That was totally worth the wait, wasn’t it?
It had been a really long time since I had absolutely loved a Castle episode. It is no secret that I was not a fan of season 4 and that I was this close to abandon ship by the end of the season. But after a long, drawn out stretch of dull episodes, in which absolutely nothing happened, things seemed to fast forward in “Always”, culminating in the amazing premiere you have just watched.
There is just so much to talk about that I don’t even know where to start. I’ll try to follow a chronological order. The much anticipated morning after scene was absolutely not what I had been expecting and yet, it managed to be awesome just the same. It really is a gift to the audience that this cast has brilliant comedic timing because that scene could have gone both ways. In theory, it was the cheesiest morning after scene, right? But Nathan Fillion and Stana Katic made it work and had me laughing out loud the entire time. Alexis’ first hangover and Kate sneaking out was just the cherry on top.
Also, I love the fact that they apparently found time to talk some about what happened with Maddox and everything, because I had honestly thought we were going to see that particular conversation in the morning after scene. In a way, I’m sad that we didn’t get to see it, but we were treated to something great either way.
That said, I have to admit that I was terrified that they would screw this up. It has happened before, right? The leads finally get together and the show tanks. Just take House for example — sorry, House fans! But then again, there are cases in which the leads got together sooner rather than later and it worked very well, like in Nikita. So it’s really all about the writing and the chemistry between actors, to be honest, and we are lucky that Castle finally found its groove again writing-wise and that Stana and Nathan have this ridiculously amazing chemistry on screen.
That made for a very smooth transition for Castle and Beckett and at the same time that it seemed that they were tentative and shy and unsure around each other, it also looked like being in a relationship was easier than they had thought. There is one scene that really stood out for me when Kate is hopeless, saying she is never going to be safe again and he hugs her. That moment meant so much more and it was so much more intimate than the morning after scene, the ending scene or the first one at her apartment when Ryan shows up. That was my absolute favorite scene of the episode, maybe one of my top 5 scenes on Castle so far.
The Johanna Beckett’s case resolution was actually much better than I expected. They resolved it and at the same time they didn’t. It was actually quite clever because it didn’t completely end this particular storyline, given that it has been the lifeline of the show for the past four seasons; and they managed to solve the biggest mystery – so that now we know who ordered the hit on Kate’s mom — but he’s still out there. I loved that entire confrontation and the fact that, in the end, Beckett won because she was just smarter than the senator at the time and bluffed her way into a new agreement. But my favorite part was the look on Castle’s eyes when she said she was going to get justice for her mother, just not today. Right at that moment he was so proud of her. I think we all were.
Ryan and Esposito are whole other can of worms and, from the looks of things, they are not going to see eye to eye any time soon. But what I really liked to see was their loyalty to Beckett. Especially Esposito. It was a testament to their strong friendship and partnership in and outside of the precinct.
To conclude, I admit I even liked Captain Gates — maybe for the first time ever. That final scene with Beckett finally managed to somewhat endear her to me and if they keep writing her like that, I just might warm up to her.
Whew, guess I talked entirely too much and didn’t really follow a chronological order as I had intended, huh?
Anyway, what did you think?
A+
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Completely agree! I am jealous YOU saw the ep early, but honestly it was worth the wait. Subtle but really nice shift in the dynamic of Kate and Rick. If they keep it up this season will be the best. A+
But my favorite part was the look on Castle’s eyes when she said she was going to get justice for her mother, just not today. Right at that moment he was so proud of her.
That was just perfect!
His face just… lights up and it’s beautiful to see!
I loved it!
Nathen is truly an amazing actor in this scene, we see so much love and admiration!
And the hug!
WOW!
That was better than sex!
He’s just a big, fluffly bear and she’s tiny and thin and fits right in.
He gets to be all around her, the best kind of hug.
It was a beautiful epi and i hope the season only gets better!
The ep was incredible!! The morning after scene was so sweet/shy/sexy and Kate running out of the loft was hilarious. I especially loved the part where Castle shows up at Beckett’s & she’s pretending to be upset and says to him, “it was not your finest hour!!” Then they get interrupted by Ryan(like this has never happened before, lol). The scene of Beckett confronting the Senator was spectacular, imo, I mean I’ve never seen Beckett such a badass. The was tought, determined, confident, and when she told him that he, “did not know what she was capable of.” Also when she said, “who do you think you are talking to….” I mean she was incredible x1000!! The scene with Gates was pretty good to. It took me by surprise when Gates said she admired Beckett’s loyalty to Roy and that she hoped, “she may one day have the same for her.” Wow, I didn’t expect that. And, what can I say about the last scene in the elevator! That totally blew my mind… I’m still laughing about. I was so not Beckett, but then we’ve never seen Beckett before inside a relationship. ep2 looks like it’s going to be fun to watch as well. I just love this show!! Thank you AM and crew, and especially Stana & Nathan for bring Beckett and Castle to life!!! Sorry for the looooog comments, but you said you wanted to know what I thought, lol.
Sorry about the spelling and grammar, I didn’t proof read it and should have.
Perfection. I can’t remember a better season-opener, and very few as well done as this. Writing, acting, music, editing … lighting … and let’s not forget the foley artists and key grips. I may not know what they all do, but if they didn’t do it, the finished product wouldn’t make it to my telly. Thanks to all the Castle cast and crew. Now, go enjoy your evening – bask in the glow, baby.
FAN-FREAKING-TASTIC!!!!!!! Are you KIDDING me, Andrew Marlowe, Rob Bowman, David Amann, Stana Katic, Nathan Fillion, Seamus Dever, Jon Huertes, and Penny Johnson Jerald???? That was an amazing hour of television from start to finish! What more could you want? We got fluffliness, humor, drama, and A$$-KICKING Beckett……who could ask for anything more???? Loved “After the Storm” and the promo for “Cloudy with a Chance of Murder” looks…dare I say it…. EVEN MORE ENTERTAINING! :) It’s fun to be a #Castle fan!
BEST EPISODE EVER!
AWM & CO have always excelled in season premiers, but this was outstanding. The mere fact that we’ll see their relationship from both sides now will be unbelievable, especially after that promo for 5×2.LOL This season will have alot of meat for all the leads, but the DD’s is what we follow and damn you Andrew this is fabulous! I don’t feel like going over everything you covered,Luc, you are right on. Just really excited about this season.
Continuity still sucks, that shirt KB wore when fleeing RC loft wasn’t the one she entered with.LOL
it was the same shirt
^^ what lame said. Super excited about this season. Well done, Castle people…and thank you.
In Marlowe we trust, and Marlowe delivered. Boy aren’t I excited about this season!!!
Absolutely brilliant! the season 4 finale was one of the best I have seen in a long time but the premiere was everything I had hoped for. had to get up at 3 am to watch it but it is on itunes already so will be downloading it the minute I get in to watch again with the nuscience of adverts every 8 minutes!
It appears I was less enthralled than everyone else. I liked most of the parts with Castle and Beckett, the beginning was especially charming; and yes, the hug was really good. The end with them in the elevator was adorbs. SK and NF both did an excellent job with their expressions and the timing.
But I didn’t like the OTT slapstick parts of humor when Beckett was leaving Castle’s apartment. I get that it was supposed to be silly, but it didn’t work for me for some reason.
I hated everything related to the case. Sure there was some good Castle and Beckett emotional stuff from it, like the aforementioned hug, and the “grasping at straws” scene, but everything else was too badly plotted and too illogical for me to ignore. I don’t need Castle to be accurate with it’s cases, but I need it not to be so bad in so much of it that I can’t overlook it. And the case was simply too much of the episode for me to enjoy.
Also to be honest, I think that reading all the gushing reviews/spoilers by people who had seen the episode in advance, raised my expectations. And what I saw, didn’t live up to that. I should probably avoid that in the future. LOL.
So I give the Beckett/Castle parts of the episode a B+, but taking into account the case, I give the episode as a whole a C.
But I hold out hope for next episode to be a vast improvement, as the case is back in the comfort zone of the show. So the cute Castle/Beckett moments aren’t likely to be overwhelmed by the show trying to do a serious case, and failing badly.
Wow, glad you’re a fan, otherwise I’d hate to see what you would’ve written.lol
I am a fan, so I want the show to be better, and do better. If you think there is no room improvement, great! I just happen to disagree and think the show has been better in the past, and can be better in the future. They have all the tools to do so, so I would like to see them succeed in doing that.
I loved the premiere episode even if I did see it through facetime due to the Packer game. And YES we were robbed. The picture was nowhere near HD but I thought the show was awesome. My favorite scene was the one in Castle’s loft and Kate’s reaction to being put in the closet.
As for her mother’s murder case, her bluffing Braecken worked for now. But, for her to get justice for her mom she needs proof and she doesn’t have it. That is why I question Mr. Smith’s death. Does anyone else wonder why he was in the hospital wearing a white coat and carrying charts (ep.4/23) and yet he is called Mr and not doctor? Is he a lawyer or is he a doctor who consulted on the tobacco case? If he is a doctor it would be easy for him to fake his death. Remember he said he needed to disappear. That way Braecken would stop hunting for him to kill him. Since Kate has no proof against Braecken, she need Mr. Smith and maybe something will happen this year or next to get him to come back and help Kate bring Braecken to justice. The story need a twist just like Castle has always said, it would make for a better story, Wouldn’t it be a blast if Castle’s dad had a hand in bringing Mr. Smith back to help out or even if Castle’s dad was the one to help Kate bring Braecken to justice? Time will tell.
This is just the beginning of a hot, sexy, year for us. It sure was worth the wait.
Loved this episode. Is it just me or has Nathan lost some weight? He looks great…