Castle

The ongoing tension between Castle, Beckett and Deming escalates tonight with playful rivalry becoming fierce competition and some heartbreaking moments as Castle senses that this may be one story he can't write the end to.



The episode begins with a cleaner discovering the word 'Murdere' (not my typo) written in rather gelatinous looking blood on a mirror and on further exploration, the body of a man who has been bludgeoned to death. We soon find out that the blood is in fact fake and I was actually a little concerned on how obvious that fact was to me (maybe it's time to watch fewer Zombie flicks). The murder victim is the owner of a line of Male cosmetics and the fake blood points to the first of our mandatory pile of suspects. But before we get too ahead of ourselves, it's important to introduce the far more prominent source of intrigue; Castle's jealousy towards Demming. This is set up nicely, with an interaction between Castle and his daughter. Alexis has just finished reading the draft of her Father's next book and although her review is glowing, she does have one suggestion that may need addressing. This turns out to be Castle's inclusion of a character called 'Sleming' who we learn, appears out of nowhere and behaves like 'a bit of a doofus'. The writer aggressively scribles out his name and we get our first taste of the not so underlying tension between the writer and the detective.



Beckett invites Deming to join the investigation, due to the possible significance of some books stolen from the murdered man's room. She seems to thrive on the rivalry between the two men, as they compete to win her affections by scrambling together clues to the case. This leads to some great moments, as Castle gets caught out several times making childish comments under his breath, such as "well he's your boyfriend" and that his lead is "much better than some stolen books". Several pointed looks are exchanged between the men and it's clear that both are aware of the other's agenda.



This theme continues throughout the episode and swings from harmless teasing, to real moments of poignancy, as Castle realises that his mother's insight that "in life not everything's gonna go your way", may be painfully accurate. Martha's rivalry with a fellow actress acts to mirror Castle's own frustration and he projects some of his anger onto her situation, proclaiming that you should not thank a rival but crush them. This was an excellent way of highlighting his real feelings, which often get lost under his layers of charm and charisma.



It may be apparent that I have not given much attention to the actual crime, the reason being, that it is totally overshadowed by the developments between the lead characters. Arguably one of the less interesting mysteries, the key suspects are somewhat neglected in the first half of the episode and I found it quite difficult to keep track of who's who. It follows the same formula of the whodunit, where everyone is a possible suspect, but unfortunately it fell into the trap that so many crime shows do, of placing one highly recognisable actor into the mix, one you know will play a more prominent role than at first seems apparent. Fortunately, the case turns out to be a little more involved than 'he/she did it', but I still guessed the killer the first time they appeared on screen.



The first twenty minutes did feel a little confused and it was difficult to feel invested in the crime mystery, due to that fact that most of the interviews and questioning drew focus towards Castle's facial expressions and glances at Beckett and Deming. I admit that my mind did wander in some of the earlier scenes as the slew of suspects were still being introduced. However, the developments in the case and a greater concentration on some of the characters involved in the murder, lead to far more intrigue and even though the unveiling of the killer was somewhat of an unbelievable scenario, the build up was exciting.



Overall



But the real star of this episode was Castle's jealousy and his realisation that he is losing the battle for Beckett. A slightly more sombre atmosphere, with fewer laughs than usual. These quieter moments are handled perfectly however, with simple glances instead of unnecessary monologues. The case itself is a little too involved for its own good and it was slightly contrived in the end. We all love twists, but this one felt a little forced and unusual (I mean the odds of that scenario actually taking place are incalculable).



I do like the direction they have taken with Beckett and Castle and respect the writer's hesitation in simply continuing a persistent state of flirting like other shows do, but I am wary that the programme begins to take itself a little too seriously at the expense of its humour and charm. Hopefully, they will continue the slew of one-liners. They were still there tonight, with several digs at Castle's metro-sexuality and it's here that the show and it's characters shine.



Review published at http://playeraffinity.com/tv-reviews/Castle-Overkill.html

I can't bear it! Here's this wonderful, sweet platonic relationship with lots of UST that's been gradually developing and deepening - and in wanders this handsome male version of Kate and apparently sweeps her off her feet!

I REFUSE to give up on Becket and Castle - they're my OTP in this show, and while the good detective may have charm, skill, a good heart and blah, blah, blah, he's just not going to cut it compared to Castle.



While I enjoyed the guys grudgingly growing to respect each other, the pain on Castle's face when confronted with The Kiss was just heartbreaking. I don't care how good a match Mr. Staunch Upholder of Law and Order is for our favourite fiery detective - he's just not her ruggedly handsome overgrown man-boy with a heart of gold.



So there.

Now drop a piano on Detective Demming.

So, which was the bigger mystery this episode? The whodunnit, or whether Beckett is playing the boys off one another?



She doesn't seem like that kind of girl, so I am assuming that fighting skills and perfect teeth are an actual attraction for her. And what was a minor and somewhat humourous irritant for Castle in the beginning, just kicked him squarely in the solar plexis. And I'm guessing here, but I assume Castle's abs are not as able to take a direct hit as Demmings'!!



As for the murder of the week, the list of potential culprits was, as usual, long and varied and anyone a possibility. Once again, I guessed the cousin but not the exec; I mean, only Castle can give you a 2-fer murder!



And, **heavy sigh, Castle**, I fear it's going to be a long summer for you buddy!

Another great episode. I love it when Becket says something like "It is cry talk, every girl knows that"... This episode gets a 10 from me just because of that one:).

Instead of reviewing this episode, I would rather take the chance to say - what a wonderful show this is!!. And now we know it is renewed. Yay! But in these days, the good shows seem to get axed. Why is that? Doesn't the networks realise that if there is nothing good on, then the viewers will simply leave. Hopefully things will change, I hope that the networks will realise that the days of commercial-ad-TV might be gone and find another way.