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(S02E04) "A con man isn't just about the money; it's about the game." - Castle

This week's episode of Castle continued the theme of a puzzling whodunit that takes viewers on a little journey to solve the crime. I was kept guessing the whole time, which is one reason I love Castle. The other, of course, is the lovely rat-a-tat banter between Castle and Beckett. Like a classic movie starring Cary Grant and Katharine Hepburn.

And it's clear that Beckett is trying hard to hide her intrigue over Castle and his work -- making a date with herself to soak in a sudsy tub, drink wine and read his novel based on her. And then the end scene where he catches her in the bathroom looking for the steamy sex scene in the book. Oh my.

I really love it when I have no idea where the story is headed, as was the case with this episode. Once again, Castle reminds me of the old procedurals like Columbo and The Rockford Files. I really had no idea that the guy doing the North Pole expedition was a fraud. It looked so real! And they kept me guessing as to who was doing the conning throughout. I also appreciate how Castle "has a guy everywhere," and gets all giddy with the twisty-turny cases. Really, what did Beckett do before he came along?

Being a parent, though, I can understand Castle's concern over the violin teacher -- and there's no way I'd let a teacher of the opposite gender give lessons in my kid's room. Castle's response to that didn't seem all that outlandish to me, nor did him checking the teacher's credentials. That's just good parenting, in my mind. Castle's right. "It's a dangerous world out there, and people lie." You just never know who you're dealing with these days.

I love the references to movies -- Capricorn One, The Sting, Catch Me If You Can, and Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. I'm still not really sure how Beckett stands on con movies, and whether she believes that "the only people who get conned in a con movie are the audience members ... you can't get invested in it, because nothing is real." If so, I totally disagree. That's the whole fun of the con. See, Castle agrees with me, too.

I'll leave you with this:

"Shut the front door!" - Beckett
"No time for dirty talk; go get changed." - Castle

Your thoughts on this episode?