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Castle: Inventing The Girl

“It’s Fashion Week in New York City. And, the clothes are to die for.”

This is another story that has been told. A fresh-faced girl from the Midwest comes to the Big City to make it as a model. Just as she is about to land her first major gig, she is murdered and our team are assigned to solve it.

The usual characters are all present. The fashion designer who is more interested in his collection than in his models, the jealous rival, the predatory photographer, the husband who feels as though he is losing his wife to the bright lights. Even the murderer is fairly obvious if you have read or seen a similar story before.

Once again, however, the case is simply a backdrop as we continue to discover who Castle and Beckett truly are. This week, we see some wonderful character development for Castle. We all know by now that he is a playboy and that he has slept with so many women he can’t remember them all. The scene where he can’t place Rina is fun to watch as he turns on the charm and tries to get her to tell him how they met.

Although Castle’s default reaction to all things female is to charm them into bed, as soon as Alexis tells him who Rina is, we can watch as she becomes off limits to him. This is to his credit as it shows us how much he respects his daughter and other women he knew when they were very young.

Not only is Castle sweet to the young. Poor Martha is feeling old and unwanted as the role she wanted has gone to a younger woman. Castle is wonderful with her, supportive and kind without being cloying.

This case has had an effect on Castle. At the end, rather than go on a date with Rina, he invites her to the house to hang out with Alexis. He has decided that she is one model who will not fall prey to the predators in the business. In a wonderful contrast to the earlier scene, Martha supports his decision and promises to keep quiet about it.

It’s not only Castle we get some insight into. The fact that Beckett tells Ryan and Esposito about Castle getting the phone number is telling. She has moved beyond simply being annoyed by this guy and is now willing to tease him and to open him up to ridicule from the boys. The smirks she gives Castle throughout the beginning of this episode always make me smile.

The loveliest moment, however, is a very small one. Caskett are at the fashion show and they find Rina to get some information from her. Rina calls Castle by his name and he responds with, “That’s Mr. Castle to you, Missy.” Beckett looks at Castle with a new level of respect; she is learning where the lines he draws are. And, although she allows the boys to continue to tease Castle, she defends him to them when they show up at the show later.

This new understanding also gives her the confidence to tell Castle why she has been upset with him. In another great character beat, Castle reverts to his instincts to defend his actions, but he is learning. He hears what Beckett is saying, agrees that she is right and promises that she will have a copy of the book the next day. I love Beckett’s smile as he walks away. Having said that, the exchange between the boys and her about not telling Castle about her modeling days always makes me laugh out loud. She may be beginning to trust him, but there are still things that are off limits.

Another good one. Three out of four pink satin pumps.

Tidbits:

-- Why is that young women always scream just like that when they discover a body? I’ve always thought that if I were unfortunate enough to be in that situation, I would be too shocked to make any sound at all.

-- Although it was nearly twenty years ago now, Julian Sands will always be George Emerson to me.

-- The Cosmo puff piece is out. Beckett, “a cross between Sherlock Holmes and Angelina Jolie,” is less than thrilled. When Castle mentions that she shouldn’t always cross her arms, my guess is that it is an allusion to the Castle publicity shot for season two.


-- Ryan and Esposito are good detectives with great instincts. They manage to put together a piece of Beckett’s past based simply on the fact that she knows what a comp card is.

-- Susan Sullivan was gorgeous when she was younger. What am I saying? She still is.

Soundbites:

Castle: “Well, she’s tall, she’s gorgeous, ten pounds underweight, her hair is fried and she’s wearing too much eye makeup. She’s a model. Which means she was probably at a club last night. It is, after all, fashion week, when all the hottest women in the world descend upon the hippest nightspots like locusts. Only, locusts eat.”
Beckett: “Can you tell me who killed her?” Castle shakes his head. “Then, pipe down.”
Lanie: “This was on her wrist.”
Beckett: “She was at a club.” Castle’s smug expression is hilarious.

Esposito: “Old news, my friend. Talking about yesterday. Fashion week.”
Ryan: “Word on the street is you brought back a little souvenir.”
Esposito: “The digits of a particular young honey named Rina?”
Ryan: “Rina…”
Beckett: “I might have mentioned it to them in passing.”

Beckett: “They’re just clothes.”
Farrow: “Just clothes, Detective? Clothes are civilization. Clothes are what separates us from animals.”
Beckett: “Not always.”

Castle: “Unemployed divas, who live in glass houses rent free, should not throw stones.”
Martha: “Point taken.”

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. For Susan Sullivan, I'm glad they had the episode where she was watching the "Hulk" TV pilot. I hadn't connected the dots until then.

    The guest casting on the show is usually fun. I think of Julian Sands as the serpentine bad guy from quite a few B-horror films, and here he is playing a much mellower character. And they got Dennis Chrisopher (Breaking Away, Cyvus Vail on Angel) as the hubby.

    I like how Ryan and Esposito, after the big build-up of "we are detectives", volunteered "we called your dad".

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  2. Julian Sands has had the weirdest career ever..from up and coming star in Room with a view to b-movie villain(Warlock parts several)..to the L-word and lead role in the dreadful Boxing Helena.. Does he even read scripts or just take anything he gets offered? This was one of his better tv-roles. Yes, I am a fan.
    Anna

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  3. I own a copy of Room with a View and have seen it half a dozen times. Lovely movie. It does seem odd that he's done so much B work, but honestly, maybe that's all that was offered to him.

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  4. Billie..
    very probably. It's shame. Oh well, best enjoy the good bits.
    Anna

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  5. This is a cutie pie episode. It's also one of the worst 'THAT IS NOT NEW YORK' episodes. These things bug me.

    I loved the Rina subplot. It was so cute and definitely my favorite part of the episode. Castle may be a womanizer, but he is ultimately a very good guy. His inclination to take care of people, even those he is only tangentially associated with, is a core facet of his personality.

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