… a catalyzer!

“Wait, a what?” For anyone who’s up on their Firefly lore, a catalyzer is that critical piece of equipment that a Firefly-class ship needs in order to function … pretty much at all. You probably would remember this piece best from the awesome Firefly episode “Out of Gas“, being the piece that Mal needs to replace in order to get Serenity working again and able to call back his crew.

For those of you who don’t know what the heck I’m talking about, read on.

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Halloween really lends itself well to the Castle style, and the writers really pulled out all the stops when given the chance to run with it. The big surprise of Nathan Fillion in his Mal costume from Firefly was given away long ago, but it was still great to see. As a bonus, it wasn’t just Castle wearing the costume. That was a full on Mal entrance he made … before being shot down by Alexis. She even got the line of the night when she asked, “Didn’t you wear that like five years ago?” Read the rest of this entry »

That line, which Castle used as the code to call in his “CIA guy”, is the perfect example of why “Fool Me Once” was such a great episode. Everything about the case was so random, and off the wall. But even those odd little throw away bits, like the call, were so funny. I had high expectations after seeing the previews last week, and the show lived up to all of them. Possibly even surpassed them. In addition, that great case tied in very nicely with the little drama between Castle and Alexis at home. Read the rest of this entry »

…and the clothes are to die for.

“Inventing The Girl” is a perfect example of what I really like about Castle. There is certainly a formulaic aspect to the case of the week, but they manage to do it in an interesting way. This week, I was sure I had figured out whodunit three different times before it all became clear. That formula we’ve all seen a thousand times is so much more fun when it keeps you guessing. And, of course, it doesn’t hurt that the case is so neatly wrapped in all the various other goings on that come with Castle, the character. From the magazine coming out, to Martha’s audition, right on through to the Riina and Alexis reunion and Beckett’s begrudging request for a copy of the book. More than anything else, Castle is just fun. Read the rest of this entry »

(UPDATE: The Easter egg has been revealed … and it’s not this painting.)

This past Friday, Nathan Fillion made mention the following cool tidbit for anyone who’s a fan of Fillion or Firefly (actually you’re probably a fan of the other if you’re the fan of one, because that would just be really weird and, come on, it’s Nathan Fillion. You know, Captain Hammer. Bam, said the lady.) Apparently there’s a Firefly “Easter egg” on the set of Castle:

Nice to see Jewel Staite and Hubby at Castle today. Showed her the Firefly Easter Egg on Castle set. Can YOU find it?

Oh, the gauntlet is thrown, Mr. Hammer!

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Dear Detectives Esposito and Ryan,

I am writing this letter to sincerely apologize for not learning your names sooner. This week’s episode of Castle really helped cement your names for me, since this is the second episode in a row where you each actually had lines.

I’m almost embarrassed to admit it, but I kind of thought of you both as one guy. Neither of you had a distinct personality to me, so I just melded you into one semi-useless sidekick in two bodies. Paying the both of you for that role really wasn’t in the best interest of the producers, so I’m glad they started to delineate the differences between you.

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Last week, Debbie talked about how the sidekicks were getting a little more play. That trend continued this week, and hopefully that means she’ll learn that their names are Esposito and Ryan (I kid). The dueling murders, complete with a bet, were the perfect setup to give the two of them more of the spotlight. Also, I have to give bonus points for the case of the week. The Strangers On A Train story is certainly nothing new for a TV crime show, but the Grovener misdirection had me going. Read the rest of this entry »