Let me start me off by saying that primetime shows are not typically my thing. I gravitate more towards a single season sci-fi; however, I always enjoy a good performance by Nathan Fillian. Now when I first saw adverts for Castle about a year ago, I was weary. I had the feeling that Nathan was beginning to go back to the dark-side of TV, in the direction of his soap opera roots. I was hooked on the halloween episode featuring Mal's "space cowboy" cameo. After a couple of episodes, the entire cast begins to draw you in. With an executive producer list featuring talent from "The X-Files," "A-Team" and "Saturday Night Live" there is no lack of production talent. The combination of the writing, Nathan's freedom to use his witty one liners, and the rest of the talented cast really bring the show together to a cohesive, enjoyable experience.
I am pretty new to the whole murder mystery genre, but I think I have the formula down. Start off with a dead body, a pinch of foreshadowing in the first ten minutes, a healthy dose of some twists and turns, and finally an interesting side story with the main character that conveniently contributes to the lightbulb moment of understanding for the good guys, and bam, you have a murder mystery drama. This is not a bad thing, but you have to have something that sets you apart from the other shows. Most will use one or a combination of two things: creative/inventive killings or interesting characters. While Castle has a little of the first, its nothing special enough to glorify it. Where the show really exceeds is the characters. But I won't spoil the fun of discovering that for yourself.
Now, the episode itself...
There is nothing too special about the actual murder itself this particular episode. However, it does give Richard a chance to take a break from his ongoing attempts to try and convince Kate that almost every murder involves the CIA, to try and convince her that psychics truly have supernatural abilities. Which is wisely left open ended for the viewer to decide.
We also learn that Richard used to go by a different name. Thanks to the victim's daughter's recently discovered supernatural abilities, this continues to add to the sexual tension that has been building between Richard and Kate for over two seasons. At some point these bottled up emotions are going to explode in fireworks, for better or worse.
Bonus points for anyone who catches the Paul Vasquez reference.
While there is always a death in some form or fashion, this episode throws a major twist that hits a little closer to home. Chet, Martha's new flame flame from the second season, proposes then has a stroke before she has the chance to work through her conflicted emotions and give him an answer. This is the first time the show has moved away from Martha as a static character, and will hopefully begin to flesh her out into someone more dynamic.
So far the show has had a good start this season and seems to hit the ground running. However, unless it does something to pull the viewers in and give them something new, they might lose that momentum. This could be a new character, developing existing ones, or Richard and Kate finally having that kiss everyone has been waiting for.
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