What a delightful treat that was, right?
ABC’s Castle reached a significant milestone with its 100th episode, titled “The Lives of Others,” which aired last night. As many of you know, I had the opportunity to preview this episode last Friday, and I’m thrilled to finally discuss it with you all. I genuinely hope it was worth the wait and met your expectations.
Since Friday, I’ve watched the episode in its entirety once more and reviewed individual scenes a couple of times. After my initial excitement subsided, I caught a few things that I didn’t notice the first time I watched it. Although some aspects bothered me a little, the episode was so enjoyable and had such a celebratory vibe that I’m willing to let them slide. Suspension of disbelief and all that.
Addressing the (Somewhat) Bad Stuff
Let’s get the not-so-great stuff out of the way first. What was up with Martha calling Kate “Katherine”? I’ve been pondering this for the past few days, and I can’t come up with any plausible theories. It felt so out of place that I cringed the first time I heard her say it. Going from calling her “Kate, darling” to Katherine is more than a little strange, so I’m turning this one over to you guys. What’s your take on it?
Secondly, as much as I adored the whole April Fool’s joke slash birthday present, didn’t it all seem a bit too perfect? It felt like everything fell into place just right, and the timing was absolutely impeccable. Maybe it’s just me being picky, but it didn’t bother me the first time around, and I only noticed it the second time. Perhaps it’s because I already knew it was all staged, as during my first viewing, I was so caught up in the story that I didn’t see it coming.
‘The Lives of Others’: A Fantastic Ride
Apart from those minor issues, I thought “The Lives of Others” was absolutely amazing. I’m not sure it earns the title of my favorite episode ever, but it’s undoubtedly one of the very best. It had everything that initially drew me to this show: outrageous humor, suspense, and a fantastic portrayal of Castle and Beckett’s relationship. One of my biggest complaints about this season was the lack of balance between showcasing their relationship and working a case every week. However, it seems they found their groove in the past couple of episodes, especially in the 100th one.
I loved that we finally got to see how they act as a couple outside of the precinct and particularly how affectionate Kate is towards Castle. I also enjoyed seeing just how well she knows him. It seemed that it was always the other way around, with Castle being the one who knew all the layers of the Beckett onion. But it appears to be a mutual thing, and Kate has learned a lot about him over the past few years, even more so during their time together. If you think about it, they’ve been together for almost a year now, and it’s just a natural progression of their relationship.
Another thing that bothered me slightly was the missed opportunity for an “I love you” from Kate in the final scene. It seemed like the perfect moment, with Castle utterly amazed by what she had done for him. But it appears they’re still saving that one. I have a feeling it will either come out during episode 21 or in the finale. Either way, it better make an appearance sometime this season because I’ll be really peeved if they make us wait an entire summer for it. Although, we did make some progress when Kate sneakily said, “It’s one of the things that I love about you.” So, at least it’s something.
I’m sure I’m forgetting to comment on many things, but please feel free to share your thoughts below or on Twitter (@lucianamangas). In conclusion, “The Lives of Others” definitely lived up to my expectations and beyond. It was everything I could hope for in such a significant milestone as the 100th episode, and I genuinely hope we can make it to a hundred more.
A+
Enjoyed your thoughts. The use of “Katherine” by Martha was actually one of my favorite aspects of the episode. Martha generally calls Castle “Richard”, so I felt the formal use of Kate’s name showed some progression in the relationship between Kate and Martha; Kate is more like family now. Their growing relationship was also highlighted at the party with Martha about to step in to defend Kate when Castle seemed like he might be upset and in Kate embracing Martha twice after Rick expressed his pleasure at the surprise. I love the little insights into the dynamic between Kate and Martha and I hope to see more of that relationship.
I have mixed feelings about the indirect “love” admission by Beckett toward the end of the episode. Since it has been obviously withheld all season, I would have liked to have seen it used more directly for the first time on screen. However, I do think it’s somewhat in keeping with Beckett’s character and her tendency to take things slow emotionally and be cautious about investing fully. It was rather nice to see that baby step and to have something a little more overt to look forward to in the coming episodes.
I adored the episode.
Can we just mention how ADORABLE Alexis and Castle were in this ep; when they were spying together, that was superbly done. And the fact that I had no idea whatsoever that the whole thing was set up and was a surprise party is just kudos to AWM and Co. Seriously, did not see it coming at all. If this is a peek into what the next few eps are gonna be, boy aren’t I excited. AWM and Terri should keep writing more eps together, they bring the best on the Caskett front everytime. Love it.
Here’s to 100 more everyone.
It seems to me that Kate is now considered a member of the family, e.g., Richard or Alexis, by Martha and having her spend her nights in the loft only fortifies that fact within the Castle family. Every episode exceeds the bounds of total believability but that’s what makes Castle fun and not CSI, and at times has me falling off the sofa laughing. The C/B relationship is moving along by leaps and bound as compared to previous seasons and that’s great. Now we’ll be able to see the impact danger will have on this entire family when it comes to pass. I want to see the conversations at the end of episodes, which should be incredibly complex with this growing family.
Did I like “lives of others”, no I loved it. My one wish is to have Alexis meet and begin dating Victoria Gate’s son in college just so that extremely talented actress won’t be wasted from the story lines anymore. And I know how improbable it is to wish for MilMar to write more stories together, but damn you two are fabulous.
Great article for one of the best episode ever. To comment what you said, here’s my 2 cents. It didn’t bother me that Martha called her Katherine, I liked it. I don’t know why she did that but it didn’t seem awkward to me. About the staged homicide, yeah I thought that (not the first time either) everything was too perfectly timed, but I think that a lot of secret comunications between Martha, the actors, Alexis and Kate were going on off screen. For example when Rick goes into the apartment it would have been easy for Alexis to alert Martha somehow by phone and make the actor come back while Rick was there. The guy was on the phone, we don’t know with whom but I suspect a redhead!!! Or maybe they some hidden cameras… I don’t know and honestly I don’t care so much. What bothered me a bit was the kiss, you maybe can’t notice it while you watch the scene, but if you look at the screencap you will see that Kate’s kissing the space between Rick’s nose and his upper lip and Rick’s kissing her chin… That was awkward and the more I look at it the more it bothers me somehow… Anywat I LOVED this episode and I think the “I love you” thing is just inches away now, she’s failing to hold it back very well like she did before and this episode just proved that with the fact she used the word love instead of like this time. I can’t wait but I hope it will be a sweet and passionate moment, not a dramatic one.
To me… this was a phenomenal episode to celebrate asuperb television series!
“Katherine” => Since Martha calls her son “Richard”, I interpreted this as her full acceptance of Kate as ‘part of the family’.
How it was “too perfect” => The boys sparked his interest in the binoculars (most likely on purpose), and then Alexis was always around to ensure that his attention was brought back to what was going on in the adjacent apartment. As Beckett’s greatest ally in this endeavour (which was great to see), Alexis made sure that Castle was attentive during all the key events.
Okay, I had the opposite opinion of you, Lucianna, on my second viewing. The second viewing allowed me to see all the signs that it was a setup from the beginning whereas with the first viewing I was as completely clueless as Castle. LOL. There were several moments and lines of dialog that upon a second viewing made me go, “Ohhhh. D’Oh!” Things like Alexis giving her dad the binoculars and *why* she gave them to him and that being so clearly stated for us the audience; the way everyone was subtlety encouraging and enticing Castle to use the binoculars (when Espo and Ryan where using them I doubt there even was a woman disrobing — it was all part of the ruse to entice Castle to use them); the quick little smirk and wink Alexis gave Kate when Kate said, “And you helped him with this?”; Martha going on a retreat — I suspect she was somewhere (perhaps in another one of the apartments) watching Castle watching the apartment so that she knew when to cue her actors; some of the specific words of dialog Kate had with Espo and Ryan about Castle’s current state of mind that upon a second viewing has a whole new meaning, the way Kate sat way behind Castle at the bar — and slightly out of focus for us the audience – while Ryan and Espo gave him an updates (she could have sent them singles from there without Castle noticing); the mischievous smile she had on her face, that we the audience could see but Castle couldn’t, when she hugged him as he was looking out the window; the way Kate was looking at Gates when she was chewing them out about the storage break-in; Alexis spending time with him to keep him interested in what was going on across the street while Kate was at work, and on and on and on. Talk about getting Punked? Castle got totally PUNCKED!!
As for the use of “Katherine” instead of “Kate;” other than the occasional “Kido” Martha is not big on nicknames or shorten names. She has always called everyone by their full names *especially* the people nearest and dearest to her. Castle has always been “Richard” not Rick, or Ricky or some other nickname a mom might call a son. When she called Kate “Katherine” I was like, “Oh! OMG! Totally acceptance!” LOL. The way I figure it at this point If she suddenly goes back to “Kate” *then* we should be worried. And if she starts calling Kate’s dad James instead of Jim it’s over. LOL. It would be fantastic and mean one big happy family — which is good — but it would probably also signal the end of the series because Marlowe must not have any more story to tell. LOL.
Concise, Grey, very Concise. If AWM & CO ever wanted to stand the series on its head, you have to remember they killed Roy Montgomery.
Actually, that was exactly what I meant, Grey. The first time I watched, I was exactly like Castle, completely sucked into the story, that it was a total surprise when it turned out it was just a ruse to get him to the surprise party.
The second time was when I started questioning that it was just too perfect, the timing impeccable, you know? And then I noticed how obvious a lot of the signs were, just like you mentioned.
About the Katherine debate, it seems that everyone has pretty much the same opinion on it, and now that you’ve pointed it out, I agree with it and feel a little stupid for not noticing it before! lol
I will say that I thought that Katherine sounded wierd to me but maybe it was to reference Katherine Hepburn. Kate is as beautiful as Katherine was. I loved Stana’s smiles and expressions and it is amazing how she brings Beckett to life each episode. Beckett has come so far and her love for Richard Castle is so apparent and deep. Her saying ILY will just cement their relationship.
An episode with so many plot holes doesn’t deserve an A+. If you watch it knowing the surprise twist at the end, the rest of it doesn’t make sense!
How did the actors always know exactly when Castle would be looking out the window (especially when it was, at times, in the middle of the night)?
Why did Espo and Ryan behave as if they had know idea what was going on whenever they were alone with Beckett and the subject came up? Ryan even interrupted an interrogation to tell Beckett to take Castle’s call.
Why was Alexis so concerned about her father getting caught by the actor?
The episode went out of its way to make it look like no one was in on the prank, which is just lazy writing.
This series was never meant to be a procedural. For that you’ll have to look elsewhere. A writer shadowing a detective for five years? Castle was always meant to be lighthearted, that’s probably why the dark episodes seem so foreboding and that’s sudden imbalance is what keeps us all returning.
It is pretty unbelievable that Castle would catch all of the “action” exactly on time. However, parts could be read either way…there’s a real murder or it’s just a prank. Ryan and Esposito were worried that it’d gone too far, that Castle was really scared, Alexis was worried that he’d hurt himself worse etc…I knew before the episode aired that it was a prank but I really enjoy the show so I was able to suspend disbelief for most of it…