Well, that was a fun episode, wasn’t it? I think the best description for this week’s Castle, ‘Till Death Do Us Apart’, is adorable. The winter premiere of the ABC hit crime drama delivered a solid episode with all the trademarks of what we all like to call classic Castle. It was fun, the case was actually interesting (although I did guess right who the killer was when she first showed up on screen) and the lead up to Detective Ryan’s wedding was hilarious.
This episode felt very reminiscent of last season’s ‘Nikki Heat’, but in the way that it was just an all around good episode with a nice balance of humor, drama and mystery. The only scenes that fell kind of flat for me were the ones with Martha and Alexis, but that is most likely because I just plain wasn’t interested in them during the episode. That said, I loved everything else. From Esposito trying desperately to find a plus one, to Ryan’s determination to finish the cleanse — and that green stuff looked really nasty — I had a really great time on Monday night. I dare say that it was — unpopular opinion alert! — even better than ‘Cuffed’.
Although I never really cared all that much about Lanie and Esposito’s relationship, I am glad that things seem to be on the mend for them and I hope all that romantic air during the wedding served to push them back together, even if it was crazy funny watching Espo freak out about Lanie having a date. I have to say, though, one of my favorite scenes was when Ryan completely snapped and attacked his partner because of a doughnut. Seamus Dever was particularly awesome in this episode and watching him slowly lose it because he was so hungry was hilarious.
On the Castle and Beckett front, I am kind of torn. There were a lot of interesting moments throughout the episode — the numbers scene and that final moment before the wedding were particularly great — but after thinking about it and watching the episode again, it feels like we have come to a halt in their relationship. It seems to me that they are at that stage in which they know how they feel about each other, but they’re just so comfortable that it feels like they are afraid of making the next move. I mean, with the way Kate looks at him now — and Stana Katic has really mastered the girl in love expression — there is absolutely no way Castle doesn’t know or at least suspect that his feelings are very much reciprocated by the detective.
A really good example to show how things have changed is to compare the numbers scene from ‘Till Death Do Us Apart’to that scene in season one when Castle tells her to pretend they’re married (in ‘A Chill Goes Through Her Veins, if I am not mistaken) and she resolutely says no. That alone illustrates just how far Kate has come. I know the objective of TPTB is to keep them apart for a while longer, but it feels like they need to show us a very plausible reason for why they are not together yet. Because, for all intents and purposes, they already act like a couple minus the physical aspect. So, either get them together already or show us why they can’t be together yet, because just cute moments with them (even if they are awesome to watch) will get old fast and people will start tuning out. But that’s just me.
On a last note, I can’t leave out the symbolism of that last scene of them walking down the aisle together. Let’s hope we actually get to see that for real some day.
All in all, ‘Till Death Do Us Apart’was a really good, solid episode. A-
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Totally agree about Martha and Alexis, waste of time in the episode and the "where is your credit card" moment totally left me disgusted.
Yes it was a solid ep.but "cute" moments have become boring. They're a couple but they aren't together. Week after week, a little bit of banter on a side, a little bit of opposition on another side. I don't know what thinking about that anymore. A few months ago , I thought like Nathan Fillion (Moonlighting curse, etc…). But more and more , I'd think like Stana Katic. Make them a real couple and we'll see what happens. I'm sure the show will be great too.
I found the openly questioning from Kate about Castle's Plus One was very telling. If you watch, Esposito and Kate have the same reaction to finding out their 'other' has a Plus One… Kate's is just more low-key. What I found interesteing was that Kate made no effort to hide it. At this point, the writers need to get to the next big hangup (the secrets) very soon or else… Anyway, I wanted more of the wedding. I thought there was going to be more looks between the principals, etc. Instead nothing — wondering if something ended up on the cutting room floor because it went TOO far.
What I found weird about this episode (and pretty much all episodes of season 4 except rise) is that Castle doesn´t look like he´s in love anymore.I mean on season 3 you could easily tell that he was crazy about Beckett but now …
I think they have given us a pluasable reason. I don't remember the exact episode or quote, but after the shooting didn't she say she broke up with the doctor because she needed to deal with her mom/self before she could be in a relationship. I think that was a big red light for castle, and he's respecting that by leaving things between them as is. Am I totally imagining that scenario?
i ship.
you ship.
we all ship.
but if they don't go beyond googly-eyed glances soon, i fear many will jump ship.
just hoping that's not the case.
AWM & CO have given us sooo many fabulous moments where they could have added real heat to C/B relationship but for whatever reason completely missed their chance. C/B could've remain apart but the tension would have been so much more noticeable. Maybe they think lukewarm is the way to go, but super hot and apart would have been much funnier.
Agreed. (Late too, but just shows how meh I was about this ep). Lukewarm turning to need to get out of this bath.
"because just cute moments with them (even if they are awesome to watch) will get old fast and people will start tuning out. But that’s just me."
Not just you. Already old, already tuning out. As I said elsewhere, this holding off could be great fun if there were playing it like Christian teenagers at Abstinence Camp, but instead they seem to be going for the most sexless marriage on tv. I wasn't impressed by the walk down the aisle. I'm not much for wedding eps, so great we didn't have to sit through a teary ceremony, but seriously, Marlowe? A freaking dance? You had to know everyone would be looking forward to a freaking dance. You couldn't even let them/us have that? Another great opportunity missed.
I love this show, but the holding pattern is going to kill it stone dead, and alternate reality consummation will only be infuriating if the real characters are still nailed to the same Point X they were nailed to at the end of Cops and Robbers. Which was brilliant and finally managed to nudge them from where they ended Rise. Do we only get a millimetre of progress every 7 eps?
I've pretty much already jumped ship on this show. I've been a huge fan, but AM & TPTB have really lost me (and I sense a lot of other people). The MotW are boring & for the most part I don't care who murdered the unfortunate dead person. The relationship between Castle and Beckett has stalled and I don't care about meaningful glances or subtext. It's gone on too long and I've lost interest. I know TPTB are delaying the relationship because they fear viewers will lose interest once they do get together, but frankly I think C&B need to get together in order to save the show & inject new life into it. Other plotlines have been neglected too: Beckett's PTSD, her mother's murder investigation, etc. The show has lost its way and the writing is subpar. I continue to DVR it, but usually a few days go by before I bother to watch it. I skipped thru most of Monday's ep. because it was predictable, not very funny, and RedCarpetLuke still has no clue how to dress SK or NF.
"and RedCarpetLuke still has no clue how to dress SK or NF. "
hate to agree, but this season Kate's wardrobe is really awful. Nathan's has been boring most of the time but all those dark longsleeved turtlenecks are boring beyond belief. Her shooting was months ago, no need to make her look thinner now. Give the girl more white and show us some arms.
And for what it's worth: I hated this episode! Weeks of hype about the wedding, the dresses, the location and then Kate wears something I'd wear to the office and Lanie wears something I find a bit too low cut for a wedding and Jenny's dress is hidden behind the bridesmaids. And Castle, wake up dude! No asking Kate to the wedding? No telling her when Alexis can't make it or asking her to go there together? No reaction at all to her dress (okay, there wasn't anything to comment about). Missed! Opportunities! all over the place. He's really doing nothing to push their relationship further or to help her tear down those walls.
And this episode was four weeks ago and things are still the same… and will probably be in eight weeks too…
While I absolutely enjoyed this episode, I definitely agree that this is the last episode that they can NOT directly address Castle & Beckett's relationship and the "secrets" issue. Yes it was fun. I loved all the Ryan and Esposito stuff and I thought the Martha and Alexis stuff was cute enough. It gave Alexis a reason to bale on the wedding and possible new love interests for her AND Martha. They've been turning up the volume on Beckett breaking down her wall – which is good. The change didn't happen overnight, her being ready & willing is totally believable. This episode felt like the pinnacle of that arc. There's absolutely no doubt that Beckett is in love, and ready to jump in, with Castle.
The potential problem is Castle. He has, since day one, noticed EVERYTHING about Beckett. He has to have noticed her changes. He certainly noticed SOMETHING the last time Kate claimed not to remember her shooting, and in this episode he CLEARLY knows that she's into him. That entire little tease he does about having the perfect date was all about pushing her buttons -and KNOWING he was pushing them.
So we've got a ready, openly in love Beckett and Castle is…what? I don't see him helping to take down her wall at all – which in Rise he said he planned on helping her with. Is he mad because he knows she lied about remembering? Is he pulled back because he's working on solving her mother's case? Has he fallen out of love, given up hope? (Thus letting his attention wander to the likes of a Serena Kaye when in season 3 even a Beckett lookalike couldn't tempt him.) It's starting to not make sense.
In terms of relationships, this season Castle's certainly been the more jaded one. The audience has been speculating as to why, but after this episode, whatever is going on should be the next piece revealed. Even if it's Rick confiding his frustration to someone about her not telling him the truth, something has to give. We've gotten the inside track for Beckett, now we need insight into Castle. More episodes of Beckett being adoring and Castle being neutral will fall flat and send Castle into the unfortunate realm of Bones, whose storyline and characters became completely unbelievable – to the point that them being together now seems utterly disconnected to the show pre episode 100. Castle's structure has been so much tighter and consistent than that. I hate thinking that they might have now dropped the ball, because so far, when it comes to Caskett, Castle has been excellent at not crossing the line into the absurb.
Instead, they've been advancing the relationship and it's issues step by baby step. Although Josh was a little bit pushed, the fact that she THOUGHT about cheating spoke volumes, and was dealt with succinctly in Knockout during that epic fight between Rick & Kate. (And, next is a SPOILER, so you may want to stop reading.) The noir episode, with it's romantic fulfilment occurring in an alternate universe is a trope that is fun and will be the fodder of many a fan video. However, that's episode 14, and such storylines change nothing in a show's actual story. END SPOILER. Thus, as the wedding was episode 11, I'm expecting that the show will give us some indication about what the heck is going on with Rick before episode 14, (SPOILER) or at the very least gives us a solid relationship conversation between the real Castle and Beckett within that episode. (END SPOILER) If something along these lines occurs, I'd say that once again the show has managed to walk that razor's edge of between drawing out UST and destroying credibility. If not, I would feel that they have cut and bled on the side of being completely unreal and frustrating. Past history with the show would indicate the former, but the history of television indicates the latter – which is why I'm worried.
I have absolutely nothing to add to that. Very well said. :)
In the final scene, Castle goes through the door first (think 4×10 Cuffed and who always has to be first)
Just wanna agree on most things everyone has said, but what I found really awesome, was Kate was the one who said to castle “let’s go as each others plus ones”. And shes taking the innotiatives. Also, stana has really perfected that “I’m in love” look! For this season, what would’ve been really good, was if they were to get together for a brief time, then – boom. Have the secrets come out, with castle looking into Kate’s mothers case etc… That would be a pretty good cliffhanger, annoying and frustrating but i would be yearning for a season 5.