Castle Season Finale - "A Deadly Game"

SPOILERS: Last night's episode

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To be totally honest, as much as I really like this show, and as fun as the case was, this was a bit of a disappointment in terms of a "season finale." There were good moments, and it would've been great as a normal episode, but to end the season it fell a bit flat. "Tick, Tock, Boom" did more, honestly, and would have been a better finale (in fact, when it aired, I made the mistake of thinking it WAS the finale). It did much more in terms of thrill and development, something this episode was kinda missing in the right amounts.  

I will give the Castle writing team this - the case was FUN. The "Spyventures" twist was shocking and absolutely delightful. As a James Bond fan, I could totally relate with the victim; I would probably pay good money to have that real of a spy experience (up to the actual illegal id/money exchange and dying part of course).

And then....meh. To be honest, the background drama wasn't really exceptional. Castle's a protective dad, Beckett and Castle share looks, we know. Yes Beckett put herself out on a limb, and, yes, every girl sympathized with her - but it wasn't unexpected. In fact, the most dramatic moment for me was watching her teammates - Esposito, Ryan, Lanie, and even the Chief. There faces, to be honest, said more than Beckett and Castle. This isn't to say that the actors were bad, merely they didn't have new material to go off of, making it a less than passionate scene.

Also, I think Castle's procedural equation is really starting to get to me. Yes, Nathan Fillion keeps it fresh with his hilarious and comical reactions to stuff like the victim's wife and partner having an affair as an alibi. But a few phrases are starting to grate on my ears, especially about the victims. I'm really sick of hearing "he was great, everyone liked him, who would want to kill him?" and "we were married X years!"

There was however, one thing I REALLY liked about this episode. The poker gang was back! (Image Source)

I LOVED all the digs at James Patterson, about him only needing a few hours to write a new book. In fact, I didn't realize this, but he cameos as himself for these poker scenes. How fun! I really enjoy seeing Castle as a writer, consulting the friends he would actually have in real life.

All that aside, especially after watching Castle, this episode left me feelling...meh. Very meh. I like this show a lot, and the episode was good. And of course, I'll definitely watch next season, and tell my friends to watch, because Nathan Fillion is excellent. But was it great? Did it really excite me and did THIS episode make me want to tell everyone that this is the show to watch?

...Meh

~ Sarah