 

Castle: Heros & Villains (S4.02)

September 26, 2011

I really enjoyed last night’s Castle, even if they did go back to too much formula to the point where it could’ve been an episode from any other season. Still, a whole bunch of nice shoutouts to the now Disney-owned Marvel comics from Disney-owned ABC studios. Good commercial tie-in.

I also liked how the crime writer and cop involved ended up as mirror  images of Beckett and Castle. I think it was a bit of a convenient stretch to have Beckett be a comic book fan (as it was in an episode last season where she just happened to be into B & D conveniently) but otherwise it was a pretty good ep. I particularly liked the scene in the interrogation room where both Castle and Beckett realize from the crime writer’s answers that he is not the guilty part and this was all done through shared looks from the three actors involved and not the dialogue itself but how they delivered it. Good work from the guest star there as he had to carry the load in that scene. Nathan was good with the facial expressions there too, letting us know as an audience that he knows the guy is innocent.