Castle 3.16 “Setup” Review

Was this episode insanely brilliant or what, Castle fans?

I have to say it’s a relief that I can finally discuss it with you guys and boy, there is a lot to talk about. First of all, I love the premise of Castle. I love that it’s that kind of show that when an episode ends you had an entire hour of great entertainment and I honestly think that Castle fits the category ‘dramedy’perfectly.

That said, I absolutely love when they step out of their comfort zone and do episodes like last night’s ‘Setup’. Once again, they have proved they can do suspense and action as well as they do comedy and emotional. It had been a while since I was on the edge of my seat during an entire episode (this season’s ‘3XK’was probably the only one that came close to it) and the comparison to last season’s two-parter is inevitable. Both episode combos dealt with intense plot lines with that underlying current of relationship between the characters. Last year, they were trying to catch a serial killer; this year, our dynamic duo is faced with a very real terrorist threat that puts a whole lot more people in a whole lot of danger.

I can’t help but notice that as the relationship between Castle and Beckett evolves so does the situations they get themselves into. It seems that this year — that they have been closer than ever — the stakes are much, much higher so they have to rely on each other a lot more, which in turn allows the writers to explore their relationship more deeply.

In ‘Setup’, Beckett is trying to deal with her rocky relationship with Josh while being a professional and dealing with a potential nuclear bomb that has gone missing. If that had happened a year ago, we would never have gotten that confession during the quarantine scene. It is crystal clear now that she trusts Castle entirely and considers him a very close friend. I got the impression that she does care about Josh, but things aren’t going as she expected. It’s like he is great in theory (a surgeon, rides a motorcycle, handsome, goes on Doctor Without Borders mission to help people), but he is never around for the stuff that really matters. Add that to the fact that she and Castle have gotten a lot closer and all the things he has done for her that more than proved he cares deeply for her — not to mention the kiss. I can’t even imagine the jumbled mess that Beckett’s heart is right now. On the one hand she has a boyfriend that is pretty much perfect in theory, but is never around; on the other hand, she has Castle who is always there for her, but is someone she doesn’t completely trust with her heart. She trusts him with her life, that is more than clear to me; but I think that when it comes to giving them a chance to explore a romantic relationship, she is terrified of what could possibly happen.

When she tells him that what she really wants is someone who will be there for her and she will be there for him, I don’t think she said it on purpose to get a reaction out of him. At that moment, she was just confused and frustrated with her situation with Josh and had to talk about it with someone and Castle happened to be a guy willing to listen. Maybe later, she might have realized what she said and to whom she said it, but I believe that moment in the quarantine scene was just her venting out her frustrations. However, that scene served as enlightenment for Castle because now he knows what she is looking for so he can work toward that. Nathan Fillion was absolutely brilliant with his facial expression when that guy interrupted their conversation and told them they could leave. Right then and there, Castle knew that this was a rare opportunity to peal another layer of the Beckett onion, as the detective herself always says, and he wanted to make the best of it.

That brings us back to the precinct and Adrian Pasdar’s character. DHS Agent Mark Fallon seems to be a driven guy and very good at his job. The way he questioned Amir’s wife proved that he has no qualms about doing whatever it takes to get the job done. As Beckett herself put it, he is kind of a douche, but I think that is probably what makes him so good at what he does. Adrian Pasdar said in interview with TVOvermind that there is more to Agent Fallon than meets the eye, so here is hoping we will get to see another side of him next week.

His character served to bring Castle and Beckett even closer. When Castle goes out to talk to the Syrian Ambassador, Beckett covers for him because she trusts his instincts. When they are caught, she stands up to him and doesn’t back down, even when Fallon kicks them both out of the case. That obviously just fuels their need to go rogue and do a little investigating on their own, which gets them in even more trouble.

What I loved about last night’s episode was also that it gave a chance for every single character to shine. It’s great to see that Castle is slowly becoming not only about the protagonist, but about everyone else that surrounds him as well. I particularly loved seeing the Captain take a more proactive approach to this case and actually going on the field.

I am sure there is a lot more to talk about that I most likely forgot to mention, so feel free to point it out to me. I would also like to take this opportunity to invite everyone to discuss the episode at our brand new Castle Forum. Go register and let’s talk about what you guys thought of ‘Setup’and what are your expectations for next week.

Personally, I am insanely excited about ‘Countdown’. I was already excited because Castle producer Terri Edda Miller said last week that if I had liked ‘Setup’, ‘Countdown’was going to blow my mind. After the promo (both Canadian and American), I have to say my excitement grew exponentially.

February 28^th cannot get here fast enough.

Check out both promos below and let’s chat about them in the Castle Forum.