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Castle: Little Girl Lost

“What’s there to be jealous of? You couldn’t reel her in.”

We’ve got another rather run of the mill case that has been done by every procedural show any of us has ever watched. A child is kidnapped and, as there is only one possible twist in this story, we all know right from the start who the guilty party or parties is going to be. Nothing too exciting here.

But what raised this particular episode from run of the mill, dare I say humdrum, was the fact that, for the first time, an obstacle to our duo becoming a couple was introduced. The tension was not in the case at all; it was in watching these two characters navigate new waters. All kudos to the writers; this may be the best show of the first season.

Right from the start, this episode showed us that it was going to be different. The opening scene is hilarious and I laugh out loud every time I watch it. First Beckett is on the back foot, then Castle, then Beckett, then Castle. It reminds me of a forties screwball comedy; brilliantly written and acted.

Enter Will Sorenson. An FBI agent who has been assigned to the kidnapping, he is younger and some might say (not I!) better looking than Castle. He wastes no time asserting his authority and condescending to Castle. Not to mention, he and Beckett have a past. To make things even more complicated, he’s good at his job. He is empathetic with the parents, but is not afraid to tell them the truth.

Castle is intrigued by this guy, but understands him very quickly. In the first episode, we saw that Castle is incredibly intuitive and can figure out what makes people tick in just a few moments. We haven’t seen a lot of that since, but here it is again. He nails Sorenson’s motives in seconds and is not afraid to call him out on it.

The two men square off and it is fascinating to watch. Castle is not even slightly intimidated; Sorenson very much so. He goes out of his way to exclude Castle and to mock him; Castle just laughs at him. Sorenson comments about Castle living with him mother; Castle zings back with the peas in a pod comment. Sorenson calls him Nancy Drew; Castle points out the Nancy Drew solved every case.

Not once does Sorenson get the upper hand and it doesn’t take long for Beckett to figure out which of the two is the alpha male. When she listens to Castle’s comment about the birth mother, basically ignoring Sorenson, the choice has been made. It’s even more clear when Beckett defends Castle’s suggestion that he carry the ransom.

Both of them are aware that the dynamic of their relationship is changing, but both are extremely uncomfortable about it. There are some very awkward moments between the two of them (the discussion of the kiss springs to mind), but they are still looking out for each other and still checking on each other.

Interestingly, Castle makes a leap during this episode that Beckett does not. At the end, he invites her for a drink fully expecting that she will come along. When she says she has a date (I have my doubts, frankly. I think she’s playing a bit hard to get.), he looks and sounds completely taken aback. He doesn’t want Beckett to have a private life; he wants to be in all aspects of it. Time will tell.

I loved this one. Four out of four stuffed bunnies.

Tidbits:

-- A cop at the door of the crime scene tells Castle that he can’t take the coffee into the crime scene. We’ve already seen it done and it will happen over and over again in the future. Oh well -- maybe it was this particular crime scene.

-- It’s now very clear that Castle is one of the crew. The scene with Ryan’s tie is a game changer. For the first time, we see Castle take the lead in teasing another member of the team and the others go along with it, including Beckett. Note also that Ryan is carrying one of Castle’s books. I’ve mentioned this before, but throughout the first series, he is almost always carrying one.

-- I simply love the sly little dig at CSI: Miami. “Oddly fixated on [his] sunglasses” is one of the reasons I stopped watching that particular show.

-- Martha as a life coach? Oh, dear! But, you have to love the Martha-isms.

-- This is the first hint we get that Castle’s father is a mystery.

-- Beckett is a huge Castle fan, much bigger than we have been led to believe in the past. Wonder if we’ll ever come back to the fact that he has signed one of her books?

-- It annoys me when the writers don’t do basic research. The ransom drop is on 47th and 1st, which is right next to the UN Building. It looks absolutely nothing like wherever this was shot.

-- Craigslist, YouTube and iPods are all mentioned. I hate product placement.

-- Do we all have a Monkey-Bunkey? I do, only mine’s a bear.

Soundbites:

If I could, I would put the entire first scene here. I think it is one of the best ever written, not only by the Castle writing staff, but at all. I watched it four times trying to choose my favorite bit and changed my mind every time. Watch the whole scene; this is how romantic comedy should be written.

Beckett: “We dated for six months.”
Castle: “I didn’t ask.”
Beckett: “Yeah, I know. You were not asking very loudly.”
Castle: “I know. I’m like a Jedi like that.”

Beckett: “Oh for God’s sake. Why don’t you both just drop your pants and get it over with?”
Castle: “I’m game.”

Castle: “What should I do?”
Beckett: “I need you to go home.” [Interesting choice of words that Castle picks up on immediately.]
Castle: “OK. But, if you need me, call. Even if it’s just to talk.”

Beckett: “Be careful, OK?”
Castle: “Do I detect actual concern for my well-being?”
Beckett: “Screw this up and I’ll kill you.”
Castle: “That’s more like it.”

Alexis: “I was having nightmares about Hester Prynne.”
Castle: “The irony for you is not getting an 'A' would cause you shame.”
I’ve said it before, but I just love that this show assumes that its viewers are literate.

ChrisB is a freelance writer who spends more time than she ought in front of a television screen or with a book in her hand.

5 comments:

  1. I agree ChrisB, the opening scene banter is great. My favorite part, of course, is when Castle realizes "You subscribe to my website?" "Are you CastleFreak121, CastleLover45?". It's another indication of how much of a Castle fan Beckett really is and we learn more about her "Castle love" from Will. :)

    So this episode introduces the first of the "boyfriends", but I really didn't see him as much of a threat to the growing Caskett relationship. And like you said, ChrisB, Beckett sides with Castle for the most part during the episode.

    Though the case was mostly predictible, my problem with the case was at the end I really didn't think either parent was fit to end up with the child. You have a mother who plotted to kidnap her own child because of her dissatisfaction with her husband and you have a father so lost in his own little world he can't be bothered to watch his own child nor notice right away that the child is missing.

    Loved Castle's monkey-bunky conversation with Alexis and the Martha-isms. :)

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  2. I remember loving this one, too. And I agree -- nobody is cuter than Nathan.

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  3. I disagree with "much bigger (fan) than we have been led to believe." At least the "much" part of that statement. There is pretty compelling evidence in the pilot episode.

    1) There is that first interrogation...

    C: Looks like I have a fan.
    B: Yeah, a really deranged fan.
    C: Oh, you don't look deranged to me.
    B: What?
    C: "Hell Hath No Fury"? "Angry Wiccans Out For Blood"? C'mon. (amused) Only hardcore Castle groupies read that one!

    Beckett doesn't deny it, and is obviously embarrassed/flustered during her next question.

    ("Angry Wiccans" wasn't actually mentioned before then. Wonder if the script was changed, or if other parts from that scene were edited out.)

    2) The next day she brings in a box with all of his books, from her home collection (and all in hardcover!).

    Ryan: "From the library of Katherine Beckett."
    B: Do you have a problem with reading, Ryan?
    Esposito: Yo, check it girl! You're totally a fan.
    B: Right... of the genre.
    R: Right, of the genre. That's why you're blushing.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Oops. Found a draft of the pilot script. "Angry wiccans" was a plot description of "Hell Hath No Fury", not a book in itself.

    And as ChrisB commented for the pilot, scenes with Ryan were filmed after the series was picked up (to fill out the presentation). So the original script set up Beckett as a fan, but Katic's acting and that second scene made her more fanatical.

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  5. Mark:

    I agree with you that Beckett is shown to be a big fan in the pilot. I was trying to make the point that I, at least, had not realized to what extent she was a fan.

    Like Beckett, when I find an author I like, I tend to read every book s/he has written. I especially do this with murder mystery series as one usually leads on to the other (Martha Grimes, Elizabeth George, Kathy Reichs, etc.). I have always assumed that the Derrick Storm books were in the same vein; the Nikki Heat books certainly are.

    But, to stand in line for an hour simply to have a book signed seems huge to me. Not to mention the comment about how Castle's books got her through her mother's death. This, in my opinion, raises Beckett from fan to super-fan.

    Either way, we now know exactly how big a fan she was/is. Wouldn't it be fun if the writers addressed this one day?

    Thanks for the comments, all.

    ReplyDelete

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