Guest Star Goodness: Castle “The Blue Butterfly” 

Weren’t the ’40s scenes on this week’s Castle, pretty? Everyone looked amazing as the action flip-flopped between then and now. I liked every time Beckett and Castle doubled as Vera and Joe. It was nice to see them close. Their chemistry was electric, of course. And it was equally awesome seeing Castle geek out over this story from back in the day. It was nice to see Tamala Jones sing, kiss Castle and be in an episode more than ever before. I really appreciated that. And loved that Ryan and Esposito both had to sport accents. The guest stars were fabulous too. Let’s break down who did what in “The Blue Butterfly”:

• Mark Pellegrino played a dual role (Tom Dempsey/Tom Dempsey III): Pellegrino is an actor who frequently appears in our various columns that highlight guest stars. He was recently in the Chuck series finale and on TNT’s The Closer. There’s a good bet he’ll be on an upcoming Supernatural and Being Human as well. But it was nice to see the Lost alum on Castle as the gangster back in the ’40s and his grandson in the present. It’s always comforting to see him pop up on a show, don’t you think? Although, I would really love to see him get his own series. And be the lead. And be awesomely badass like we all know he can be. That’s not too much to ask for, right?

• Patrick Cassidy (the snooty Clyde Belasco): It took me a while to suss out the identity of famous treasure hunter, Clyde Belasco. While Beckett interrogated him at the precinct, I figured it out. It was Patrick Cassidy, brother to Shaun and half-brother to David. About seven years ago, I actually saw him on stage in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat in Tulsa, Okla. True story! Cassidy’s a TV vet having done multiple episodes of Love Boat, Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman and Smallville. He was the lead in a small screen version of Dirty Dancing back in the late 80s. He also co-starred with his brother David in the short-lived ABC Family series, Ruby and the Rockits.

Chad Everett (Jerry Maddox/Joe) and Ellen Geer (Viola Maddox/Vera): One of my favorite parts of “The Blue Butterfly” was finding out that Jerry and Viola Maddox were really Vera and Joe, the couple Stana Katic and Nathan Fillion played in flashbacks. I know their story back then turned out twisted but I loved how they loved each other so completely and didn’t need anything material to ruin everything between them. They were content having their kids, grandkids and great-grandkids. They were just an adorable couple, weren’t they? I flashed on Beckett and Castle’s future. They could be this couple — down the road, of course.

• Chad Everett. In the ’60s/’70s he was a heartthrob doctor on a show called Medical Center. In today’s terms, you could probably consider him the McDreamy of his time. Over the years, he’s starred on countless TV shows and miniseries. More recently, he played an aged Dean Winchester on Supernatural in a Season 5 episode called “The Curious Case of Dean Winchester.” Everett did a fantastic job embodying that iconic role. It was really good seeing him on Castle. I really believed Jerry/Joe’s love for Viola/Vera.

• Ellen Geer: This is the third actor in this episode who has also guest-starred on Supernatural. She was the rich lady who hit on Sam Winchester in a Season 3 episode called “Red Sky at Morning.” Geer is a TV veteran in her own right having guest-starred on everything from CHiPs to Falcon Crest to Desperate Housewives and Bones. And everything I said about Chad in this week’s Castle goes for Ellen too. You could feel the love between them and the happiness just showed on their faces. Love that this couple cleared everything up for Castle’s curious mind; told the cop and the novelist they wanted nothing to do with the actual Blue Butterfly; and lived through a twisted tragedy to lead a happy, happy life. Geer and Everett made a great TV couple.

Did you catch the preview for the next Castle? It looks intense but this show’s two-parters always are. Jennifer Beals joins the fun. I’m looking forward to her presence on the show and how it’s going to affect all things Beckett and Castle.

Castle airs Mondays at 10/9c on ABC.