Castle Episode 4 Review
Hell Hath No Fury
Initially, Episode 4 of Castle seemed a little uninspired. Unlike previous weeks, where murders were elaborate and macabre, episode four saw a man with a gunshot to the head found wrapped up in a rug. Hardly vintage Castle. But in fact, as the episode progressed, delving into the corrupt political underworld, it quickly established itself as one of the best episodes of the fledgling season thus far.
Politician Found Dead in a Rug
The murder of the week concerned the body of a man found wrapped in a rug. Richard Castle (Nathan Fillion) recognised the man as Jeffrey Horn, a City Councilman who was, or had been, running for re-election. The whiff of a political killing was strong, and Detective Kate Beckett (Stana Katic) was once again reluctantly teamed with Castle to investigate.
So far, Castle has succeeded in crafting dense, well-plotted murder investigations, and this episode was perhaps its strongest. Beckett and Castle’s investigation lead them to a rival politician, Jason Bollinger (Joshua LeBar), who had discovered Horn was cheating on his wife with a prostitute. From there, the investigation jumped from suspect to suspect, motive to motive, before finally concluding with a genuinely surprising twist.
Richard Castle's New Book
The previous three episodes of Castle have focused mainly the murder investigation, whereas in today’s episode, there was a lengthy subplot to enjoy. Castle’s new book, influenced by his stint in homicide, has been released. Castle’s usually nonchalant manner was replaced by something like stage-fright, much to the enjoyment of Beckett.
To make matters worse, sales for the book are nonexistent. The fanfare that greeted Castle’s book-release in the first episode was nowhere to be seen. Castle’s mother, Martha (Susan Sullivan), attributed this to a bad review she’d found. However, things soon righted themselves by the end of the episode, and Castle looked to be on his way to another bestseller.
Nathan Fillion was in fine form this week as Richard Castle. He and Beckett’s interrogation of Calvin Creason (Bruno Campos), a hotel tycoon whose expansion plans had been thwarted by Horn, was especially funny, with Castle muttering under his breath to Beckett, “arrest him”, and whooping for joy in the interrogation room when Creason had seemingly admitted to Horn’s murder.
Beckett Shows Up Castle
Castle and Beckett’s relationship continues to develop, a little unevenly at times, but it is interesting to watch nonetheless. They began the episode in typical fashion, Castle annoying Beckett, and she getting angry in turn. However, Beckett would have the last laugh, when she turned up at Castle’s book-reading in a revealing dress she promptly showcased to the now stammering Castle. It was a great scene topped off with Castle’s revelation that the character he’s written, inspired by Beckett herself, is called Nicki Heat.
Overall, this was Castle’s best episode thus far, with strong writing, a well-paced plot and a lot of good humour.
Castle and Beckett
|
What do you think about this article?
More in Film & TV
Latest Articles