(S02E05) I'm really glad this episode ended the way it did, because I was about to be pissed. Obviously Castle isn't going to stop writing the Nikki Heat books and leave Beckett, so I was expecting him to make some asinine excuse to his book agent about why he couldn't take over the James Bo-- er, a "British secret agent with lots of gadgets" series.
But in the end, the excuse of, "hey, my publishing house is going to just dump sacks with dollar signs printed on the front of them on my doorstep so I can make a Scrooge McDuck-like swimming pool out of gold, so screw that British agent and his gadgets," kind of works for me. However, all things being equal, if Castle had gotten the same offer and he had been following around, say, Esposito instead of Beckett, I feel like maybe the prestige of writing the British spy series may have won out over more gold doubloons for an already-rich Castle.
In any case, there was enough Castle/Beckett stuff that it was able to balance out the "police procedural" aspect of the show, as opposed to the last episode I reviewed, which was a little dry. What also helped is the fact that they had a pretty compelling story for the crime of the week.
One of Castle's strengths is that they try to throw in a few more twists than some of the similar shows out there, which usually keeps the audience guessing for another five minutes or so. When you watch CSI, you know that when the clock hits :48 after the hour, that you're going to get your confession. On Castle, it's just slightly less predictable.
With that said, they may have tried to make this episode a little too complicated. Between the job at the apartment, the job at the hospital, and the affair with the husband, it just seemed like there were too many pieces in place. Plus, even though we found out that the victim and Dr. Talbot were having an affair, it still doesn't explain why she would have a posed photo of Mrs.Talbot with Zane in the first place, other than the fact that it provided a very convenient clue for the detectives.
Having had a baby in a New York City hospital, I know how seriously they take security there, so switching babies wouldn't exactly be the easiest proposition. Especially because he would have not only had to change the babies' bands, but the mothers' corresponding bands as well, which is a much dicier proposition. However, that's very nit-picky, and the overall idea of a doctor switching his sick infant with a healthy one is a good one-- albeit terrifying.
Just a quick note: I have a copy of the Heat Wave novel that ABC is actually selling. I haven't read it yet, but what's funny is that it's considerably thinner than the one they have on display at the book party. It looks as though James Patterson doesn't need to worry about being usurped by a fictional crime writer. Also? Does next week's Halloween episode not look amazing? I cannot wait.
[Watch episodes and clips of Castle and other shows over at SlashControl.]
Henry Louis Gates, Jr. on 'Faces of America' and the Beer Summit
Six Reasons Why '24' Has Jumped the You-Know-What
The Super Bowl Commercials: The Best
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
10-20-2009 @ 9:25AM
Ryan said...
Nice to see Nathan back in his Mal costume in the previews for next week.
Reply
10-20-2009 @ 12:23PM
Alicia R. said...
That was the most beautiful thing I have ever seen.
But seriously, I think it's a nice touch.
10-20-2009 @ 9:28AM
Karen said...
A few points I took away...
1) No affair, the father made it up to cover his tracks
2) The deceased was in the family's apartment, I assumed she stole the photo.
3) I did figure out that it was the "dead" child about 10-15 minutes in, but I thought it would be a black market thing... I didn't see the switch coming.
Reply
10-20-2009 @ 9:51AM
Annabel said...
with the way they ended this episode, it totally felt like a series finale....like they were trying to wrap it up in a nice neat package for the characters' off-screen future, and making sure to leave the viewers believing that there was, in fact, an off-screen future for them.
Reply
10-20-2009 @ 1:42PM
ifjake said...
Yeah I agree with you. The quality of the writing was impeccable, definitely on the level of season finale. This is probably one of my favorite episodes, maybe even their best one yet, I think. Though they leaned a little more on the Beckett-Castle relationship, they really had a great balance of all the elements that make Castle such a fun show to watch.
10-20-2009 @ 11:18AM
Jigsaw hc said...
I enjoyed this week but it was more serious than they tend to be. The ending was nice though when they both got calls at the same time.
I agree that next week's preview looked like it will be great!
Reply
10-20-2009 @ 11:34AM
Martin said...
Knew it was the child the minute they said she gave him a sucker and showed the kid with the parents (a dark haired darkish skin kid with two blond parents... comeone obvious!!... realized the switch the moment they showed the "family photo" and talked about the babies death.
And Castle did pick a lame excuse, he doesn't care at all for the money, they should have went more the route of doing the Mayor (a good friend and fan of Castle) a favor on his part too, but I guess they really wanted to emphasize Castle choosing Beckett over his lifelong dream.
Reply
10-20-2009 @ 11:54AM
CMG said...
I disagree with you about whether Castle cares about the money. Castle is all about the ego, and his is the size of Manhattan itself. Having money is part of that - it's an external validation and indicator of his achievements and success. More to the point, being OFFERED money, and gobs of it, is pure ego-stroking.
10-20-2009 @ 2:14PM
Leroy said...
A big ego would be far more excited about fame for his own character than about risking it all on retreading a beloved icon someone else created. That said, many writers would also factor in the possible loss of their agent for not taking the deal with the biggest payout.
10-20-2009 @ 3:51PM
Jennifer said...
I can't wait to see how they explain a Browncoat costume on this show.
Reply
10-20-2009 @ 4:31PM
stbyra said...
I've read the book. Yes, it is thinner than the one on the tube, but it's actually very good, like an episode of the show with a little more background. AND
-----SPOILER ALERT IF YOU HAVEN'T READ IT YET-----
Major wish fulfillment for Castle as the two characters in his book have a really good sex scene.
Plus it's funny, so whoever ghost wrote this did a good job.
Reply
10-20-2009 @ 5:33PM
John said...
"Having had a baby in a New York City hospital, I know how seriously they take security there, so switching babies wouldn't exactly be the easiest proposition."
You're right that is very nit-picky. This is a TV show where the mayor pulls strings so that a writer can constantly be following the NYPD with the purpose of writing a book (and in between solves the murders, sits in interrogations, and assists in arresting criminals). If you can accept the premise of the show there should be no problem believing babies can switched.
In the real world things are different :P.
Reply
10-21-2009 @ 9:11PM
Marka said...
I think that they blew an opportunity. It would have been good to have them apart for a while and see how the two of them were brought back together. It would be fun watching them discover that, at a minimum, they have become partners.
Reply
10-22-2009 @ 10:58AM
SJP said...
Back to the baby switching thing for a moment: in swapping the babies all the doc needed was to switch their bracelets, he'd never need to touch the mothers' matching ones. If he did, he'd only reunite the babies with their real moms, hence negating the first bracelet switch in the first place. Get it?
Reply
10-22-2009 @ 11:04AM
Kona Gallagher said...
That's not exactly true, but it made me realize that we're both wrong. The baby has a bracelet and an anklet that have both his/her name, but in big letters on top, it has the mother's name. Plus, there's a number that corresponds to the mother's bracelet that is attached to the mother's medical file. I had to recite the number off of my bracelet any time they would bring the baby back to me, to make sure we all had the right one.