Heart wrenching pain. Betrayal. Forgiveness. Second Chances. Love… So much emotion packed into one fantastic episode. So much so, I don’t even know where to begin. With Rick’s desperate attempts to protect Kate? Roy’s betrayal, or Kate’s forgiveness? I’m simply stunned.

Melanie Atkins

The parts that took my breath away:

• Rick’s deep concern for Kate when she falls back down the rabbit hole of her mom’s case.

• Kate throws herself on top of Rick to protect him when Lockwood’s accomplices throw the flash bangs in the courtroom.

• Jim Beckett goes to see Rick to find out who’s after Kate and asks him to talk her down. Fabulous scene.

• Rick confronts Kate in her apartment, mentions the kiss and the freezer. Emotionally charged incidents they never talked about. He asks her to walk away, to drop the case and stand down. And Kate refuses. She pushes him away again… even though she really doesn’t want him to go. She’s so caught up in the case, so focused, she won’t let anyone stop her crusade to find justice for her mother. Not even Rick.

• Rick’s heart-to-heart talk about his fear for Kate with his mother Martha. He’s a wordsmith, a writer, and he can’t get the words out to say that he loves Kate. But Martha knows. She tells him, “Don’t waste another minute of it.” That scene brought tears to my eyes. I absolutely couldn’t breathe — even when I watched it twice more.

• Kate goes to Captain Montgomery to ask him to kick Rick out of the precinct — and Roy agrees! She’s flummoxed. She really doesn’t want Rick to go… a fact made obvious by the look on her face and her bumbling attempt to question him about it. The thought of working without Rick by her side is a daunting prospect, but she’s so used to pushing people away she doesn’t know how to accept help. Or true love.

• Ryan and Esposito discover the identity of the third cop: Roy Montgomery, their captain. The ultimate betrayal. They’re so stunned, they come to blows over it… and must forgive each other in order to go on.

• Roy’s act of love at the hanger to protect Kate. He has Castle meet him there and orders him to take Kate away before shots ring out. Before Roy gives his life to save her.

• Rick hauls Kate bodily out of the hanger and holding her while she wails. They both know Roy is going to die, and they are powerless to stop it. So heart wrenching.

• Kate’s decision to keep Roy’s betrayal a secret. Only she, Esposito, Ryan, and Castle know the truth. Her eulogy for Roy makes him out a hero, so his family will never know what really happened… so touching.

• Rick’s attempt to save Kate at the cemetery. He’s good, but he’s not fast enough to stop a bullet. He begs her to stay with him, then finally says those three precious words: “I love you. I love you!”

Is he too late? I think not… but we won’t know for sure until the first episode of season four. From what I’ve been able to gather from Twitter, that one will pick up where this one leaves off. My question is: Was Kate wearing a vest? Hmmm…

I love this show. Four months without a new episode. Will I survive it? How many times will I watch the finale over the summer? How many times will I wish for September to hurry up?

Thank you, Will Beall. Thank you, Andrew Marlowe, Nathan Fillion, Stana Katic, Seamus Dever, Jon Huertes, Ruben Santiago-Hudson, Susan Sullivan, and Molly Quinn. What a fantastic finale!!

Okay, enough of the mushy stuff. Lets get to the cop stuff.

Lee Lofland

But, before I do, I feel as if I have to say this…again. We write this part of the review (about the police procedure) merely to point out things that aren’t exactly correct so writers (and others) won’t make the mistake of thinking that’s how things are in real-life. Again, I know the show is fiction. I know it’s not supposed to be realistic. And I know you love the characters. But YOU (writers) asked me to do this! So please, no emails telling me how dumb I am for not realizing this show is fiction and that it’s not a police procedural. I know this. And yes, I like the show. Especially this episode. I must say this was one of the best yet. Maybe it was so good because Lanie only had two lines to deliver, and they were believable. Amazing!

– Beckett goes to the prison (a state prison not under the control of NYPD) and totally takes control of an emergency response team who’s mission is to raid Lockwood’s cell. She even gives the team the command to GO! Ridiculous. Those teams practice together as a team on a very regular basis. Each person has a specific duty and they operate as a unit. They would not allow an outsider to join them, especially as their leader. Besides, she has no authority inside a prison.

A bit of explanation regarding the prison part of the episode:

Ad Seg, where Lockwood was housed, is Administrative Segregation. That’s where they keep inmates who either need protection or they pose a threat to others. There are a few other reason prisoners are housed in ad seg, but these two are the major ones.

General Population – Where the majority of prisoners are housed and are allowed to mingle with other prisoners.

Collect Calls from prisoners – I believe it was Ryan who said Lockwood was making collect calls to a number that wouldn’t accept the calls. Most prisons require prisoners to submit a list of names—a phone list—and numbers of the people they’ll be calling during their incarceration. Authorities check the numbers to make sure they don’t belong to co-conspirators or victims, police officers, judges, etc., and those are the only numbers the inmates are allowed to call. The system does not allow random calls or calls to unapproved numbers. The calls are also monitored (randomly, or if officials have reason to monitor a specific inmate).

– Ryan and Esposito hand Castle a beer they’d been keeping cold in the evidence room refrigerator. Castle grimaces at the thought of what else is kept there, on ice. Sure, it happens. I’ve seen it in morgues as well – a six pack of Diet Coke sitting next to John Doe’s body. Or a box of warm doughnuts beside a brain bucket in the autopsy room.

– There was a bit of a problem with how things progressed when Montgomery “took the bullet” for Beckett. As tough as she is and she simply stood by while her captain was murdered? No way. And, this whole thing was so out of character for Montgomery. But, when you’ve got to get out of your contract, you take a bullet, right?

As for Beckett getting shot…you bet she had on a vest (remember, they were gunning for her). And you can take it to the bank that she conveniently won’t remember Castle’s words.

Montgomery’s funeral was nicely done, including the riderless horse. I remember the days of working plainclothes for years and years and then trying to squeeze into the old uniform for a special occasion. Well, let’s just say that Beckett and crew seemed to fit into theirs a little better than I did. I’m just saying…

*     *     *

This season of Castle is over, but we can always have a Castle chat session at the Writers’ Police Academy. Melanie and I will both be there. Will you?

http://www.writerspoliceacademy.com/

Was it worth the wait? Was this episode all the network promised? Did the magic of California bring Castle and Beckett together (you know what I mean)? Well, let’s see what Melanie has to say about the lovey-dovey stuff before I get into the legality of cops shooting unarmed people in the back. Take it away, Melanie…

With the long wait between original episodes, this one was hyped to within an inch of its life. Fans have been going crazy with speculation, especially after sneak peeks were released last week. I have to admit that I was anticipating more closeness between Beckett and Castle… nothing exactly earth shaking, but more than the rushed parts they gave us.

I know Lee wasn’t pleased with Beckett’s actions out of her own jurisdiction, and that part of the show didn’t thrill me either. I was more into the relationship aspects, though.

The major points that jumped out at me were:

• Rick was concerned about Kate’s reaction to Royce’s death.

• He booked a seat on the same flight with her to L.A. when she decided to go rogue, upgraded her to first class, and convinced her to stay in the suite he’d booked downtown.

• He provided her with a cover story, i.e. the Nikki Heat movie.

• The scene in the suite when the two of them had eye sex right there on the couch, and then Kate jumped and ran. That sneak peek killed me, because it stopped when Kate opened the door. So much speculation — then Rick wasn’t there when she came back out. Grrr! Still, she did make open the door. Amazing.

• Kate donned a swimsuit to lure their prey, a man named Ganz, to her side at his hotel pool, and ended up knocking Rick for a loop, too. The look on his face when she came out of the pool was priceless. I wanted to hand him a napkin to wipe off the drool.

• Kate poked him because he’d put himself in Ganz’s line of sight and caused her to rush her story… but then told him “I want to kiss you” when she found out he’d taken a picture of the list of Ganz’s recent calls. Rick looked as if he were ready to take her up on it.

• Royce’s letter to Kate. To me, this was the best part — when her mentor speaks from the grave, telling her: “And now for the hard part, kid. It’s clear that you and Castle have something real, and you’re fighting it. But trust me… putting the job ahead of your heart is a mistake. Risking our hearts is why we’re alive. The last thing you want is to look back on your life and wonder if only…” And then she turned her gaze on Rick as he slept.

Their relationship is moving forward, one baby step at a time. I liked that part, although I was kind of disappointed in the episode as a whole. Too much case, not enough great moments like the one on the couch with Rick and Kate. Just sayin’. Bring on the romance, please!

Okay, my turn. And I’ll be brief.

And I can be brief since most of this was filmed in LA., or should I say La-La Land, which is apparently where Lanie thought she was during the filming of the show. Yep, there was plenty of great Lanie nonsense (Lanie pictured above in her full M.E. attire) floating around the TV screen last night.

My favorite Lanie line of the week – “He was shot in the leg. Judging from the blood trail it must’ve broken the bone.” Gee, Lanie, I wish I’d known that broken leg bone blood was different than blood in other parts of the body, and in non-broken legs. Give me a “break!”

The whole “cop going rogue” thing is something you see in a lot of books, and now Beckett has done the same. Well, in reality (I know, this show is fiction) that sort of thing doesn’t happen. BUT, cops go to other jurisdictions all the time, and they do so as part of their investigations. They can visit with people, ask them questions, etc., just like they do back in their own territory. What they can’t do is legally arrest someone, because their police powers don’t travel with them, unless they’re federal officers. Officers normally check in with the locals to let them know they’re in town working on a case. And, the locals normally tag along because they know the area, the people, and for safety. Besides, it’s cop courtesy to let the local department know you’re out there poking around.

Of course, Beckett carried things to the extreme when she broke into someone’s house (she travels with lock picks?) and refused to play nice with the LAPD detective. In L.A., Beckett was merely a private citizen who could have been arrested for the B&E. But, that’s where more cop courtesy came into play. And, yes, the LA detective had every right and reason to call Beckett’s boss.

The only other tiny item I’m going to point out (Melanie covered everything nicely) is the thing about shooting a fleeing felon. The question comes up all the time, so here goes.

Can a police officer shoot a fleeing felon, even if he’s unarmed? And that’s what happened on the show last night. Beckett shot an unarmed suspect in the back as he ran away. Well, I am going to leave out the part about her being outside her jurisdiction when she shot the guy.

So, the answer to the question is a normal “law-type” answer…Yes and No.

Calibre Press summed up the two answers nicely in this article:

You cannot lawfully shoot a fleeing felon. True or False?

Surprise! The answer to this question is both true and false. You may lawfully shoot a

fleeing felon if certain conditions are met: Do you have probable cause to believe that a

felony has been committed and that the fleeing person did it? Is it a felony that involves

violence or the threat of violence? Does the suspect present a danger of violence or the

threat of violence to the public and/or other officers if not stopped? Was a warning given,

if practical? Did the suspect ignore or refuse to follow direction from you, if it was

practical to attempt verbal compliance? See Tennessee v. Garner, 471 U.S. 1 (1985).

Where the circumstances do not fit these conditions, you may not use deadly force to stop

a fleeing felon. The involvement of violence, threatened or actual, is key.

Calibre Press Street Survival Newsline

February 28, 2008 – Number 867

Now, were each of those conditions met last night? Maybe so, maybe no.

Could Beckett legally shoot the guy in the back as he ran away from her? Test your knowledge.

1. Did the suspect have to obey her order to stop (did she give the command to stop)? She’s not a police officer in L.A., right? Remember, she was NOT there, officially. Or was she acting as an officer since she was with the LAPD officers (even though she did NOT have permission to be there on behalf of the NYPD)?

2. Did she have actual probable cause to believe the suspect had committed a felony? If so, what was the PC?

3. Was there a continuing and actual threat of real danger to the public if she didn’t shoot him?

Finally, why wasn’t there some sort of investigation into Beckett shooting the suspect? Imagine what an LAPD officer would have to go through if they simply discharged a weapon, not to mention actually shooting someone. But, Beckett and crew were all smiles afterward as if it were simply another sunny California day.

And, for fun…

The movie version of Ryan and Esposito. Not even close…

Save

Was it just me, or were you, too, salivating for a good slice of pizza after watching this episode? Yeah, well, I also found myself salivating for something more from the show—something new! I’m bored. Each week, Castle, Beckett, and the rest of the crew do the same things…over and over and over and over again. There’s a body, a few witty one-liners, Ryan and Esposito trot on camera to deliver a very handy clue at just the right moment, and Lanie, well, she’s Lanie…consistently and monotonously goofy.

I’m pretty certain there’s a boilerplate script floating among the writers who take turns filling in the blanks each week. The boilerplate theory becomes apparent when I look back over my notes for the past three seasons.

In the beginning, I often took five or six pages of notes, scribbling furiously to keep up with the actors. As time passed, the note-taking became easier and easier. Why? Because I learned the pattern. Yep, the show has a consistent pattern (this happens, followed by that, and then this, and BINGO, there’s your killer). Last night’s note-taking—only a half page.

Sure, I still like the show, mainly because Fillion’s fun to watch. Stana Katic has some pretty good moments as well. I also like the Ryan and Esposito characters, but I’d like to see more from them. Simply popping in the room like Jack-in-the Boxes to deliver a bit of news to Beckett is really getting old. And speaking of getting old…how about the constant alluding-to-Josh thing? Just write him out of the show and get on with it. It’s no longer working as a teaser. Instead, it’s become an irritant, kind of like Dana Delany as the FBI agent. Well, maybe it’s not that bad, but close. (I won’t mention her new show and how horrible it is).

Anyway, we have a dead guy in a pizza oven…

I could just post this picture and be done with it, because you know what’s coming, right?

Lanie – “Based on the oven setting and the body’s core temperature, I’d say he went in no sooner than 2am. The stab wound in his chest says he was dead when he went in.”

Well, that all sounds so nice, but there’s no way she could tell, in the restaurant, that the stab wound is what killed the crispy little guy. And I won’t even discuss the temperature stuff other than to say…ARGHHH!!!!!!

Besides, there was all sorts of talk of cremation associated with the pizza oven. No way. A pizza oven doesn’t get hot enough for cremation. I believe pizzas are cooked at temps somewhere around 500 degrees F. Bodies are cremated at temps between 1,700 – 1,900 degrees (I think). So, at 500 degrees for three hours (which is approximately how long the body had been in the oven when it was first discovered) the body would be getting close to medium well to well done, right? I know, I’m being a little silly, but the body certainly would not reach cremation temperatures in a pizza oven.

– Beckett and crew track the dead guy’s movements on the night he was murdered by following his credit card usage. The one transaction that led them to him was the very one that couldn’t have helped find him. The victim inserted his card into the machine but didn’t complete the transaction (he was killed) so the device swallowed his card, which is a built-in security-type thing so the next person in line can’t grab your card if you forget it. So…this meant that Beckett would not have had the card in hand to track it’s usage, at least not as quickly as they did. Good idea, but it would take quite a while to get the necessary paperwork that would allow snooping into the bank records. And zooming in on the handwriting from a very grainy ATM video…yeah, right. Again, good idea, and I’ve tried it in the past, and crimes have been solved using those videos, but…

And the crook of the week? She was the obvious choice the moment we first saw her.

Alexis, Alexis, Alexis…I like the father/daughter moments because I can relate to them. But…for me, these are too juvenile for someone as bright as Alexis.

And why can’t the police be smart enough to solve a case for once? I know, if they were as smart as the writer the show would be called Beckett, instead of Castle.

Oh well, that’s it for me. Again, it was a solid, fun show, but I knew it would be. After all, they’re all they same, aren’t they?

Melanie? Are you there?

What a fun episode! I really liked this one, except for the lack of any genuine Beckett-Castle moments. Rick did ask Kate for advice when Alexis faced a “friend” crisis, but other than that, the show pretty much centered on the case. Normally that bugs me, but tonight the writing flowed so well I decided to forgive that little bump in the road. At least we had no mention of Josh… and Kate and Rick continued their awesome theory building.

Can’t wait for next week, when the romantic storyline — and the poker game with Castle’s author buddies — return. Woot!

*     *     *

Have you reserved your spot for the 2011 Writers’ Police Academy?

Ride-a-longs with sheriff’s deputies, jail tours, firearms and driver training are only a part of the fun!

Train with the pros.

Sign up now at:

http://www.writerspoliceacademy.com/

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After a couple of weeks off the show was back in full swing with a visit to the set of a fictitious soap opera called Temptation Lane. And Fillion probably felt right at home in this episode since he paid his soap opera dues way back when on One Life To Live.

The show opened with the body of the week (the soap’s head writer) falling from a closet onto the set during the taping of the show. The poor woman had been killed with a fire ax, which, to me, looked more like a prop from Who Framed Roger Rabbit? Even so, it fit perfectly with this light and humorous episode.

But…(yep, here it comes) Lanie had to open her mouth, spilling the usual flow of stupidity. So I’ll get that out of the way first. REMEMBER, I only point this stuff out so writers, and others, won’t think this is how it is in real life. You guys asked me to do this so there’s no need to complain about my Lanie-bashing! Okay, here goes…

Lanie, while displaying enough cleavage for three women, squats beside the body and says, “Spinal cord was severed with an ax.”

Well, I guess she’d brought along a pair of those x-ray specs you can order from the back of comic books, because that’s the only way she could have known the extent of the injuries at this point. And she didn’t stop there, continuing with, “Upon contact (with the ax, I guess) her lungs filled with blood causing her to drown.” WHAT??????????? Boy, those x-ray specs are really worth all one-hundred pennies. In fact, every detective and pathologist should run out and buy a pair today!

WAIT, there’s more. Lanie says, “Based on the CSU sweep (I didn’t know those folks reported to her) the victim was killed here. The killer cleaned up the blood spatter and then shoved her (the victim) in the closet.”

How (shaking my head vigorously from side-to-side) would they be able to tell where the victim was killed if there was no spatter? THAT’S what they’d use to determine the position of the killer and of the victim.

Enough of Lanie, and believe me, I’ve had enough Lanie “VooDoo M.E.” to last a lifetime. I did like how Beckett and crew eliminated suspects as a means of reaching their goal. That’s normally how it’s done, unless the clues are really obvious. So, good job there. The rest of the investigation was a yawner. In fact, I pegged the killer from moment one, almost as if she had a flashing red arrow hanging above her head throughout the show. However, this episode really wasn’t about  the murder. It was meant to be fun and it was. Lots of great one-liners, and lots of Fillion’s silly side. Beckett was fun, too. Well, with the exception of the phone call at the end. That’s getting really old. But I’ll leave the mushy stuff to Melanie. And speaking of Melanie…what’d you think of this week’s show?

This nod to Nathan Fillion’s days on One Life to Live reminded me why I love the show in the first place: snappy banter, inside jokes, and heated (though small) Castle-Beckett moments.

• Castle started with the banter and flirted with Kate, and she gave it right back throughout the episode.

• Rick nailed Kate as a “shipper” — someone who invests in a relationship on a TV show (That would also be me, but we’re talking about Kate and Temptation Lane… right?)

• Castle mentioned the name “Esplanie” for the pairing of Lanie and Esposito… a highlight that cracked me up because that name for the couple first came up on my favorite fan site. (Along with “Caskett” for the Castle-Beckett ship. Creepy, yes… but it fits.)

• Beckett and Castle built theory together in classic fashion. Too cute, especially when Ryan and Esposito called them on it.

• A fabulous Castle-Beckett scene at the end of the show after Rick gives Kate a signed picture from the cast of Temptation Lane. The kind of scene that makes my little Caskett heart go pitter-patter… only to be interrupted by a phone call from Josh (Dr. Motorcycle Boy) to Beckett. Worst. Timing. Ever!

All in all, I enjoyed this episode that took us back to the Castle basics. Can’t wait for next week, when a juror drops dead in the jury box.

And just for fun

This week’s episode was billed as a nail-biter. A real edge-of-the-seat-sitter. Maybe it would have been had I not been watching for the police procedure so you writers won’t make the same mistakes we saw this week. But from where I sat…well, I’m going to go last this week. I need time to calm down. Lanie…puhleeze…you’re killing me.

Melanie, what’d you think of the show? I know you’ve been anxiously awaiting this one.

Melanie Atkins

I’ve been waiting for this episode, and the next one, for weeks. Ever since I first read the hype on the fansite I frequent. Everything I read pointed toward two great episodes with great action and some intense Beckett-Castle interaction, and I was afraid I might be disappointed. Luckily, however, I was wrong. Sure, most of the delicious Beckett-Castle goodness is yet to come, as was evidenced in the previews for next week, but we got what we needed: the Setup.

I seriously can’t wait for Countdown, the second half of this two-parter, which airs next Monday. It was written by Andrew Marlowe, god of all things Castle, so I have no doubt that it will rock. Woohoo! I love this show. Okay, I got that out of my system. ; )

On with the romance recap:

• Kate is obviously unhappy early on by a series of texts and calls that culminate in a visit to the precinct by Josh, her current significant other. When he leaves, she snaps at Ryan, and Castle notices. He questions her about Josh’s visit, and she skirts the issue.

• Once Kate and Rick are stuck in quarantine with their lives on the line, however, she comes clean and tells him that Josh is leaving for Haiti on another Doctors Without Borders mission. Apparently her relationship with Dr. Motorcycle Boy, as Castle calls him, has lost its gleam. At first she liked that Josh was so busy and traveled a lot. It allowed her to “keep one foot out the door”, so to speak, and that was good. Now, though, she wants someone who can be there for her, someone who needs her, too. Someone who will dive into a relationship with her. Rick starts to speak up, to tell her that he can be that guy, when they’re rudely interrupted and let out of quarantine. Ack!

• In true Castle-Beckett fashion, after they’re are kicked off the case for investigating outside the lines during a search for the bomb and are sent home, they continue to work the case off the grid and wind up getting locked in a giant freezer together… thus the “setup” for next week…

Methinks we’re in for some intense Kate-Rick bonding in Countdown. And I also believe I smell a Josh-Beckett break up in the works. I mean, seriously… they set it up perfectly. Bye, bye, Dr. Motorcycle Boy. I, for one, will be happy to see you go.

Okay, my turn to get something out of my system.

Melanie, were we watching the same show? Castle, right? The one where mystery writer Rick Castle, a civilian, was permitted to remain on a case that involved national security—a dirty BOMB? The same show where the medical examiner looked at a hole in a victim’s forehead and immediately knew it was caused by a 9mm round? The very show where a detective (Beckett) was removed from a case but continued to work it on her own (a huge pet peeve about novels, by the way…it DOES NOT happen!).

Before I point out the many things wrong with the police procedure, I have to agree with Melanie about the scene where Castle nearly bares his soul to Beckett. That one was priceless. And it was one of those scenes where Fillian tells the story with his facial expressions. No dialog needed at all to know what was on his mind.

Anyway, back to the deed at hand…police procedure and forensics. Unfortunately, we start with Lanie. Grrr…

– Lanie marks the time of death (TOD) at precisely 11:15 because that was the time on the victim’s watch when it stopped working. She had no way of knowing the watch stopped when the guy fell and died. For all she, or anyone else knew, the watch could’ve stopped ten years ago, but the guy continued to wear it for sentimental reasons. I’ve already addressed the 9mm round to the head, so I’ll move on to her next dumb comment, where she stated that someone broke the victim’s fingers, one at a time. What, were his fingers equipped with timers and video recorders? Because there is no way she could have determined this. No way.

– Esposito commented that the cab driver, according to his GPS software, made a stop and left the motor running. I’ll turn this one over to you guys. Does GPS software have the capability to record whether or not the engine is running while a vehicle is stationary? I haven’t seen one that does.

– I now know the name of Beckett’s favorite TV show…CSI. This was quite easy to figure out, especially when she searched the storage unit by flashlight when there was a perfectly nice 4′ fluorescent light fixture hanging overhead. They seem to favor using flashlights on CSI, even in daylight. Well, TURN ON THE LIGHTS people! That’s how real cops do it.

– Why was Beckett wearing a radiation detector? Standard police equipment? Nope.

– The DHS guy who came in and took over the investigation, and the entire NYPD, allowed Castle to continue working on a federal case that involved a dirty bomb. No way that would happen, AND…there’s no way the captain and a handful of plainclothes detectives would respond to a truck containing a bomb. That’s the job of the bomb squad/hazardous materials unit. If they did, they certainly wouldn’t run up to the truck and fling open the back door without first checking to see if that action would detonate the explosive device.

By the way, why was there only one federal officer sent to handle something this large? Don’t they travel in herds when working high-profile cases?

– I was glad to see Castle using the department computers to trace the bad guy’s money trail. That’s about the only thing left in the entire department that he, as a civilian, hadn’t done.

– Castle made a great statement concerning hard-working writers. “Writers work so hard making the details right.”

– Beckett allows Castle to meet with the Syrian diplomat to discuss the case… Do I need to address this nonsense? I didn’t think so. Next.

– I mentioned that the DHS guy removed Beckett and Castle from the task force, yet they continued to investigate the foreign, killer terrorists who’ll stop at nothing to murder anyone and everyone. And Beckett and Castle chose to continue, alone. I have one more thing to say about this. NO!

Lastly, I have to bring up the bomb. It’s sort of a character, too. Right? Well, I found it almost comical that the terrorists were thoughtful enough to label their “blowup-the-entire-city-of-New York” bomb as radioactive. They were also kind enough to include a radioactive placard/logo on the device. I guess they didn’t want anyone to get hurt…

I wish the writers had been that thoughtful when they dropped those police procedure and forensic bombs into our living rooms.

How long, I wonder, will it be before we begin to hear of the “Castle Effect” in courtrooms across the country? Will jurors soon begin to demand to see Lanie’s Voodoo-style of forensics? I know I’m already hearing writers ask questions, or doubt an actual expert’s advice with a response that begins with…”But Rick Castle said…” Or, “That’s not how Kate Beckett did it.” And, “Beckett didn’t need a search warrant.”

It’s only a matter of time. Only a matter of time. Sigh…