Castle Review: A World Full of Grey

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Hi Castle fans.

We start this review with an update. Courtney Morrison, your regular Castle reviewer here at TV Fanatic, has stepped down due to scheduling conflicts and I'll be writing these reviews for the rest of Castle season 6... and hopefully many more seasons to come.  I've been a fan of Castle since the pilot episode and I hope I don't disappoint.

Now on with our show…

Scrambling to Save Castle

"Dreamworld" was an episode that kept me riveted with its story, but also made me long for more. I actually felt as though I was on an emotional see-saw for most of the hour. 

I know some fans took issue last week with Kate's lack of emotion when she told Castle he had less than 24 hours to live but I understood where Beckett was coming from. If she wasn't at the top of her game as an investigator she wouldn't be able to save him. So she compartmentalized as she so often does and shoved the emotions aside in order to do what had to be done.

She even used a time honored coping mechanism, classic Caskett humor, as she promised a dying Rick in this Castle quote

Beckett: I'm not letting you out of our engagement that easily. | permalink

Kate fought for Castle the only way she knew how: By diving head long into the case until she saved her man. 

That's not to say I didn't have my moments of disappointment, but we'll get to that. 

The man trying to fight off a death sentence seemed to be torn between being the eternal optimist and trying to figure out how his last few hours on earth might be best spent. In the end, I think Castle's calmness and use of humor won him some friends in D.C.

Castle: No one is more motivated than me to solve this and if it doesn't work out I'll be out of your hair by the end of the day. | permalink

How can anyone argue with that logic?

But I truly hated that they made Castle stay in the building for most of the hour when all I wanted was more interaction between Kate and Rick in his possible final hours. 

That didn't meant Castle wasn't thinking of Beckett. I appreciated his interaction with McCord when he asked if Kate was doing okay in her new job. He knew that if she was to survive yet another tragic loss, the job would be her main coping mechanism. If it didn't work out, if she somehow found herself failing when that was all she had left, what would become of her then?  

Knowing that McCord felt Beckett had great potential in her new position gave Rick a bit of peace. 

Of course Beckett wasn't his only concern. His phone call with Alexis was very sweet. Telling her the truth over the phone while so many miles separated them simply wouldn't have been fair. So Castle did the best he could to remind his little girl how much he loved her.

Martha was a different story. The woman was darn perceptive when it came to her only son. When she couldn't get answers from Castle or Beckett, she ended up at the 12th to grill Ryan and Esposito. She simply would not be stopped until she got answers.

Never underestimate Martha Rodgers. Despite the flightiness that appears on the surface, she is a force to be reckoned with when it comes to her family. 

As the minutes ticked down, Beckett and Castle worked together to figure out how to find the antidote and I was ever so grateful that McCord backed them up and saved the day. And yet, I was disappointed.

I really thought we'd get at least one scene of desperate emotion between the couple, whether it be between Rick and Kate in the car as they rushed for the antidote or at the hospital after he woke up. But that scene never came. 

Don't get me wrong. I appreciated the scenes we got where Kate lamented that she never thought this would be so hard and Castle consoled her that sometimes it's the hardest things that are worth doing.

Castle: Tell you what though, next time I say I'm dying to see you let's keep it metaphoric. | permalink

But how about a kiss! The man is dying and they never share even one kiss?!? I'm afraid "Valkyrie"set the bar for this season pretty high and as much as I enjoyed this episode I was really hoping for one moment of serious romance. I never felt I got that. 

What we did get was more Pi. I think I'm ready to go on a diet. No more Pi for me. Unless there's an actual point to his presence (which I'm guessing there might be in future episodes) he really adds nothing to the story.

In the end, I was left wondering what Beckett was thinking as McCord left her with something to ponder.

McCord: You want everything to be black or white. I get it. But in this town it rarely is and to do this job you have to make peace with that. | permalink

Can Beckett be happy living in a world surrounded by shades of grey? Can she continue to do a job where she's frequently working for men with a similar moral compass to Senator Bracken?

Perhaps more importantly, is this the type of partnership she really wants? Time will tell as we continue with the Washington D.C. saga on this season of Castle.

Review

Editor Rating: 4.4 / 5.0
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C. Orlando was a TV Fanatic Staff Writer. Follow her on Twitter.

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Castle Quotes

I need time to stop being mad and you need time to figure out a way to be OK with this.

Alexis

I tried to stay in the car I really did.

Castle