While watching the last scene of this episode, a booming thunderstorm and near torrential rains waited until just the right moment—the last minute of the show—to knock out our satellite TV reception. As a result, I missed the ending. How appropriate, though, to hear the skies grumbling and groaning and spewing jagged streaks of hot white electricity while Castle spent the hour waiting for his predicted B-grade horror movie demise. What I did see was nearly an hour of good fun, and I’m curious to know if Melanie enjoyed this one as much as I did. Melanie…

Melanie Atkins

Rick Castle cursed? Ha! I don’t think so, but he’s certain he’s next to die after watching a creepy video at a murder victim’s apartment. With his vivid imagination, he takes the video literally and freaks out while Beckett, ever the level-headed cop, scoffs at him. I loved the quick-witted by-play between Rick and Kate and the weird twists in this episode. After watching The Following and with thunder rumbling outside, it fit right into the night’s eerie feel.

The victim’s death and the deaths of two others were all connected to a serial killer named Nigel Malloy. I won’t go into too much detail about the case, because that’s Lee’s purview. Let’s just say I enjoyed Purlmutter’s snarky remarks, the odd twists and turns, and especially Rick and Kate’s trip to the cabin in the woods late at night to save another possible victim.

Rick is desperate to ward off the evil spirits, so he brings a “war chest” filled incense, some kind of mirror, and even holy water to help save them. Once they get to the cabin, they have no phone reception. Then the lights go out. And… a stranger is lurking outside. Kate chases him/her and finally brings down the nurse who attends Nigel’s brother at a mental hospital. I didn’t see that coming, but then I was more focused on Rick and Kate’s interaction than the rest of the story. Only, the nurse isn’t the killer.

The roommate of the original victim enters the cabin while Kate’s gone and uses a modified Taser to temporarily blind Rick, but Kate calls his name and he hits his assailant on the head with the holy water just in the nick of time. Too perfect.

My favorite part of the episode was Castle studying his bucket list to see what he could mark off in only three days. Then, of course, the delicious Kate-Rick interaction in the loft at the end when we learn the number one thing he had on his bucket list was to “Be with Kate”… and that he’d written the list three years earlier. Aw, too sweet!

I loved the lighter feel of this episode mixed with the inherent creepiness of the curse and the cabin in the woods. A nice change of pace from the last episode’s intense drama.

Next week, we get one that’s a little more Ryan-centric, and then on April Fool’s Day (Castle’s birthday), we get the show’s 100th episode written by Castle’s creator, Andrew Marlow, and his wife. That one’s guaranteed to be awesome.

Lee Lofland

There really wasn’t a lot of police-action/procedure this week. However, the little we did see was a little wacky. Like, when Beckett and crew traveled to Hoboken, New Jersey to kick in a door to Victim #2’s apartment. I’m sure you’re all aware that local police don’t have the authority to roam around the country bashing down doors and kickin’ butt. There’s a little matter of jurisdictional boundaries that come into play, and other departments and courts sort of frown on it when strangers force their way into people’s homes. I believe the correct terminology would be breaking and entering/home invasion.

As much as some would like to think, a badge is not a free pass to any and everything. Of course, Beckett and her posse could have dropped by the local police department and, after following the correct procedures, obtained a search warrant with the assistance of the local authorities. Then, they could have assisted the Hoboken police with the service of the warrant.

We were once again treated to an appearance by Perlmutter, whose favorite pastime is Castle-bashing. I had to chuckle when he addressed Beckett and Castle as, “Detective Beckett and DeFECtive Castle.”

Perlmutter delivered another mild zinger when he responded to Beckett when she asked if the victim had a heart problem. Perlmutter replied, “Well, she did when it stopped beating.”

It was nice to see an appearance by avid bird-watcher and slasher-film king Wes Craven of Nightmare on Elm Street and Scream fame. However, the scene really made me miss the earlier poker games.

As the episode progressed we saw the introduction of horror movie classics, like the cabin in the woods and the equally predictable lack of cell phone service.

Of course, all of the action was plugged into the traditional boilerplate script that never fails to feature a killer who was seen only briefly somewhere in the beginning of the show. And, there are always a few red herrings sprinkled throughout, including the asylum nurse and a sudden potential victim number three that was simply dumped in seemingly at the last minute.

Still, in spite of the predictability factor, this was a fun episode. And that fun was distributed throughout the show and characters. Even tough guy Esposito treated us to his more vulnerable side when the sudden appearance of a man startled him. Of course, he instantly regained his composure and attempted to “man-up” in front of Beckett. His comment to her was priceless and classic Castlesque humor. “Hey, I’m a grown-a** man.”

Another great line in last night’s episode was Beckett’s subtle and lighthearted jab at the NRA and gun control, when she said, “Evil spirits don’t kill, people do” (Guns don’t kill, people do).

Well, as I stated earlier, I missed the end of the show thanks to a spectacular spring thunderstorm. It was one of those where the thunder is not quite in your neighborhood, but close enough to make the house quiver. And where sporadic lightning sends flashes of white that illuminate the curtains just enough for small children to see the black silhouettes of swaying trees, and demons and goblins darting across the backyard.

It was a night where…well, it was a dark and stormy night that made me miss the ending, doggone it.

*     *     *

A quick reminder…there are less than a dozen slots left for the 2013 Writers’ Police Academy. If you plan to attend, now is the time to register. Once those remaining spots are filled we will be closing registration.

Also, those of you who have already registered, please, please, please hurry and reserve your hotel rooms. They, too, are extremely limited due to other events in the area. Once our block is filled we will not be able to secure additional rooms.

As always, I thank you all for your overwhelming support for the Writers’ Police Academy. Don’t worry, though, I’m not finished. Now it’s time for me/us to start begging for raffle and silent auction items. Please contact me if you have signed books or other items to donate. Profits from the WPA go to the criminal justice foundation at our host academy/college. The money is used to train law enforcement officers, firefighters, and EMS personnel.

Also, we are actively seeking new sponsors and advertisers. If you’d like to become a WPA sponsor and/or place an ad in the WPA program and on the WPA website, please contact me.

Again, we appreciate all you guys do to support the WPA. We couldn’t do it without your help and generosity!

As always around this time of the season, Castle writers go for an over the top action and suspense-filled episode. In the past, we’ve seen bombs, Beckett shot by a sniper, Captain Montgomery killed, a big bank robbery scene, and even a very large tiger with its taste buds set on an Espo-Beckett buffet.

Personally, I think the show works best when the cast is in full blown humor mode. It just never seems to work when they go for mega serious/save the world in an hour. However, last night’s episode was better than the usual “world’s coming to an end” format. Sure, coming from a cop’s perspective there were plenty of holes in the story. Overall, though, it was an okay episode. And it featured Alexis, which was sort of nice for a change. And, I’m sure Melanie was absolutely giddy with all the Castle-Beckett hold-me-touch-me-love-me-make-it-better moments. So let’s see what she has to say. Melanie…

Melanie Atkins

Target blew me away. In this super-dramatic episode, Alexis, Rick’s daughter, and her friend, Sara, were kidnapped. The tension and emotions in this one had me on the edge of my seat the entire time. I’m used to Nathan Fillion joking around on Castle, making me laugh, but tonight he made cry in his portrayal of Rick in terrified parent mode. He was simply phenomenal. His range of emotions crossed the human spectrum and zeroed in on my heart. I ached for Rick.

Any parent would be devastated in that situation and would do whatever it takes to get their child back. I don’t know what Rick did to the driver of the van to get info out of him, but I don’t care. I would’ve done the same thing.

Not only did Nathan do a great job portraying Rick’s anguish, but Susan Sullivan (Martha) was also superb as Alexis’ overwrought grandmother. Overwrought, but also strong. She held down the fort at home so Rick could help the team search for Alexis.

I loved the hug Kate gave Rick when they first learned Alexis had been kidnapped, even though she knew Gates was probably looking on. Shows how much she loves him. And later on, as they waited to hear from the FBI team going after the missing girls, Kate holds Rick’s hands in plain sight while he tells us the emotional story about Alexis’ birth, and Gates turns away. She definitely knows about them now if she didn’t before, and like Kate, I don’t care. I don’t believe their relationship will be a problem in the long run, because Rick isn’t employed by the NYPD.

Right now, of course, Rick and Kate are too focused on getting Alexis and Sara back to worry about that. I found it hard to believe Kate and the boys found that driver so fast, but maybe it’s possible. I’ll let Lee worry about that one. The rest of the episode I found believable. At the end, the scene when Alexis broke free long enough to learn she’s in Paris seemed more like a scene from a movie rather than network TV to me. Very well done, Mr. Marlowe!

Amazing episode. I can’t wait for next week.

Lee Lofland

Well, I can’t say that Melanie and I share the same enthusiasm over this episode. For me, it was just okay. Sure, Fillion was at the top of his game, showing a vast range of emotions. I’ve said it before, though—the guy could do an entire episode without speaking a single line. His facial expressions tell a story as well as many actors do with page after page of dialog. My problem with this episode was not really a problem, as far as entertainment TV goes. Remember, I watch Castle at the request of mystery and suspense writers. Therefore, I’m looking for problems with the police procedure. The “is that realistic” scenes.

First of all, I’m still liking Lanie’s remarkable transformation. Sure, she still says things that can’t and wouldn’t be realistic in the real world, but she’s now making those “information dump” comments sound, for the most part, believable.

Next up…Gates. As you know, I totally dislike this character, especially so when the crew addresses her as “sir.” However, last night, she was in captain mode—in charge, firm, and absolutely believable, which was a fantastic switch from the goofy, keystone cop they’ve had her portraying in the past few episodes. I still don’t like the character, though.

Of course, the FBI guy swoops in and takes charge of the case. Although, this time he was invited and the writers seemed to get this one right…until the raid on the farmhouse. That, my friends was everything wrong that could possibly be wrong. From the FBI suit-wearing, helmetless agent leading the raid/entry team’s forward charge (they wear that protective gear for a reason, you know) to the team storming the place without conducting any pre-raid surveillance, etc. When you’re standing at the suspect’s front door is not the time to discover cameras and motion detectors. And, an entire team, all running single file up a driveway like baby ducklings following mama to Playtime Lake is, well, not good for one’s future, if “one” plans on hanging around this life to see tomorrow. This entire scenario was just plain dumb.

There was a scene where the bad guys’ getaway van was discovered with a fair amount of blood on the rear floor of the vehicle. Lanie tells Castle to hang on a moment while she types the blood to see if it was Alexis’. Yes, that is possible with the right kit containing the proper reagents. And, that’s exactly what Lanie used to conduct the test (well, it’s what they wanted us to think she was using). So good for the director, and Lanie.

Okay, the scene where Beckett leaves Castle to “question” the uncooperative, bleeding van driver. The thug tells Castle he can’t question him. Castle politely says, “I’m not a cop,” and does whatever he did to make the guy scream like a little girl at a ghost-story-telling slumber party. Well, as far as Castle not being a cop so he doesn’t have to play by the rules…well, that’s not exactly true. It’s been firmly established that Castle acts as an agent of the police, which does place him under the umbrella of having to play by the rules and follow the same laws and rules that apply to cops. So whatever Castle did to the bad guy was totally illegal. BUT, would I have done the same thing? Sure, in fact, I might’ve done a lot worse to the guy who was responsible for my daughter’s disappearance.

Also, I have to disagree with Melanie on one point. It would make a difference if a supervisor knew that Beckett and Castle were romantically involved. The department should never allow a “volunteer civilian boyfriend and cop girlfriend” to work together all day and night. Too much at stake, including allowing personal feelings getting in the way of solid police judgement. And a great example of that is the situation with Castle and the screaming thug (sounds like the title of an old Perry Mason episode – The Case of the Screaming Thug), a situation Beckett allowed to happen due to her personal feelings about the people involved in the case. A lawsuit waiting to happen. Or worse.

Finally, I’m not even going to mention how totally dumb and predictable it was for Alexis to pick the lock and make her escape. Dumb, dumb, and dumb.

Now, I have a question for all of you. When I use my cell phone to take photos, I’m looking at the screen (which is where the images are displayed) which means the lens is pointing away from me. So how was it that Alexis and Castle were able to Skype and see each other at the same time? Do some phones have a lens and screen on the same side? Or, do you have to constantly flip the phone around between comments and viewing? I’m confused…as usual.

Anyway, overall, this was a good episode. Just very predictable. By the way, I actually guessed Alexis’ location. I told my wife that she’d see the Eiffel Tower when she went outside. There were no clues, just a really lucky hunch, I guess.

So, until next week…au revoir, mes amis.

Early in my childhood, my mother taught me a valuable lesson—if you don’t have something nice to say about someone, or something, then don’t say anything at all. So I’ll start this review off on a good note by saying…everyone on the show looked nice.

But, I really want to talk about the “he killed my mother” plot. I really do. I want to scream from the depths of my soul, “The FBI will find Jimmy Hoffa before the Castle writers stop beating this old and tired horse!”  What, you have no imagination, or an imagination that’s so limited you feel the need to replay this same story over and over again, just in a different form, sort of, but not really. But I won’t go there. I promise, Mom, I won’t say anything since I have nothing good to say. That’s right, I’ll keep my thoughts and feelings to myself. Not one bad word will escape my lips. I won’t even mention that I’ve seen kindergarteners show more affection toward one another than Castle and Beckett display. They’re a couple, right? Yeah, a couple of ice cubes…

Melanie, please jump in before I explode!

Melanie Atkins

This episode revisited Kate’s mother’s case and focused on a moral dilemma: Should Kate save the man responsible for her mom’s death, or suppress evidence and let him die. I love this idea, and it worked pretty well. I’m well aware that many people, including Lee, are so over this story line, but I enjoy it. I think it’s given us tons of meaty back story and provided us with great insight into Kate’s character. The deeper TV shows delve into that, IMHO, the better.

We’ve seen Kate evolve over time, and a lot of that change is the result of this story line. The other reason is Rick. She chose life for herself, because of him. She chose to celebrate with him on Christmas Eve because she loves him. She’s got a better outlook on life now. She laughs and enjoys living because of Rick Castle.

Then why, oh why, do we get such infrequent Caskett moments? I loved the few we got in this show, with them sharing some moments of quiet conversation and spending time together in Kate’s apartment, but we haven’t seen them hug or kiss since Christmas. Then tonight, at the end of the show, Kate was on the couch and Rick was sitting on chair or maybe an ottoman. Come on, Marlowe! Where’s the love? The lack of intimacy is killing me. I’m not talking about sex, although that would nice. Just cuddling and showing how much they care for each other.

Another beef I had was that Kate doesn’t turn to Rick at the height of her moral dilemma. Oh, no. She goes back to the therapist she used before coming to Rick that rainy night in May in a scene that seemed shoe-horned in. In my opinion, the writers would’ve much better served to have her talk to Rick and break down. Let him hold her. Act like a freaking couple, for crying out loud!

So the bottom line is, this episode frustrated me to no end. I want to see more moments of them acting like a couple. Nothing graphic, surely. Just let ’em hold hands and snuggle together on the couch. Kiss and reassure one another. We got a lot of great looks between them and the squeeze of a hand, but that was pretty much it in this episode.

Keep this plot thread going if you must, but please give us more Caskett! I’m hoping we’ll get some next week, for sure, since that is the Valentine’s Day episode.

I won’t hold my breath.

Lee Lofland

Gee, where do I start. Oh, yeah, Lanie. Well, I’ll say this about her…she’s better by leaps and bounds at making her character more believable. In fact, I think she’s been doing a great job. Fantastic, even. Especially with the crap the writers hand her each week.

I know, the Lanie character’s sole purpose is to dump a bunch of information on us that the writers are too lazy to write into the show. I get it. So now, instead of blaming Lanie for the voodoo forensics, let’s switch our disdain over to the writers. That whole, baloney-filled scene where Lanie pulls a screw from the jaw of the crispy/toasted victim, and was then able to instantly learn the victim’s ID from a serial number stamped into the fastener…well, there are better, more realistic ways to get this information to the viewers. Why not try one sometime, instead of having Lanie pull goofy rabbits from her hat each week.

– Remember the scene where Beckett had the FBI assist by conducting a voice analysis of the victim’s phone message? Well, that was realistic, and I say so from experience. I’ve called on the FBI in similar circumstances. I’ve also asked them to do the same with video enhancement. I joke all the time about the FBI, but they’ve never turned down any of my requests for assistance. But, the whole “finding the exact crane situated beside the exact parking garage” based on a recording taken somewhere in New York City?? And to do so as quickly as they did… Nah.

– Moving on to the scene where Beckett and team locate the suspect vehicle in the parking garage. Beckett opens the trunk, finds a bag…and opens it???? Would you open a bag found in the trunk of an abandoned car in New City, knowing that the car belonged to someone who wanted to kill a senator? Wouldn’t the slight notion cross your mind that the bag could contain an explosive device that would go BOOM the second you opened it?

– Gates was back this week. I’ll say nothing more than it would please me greatly if she’d stay away for good. Her character irks me, especially when people address her as “sir.”

– Castle was way out of character when he eagerly and quickly left Beckett to face her demons alone. A simple yawn in the precinct, and he left her sitting there. Castle would never do that. He’s too nosy for one thing. And, in any other episode, she couldn’t beat him off with a stick. Normally, he’d cling to her like Velcro.

– The Beckett character has changed quite a bit from the days when she was a tough-as-nails, take-charge detective. Nowadays she’s softhearted and a bit wimpy, and I’m not so sure the change is good for her. She let a suspected killer remove his own handcuffs. She missed a point blank shot, on purpose. Oh, and how about the justification of lethal force in that instance. Was she justified in shooting the unarmed, fleeing suspect, in the back? What do you think?

– The whole “suspect-trying-to-blow-up-a-senator-who-just-may-be-the-next-president-of-the-U.S.” seemed a bit like the plot lines from Homeland. Anyone else get that impression?

Finally, we get to the killer. The bad guy in the episode. I’ll have to admit, they stumped me this time. No predictable character this week, no sir. Couldn’t be, because they never introduced him to us. Instead of providing clues, they borrowed Lanie’s hat, reached way down, and pulled a great big old rabbit from it. A rabbit we hadn’t seen. And that’s cheating the audience, as far as I’m concerned.

Another big mistake this show makes is when they try to be serious, like last night’s episode. It just doesn’t work as well as the episodes featuring a bit of humor. The difference between the two is night and day.

For example, last night we saw Castle show up with the raid team as they were preparing to kick in a door. Of course, Castle wore his vest, the one with WRITER stamped across the front. Normally, that’s sort of funny. Last night, though, it was out of place. You know, should we chuckle, or not. After all, they were possibly facing extreme danger. Perhaps even death. Cute doesn’t work well when death is on the other side of the door.

Anyway, this episode didn’t work for me. Not at all. From the tired storyline to Beckett’s wimpy side, to the writers giving Lanie stupid things to say, to Castle’s out of character willingness to leave Beckett at a time when she needed him most, to the lack of emotional connection between two people who’ve finally established a relationship after years of longing for each other. And that, my friends, is not what I call believable make believe.

To me, this one was a bit squirrelly.

* Special note to our friends over at Television Without Pity – Someone there wrote: “It’s Hollywood. It’s all fictional. Things are twisted for storytelling purposes and time constraints. It’s not a real-world bible…To make it an issue after finding it out just seems like I’d want to find shortcomings.”

That’s my point, exactly. Believe me, as a fiction writer myself, I truly understand how it works. But this review is written at the requests of other fiction writers who don’t want to make the same glaring errors in their books as they so regularly see on Castle. I, like the viewers at TWoP, watch the show for enjoyment. Still, the show has taken a definite downturn lately, and that’s not due to the shoddy police procedure and forensics. And, thanks to the TWoP folks who stop by each week. You have a great forum.

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Last night was all about Esposito, a detective who wore many hats during the course of a murder investigation. And I have to tip my own hat to the writers for showcasing that aspect of police work. Yes, there is far more to being a real-life cop than writing traffic tickets and solving murders. Law enforcement professionals also serve as counselors, peacemakers, role models, coaches, stand-in parents, friends, etc. And Esposito certainly did what it took to fulfill each of those roles when a kid nicknamed “Monster” needed his guidance. That, my friends, is the side of police officers the public rarely sees.

Anyway, before I pick apart the police procedure, let’s see what Melanie thought of this episode.

Melanie Atkins

This episode centered around  the murder of a popular party DJ, and Esposito took center stage. After seeing the previews and the sneak peeks online late last week, I wondered if we’d get any interesting Caskett moments in this one… and we did not, except for at the very beginning.

The show opened with Rick teasing Kate about the movie she had apparently chosen for them to watch the night before. A cute, fun moment, but certainly nothing that affected the relationship. The two of them did work the case, with Ryan and Esposito’s help, but they weren’t the main focus for a change. Enter Esposito and his attempt to help a troubled teenaged hoodlum.

I did enjoy the show, albeit not as much as when we’re treated to dozens of little Caskett gems. I thought Lanie was right on target, and that Espo did a great job with the kid. Nice.

Still, I look forward to more Kate-Rick moments next week.

Lee Lofland

As always, the episode opened with a murder. This one, the homicide of a female DJ (DJ Beat). Lanie, of course, is called to the scene, and when Beckett and Castle show up she fills them in on what she’s learned since her arrival.

Lanie – “The cause of death is most likely a GSW (gunshot wound), and near as I can tell she was shot at close range. The lack of seepage and blood spatter indicate she was killed elsewhere and dumped here.”

Lanie is still on course. She has stopped (and I’m crossing my fingers that this continues) her wacky forensic predictions about things she couldn’t possibly know until autopsy.

You know, I’m really liking the new Lanie. Sure, there are still a few things that pop up up here and there. Like when she told Beckett about her discovery of the MSG-laden peanut oil on the tarp. To say that the oil indicated the victim was killed near a Chinese restaurant was totally ridiculous.

First of all, she wouldn’t have been the person to make that discovery and analysis. Second…the analysis was completed far too quickly. Next, well, it was just plain dumb. Why couldn’t the discovery also point to the murder taking place at a peanut oil factory? Or at the private residence of a peanut oil aficionado?

But I get it. The writers needed a quick way to get that information inserted into the story. What I did like about this was that Lanie pulled it off. She’s much more believable these days. I wonder what brought on the abrupt change? Hmm…

– Beckett is questioning a juvenile (sure, officers may question juveniles if department policy permits) when he says he needs his guardian’s permission to answer questions. That situation is the same as when an adult requests an attorney. Questioning should cease at that point.

The kid was absolutely right when he said, “Maybe you’re allowed to talk to me, but I don’t have to talk to you.”

– Beckett states that many criminals use juveniles to do their dirty work. This is true, and they do so because they know juveniles receive very little time in detention, if any, for committing certain offenses.

– Someone said CSU discovered fibers at the crime scene, and they’d linked those fibers to a specific vehicle. Yes, this is possible. Although, fibers/carpet of this nature are usually found in various models within a certain auto manufacturer’s lineup of vehicles. Still, it is possible to narrow the search using carpet and rug fibers.

– Finally, Beckett and crew stopped saying “APB—all points bulletin,” and switched to BOLO (Be On The Lookout). I haven’t heard APB in many, many years. BOLO is the more common term used by today’s officers. “They issued a BOLO for a 2012 Lincoln MKZ.”

Again, I really liked the role played by Esposito this week. He was quite believable. The scene in the bar where he took out the biggest and baddest guy to get to the “boss…” well, if you haven’t already done so, please take a moment to read the brief anecdotal section called “Mountain Man” in my book on police procedure (page 107). I think you’ll understand Esposito’s mindset a little better after reading.

Esposito’s time with the kid… As they say, been there, done that. And so have most police officers at some point in their career.

Overall, this was a nice episode that showed the depth of the Castle actor/acting pool.

Holiday traditions was the behind-the-scenes message in this episode. Well, that and Santa simply cannot fly without his reindeer. But he does make the deepest snow angel I’ve ever seen.

Anyway, the show this week was a great reminder to us all that time, and life, moves on, and that it’s okay to begin a new tradition. And what better way is there to start a new tradition than to do so with someone you care about?

For now, though, I’ll stick to our old tradition of asking Melanie to start off the review. Here goes…

Melanie Atkins

Finally, a Castle Christmas episode! The dead Santa case was rather bizarre, so I won’t really even mention that, but I loved the Casketty goodness. As the show begins, Kate at first assures Rick she’ll come to the loft for his family’s Christmas Eve festivities, and he’s so excited. Not surprising, with his nine-year-old on a sugar rush tendencies and his deep love for Kate.

She seemed startled by his casual description of his huge tree and other elaborate decorations at his place, however, although I don’t know why she should have been, knowing him. Still, after that, she kind of pulled back a bit. I had to wonder if that had something to do with losing her mom right after Christmas all those years ago, or if she were simply overwhelmed by Rick’s lifestyle and exuberance, especially in light of her initial reaction to his huge Hampton’s house in an earlier episode.

Then both Martha and Alexis told Rick they had made other plans for Christmas Eve. He’s crestfallen. How can they abandon their traditions? Why would they even consider it? He’s still reeling from their defection when Kate tells him she has to work that night because the precinct is shorthanded. Rick can’t understand that, but he somehow manages to keep his cool after at first freaking out, and he lets her know it’s okay. Poor Rick. Will he be alone on Christmas Eve?

Even though he seems resigned to the fact that his traditions are changing, he brings Captain Gates a gift and asks her if she’ll please ask someone else besides Kate to work that night. Gates lets him know really quick that Kate asked to take a shift on Christmas Eve. That stuns him.

He confronts Kate a little later, saying, “If you aren’t ready (to join my family for the holidays), why didn’t you just tell me?” Kate explains that Christmas hasn’t been the same for her and her dad since her mother died on that fateful January ninth. Their Christmas decorations were still up, and when they put them away after her death, they put them away for good. The boxes haven’t been opened since. Jim goes to his cabin every year, while Kate “keeps watch” so other families can celebrate the holiday. I teared up during her confession, and for a minute I thought Rick might cry, too. Wow. He was so understanding about that, so sweet. I wanted to hug him. (Well, when don’t I want to hug him?)

When that night finally rolls around, Martha and Alexis join Rick for their traditional Christmas Eve dinner and surprise him by proclaiming they’d changed their plans so they could spend the entire night with him. He is still miserable, however, because he wants to share the holiday with Kate, too. So they send him off to the precinct… only, when he opens the door to leave, Kate’s standing in the hall, about to knock on his door.

“I was just coming to see you,” he tells her, and she says, “I was coming to see you, too.” So sweet! They both decided to start a new tradition, with each other. Sappy, maybe, but I loved it. The decorations were beautiful (as Kate said) and totally over the top, but they also were so Rick. And the kiss in front of the tree… perfection — although I would have liked one a little less chaste, even thought that wouldn’t exactly have been appropriate with Martha and Alexis in the room. And I didn’t exactly like the fact that Rick said he didn’t get Kate a gift. Really? Still, I loved the romance, the Christmas goodness, and the lightness of this episode. Classic Castle.

Welcome to the Christmas hiatus. See you all again in January, when Kate and Rick will have to deal with Meredith, one of Rick’s ex-wives!

Lee Lofland

Beckett – “Was the cause of death the fall?”

Lanie – “Looks like it, but I won’t know for sure until I get him back to the morgue.”

Okay, I did a few cartwheels after I heard Lanie’s comment. Yes, that single bit of dialog was nothing short of a Christmas miracle. And, for two weeks in a row…wait for it…Lanie was totally believable!! Sure, I was on the edge of my seat, waiting for the axe to fall. But it didn’t. What a breath of fresh air.

Even later, when Lanie showed Beckett a bullet that she’d dug out of Dead Santa’s back, a halo floated above her head. Unfortunately, Beckett stepped in and made a goofy comment. They just couldn’t leave it alone.

Lanie – “I pulled this (a bullet) out of his back.”

Beckett – “And that, is a .38.”

So I’m guessing that Lanie gift-wrapped her old crystal ball and re-gifted it to Beckett, because that’s the only way Beckett could have accurately predicted the caliber of that round without testing.

BUT WAIT! (Remind you of one of those TV commercials? “We’ll send you an Acme Slicer-Dicer for only $9.99…but WAIT…if you call within the next 10 seconds we’ll send you a second Slicer-Dicer absolutely free!”)

Lanie continued to impress me when she said she was going to send the red paint chip (found embedded in Santa’s red suit) to the lab for analysis. Great stuff! That’s how it’s done in real life. Labs test and examine evidence. The old Lanie would have taken a mere glance at the sample and instantly spouted off the chip’s entire chemical composition. Again, she was very good this week. Even the manner in which she delivered her lines this week was believable.

– Beckett…well, she searched dear old Santa’s apartment without a warrant. Not a good idea if want your evidence to stand up in court.

– Hey, what about the helicopter seat? You know, the one that’s totally dry and clean, but when pressed with fingertips, oozes a pint or two of fresh, liquid, bright red blood. This is where Santa supposedly bled after receiving the gunshot wound. Yeah, right. How many of you have ever cut yourself? Okay, how many of you have ever seen blood on a surface such as a floor or counter top (cut finger). Does that blood remain in a liquid form, and bright red, until, say, a day later? No way. And neither would the blood inside a foam seat cushion.

– Beckett sees a lot of activity at Case Commerce and asks a uniformed officer, “What’s going on here?”

“Looks like a heist occurred at the office Christmas party,” he tells her.”

Okay, who says “heist” these days? A present-day cop, especially in public, would most likely refer to the crime as a larceny.

Well, that’s about it for the police procedure this week. But I would like to mention this dialog between Ryan and Esposito.

Ryan – It seems like the world is falling apart. How am I supposed to bring a kid into that?

Esposito – The world’s always falling apart, since the beginning of time. But having kids, making a family, that’s what keeps it together.

How appropriate for these troubled times of ours.

*By the way, Esposito delivered the stolen clock to its original owner, Ms. Cabot. Well, there’s a tiny flaw with this heart-warming deed…the clock is evidence in a crime. He couldn’t simply remove it from the PD and give it away.

Until the next episode, ho, ho, ho…