'Heroes & Villains' - Beckett & Castle's visit to the Comic Store reveals that Beckett has preordered Castle's comic book debut, "for support".
Season 4, Episode 2 – Heroes & Villains
When an ex-con is mysteriously slain in an alley, Castle and Beckett believe a vigilante is behind the murder. But efforts to identify their suspect are thwarted when they discover that he roams the city in a Superhero costume — and may indeed be a Superhero. Can they capture and unmask the killer before he strikes again? (Synopsis from IMDB.com)
Well…Castle seriously geeked it up this week didn’t it? In a seven day period during which I have also begun to watch The Guild, I suddenly feel like I should buy an X-Box, a copy of Nathan Fillion’s beloved Halo and start maxing out my Amazon account with comic books.
And who else loved the fact that Beckett could hold her own on the comic book geekiness? From the Sin City line to her admiration of Castle’s Avengers No 1 to the quirky banter between the two about which character they would be. The comic book guy totally hung her out to dry on the Deadly Storm issue too.
Outside of the serious geek factor, (and the fact that Fillion was CLEARLY in his element with all of that) this episode packed in quite a lot in its 42 minute run. Last week’s Rise was a rollercoaster event but despite everything there was only really one main plot point through it.
This week, I counted at least three. There was the murder of the week which I thought was a well executed, twisty case. In hindsight, it was probably possibly to spot Tony as the killer from the beginning but the twist with Ann Hastings was a nice touch. I’ll come back to that in a while. Gates is also shaping up nicely into a woman who you don’t mess with. I thought her calling the mayor was a little too premature though, such is the unpredictability of police work.
Another of the storylines running through the episode and probably through the series was that of Castle and Alexis. Fillion does the wounded puppy dog so well that you’re utterly convinced of his dismay at the thought of his daughter moving away. Similarly Molly Quinn has grown so much in this role – the two are a perfect pairing to play off each other. Her last line was a killer too, the thoughts of moving in with a boyfriend at any age before 25 is one that strikes fear into parents hearts. It feels like Alexis is living just to make Castle fret about her at the moment. Perhaps, her wild streak is coming late.
Only snippets of Martha this week though – though I did enjoy her “Besides, you were 32” remark.
The story of Beckett’s eternal quest, if we are going to be geeky about it, of finding her mother’s killer, was touched on again in a nice way. Too often, previous series have had one big Johanna Beckett episode and then not mentioned it again for ten or twelve episodes. This episode touched nicely on it with the Ann Hastings interview and was remarkably well acted by Valerie Azlynn, “Someone killed my dad. Nothing will ever be enough.” This line mirrors Beckett in the season 3 finale but also gives us a glimpse at what she might have been like for those first few years on the force when she was consumed by her mother’s death. It shows us how far Beckett has come since then but also what she could revert to if and when she discovers that Castle has been keeping secrets from her.
Toward the end of the episode with Hastings though, we see the current Beckett dishing out advice that we know she can’t and won’t take herself, “Don’t be so driven by the past that you throw away your future.” We know that Beckett won’t heed her own advice, she said as much in the previous episode that she couldn’t rest until her mother’s case had closure. And let’s face it; we don’t really want her to take her own advice on this one.
The Beckett-Castle relationship has returned nicely to the norm too. The flirty banter, the glances, the appearing at her door when she’s sweaty and out of breath. It’s all looking a little too rosy considering the fact that they are going to have the mother of all arguments when Beckett finds out about Castle’s secret investigation of her mother’s case.
They’re back to their best though: Beckett giving Castle advice on Alexis; the theory spinning in the alleyway; the fan-boy-girl-ing; everything about them is good again and the fun is there and that’s what makes the show so entertaining.
As I’ve said before, the serious episodes are great and they’re required. But an episode like this was able to touch on the serious stuff in a poignant way and keep it in the viewers’ mind. It put the thought there without hiking up the intensity that will undoubtedly come later in the series.
And with the viewing ratings increasing, it’s obvious that those involved are doing something right.
In short, it’s great television.
Bromancing the Stone
Not so much Espo-Ryan dual moments tonight though I did like their bickering couple argument about the ‘Sword of Justice’ and Esposito’s complete change of mind when he found out about Hasting’s involvement.
Ryan’s gestation INTO Castle was one of the funniest moments of the episode despite effectively being more of a Castle-Ryan bromance moment. I wonder has Ryan been taking lessons from Martha – he was almost more dramatic than Castle usually is.
Caskett Watch
An easy choice here tonight. Lots of good moments but that last scene in the Precinct wipes the floor with the rest. “A writer and his muse fighting crime. Just like us.” The two characters’ faces say it all really. Castle is embarrassed – it would probably help if he knew that Beckett remembered what he told her after she was shot but that’s no fun for the audience who, at this stage, are almost as charmed by how fluidly they dance around each than if they were to hook up. The director held the shot for just long enough to make it a nice moment rather than an awkward ‘run away’ shot. Beckett’s knowing smile after he walks away is perfect in every way.
Line of the Episode
This one was tough to decide this week. I found myself pausing and rewinding a number of times. It’s a toss up between three I think. Anyone with their own favourite or others can comment below.
– “I did NOT see that coming!”
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– “Really Castle, is that how you see me? Like a sword-wielding killer?”
– “Depends. Will you be scantily clad?”
– “In your dreams.”
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– “You have Avengers Number 1?”
– “And there’s more where that came from. You’re welcome to peruse my issues any time.”
Note: Apologies for the late review. I was on holidays until Wednesday morning and then my computer went on the fritz. To be kept in the loop for all reviews and blog posts, follow me on Twitter – @ahayzer42
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Off-Road SAT-NAV 
Blanch Birklid
September 30, 2011
There are tons of good tv shows to choose from to say it’s the best. No matter what is said though, there is no doubt that this show ranks in the top five of all of them. Yes, there are shows that are a bit newer but this one still has charm. There is comedy, sex, and a little darkness, easily moving it up to the top. They just don’t make them like this anymore.