Knockout

While watching the episode I found fresh quality with the dialogues, first as Castle open up to and confronted Beckett regarding their unspoken love affair, and then as Montgomery gave spoke wisely to Beckett about the nature of the job.

What threw me was how funny it looked as Castle literally "carried" Kate out of the hangar (which for some reason had no security guards whatsoever, as if choppers are a dime a dozen) and how clumsily the setup for that standoff was crafted. We can suspend our disbelief for the sake of the story but not for such circumstantial element that are actually supposed to strengthen the credibility of the plot.

And then... An active sniper nestled pretty close to where there are hundreds of cops. Come on, please.

So, even though I did appreciate how they wanted to handle the tone with this one, I didn't buy it. Sorry but certain scenes in this episode look like carictures of what they were intended to be.

When successfull series need to keep the tension for the main story, they unfortunately sail into such troubled waters. I had observed similar drops in quality with the very stretched Red John saga of The Mentalist.

I can't say I didn't enjoy them trying a harsher and darker tone for the sake of keeping thebigstory alive, but in addition to the nonsensical details I mentioned above, the resolution just does not add up.

What now, Montgomery had all the answers BUT did nothing about this as Beckett's and the force's time and resources were being wasted? The character was not constructed in a fashion to support such a background or an attitude.

I can imagine the reasons behind this episode is being rated so high but I think the script had as many holes as a Swiss cheese, turning the execution into acheesy kind of dark, which definitely wasn't the intention.

I hated this episode because it is part of the Becket's mom thread which points to powers that can't be beat. I hated everything to do with this thread, and it only gets worse through the remaining seasons. This episode highlights that in ways those involved should have seen. But TV dramas are all about overcoming the odds. I just never believed these were odds such that even our favorite heroes could overcome, and I wasn't completely wrong. It's not a spoiler to say the series goes another 5 years and at least the most main characters will still be there to the last episode.

OK, it's really that I hated what the episode represents, all of what I say above. This episode has a good story within the set boundaries. Once the climax starts, it's a wild ride all the way to the final seconds. The acting is good. The characters are real and there the viewer sees deeper into them even if some of the motives are hard to fathom.

Tightly-plotted, well-scripted and VERY plausibly acted.

The "Joanna Becket murder arc" moves forward, in a storyline which will keep conspiracy theorists, Castle fans and realists all satisfied - which is not a five-minute job in the back of the ScriptWriters' Room.

Enjoyable, day and nightwork, good Police procedurals and some sadness.

The story covers multiple settings and the evidence trails are obviously set up for Season Four. There is angst and tension and the relationship between Rick and Kate moves forward in leaps and obstinate bounds.

These two deserve to be together; watch the episode to the very (bitter) end for Castle's words.