TVSquad

(S02E09) Oh, yet another "hooker with a heart of gold" story. She's putting herself through law school! She had dreams when she came to New York in a rusted out Beetle, only to have them dashed! Scarlet was such an annoyingly stereotypical character, that she was beginning to sour what was an otherwise enjoyable episode. But really, that's my fault. Because if I would have had more faith in the beauty that is Castle, then I would have known that things were not as they appeared.

That's what I ultimately ended up loving about this episode: it went along in such a predictable route: bring a suspect in during the first five minutes, then release him because it's the first five minutes and we obviously can't find out who the killer is for at least another 40 minutes or so. Have the hooker, but then make us see what a sweet girl she is. This episode of castle lulled the viewers into complacency by showing us things we've seen a million times before-- only to turn it all on its head.

(S02E08) "I've been bombarded with friend requests. It's like a full-time job." - Martha, on her new "MyFace" page

The interaction between Castle and Beckett, and between Castle and his family, continue to be more interesting to me than the cases themselves. I like the old-fashioned whodunnit-type storylines, but find myself looking forward to the non-case scenes. That said, Castle still contains a good mix of something for everyone, whether you like the cases or the relationships.

While watching tonight's episode, I also found myself thinking, if only Nathan Fillion would follow me around while I'm working. I probably wouldn't get much done, though.

(S02E07) I'm with Beckett here: I really enjoy watching Castle be a dad. I'm very far away from being the parent of a teenager myself, but I feel like people should be taking notes from him. Well, except for the part where she had to put parental controls on his computer. But otherwise, he strikes a nice balance between relating to her and not trying to be the "cool dad." I was impressed last week with how he didn't just let that drunk girl crash on their couch and made Alexis call her parents, despite her protests, and this week, when he made her go to school despite the fact that she was being helpful.

Since that happened at the beginning of the episode, and the entire thing was peppered with Alexis/Castle interactions, I was definitely predisposed to like this episode. It continued to be a strong episode to -- despite the fact that the subject matter made me really uncomfortable.

Mal Reynolds, Nathan Fillion's character from the short-lived Joss Whedon series, Firefly, made a triumphant return to television last night. Granted, it was only for a little bit, and Fillion wasn't specifically playing Mal, but the costume was there, in all of its spacey glory.

Last night's episode of Castle was Halloween-themed, and, well, you can probably see where this is going. I wouldn't be surprised at all if Fillion had a section in his contract for Castle that says, "if ever the opportunity arises, I will be able to dress up as Mal, because damnit, I miss that (brown)coat." So last night, the worlds of Firefly and Castle collided, and Nathan Fillion once again donned Mal's brown duster as part of his "Space Cowboy" Halloween costume.

(S02E06) Ooh, several Joss Whedon references in the first few minutes, including "space cowboy" and Buffy's vampires. Throw in a reference to Frank Miller, and it's a geeky fantasy paradise. I also got a little of my vampire fix, even if they weren't the real thing. I don't know that Kona's that into vampires, so I'm glad this episode aired on my week to review Castle.

It was the usual whodunnit frolicry, with Castle and Beckett trying to piece together a murder mystery involving vampires, werewolves, and a murder that took place 18 years earlier. And the vampires and werewolves were as close to the real thing as a human can get -- with implanted fur, fang veneers, and a disease that made it impossible to go out in the daytime, lest the person catch on fire. There was even a cemetery and a stake through the heart.