Castle Review: Nerds, Rejoice!
Geeks rejoice, “Heroes & Villains” was an episode just for us. A show known for stepping a little out of the box of reality, Castle delivered an installment worthy for all comic book lovers.
Heroes & Villains reminded me of last season's, “Close Encounters of the Murderous Kind.” A little out there, a little goofy, a whole lot of perfection from Nathan Fillion. Being a “nerd” really is his forte and it is very clear that the writers like to give his fan base what they want.
Kate Beckett = Elektra. Who knew that the infamous detective preorders Derrick Storm graphic novels and bought her first comic at age 14? Part of the fun between the two lead characters is their witty banter, and doing this over comics? Pure fun.
In fact, as outlandish as this episode was, it boiled down to just that - pure fun. After some heavy episodes last season and an emotional premiere, it felt good to have a Castle episode that was light hearted and entertaining.
Character Development. Even with the weekly case, the writers still found time to do some character building.
- Captain Gates? Maybe she does have a heart... maybe not. Either way, she will be warming up to the Nikki Heat novelist in no time.
- Speaking of: anyone else catch those glances and grins between Castle and Beckett at the end?
- How dare Officer Hastings come at Beckett so hard in the interrogation room! Bringing up Beckett’s mother is touchy and this will end up being a slippery slope for Kate if she can’t maintain composure.
Shout Outs. Iron Man. Spiderman. Batman. Pretty much every comic book character that has inspired children to want to be superheroes received a reference. Stan Lee got his name dropped and HBO series Game of Thrones made its network debut by word of mouth. Loved everything about this, really felt like home for the series.
The Lone Vengeance. A fun case that had twists and turns about who our real superhero was. Have to admit, never expected the vigilante to be one of NY’s finest. Even in a case designed for pure entertainment, the writers still managed to catch us off our toes. Kudos.
Family Life. Once again Martha was pretty much useless. On a brighter note, Alexis is getting an arc of her own! Castle came to grips that his little girl will be heading off to Stanford to be with her boyfriend. The conversation between these two about always doing what is right was so necessary. Let’s hope that before she leaves for school, she finds a way to get into some real teenager like trouble.
Scene Stealer: The Lone Vengeances... the alley way, the apartment, the interrogation room. All of our impersonators put on a performance that made for some laughs.
Best Quote: No question.
Castle: A writer and his muse solving crime, just like us.
Overall, a fun episode for the series that balances the seriousness with the laughter. Still looking forward to some more bromancing with our male detectives and Castle. What did you think Castle fans? Was “Heroes & Villains” up to Castle standards or just too silly? Sound off now and check out the official promo for next week's installment.
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March 12th, 2012 4:45 AM
Everything you're describing ousnds completely normal. When my son was 2, I had to put underwear on top of his diaper to keep at least SOMETHING on him. Kissing with mouth open is her learning, just tell her "We don't kiss with our mouth open" and show her how you do want her to kiss. Even in the traditional family setting of mom, dad, baby in the same house, everyone I know has had the same frustration with keeping clothes on their 2 year old. I can understand your ex feeling defensive, questions like that frequently lead up to very serious allegations. There are definitely signs you need to watch for, but a 2 year old taking their clothes off is not one of them. My suggestion is to put her in zip up pjs (zipper in the back if she can unzip them) if you're that worried. Or you can take the route I did turn up the heat and apologize a lot to guests. LoL She'll grow out of it. Mine did, and I was convinced I was going to have to visit him in a nudist colony as an adult.
September 30th, 2011 1:49 AM
Our emotions drained from the last few episodes and the long summer's wait, we fans needed this lighthearted episode. And the cast does this so well, that is give us an opportunity to laugh. I really enjoyed Kate sitting back, observing the guys banter back and forth at the murder board with their general nonsense. Then call them on their deductions. And be right.
Ryan's explanations, a la Castle, and Castle calling Ryan out on not quite topping the master and not quite knowing where he was going with his analysis was too funny. Kate's sarcastic reply to Rick was great...as if Castle always knows where he is going with a solution...ha ha.
Kate and Rick are relaxed with each other,joking and closer than before. Interesting that Rick barges in at Kate's apartment, and she welcomes him easily. Indeed, Kate and Rick's partnership seems more equal as Kate realizes how much she needs and loves him.
Of course, the parallels between Rick and Kate and the writer and the officer he
Rank: New User
September 29th, 2011 1:48 PM
Well back to the usual fun and games this time. Love this as well as the darker episodes. God, I love them all and watch every episode many times over.
What I really liked about this one was the almost similar writer and muse pairing they had. Loved the way Kate smiles at Castle when he is not looking. There is so much love and it is so obvious that she is just crazy in love with him. The best moments were when they went to comic book store and Beckett says she would like to be Elektra, her expression when Hoover says she pre ordered a copy. Castle's expression when he says "our killer is a super hero" and of course Kate's expression when Hastings and her writer kiss.
I am getting a bit annoyed with Alexis though. She may have a point when she argues with Daddy dearest but there is no need really to get so rude and short tempered with him. I wish Castle would tell her as much.
September 28th, 2011 9:37 PM
I'm a dedicated Castle series fan. The ensemble blends really well and the writing is brilliant week after week. I could go on and on about the characters but most everything has been said by others.
I do have one constructive (IMO) comment. I wish they had not changed Beckett's hair style this season (4). It's too straight and she needs some hair draped over her forehead which is rather deep. The hair style also makes her nose more prominent. Go back and compare her season 3 look with the current one and see if you agree.
Great show and I love the way the writers tease us about their relationship.
September 28th, 2011 8:52 AM
I absolutely love this show! It is so much fun to watch - and this week's episode was terrific - for one brief hour, we can all suspend reality.
Rank: Regular Character
September 27th, 2011 8:37 PM
Pretty funny. A bit drawn out. Gates is still terrible. The video of the superhero that gets beaten up trying to save someone was hilarious. The later callback was funny too. I wish they wouldn't treat the audience like Tantalus with Caskett.
September 27th, 2011 5:22 PM
I loved this episode. Fun Fun Fun! I liked also that they did not just drop the Caskett parts. I kinda do not like where they are going with Alexis I liked her in this show beacues we for once were seeing a teen who is not a total pain in the butt. There are some teens that are good kids and we never see this on Tv so I thought the Alexis chater was refreshing. Hope they do not totaally loose that. Beckett was still a bit on edge i think which I liked given what happend in the last few episodes however she wears alot of lowish cut tops and she has no scar hummm? I think they could even tie that scar into an episode castle accedently sees it Caskett moment follows? Any way Loved this episode can not wait for next week!
September 27th, 2011 3:52 PM
What a good laugh. Everyone needs a break from reality, even if they are our favorite characters on T.V. Great job writers. Will be curious to see how they deal with Alexis news to Castle about moving it with the boyfriend. I can tell he doesn't want that, needs to set another boundary. Reality check for Alexis too needs to be done, not a good idea to move in with a guy. Is she setting the tone for Beckett and Castle? I hope not, it would ruin the show if they just moved in together. Seeing a good kid is refreshing, please keep her the good girl. If you want to see bad girls watch a different show. Alexis is a good role model for teens~she has faced peer pressure many times. She allows her conscience to get to her. Kids today don't show much of a conscience as they are only out for themselves. Alexis is smart and has a good support team. She talks sometimes with Dad, Grandma, or Beckett, then she makes her decision. She shows it's ok to go to a parent, someone other than parents or eve
Rank: Extra
September 27th, 2011 3:26 PM
I'm in agreement with most of these reviews and I just wanted to weigh in on Martha. She is one of my FAVORITE characters! I loved the banter between her and Castle this episode about his ET costume. That made me laugh! No, she doesn't contribute a ton to the storyline or character development, but I really don't think she's supposed to. She just supposed to be the quirky mother who lives with him. She throws in a dash of humor to the show! What's wrong with that? =)
Rank: Recurring Character
September 27th, 2011 1:52 PM
I agree with Sue Ann on Alexis. Castle is Castle, the best selling author and perpetual juvenile, because he's Martha's son, making her bloody mary's Sunday mornings, etc. Alexis should admire him for his success (instead of act like it's in spite of him). But, just by the way the show's been laid out (remember when his ex-wife came to town), Castle, aware of his upbringing, has raised Alexis with a much sounder foundation than his own upbringing -- sort of, inadvertently, creating his own critic.
And, in spite of his career, she's the center of his life to a TV-Dad sort of extent, which, since he is, is appropriate ... but, I mean, admirable for the character he's playing. On PBS years ago, there was a bio where Faulkner's daughter described the day, concerned about her father's drinking, tried to speak to him about it, and he cut her off, saying, "Hey, nobody remembers Shakespeare's daughter." Alexis doesn't know how lucky she is!