Castle: Still, Review
May the season never end, or at least the show never be cancelled. Another great episode.
Tonight’s episode had to be postponed, as it would have aired the very evening of the Boston Marathon Bombings. Obviously, this would not be a good thing.
Thus, we now get the delayed episode entitled “Still” and you will understand why they named it that further down. I am greatly enjoying the Season 5, because the love between Castle and Beckett has fully blossomed into a real relationship. And the way that they let “Caskett” grow naturally was one of ABC’S smartest moves. Building the two over four very full seasons of action, drama and comedy. Also, with Firefly fans popping up everywhere, people want to see more and more of Nathan Fillion. If there was a geek coin, Nathan would be on it. Plus, seeing Beckett so happy makes her that much more sexy. Tonight’s episode is a bittersweet celebration that recalls some of my favorite duo’s best moments.
After someone blew up an apartment in downtown NYC, Beckett is immediately caught up in the case. She may wake up in Castle’s bed, but she is anxious to get to work. For a moment, you think that they may sleep in, but it is what they do outside of the bedroom that makes the show hum like a well-oiled engine. Once Beckett gets a plate on the vehicle from someone leaving the scene, she leads Castle and a team of SWAT to the apartment. They storm the area, but the they are looking for jumps out the window, rabbiting down the alley. Fortunately, Espo and Ryan are there to get the guy. Yet, before they can cuff him, he dials a sequence of numbers into a remote device. Where the device is, we do not know until Castle and Beckett are exiting the apartment. Suddenly, you hear the click of a pressure trigger and Beckett realizes that she has tripped a type of bomb. Stepping off would mean decimation of her foot and possibly the building. Whoa.
Some time goes by as the team waits for the bomb squad to arrive and reveal that where Castle is standing is not dangerous, but Beckett is indeed in big trouble. Disobeying Beckett’s call for him to leave the scene, Castle stays with his girl for good or bad. Naturally, this is a great time to wade into almost five seasons of highlight clips, causing us to realize just how good a pair these two have been since the beginning. As I laughed at the episodes that I forgot about over the years, I realized Castle is easily in my TOP 10 SHOWS of the last decade. Bad news for Beckett though, as the bomb squad is trying to figure out a way to disarm it.
Back at the 12th, the perp has asked for a lawyer after being questioned briefly by the boys. Unfortunately for them, the suspect is given a fresh out of law school attorney, thereby making it that much easier for the suspect to make his ridiculous demands. He wants amnesty and other crazy perks. It is up to Javi to remind him with whom he is dealing with in the holding cell. I thought common sense might prevail, until the prison bomber took a pen and stabbed it through his neck. The SOB is bleeding out and fast. So much for getting the five-digit combo to the device that will get Beckett off the hook!
Worse still, the bomb is on a timer, making for an even more explosive situation. Still, Castle tries to keep it as light as possible by keeping Beckett’s mind occupied. However, she has now been standing on the lever for several hours and fatigue is beginning to set in. Usually, Beckett seems to have control over everything that she does: her job, Castle, the chief, all with no problem. But throw her a stick of wet dynamite and it will not be the only thing about to explode. Kate Beckett does not handle things well that she cannot control, including pressure-triggered explosives.
When Castle gets the news of how much time is actually left on the counter, he goes in to update Beckett on the situation. A prototype robot is being sent their way ASAP and it should take care of the bomb. It is an agonizingly beautiful moment when Beckett reveals that after five years of cat and mouse, she knows when Castle is lying. He tells her that the bomb is indeed on a timer and time is of the essence. Always the creative writer, Castle manages to keep Kate calm with some very funny and poignant clips of the past five years. Castle-ites will rejoice at seeing the greatest hits of their lives.
When ten minutes were left on the timer, I started getting a little nervous at how things were going to end. The head of the bomb squad comes in to tell the pair that they have to evacuate the rest of the building and Kate asks for a minute between just her and Castle. Beckett’s in tears while Castle is holding them back. All they can do is earnestly tell each other, “I love you.” It is a heavy moment that reminded me that this is still a dramedy that can sometimes hit you right in your gut. With no word on a Season 6, I was seriously thinking, “This cannot be the end, can it? Not like this…”
As Kate calls her father and leaves a voicemail saying that she just wanted to hear her dad’s voice, I sincerely had a lump in my throat. And that is before the montage of all the people that were lost over the past half-decade on the show came cascading across the screen. The juxtaposition of the happy memories with the sad makes for a very emotional few minutes on this ABC staple.
I definitely do not want to ruin anything here by adding any spoilers. It would be TV sacrilege, especially for fans like me that are praying they come back for one last season. Just one more day in the sun to solve crime and shoot bad guys; laugh and love through the heartbreak of life. “Still” left me really quite moved at the depths of emotion that TV can sometimes cause. It is where we all point the furniture towards in our homes, and it’s the best friend when someone cannot be with you. Here’s to more shows getting it right in the way that Castle does.
**Bonus points for playing ‘80s Guitar Rock Anthem “The Stroke” by Billy Squier during the “Sexy Beckett” montage.**
4 ½ stars out of 5
Written by
Jarrett Kruse has been writing professionally since graduating the University of Wisconsin-Madison cutting his teeth writing script coverage for major movie studios like MIRAMAX, 20th Century…