Castle Review: "Countdown"
ABC promised a heart-stopping episode to conclude this two-week arc, and it definitely delivered with “Countdown."
Was it me or did this hour fly by? The entire installment had me on the edge of my seat from start to finish. Castle and Beckett in the freezer, the hunt for Kevin McCann, the detonating of the bomb... it was all so good.
I have said it before and I will say it again: although Castle is known for outlandish cases, it truly shines when it focuses on realistic investigations. I wouldn’t want such a set-up every week (that’s what we have the other cop shows for), but Castle nailed it this time, giving us a tense, fear-filled hour of television.
In a series as successful as this one, viewers know that the main characters can’t be together just yet. It's the hope that keeps you watching episode after episode. After “Countdown,” though, we have proof that Castle and Beckett are destined for each other. Having the two locked away in the freezer was everything I needed to hold me over until the next step for these eventual couple.
Stupid Josh. Part of me wishes he would have gone on his trip, so he wouldn’t have shown up and ruined Castle’s question to Beckett. The other part of me appreciates his character because it shows how much of a respectful gentleman Castle can be. I still want him gone, though...
Meanwhile, gotta admire the show for being daring enough to take on a terrorist attack in NYC. The writers handled this with care, as Fallon’s wife was a victim of such a tragedy. It really does make you wonder how this happens and we don’t know anything about it. I can’t imagine being the real life version of Fallon, although I completely understand why he would take that job.
Kudos to the writers and the excellent acting of Nathan Fillion and Stana Katic once again; this show totally deserves an Emmy. Adrian Pasdar, you are welcome on my screen anytime, preferably as Detective Fallon.
So, TV Fanatics, what did you think of “Countdown?” Was the ending everything you hoped for or did it fall short? How did it compare to last season’s two-parter?
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Rank: Extra
March 15th, 2011 10:21 AM
certainly agree, what an amazing episode! in most episodes i find my mind randomly wandering off and realized i've missed crucial parts of the storyline. But with this one i was enrapt the whole way.
excellent writing and acting.
Rank: New User
March 8th, 2011 6:37 PM
Liberal TV show. one episode had beckitt praising deficit spending. This episodes has US soldiers attackign NY and being racist to muslims. Meanwhile in REAL LIFE a muslim shoots two US soldiers in germany.
March 7th, 2011 5:38 PM
maybe it's me but I thought Countdown was far from great and it's not because Caskett is going strange places, by now I'm starting not care about it so much. IMHO the plot of this two parter was lame and the comedy was misplaced all the way. Blow the Caskett ship for all I care, just make Castle amazingly fun again.
Rank: New User
March 7th, 2011 4:52 PM
Castle and Beckett are going to get together when we least expect it. I mean c'mon people... its not fun if its obvious right? Like the freezer scene, I knew that wasn't gonna be it but I at least expected a kiss. And guess what? Kate almost died and the bf showed up, and there's all this extra tension in the air now... and I LOVE IT!
Rank: Guest Star
March 6th, 2011 6:30 AM
I loved the story twists. I loved the action. It was a fantastic two-parter but as a Castle / Beckett shipper...Ouch! The freezer scene was outstanding but I hated seeing Josh at the ambulance. I was hoping we'd get rid of Dr. Motorcycle boy by now. The end where Castle walks away was just painful to watch. Of course I see how they've come full circle from last years finale. I'm trying to be patient because I believe the plan is to get these two characters together and they just want the payoff to be huge but I'm not sure how much more my heart can take.
March 2nd, 2011 2:29 PM
@Matt,
I also wanted to note in 1990, DIE HARD 2 had villains that had military ties who had been hired to free a drug dealing Latin American dictator from justice (based on Noriega). Did these professional whiners accuse "Hollyweird" or "liberal bias propaganda?" In 1992 in the Steven Seagal movie UNDER SEIGE, same thing: Tommy Lee Jones is an ex Special Forces or Navy SEAL commander mad at his former employer who takes a ship hostage. Again, where was the outcry?
I think that in the 1990s, there was more of a willingness to see nuance, shades of grey. Post 2001, with the 24 hour news media, particularly Fox, and the rise of AM Radio and certain blogs, people became dumbed down and the automatic or default conditioning is that any and all terrorism MUST be from Middle East jihadists. When coffins were dropped on Representative Russ Carnahan's lawn and gas pipes cut to a Virginia congressman's brother's home, both attributed to the Tea Party, not a peep. Why? Because discourse
March 2nd, 2011 2:15 PM
@ Matt, rahrahrah is typical of the modern right- professional whiner and self victmizer and that in their world, any bad guy that is not depicted in film or tv as the stereotypical Arab/Muslim radical or illegal Hispanic or dope dealing black person is an affront to America, baseball and apple pie. They have an inability to deal with complexity and shades of grey. Everything is literal or black and white and so in their view, it is taboo to portray police or military as corrupt or that certain people within those institutions do go rogue-Timothy McVeigh, John Connelly (sp?), the Boston FBI agent who collaborated with the South Boston Winter Hill Gang led by James Bulger; cops who accept bribes and favors from organized crime elements. To them, it is taboo to talk about bad guys being anything but some “other” and that white Americans are always innocent of any involvement in corruption or terrorism. The Syrian official is actually a bit of an anti-hero; not pure villain or hero; r
Rank: Extra
March 2nd, 2011 8:26 AM
I think there are good examples of shows who can get it right when they get the leads together (House) for TPTB to not fear a relationship between the two too much. I just think its a matter of timing it perfectly. Rush it, and its a rushed job that wont pay dividens to legions of fans who have been waiting patiently for it to happen. Im willing to wait if when it happens, its perfect.
March 2nd, 2011 6:42 AM
This two episodes clearly show that Rubicon was too large.
Same story in 80 minutes. Amazing!
Rank: New User
March 2nd, 2011 1:42 AM
Ahh! So many opportunities for them to confess their feelings were missed! The biggest one: with only a few seconds left before the bomb's countdown expires and no sure way of disabling it, I really think Castle would be the type of person to shout out "I love you" to Kate. Of course we knew that some solution to the bomb would come up, but Castle couldn't have known that.