Castle

After the heavy build-up for the show's return due to its most explosive finale yet, the episode we got turned out to be a little bit dull. It is good to have Castle and Beckett back on my TV, but let's be honest, we knew she was not going to die so what is the point? Longtime viewers waited patiently for one of them to admit their love for each other so the followup was disappointing in this premiere. Not bad, just disappointing.

The Beckett traumatic experience.   Castle alters thinking.  The story picks up 3 months after the last season's shooting. We do see the more than friends relationship takes a big hit. Lots of clues for the whole 4th season theme. Interesting unknown character who Montgomery mailed file.- very mysterous.

It was a great preview into what i believe will be a little more darker castle than what we have seen in the previous 3 seasons. The overall show was mainly about Beckett getting back into the game again after being shot and Castle being there no matter what.

I'm actually quite glad that what we saw at first was that Beckett said she didn't remember what had happened when she was shot. Although I had an inkling there was more to what she said to Castle and I was elated to find out that she did actually lie and she does remember everything. I believe the writers have done the right thing here as there could be more done before Castle and Beckett get together.

Thank god motorcycle boy is gone as he was really starting to annoy me. What I hope now is that the writers don't bring in any more BF/GF for either of them for a long while, doesn't need it.

I think I'm looking forward to a more edgier Castle as we saw near the end. Bring on the next episode.

The beginning of this episode made my worst fears come true. Beckett having amnesia and doesn't remember, then the writers did the same thing they did with Bones; too messed up emotionally to be romantically involved. It seemd to me that everything was back to square one. Beckett and Castle dancing around each other episode by episode.

But things changed right at the end that made my hopes come back. Beckett DOES remember and that gives a new perspective on how she treated Castle during this episode.

I still can hope, that the producers are willing to go towards a real relationship between Castle and Beckett somewhere in the future. Unfortunatly the track record for crime dramas in that department is not good. Too often it isn't done like in JAG, NCIS and Bones or it is done poorly like in Without a Trace.

I will keep my fingers crossed and keep watching.

First thing: I don't buy the storyline at all. The premise: the murderers of Kate Becket's mother are so powerfull and well connected -- they can kill her without any doubt and remain hidden. A gang of renegade cops, who made millions of dollars in the 70's by kidnapping mobsters is behind this. And Montgomery has to sacrifice his life to keep Beckett alive. This does not make any sense at all.

The real reason behind this plot. Castle and Becket have to keep up their sexual tension. Since they are bot smart, attractive and very attracted to each other, the writers need better reasons. They coupled both up, but now they have to resort to deep emotional injuries to keep them apart -- and still together. On their way through a New York that is worthy of any mystery novel.

All this is very transparent. But I still like this episode inspite of the lack of surprises. The ER scene is masterfully directed. The writers did a good job to keep the story on running and to show the successless hunt for clues. Fillion and Katicstruggle with the emotional state of their characters, but they do a great job.

Especially I enjoyed to see two actors from Star Trek. Michael Dorn als therapist is a bold casting decision :-)

I can't help but wonder if the writers have the whole story of Beckett's mom's murder pre-written or if they are letting it unfold as they go along. As the story keeps getting more and more complex with each season, it appears that they continue to add story lines to it, but at some point they'll have to come up with how it all pans out, and I'm just curious at what point in the show that'll be.

As for the episode itself, overall I really enjoyed it. It does appear that Beckett now has a softer side towards Castle, especially now that she realizes how much he cares for her and how far he's willing to go. Hopefully this will help her in the long run get over her anger at him when she finds out what he's been hiding about her mom's case.

I also liked the new aspect of Castle being really angry with Beckett. I don't think we've seen him be THIS upset with her before.

And it's nice to see Alexis play a much more grown-up role this episode. The writers are doing a great job of developing the maturity of her character with each season.

I'm not sure yet how I feel about the scenes with the new captain. I like the contrast of Captain Victoria Gate's character to Captain Montgomery's, and I think Penny Johnson is excellent for this role, but I kind of felt like her scenes were "forced" into the episode. I'm sure we'll see her character develop more throughout the season, but with this episode focusing so much on the familiar characters and aspects, introducing a new main character to fit in this complex story line must've been a huge challenge.

But overall, a great start to another great season of Castle!

I admit that I had VERY high expectations for the new season - probably too high. While I very much enjoyed the show, it felt like there was a little something missing although I can't put my finger on what.

Castle is one of my two favorite shows on TV (Bones is the other), so there's no such thing as a bad Castle episode in my eyes. I think what made it hard was that there is usually a case that takes center stage and then we have the Beckett/Castle (and Martha, Alexis, etc.) backstory. In this episode it was reversed. I found the murder they were working on almost an annoying side story - with an obvious conclusion - to Kate's recovery and her return to work - both of which were very, very well done.

I don't like the new Captain. I hope her character changes some because Capt. Montgomery was a warm, compassionate and strong leader and this woman is anything but. I guess I don't like the idea of the Police having to battle each other to get a job done. They were all on the same team before and genuinely cared for each other and the new dynamic is the opposite of that.

The last scene moved the Beckett/Castle relationship along nicely and the bridging of the time from when Kate was shot to today was also well done. So, like with Kate's pursuit to find her mother's killer and Rick's "pursuit" of Kate, we had progress and like they said: it's enough...for now. :)

From the "tense" surgery/waitingroom scene to a sudden 3 month time jump accompanied by a lot of crying and emotional distress this was nothing like a regular Castle episode.

The show has proven that it can deliver tense and good drama in for example Tick, Tick. And in many ways this feels like a copy of that story. Becket is in mortal danger although noone expects her to really die. Castle and Becket go through another breakup though we all know they will be back together by the 20 minute mark. See the pattern? The problem with this episode is that they did absolutely nothing original. The whole badass new captian routine and the amnesia after the gunshot, I've seen it so many times before and done better. Big twist coming though, the amnesia turned out to be a lie! So we can start the whole "will they or won't they" routine again, YAY!

But all sarcasm aside Castle is still Castle so even though it may not be the most original of shows we can always count on a solid performance by the cast. Also the episode was very watchable considering how many elements were crammed into these 45 minutes. Martha and Alexis didn't have much screentime which is always a good thing, while Ryan and Esposito had plenty which is also a good thing.

The mystery of the week is hardly worth mentioning. Taking the backseat is a pretty big understatement. Actually I think it would have been wiser if the writers would've dropped it and used the extra time to add some depth to the time jump. We are told bits and pieces about the 3 months but it really lacks any impact.

An episode that I was expecting but not was hoping for. Packed with events and changes it felt rushed and messy at times. But mostly the cliches and rehashed story elements made this a dissaponting Castle episode.

Highly anticipated season opener that mainly lived up to its promises but felt a bit rushed.

I got the feeling while trying to sat the pace for this season they were forced to rush the storyline in order to get everything into the first episode. Especially Beckett's time away felt kind of awkward. I hope they'll get back to that and her stay at her father's cabin in later episodes.

Then we meet the new captain, which obviously won't win a lot of hearts. ;-) And we have Ryan's and Esposito's case, for me the weakest part of the episode, because it was totally unnecessary. It was not much of a real investigation and even if I acknowledge the fact that they used it to get Beckett back on track I can't help but think that it felt staged and misplaced.

I liked the way they handled Castle's "I love you" and the "surprise" at the end that she actually heard him. And though we know nothing significant will happen between them for now, we get the feeling that they are getting somewhere eventually. Of course only if they can side step the 600 pound gorilla in the room, which is Castle secrect about the mysterious caller and the consequences that come along with it.

So all together I really enjoyed the season premiere, but wished they had split it up into two episodes or had left out some of the minor plot lines. Definitely looking forward to the next episodes.

What happened in the last episode just proves how truely human both Kate and Castle really are, despite how good they are their not bulletproof one hit could mean the end, though I could easily guess the outcome I couldn't be sure of anything until I saw it. This is once again a more dark and serious episode which really doesn't have much comidy.

The first minutes were intense just seeing Kate being rushed and worked on by doctors but mainly just seeing the look on Castle whom was just broken, just looking at him made me sad, it was the same with Margo, Alexis and the rest. One moment that was really intense and made me mad was when Josh spouted out some horse crap toward Castle about not saving Kate and that it was his fault, I was to yell at him and say "Castle did everything he could to save her, so FRAK YOU!" I love the fact that Margo, Alexis came to Castle's defense even the friends good for them. Assasinations are the hardest things to prevent, no matter how careful you and your team are there always could be a crack in security and also you don't always know when or where the assasin can strike. Of course we see in the end Kate lives thank god.

This episode was really focused on them and the theme was really about rising up. Kate as usual is great but what I liked was seeing how aware of how human she truely is. We can see that the experence has both physically and emotionally damaged her, I don't blame her, something like this happening to me would mess me up, and we do see cracks of her trama.

Castle becomes just as aware, I'll admit it was both interesting and sad seeing Castle upset at Kate for not contacting him for three months. I also don't blame him, that was not cool of Kate I know that she needed time to heal but Castle and the rest were in just as much pain as her and dealing with it with others helps lift the weight a bit. I could tell those last three months must of been hell for Castle, from the book signing of his new book I can tell even though on the outside he smiling on the inside he's emotionally shut down. I even like what he says to Kate about how he felt in those months but I even liked how he almost said the L word once again, and trust me Kate knew what Castle ment to say in that sentence wasn't care.

I kinda like how both characters persona has matured in a way after those three months, I know doesn't seem like much but sometimes a small amount of time can make the difference. Kate looks like she is starting to become more softer with Castle after what he said to her, and also she's learned she shouldn't take him for granted, I'm hoping we'll see a bit more of this side of her in the future.

Castle is still himself but has gotten just slightly more serious, he's learned that this isn't a game anymore Kate almost died and he could of been killed too, the stakes have now been raised which means no more playtime or second chances.

Both realizes that the war on crime has gotten even more dangerous than before and before they can both go back to war against the demons that hold the answers both have to grow stronger than ever before if they want to survive and win. But also Kate learns another leason as well, as much as she wants to their are others right now that need her (and Castle) more than she needs to solve her own case. I have no doubt both will solve the case of the mom's murder but not yet, as a saying goes there is a time and a place for everything.

On a sidenote when I heard Kate broke up with Josh, I only have one word to say to that, YES! I just hope their won't be anymore generic BFs and GFs for both of them it is not needed.

I don't mind the writers and directors held off on both of them being together which is fine with me but I hope they will at the end of the season, I do want a resolution in their relationship because Castle expressed he loves her and Kate knows the truth and hopefully they'll act on it soon because when you have one more shot in anything you better make it count.

Great episode, tying up some of the storyline from the last series, cutting off some other story arcs and forwarding other parts of the plot as well - a good way to set up a new season.

You can also see some change in all the characters development which will probably help the series from stagnating