Network: CBS
Time: Tuesdays, 8:00-9:00pm
Cast: Mark Harmon, Michael Weatherly, Cote de Pablo, Sean Murray, Pauley Perrette, David McCallum, Rocky Carroll
WARNING: The following review contains spoilers for the episode.
Summary: When a marine is murdered while on a dinner cruise, the team works with the Coast Guard Investigative Service to solve the crime. (from tvguide.com)
Review: Eight seasons in, NCIS has become fairly formulaic. It's a science that clearly works for them, since NCIS is arguably the most-watched scripted show on television, but it means that some episodes will be nothing special.
This was a nothing special episode.
The only thing that made this episode stand out a little from others was the return of CGIS Special Agent Abigail Borin (aka Other Abbs). Abigail is the Gibbs of the Coast Guard, from the succint statements to the coffee swilling. I've always enjoyed watching Gibbs when he's forced to interact with other agencies, and this was no exception. She's probably the only one he's ever actually seemed to like (since he always pretends to be annoyed when he has to work with Fornell), and I really liked their scenes together. I hope they'll continue to bring her character back.
The rest of the episode was on par for an NCIS episode. They investigated the shooting of a marine who was on a cruise with SA Borin, a marine who also happened to be the prodigal son of a wealthy family. Turns out Junior wanted to take the family business and make it a charitable non-profit. The minute that little tidbit was introduced, I was able to identify the killer, so no surprises there.
Even our regular characters were just average tonight. Coming off a great DiNozzo episode, I was a little disappointed that Tony was back to his usual self, apparently having learned nothing from his joke-free time. McGee was slightly off, two days of overtime turning him into a bit of a slacker (though he still does more in any given episode than everyone else on the team combined). And I can't even remember the scenes in autopsy.
The only character who stood out in this episode was Abby, who seemed to be having a great time with the other Abby. It's rare that Gibbs and Abby like the same woman, but it seems like SA Borin might be the exception. The scenes in the lab were by far my favorite moments, and the dynamic between the three was fun and engaging. Borin's brisk manner complemented Abby's long-windedness well, and Gibbs' brevity fit in well with both.
Were you as apathetic towards this episode as I was? Leave me some comments and let me know.
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Email me at NewarkCrimeTV@gmail.com.
Rating: 3/5
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Castle - Poof, You're Dead
Network: ABC
Time: Mondays, 10:00-11:00pm
Cast: Nathan Fillion, Stana Katic, Jon Huertas, Seamus Dever, Ruben Santiago-Hudson, Molly C. Quinn, Susan Sullivan, Tamala Jones
WARNING: The following review contains spoilers for the episode.
Summary: Castle and Beckett interview a top magician after the owner of a magic store drowns in Houdini's legendary water torture tank. Elsewhere, romance is in the air for Esposito and Lanie. (from tvguide.com)
Review: While not quite as good as last week's episode, Castle certainly continued to prove it's worthy of the full-season pick up it received. This episode had a little bit of everything: murder, relationship drama, murder, and even magic.
"Poof, You're Dead" focused on the investigation into the death of a magician who supposedly killed himself using a magic trick. Obviously, this being a crime show and all, the suicide turned out to be a murder, which then turned out to be the first step of what may be Castle's most complex storyline ever.
If I have one complaint about this episode, it was how convoluted it was. They introduced more red herrings than usual, and they were (almost) all men, so by the time the full story came out, I was having trouble remembering which name belonged to which character, and what that character's relationship was with the dead guy. To top it off, the dead magician had an identical twin with a similar name, which added another layer of complexity.
That being said, I think it's the first time all season I haven't guessed the killer from the moment he or she entered the room. I was completely surprised by twist (perhaps because I was still trying to figure out how they leapt from magicians to philanthropist billionaires), and I enjoyed the element of surprise. Most of the time, the case is not Castle's strong suit, and the show is mostly focused on the characters' interactions as they solve it. It seemed that was on the back burner, and a significant portion of this episode was focused on actually solving the crime, instead of bantering. It was a refreshing change made better by the fact that they didn't completely abandon Castle and Beckett's repartee as other shows are wont to do.
That's not to say this episode was completely without a humorous dive into the characters' lives. In fact, for the first time ever, Lanie was given a prominent place in the plot. Seems our favorite medical examiner has a new man in her life--Detective Javier Esposito. Was I the only one who giggled like a schoolgirl at that? TVGuide.com had it included in their preview, so I wasn't surprised it happened, but I was surprised by how much I like the idea. I hope they continue to give us glimpses into their relationship, though I would request that they only try to hide it from the team for another episode or so. Any more than that, and I think it would get boring, especially since we already know the team knows.
Lanie and Esposito weren't the only couple the episode focused on. Many moments were devoted to the (apparently) increasingly tumultuous relationship between Castle and his girlfriend/publicist Gina, culminating in a breakup that was neither surprising nor (for me) important. Considering Gina essentially disappeared after she and Castle began dating--only resurfacing that one time to bond with Alexis--I'm completely not invested in her, and I completely don't care that she's gone. Now Beckett just needs to lose the doctor guy, and they can all live happily ever after.
My only other comment is that I missed Castle's mother and daughter again. I feel like they used to be in more of the episode, instead of the one or two scenes they had this week and last. And while I did love the scene where Castle and his mom talked about Gina, just once I'd like to see them actually finish a conversation without the case interrupting.
What did you think, Castle fans? Did the case seem unusually complex to you? Are you excited about Lanie/Esposito? Do you also think Ryan deserves the award for Best Dressed Detective this week? Leave me some comments and let me know.
For more crime TV news, follow NewarkCrimeTV on Twitter.
Email me at NewarkCrimeTV@gmail.com.
Rating: 4/5
Time: Mondays, 10:00-11:00pm
Cast: Nathan Fillion, Stana Katic, Jon Huertas, Seamus Dever, Ruben Santiago-Hudson, Molly C. Quinn, Susan Sullivan, Tamala Jones
WARNING: The following review contains spoilers for the episode.
Summary: Castle and Beckett interview a top magician after the owner of a magic store drowns in Houdini's legendary water torture tank. Elsewhere, romance is in the air for Esposito and Lanie. (from tvguide.com)
Review: While not quite as good as last week's episode, Castle certainly continued to prove it's worthy of the full-season pick up it received. This episode had a little bit of everything: murder, relationship drama, murder, and even magic.
"Poof, You're Dead" focused on the investigation into the death of a magician who supposedly killed himself using a magic trick. Obviously, this being a crime show and all, the suicide turned out to be a murder, which then turned out to be the first step of what may be Castle's most complex storyline ever.
If I have one complaint about this episode, it was how convoluted it was. They introduced more red herrings than usual, and they were (almost) all men, so by the time the full story came out, I was having trouble remembering which name belonged to which character, and what that character's relationship was with the dead guy. To top it off, the dead magician had an identical twin with a similar name, which added another layer of complexity.
That being said, I think it's the first time all season I haven't guessed the killer from the moment he or she entered the room. I was completely surprised by twist (perhaps because I was still trying to figure out how they leapt from magicians to philanthropist billionaires), and I enjoyed the element of surprise. Most of the time, the case is not Castle's strong suit, and the show is mostly focused on the characters' interactions as they solve it. It seemed that was on the back burner, and a significant portion of this episode was focused on actually solving the crime, instead of bantering. It was a refreshing change made better by the fact that they didn't completely abandon Castle and Beckett's repartee as other shows are wont to do.
That's not to say this episode was completely without a humorous dive into the characters' lives. In fact, for the first time ever, Lanie was given a prominent place in the plot. Seems our favorite medical examiner has a new man in her life--Detective Javier Esposito. Was I the only one who giggled like a schoolgirl at that? TVGuide.com had it included in their preview, so I wasn't surprised it happened, but I was surprised by how much I like the idea. I hope they continue to give us glimpses into their relationship, though I would request that they only try to hide it from the team for another episode or so. Any more than that, and I think it would get boring, especially since we already know the team knows.
Lanie and Esposito weren't the only couple the episode focused on. Many moments were devoted to the (apparently) increasingly tumultuous relationship between Castle and his girlfriend/publicist Gina, culminating in a breakup that was neither surprising nor (for me) important. Considering Gina essentially disappeared after she and Castle began dating--only resurfacing that one time to bond with Alexis--I'm completely not invested in her, and I completely don't care that she's gone. Now Beckett just needs to lose the doctor guy, and they can all live happily ever after.
My only other comment is that I missed Castle's mother and daughter again. I feel like they used to be in more of the episode, instead of the one or two scenes they had this week and last. And while I did love the scene where Castle and his mom talked about Gina, just once I'd like to see them actually finish a conversation without the case interrupting.
What did you think, Castle fans? Did the case seem unusually complex to you? Are you excited about Lanie/Esposito? Do you also think Ryan deserves the award for Best Dressed Detective this week? Leave me some comments and let me know.
For more crime TV news, follow NewarkCrimeTV on Twitter.
Email me at NewarkCrimeTV@gmail.com.
Rating: 4/5
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Castle - Nikki Heat
Network: ABC
Time: Mondays, 10:00-11:00pm
Cast: Nathan Fillion, Stana Katic, Seamus Dever, Jon Huertas, Ruben Santiago-Hudson, Susan Sullivan, Molly C. Quinn
Summary: Beckett and Castle tackle an upscale matchmaker's murder case, and they have company: the actress cast as Nikki Heat, who wants a deeper grasp of her character. Her copycat image soon becomes too much for Beckett, but Castle likes it. (from tvguide.com)
Review: Just when I think I can't possibly enjoy Castle anymore than I already do, something like this happens.
Maybe it's because it was the first episode after a too-long break or because Laura Prepon was guest starring, but everything about this episode seemed to click. Castle and Beckett's banter was seamless and exceptional, and the addition of a new character didn't put a damper on it. If anything, Prepon only added to the chemistry. She really showed her acting ability in this episode. She did Beckett almost as well as Stana Katic does, but with a hilarious, sometimes creepy edge to it. She toed the line between ditzy Hollywood starlet and serious method actor well, adding just enough insightfulness to avoid being labeled an idiot. And she played so well off Nathan Fillion and Stana Katic that I could have sworn she'd been acting with them for years.
Prepon's oft-creepy imitations allowed for some great moments between Castle and Beckett as well. I've said before that Nathan Fillion and Stana Katic are both wonderful physical actors, and it really showed in this episode. The wide array of facial expressions that both actors demonstrated were spot-on for whatever situation they were in, from Castle's wounded pride look to Beckett's half-terrified, half-bewildered expression when Natalie Rhodes steals her coffee. There was never a moment where I felt they were over-the-top or off in any way, and I laughed harder at those moments than almost anything else in the episode.
But as much as I found myself laughing, "Nikki Heat" also brought me to tears. I'm not too proud to admit I cried a bit at the end, like any sappy, over-emotional girl would. This is the first episode that Ryan has had his own story (aside from a few minutes where they first introduced his girlfriend), and even though it was just used as filler for the main arc, it was still wonderful to see Seamus Dever getting some love. Ryan is one of my favorite supporting characters, and I loved every minute he was on the screen.
If I had any negatives, there were two small things. The first is that there wasn't nearly enough of Grams and Alexis. I'm not really sure where they would have fit in this episode, but I always love their scenes, so I was a little disappointed that they just had one in the beginning.
The second thing is that I had very little emotional investment in the case. For me, it was just a reason for all these characters to be interacting. It took half the episode for me to remember the victim's name was Stacey. I didn't even try to guess the killer because I wasn't paying enough attention to what was going on to know which character was which. That being said, I don't feel I lost anything by not following it. This was still, without a doubt, one of my favorite Castle episodes of all time. With February sweeps lurking just around the corner (alright, they're four weeks away), I can't wait to see what future episodes will hold.
For more crime TV news, follow NewarkCrimeTV on Twitter.
Email me at NewarkCrimeTV@gmail.com.
Rating: 5/5
Time: Mondays, 10:00-11:00pm
Cast: Nathan Fillion, Stana Katic, Seamus Dever, Jon Huertas, Ruben Santiago-Hudson, Susan Sullivan, Molly C. Quinn
Summary: Beckett and Castle tackle an upscale matchmaker's murder case, and they have company: the actress cast as Nikki Heat, who wants a deeper grasp of her character. Her copycat image soon becomes too much for Beckett, but Castle likes it. (from tvguide.com)
Review: Just when I think I can't possibly enjoy Castle anymore than I already do, something like this happens.
Maybe it's because it was the first episode after a too-long break or because Laura Prepon was guest starring, but everything about this episode seemed to click. Castle and Beckett's banter was seamless and exceptional, and the addition of a new character didn't put a damper on it. If anything, Prepon only added to the chemistry. She really showed her acting ability in this episode. She did Beckett almost as well as Stana Katic does, but with a hilarious, sometimes creepy edge to it. She toed the line between ditzy Hollywood starlet and serious method actor well, adding just enough insightfulness to avoid being labeled an idiot. And she played so well off Nathan Fillion and Stana Katic that I could have sworn she'd been acting with them for years.
Prepon's oft-creepy imitations allowed for some great moments between Castle and Beckett as well. I've said before that Nathan Fillion and Stana Katic are both wonderful physical actors, and it really showed in this episode. The wide array of facial expressions that both actors demonstrated were spot-on for whatever situation they were in, from Castle's wounded pride look to Beckett's half-terrified, half-bewildered expression when Natalie Rhodes steals her coffee. There was never a moment where I felt they were over-the-top or off in any way, and I laughed harder at those moments than almost anything else in the episode.
But as much as I found myself laughing, "Nikki Heat" also brought me to tears. I'm not too proud to admit I cried a bit at the end, like any sappy, over-emotional girl would. This is the first episode that Ryan has had his own story (aside from a few minutes where they first introduced his girlfriend), and even though it was just used as filler for the main arc, it was still wonderful to see Seamus Dever getting some love. Ryan is one of my favorite supporting characters, and I loved every minute he was on the screen.
If I had any negatives, there were two small things. The first is that there wasn't nearly enough of Grams and Alexis. I'm not really sure where they would have fit in this episode, but I always love their scenes, so I was a little disappointed that they just had one in the beginning.
The second thing is that I had very little emotional investment in the case. For me, it was just a reason for all these characters to be interacting. It took half the episode for me to remember the victim's name was Stacey. I didn't even try to guess the killer because I wasn't paying enough attention to what was going on to know which character was which. That being said, I don't feel I lost anything by not following it. This was still, without a doubt, one of my favorite Castle episodes of all time. With February sweeps lurking just around the corner (alright, they're four weeks away), I can't wait to see what future episodes will hold.
For more crime TV news, follow NewarkCrimeTV on Twitter.
Email me at NewarkCrimeTV@gmail.com.
Rating: 5/5
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