Over the winter hiatus, I was making the odd note for this review regarding how annoyed I was that Ryan & Jenny's baby was arriving in the midst of a life-threatening situation, and how 3XK is possibly the worst storyline on television, so it's fair to say this review wasn't originally going to be overly positive.
However after tonight's episode, I threw all those notes away and watched in awe of the sheer power and quality of this episode of Castle.
Long time Castle fans will be familiar with the show's unique ability to switch between light-hearted humor and banter, and intense, heavy drama in the space of a week. The creative team are a highly talented bunch who are masters at moving the show so seamlessly between these polar opposite modes. In my opinion, there is no show on television that executes these change-ups better than Castle.
'Under Fire' is one of the better change-ups Castle has seen in its 6 seasons, and one of the more dramatic too. As with all the others that have gone before, you really notice the cast, writers, and directors really upping their game to deliver the high quality drama, but for me, this episode had something different. I can't put my finger on it, but this episode moved me a lot more than previous change-ups.
The lead cast members turned their characters into completely different people in 'Under Fire', yet they still retained their core personality despite the dire situation they were faced with. Even though his friends were at death's door, Castle still stayed on task, and worked to make the story make sense. Beckett stayed calm and ensured she did what she could. Ryan and Espozito stuck together and saved each other's lives while remaining upbeat and witty. And Captain Gates turned on her inner mongrel to deliver results.
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| Tamala Jones as Lanie Parish |
It's not all in the acting though. I absolutely loved composer Robert Duncan's work with this episode. He really brought a new dimension to the situation with the powerful scores he produced. I know I'll be rewatching this episode with my eyes shut a couple times just so I can listen to the music. The writers - creator and executive producer Andrew Marlowe, and executive producer David Amann, did a stunning job with the dialog. The directing by Paul Holahan was also excellent, and the special effects and CGI teams also deserve a lot of credit for this episode too.
And while I'm still a bit uneasy about the circumstances of Jenny's birth, I'll leave that for now. If anything it will further strengthen the bond between mother, father, and baby, providing the creative team provide the airtime for appropriate continuity. Castle & Beckett will also have become closer deep down too. Despite the surface humor by both parties, and the word 'babe' by Beckett, televisions's most adorable couple are becoming more marriage-ready. But don't forget Lanie & Esposito. This episode was the perfect setup for them to become a more prominent item. Again, continuity is required here
I'll leave the 3XK thing for another day. This episode doesn't deserve to be paired alongside that. But I'm really looking forward to seeing Castle's father return next week. For those who watch Castle in Canada on CTV, or from a CTV internet stream on Sunday, you're out of luck next week with CTV shifting Castle to Monday to free up space for the 71st Annual Golden Globe Awards.
Thanks for reading! Don't forget to leave your thoughts on this week's episode in the comments below! You can see Castle ratings and statistics, and a breakdown of ratings by individual writers on my website, www.seriesmonitor.com/castle.
Jimmy
Jimmy - thanks for a thoughtful review. If I may point out, Castle press releases spell the character name "Esposito."
ReplyDeleteI agree with you 99% (I love 3XK) but this episode actually made me, not just tear up but actually get choked up and shed some tears at the end. This episode was almost more creepy than Disciple but this one ended tied up with a lovely bow. Not that I enjoyed the 6 weeks I had to wait between new episodes but this one was definitely worth the wait. Everyone involved, cast and crew are to be congratulated for a job very well done.
ReplyDelete"3XK the worst storyline in television"?! Sorry, totally disagree with you, I love that storyline and for me it´s one of the best out there:)
ReplyDeleteAgreed! It's even better than the whole Bracken/Beckett's mother story.
ReplyDeleteGreat review Jimmy.
ReplyDeleteI personally loved this episode and I got quite emotional. I wasn't sure about what to expect as its very rare we get to see Ryan and Esposito in actual danger and even when we do, the story line has still been more about Castle/Beckett (remember the first kiss). Though there were some treats in there for Caskett fans (the whole 'babe' thing was really sweet), I really appreciated the focus on Ryan/Esposito and not only their humour but what they truly mean to each other.
The acting was superb from the whole cast including Juliana who doesn't get much screen time. Each actor brought even more nuances to their characters that I absolutely love and I hope they carry over some to future episodes and the ordeal is not just swept under a rug.
This is definitely an episode I will be watching over and over again and I'm sure I will find even more to love and I will definitely be listening more carefully to the music (thanks for the heads up on that Jimmy!)
Great review. You're right. The writers seem to love bombs and explosions hahaha but this episode was different from the other ones involving a bomb. This episode showed bromance, friendship and sense of family (the whole 12th became a family who welcomed Jenny and Ryan's kid). So touching!
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