Castle: An Embarrassment Of Bitches – A Review and Recap
Dogs, dog shows, and one well-trained, floor-scratching drug dog. This episode was all about furry, four-legged friends…well, that and a scene that was so hot it nearly caused my TV to burst into flames.
Castle and Beckett land squarely into a world that’s the polar opposite of Beckett’s personality. The duo’s handed a murder case that leads to a reality TV star and her shallow world of shopping, smiling, and posing for photos. As usual, though, the case takes a few twists and turns before the light bulb above the home team’s head finally switches on.
But this episode was fun. A lot of fun, from Espo’s schoolboy crush on the annoying, talentless reality star, to his and Beckett’s Three Stooges-like run from two snarling German Shepherds. And Lanie…she was not offensive this week. Not at all. But, before I start in on the police and forensics aspect of the episode, let’s see what Melanie has to say. Yoo hoo, Melanie…
An Embarrassment of Bitches… Is that like a flock of geese or a congress of baboons? Or perhaps a murder of crows? I’m not really sure. This episode did involve a couple of cute pooches, however, plus a dead dog show judge and a buxom female celebrity with no discernable skills. I laughed a lot while watching it.
The case was entertaining and — miraculously — did not include any crazy voodoo forensics. Amazing! The episode moved quickly and contained all of the elements that made this show popular in the first place: comedy, romance, and just a hint of drama. I’m not a dog person (I have three cats) but I loved the way the pups added to the story and made everyone smile.
I got tickled when Esposito and Kate ran from those big scary dogs in the warehouse. Reminded me of Scooby Doo.
And the sweet little shipper scene in Kate’s apartment when Rick and Kate traded off Royal… what a treat. Shared custody of a dog? Really? Is the good cop-bad cop thing a preview of their future as parents? Just sayin’. The writers are great at foreshadowing. Then there was the physical contact that started out so innocently with just a sweep of a thumb. That little touch set off a major spark between our dynamic duo… and wow. I definitely detected the vibe there, and I loved it. I wanted more. A kiss, a hug. Something. It’s time!
150×150
All in all, this episode was a fun romp. I love the way they mix up the shows. Some serious, some quirky, and some funny like this one. In two weeks, to kick off sweeps month, they’ll air the much-touted noir episode set in the 1940’s. Apparently one of the team finds a journal from that time period and Castle spins a tale that puts our favorite writer and the detectives in an alternate universe. The costumes alone will make this worth watching. And after that, we get a big two part episode. Can’t wait. See you in February!
* Again, before I say a single word, I want to remind everyone that this review of police procedure and forensics has nothing to do with my like or dislike of the show. We do this at the request of authors who want to make sure that what they’ve seen on the show is either fact or fiction. That’s it. Nothing more. Please don’t try to read between the lines and, for goodness sake, please don’t attempt to read my mind (there’s not much floating around in there). So, try to relax and just enjoy the show. It’s fun fiction. And try to hold down the hate mail. Wishing my computer will fail, my house will burn to the ground, and that I should immediately die and go straight to hell, well, that’s a little silly, don’t you think? Besides, all you’re doing is fueling my devious little fire.
Now, on with the show…
I must start out on an extremely positive note. Lanie was absolutely fine this week. No goof-ups, no stupid forensic blunders, no voodoo-witch-doctorish, on-the-scene diagnosis. Nothing. And you know why? The writer handled the forensics as he should have…without using any. Simple detective work determined the time of death—someone saw the victim at 5:15 and he was dead twenty minutes later. Lanie even explained away the reason that DNA wasn’t found on the dog. This was GREAT!
There really wasn’t a lot of police stuff in this episode. Well, not a lot that merits mentioning. But there were a couple of minor things, such as:
– Beckett questioned the reality star with the woman’s entire entourage in the room. Officers should never question suspects, witnesses, etc. when other people are around, especially people who have a stake in the outcome of the case. To do so gives everyone a chance to hear what the other is saying. And that allows them to make their stories fit what they’ve just heard.
– Beckett told the reality star to stay available for questioning. That’s a polite way of saying, “Don’t leave town,” which is something officers can only do on TV. Police officers do not have the authority to order a citizen to remain in town, well, not without a court order.
– Beckett and Espo enter a locked warehouse to do a little snooping. In real life they’d need a warrant before entering, unless they felt someone’s life was in immediate jeopardy or, if they believed that evidence would be destroyed if they didn’t go inside immediately to seize it. And the key word there is IMMEDIATE. If there’s time to secure a warrant then they should get one. That’s how the courts would rule, too.
– The dog scratching on the floor (an alert to the presence of narcotics) is exactly what my narcotics canine did when he located drugs. That’s how our dogs were trained to show us that they’d found what they were searching for, which was not really the drug. Instead, they search for a toy that’s associated with a particular scent. When they detect that odor they know that it’s PLAY TIME! That’s why they get so excited when they find cocaine, etc. But drugs only, not perfume.
Some narcotics dogs are trained to sit when they detect the odor of narcotics. And explosive detection dogs never, for obvious reasons, scratch when they detect the scent of bombs and bomb-making material.
Okay, we absolutely have to mention Castle’s magic thumb. Well, maybe we’ll let these two pictures sum up the moment. How about it, Shippers? Did you go absolutely nuts over this scene?
My favorite line from the show was when Beckett said, “I don’t like people who present fiction as truth. It’s a waste of time.” Hmm…I’m thinking that someone should post this line on the side of their computer monitor. That way it’ll always be in front of them when they write Lanie’s future lines. I’m just saying… (Still, great job this week. No complaints).
Oh, the killer. Is there anyone out there who did not know the ID of the killer long before they told us? Again, pegged him early on—the person who has a brief moment on camera but has a fake guilty look for that split second. Well, the neon “GUILTY” sign flashing over their heads helps a bit too.
Still this was a great, fun episode. And the next promises to be more of the same.
A “thumbs up” for this episode.
A nice fun episode, although the reality show star was such a dunderhead I never once considered her a viable suspect.
Beckett definately needs to get herselfa pet dog–might help with her post-trauma therapy. I loved the way her face lit up when she told the dog to jump on the sofa. She should let her playful/soft side come out more often.
And Rick rubbing Kate’s hand–wow!
Liked the pet shrink, too, because LA has people like that. What a way to earn a living.
Looking forward to the “noir” episode. That one looks like a blast.
Jodie, I merely point out the inaccuracies in the police procedure and forensics. In real life, sure, cops might tell a suspect to stay close, especially if they thought he was a danger or flight risk. Does it mean he has to obey…no.
Lee, even though police can’t really tell people not to leave town without a court order, do they tell people to stay available for more questions? I mean, doesn’t it help that society at large believes the police can tell them to stay in town? Would you really correct someone who misunderstood and who was a real flight risk?
Jodie
I first thought Reggie was the killer, but then thought hmmm maybe it’s the dog therapist.
I’m of two minds on the Beckett/Castle romance. I’d love to see them light up the screen, but then I worry that it’ll end the series. Where do they go from there? I don’t think they’ll be able to sustain more than a season after they admit love for one another.
Maybe two if they have the boy loses girl, boy gets girl back deal.
Still, great episode. And, I loved Esposito’s “puppy dogging” the reality star.
MJM
I’ll admit I pegged the wrong person as the killer. Usually when a semi-famous person appears as a guest on a show like this, they’re always the killer. So I had pegged the dog therapist (Nana Visitor).
Loved last night’s show. New in the first sceen ‘whounit.’
Loved the thumb sceen and the sceens with ‘puppy sharing.’
If Castle and Beckett get together we will have ‘MacMillian and Wife.’ So I’m willing to wait. It will be interesting to see what happens in Castle imagination next week.
Lee, I’m also interested in the question about the Customs guy. Was that situation portrayed correctly?
Lee, I actually used your technique of predicting who the killer would be this week, and wouldn’t you know it worked. (The actor was the same one who played Green Arrow on Smallville.)
The “Jason Bateman” thing is apparently a long-standing joke for Fillion. I seem to recall reading an interview he gave in which he said he’s been mistaken for Bateman a lot.
Totally agree, Melanie. Sometimes I wonder whom Andrew Marlowe directs “Castle” to and whether it shouldn’t be moved to the “family TV slot”, ’cause at 10 PM you would expect some more “adult” scenes…
I agree. I’m SO ready for them to get together. Something is supposed to happen next week, but most of that episode is spent in Rick’s imagination. So that should tell us something. I want something to happen in their real world. I mean, come on, Andrew Marlowe. Quit stringing us along!
Here are the “percent cleared” stats for 2010 (Uniform Crime Report – UCR)
Murder – 64.8%
Rape – 40.3%
Robbery – 28.2%
Aggravated Assault – 56.4%
Overall violent crimes solved in 2010 – 47.2%
Overall property crimes solved – 18.3%
I do agree that the “holding back” on the Castle-Beckett relationship has become a little silly. I mean, those two are adults, right?
I agree it was a fun episode, but…the hand thing bugged me. Why? Because the passion is dialed down. Again. I know it is “art” vs. “life,” but at this point, after everything that’s happened, would they still walk away from that moment if they were passionate about each other? NO! When a bottle rocket is lit and never goes off, it’s a dud. Lust looses the luster and love may remain, but the pay-off for the viewer is the fireworks.
From way left field: The case of course is promptly solved. I’ve been intensely reading Michael Connelly and he refers to a 50% or so solve rate for homicides. Lee, do you know what the reality is?-like the nationwide average?
Yes, lots of fun stuff in this episode.
– My flatscreen nearly melted when Kate and Rick had that handrubbing moment.
– Esposito jumping to sift through the reality TV star’s paparazzi photos.
– The paparazzi confusing Rick with Jason Bateman, and Rick’s priceless reaction to it.
How do you think the US Customs Marshal did in the episode? Do you have any experience with that and the way he initially interacted with NYPD?
I also kinda figured it would be the boyfriend a little too early in the episode. Still entertaining overall.
Loved the scene where Castle rubbed the back of Beckett’s hand with his thumb. My little heart went pitty-pat. 🙂 I thought the entire episode was fun.