Castle: Once Upon a Time in the West – A Good Cop/Bad Cop Review
“We approach this like writers.” ~ Castle
“So…we procrastinate and make stuff up?” ~ Beckett
“No, by doing research.” ~ Castle
Friends angry because they weren’t invited to the wedding? Check. Ryan and Esposito were extra angry. A weird case involving a New York City woman allegedly poisoned at an Arizona dude ranch? Check. A honeymoon for Rick and Kate at this same dude ranch? Check. Although I would call it a quasi-honeymoon. Too much case and not enough honeymoon for my liking.
The episode was funny, however. Funny and outlandish, with some silly parts thrown in that made me roll my eyes. They used every western cliché known to man, and that only added to the zaniness. Nathan is great at comedy, and his body language and natural delivery made even the silly parts work.
Let me just say I adore married Caskett. They’re touchy-feely, free with goofy nicknames, and so in love they make my teeth hurt. The sweet, sexy campfire scene really had me going until the snake appeared (they have a habit of messing everything up, don’t they?). And of course Kate the city girl shot at the snake, and the horses — nicknamed Espo and Ryan by Rick — ran off into the night, stranding him and Kate in the middle of nowhere. Cliché, but hilarious.
I liked the way the writers kept the real Ryan and Esposito, and even Gates, in the mix via phone calls about the case. This gave the show balance and helped to tone down the silliness. Everything came together once Rick and Kate found the gold. Wait… no, not gold. A skeleton where the gold should have been. Rick’s showdown in the saloon was just the icing on the cake. Funny lines, more classic clichés, and the murderer in handcuffs.
Ryan and Esposito’s gift to Kate and Rick — giving some of their vacation days to Kate so they could have a proper honeymoon, really made me smile. As did her lassoing Rick (in that plaid shirt) while wearing the sexy white dress (petticoat?) Bring on the real honeymoon. Too bad we won’t get to see it.
What a fun episode. After all, who doesn’t like horses, desert scenery, and Castle exposing every ounce of his goofiness.
Of course, we all know that tox reports wouldn’t come back as quickly as they did in this show, nor would the tests detect foxglove without a specific reason and request to look for it—there are no all-encompassing tests. Additionally, simply because a poison is found in a victim’s bloodstream doesn’t mean they were murdered. And, in the real world detectives do indeed travel to other locations/jurisdictions/states/counties, cities, etc. to investigate their cases. Still, case aside, the script led to several giggles and chuckles, as well as some clever one-liners.
1. “Replica?” ~ Castle, on the gun carried by bad guy/killer du jour.
“Son, this is Arizona. It’s open carry.” ~ James Grady, bad guy/killer du jour.
2. “You go first. Check for snakes.” ~ Castle to Beckett before entering abandoned gold mine.
3. “You got a hankering for a residence in the bone orchard?” ~ Bad Guy/killer du jour to Castle prior to saloon shootout.
4. “Once again, not invited.” ~ Ryan, expressing his disappointment over missing the wedding.
Of course, #3 ended with Beckett saving Castle by shooting the gun from the hand of the bad guy. You do know that sort of thing only happens on TV, right? If not, writers, I suggest you follow Castle’s instruction and conduct a bit of much needed research. You know, like attending the 2015 Writers’ Police Academy, which, by the way, is going to be absolutely FABULOUS! I’m just saying…
By the way…
Finally…
