This was something of a slow week down at the Castle shop. It’s not that the episode was bad, there just wasn’t anything that really stood out. It was what I would call a treading water episode. The notes were hit, a bad guy was busted, i’s were crossed, and t’s were dotted. But it never really came together as a fullly formed episode.
A big part of that missing magic came in the delivery of the case, not the case itself. There was enough going on with the case to make a go of it. The real estate scam, the biker (Blake Gibbons) bent on revenge, the side gig as a male stripper, the wealthy widow (Mary Page Keller) with an interest in a younger man. Clearly, Derek (Corey Saunders) had a lot on his plate. It just took too long to get to the best bit of all of that, the actual scam that got him killed. By the time that was unraveled we were already racing toward the local news and the answer had to be now, leaving no real time for serious speculation.
It wasn’t a complete disaster, though, which is why I call it a treading water episode. Even in what was a down week, there was a lot of fun to be had. While the various dead-end parts of the investigation did hold off getting to the good stuff, they also provided plenty of opportunities for fun gags. Esposito and Ryan as A-Rod and that skinny Twilight dude, and their reaction to those labels, was great fun. As was the trip to The Package Store. Hans Von Mannschaft (Clint Glenn) was a douche, but that’s a funny name. It makes me think of roller-girls, like Jailbait (her number is 10-20).
Beckett even got in on the fun with her deadpan to the devloper that she’s looking for a new place, because her’s blew up. I appreciate the reference, and the joke. So, despite no movement on the Castle/Beckett front, and a rather mundane case, the good news is that even when it’s down, a new episode of Castle is still pretty fun. And that’s something. They can’t all be gems.
Clacked by Brett Love 
on Nov 02, 2010 @ 00:05 EST5EDT
I agree that this episode wasn’t one of the show’s all time best but it did leave me smiling as Castle episodes always do. Did you notice Beckett’s tooth during the scene with the motor bikers? It looked brown, I was so distracted.
I know this is really immature, but I couldn’t stop laughing at Hans von Mannschaft’s name. That line alone made the episode for me.
You’re right about it being a treading water episode but it was still a lot of fun especially with Esposito’s reactions to not being offered a stripping job, and Lanie’s “As the only person here who has seen what’s under the sheet… bargain. ”
They have a new costume designer this season but somehow his choices cut into my enjoyment of the show. I think too often he makes Castle look dowdy and poorly off the racket (surely Rick Castle gets his clothes custom made) and even Beckett is looking less attractive. And why did Beckett dress in lingerie to go to a strip club?