
Castle gave us a really suspenseful episode with a bit of a cliffhanger. It was enjoyable on all levels. In previous Castle two-parters we’ve gotten great guest star turns from Dana Delany and Adrian Pasdar. Now it’s Jennifer Beals‘ turn. The case is pretty intriguing — and a little bit scary. Even Alexis gets her to turn to venture out of the house and into Castle’s world, much like Martha did earlier this season in “Cops and Robbers.” Some truths about “Pandora”:1. Alexis interning at the Medical Examiner’s office is a good thing. While a bit of a stretch, I don’t mind. It gets Alexis more involved in the show. And it also means more time for Lanie. Hopefully. I wonder how long this story will last? Is it just going to be for the two-parter? Or will it extend past that?
2. Thomas Gage is badass. He’s stealth-y and shady and unpredictable. The rogue CIA agent escaped from the police precinct. And he was able to get the best of Beckett and Castle. He easily took Kate’s gun away from her. Too easily. So scary. I love when there’s a good villain that keeps you guessing and provides a major challenge for our heroes. Gage does just that. That is, if he is the villain. It doesn’t seem like he’s the big bad. More like a foot soldier. But you just never know. David Chisum played Gage — I know him best from his time on the late daytime soap, One Life to Live. He played Mitch Laurence’s brother, Miles. I think Chisum may have been on the show when Fillion briefly returned as Joey Buchanan for Asa’s funeral.

3. Jennifer Beals and Nathan Fillion have chemistry together. Don’t get me wrong. I’m all about Beckett and Castle. But, the chemistry between Sophia Conrad and Rick Castle is undeniable. You can tell they share a past. And it may have been the kind of relationship that Beckett and Castle have yet to share. Although they need to share. Sooner rather than later, if you ask me. Anyway, I think Beals’ character was utilized perfectly in “Pandora.” Not too much, not too little. She looked at Rick like she knew him well, didn’t she? Usually Martha, Alexis and Kate look at him like that. So it was different seeing someone completely different act so comfortable with him.
4. I don’t mind a jealous Kate. First of all, I don’t blame her for being a little thrown at this turn of events. This is a huge thing to get used to — Kate wasn’t Rick’s first muse. Sophia Conrad was. Sophia was, in fact, the inspiration for his CIA Agent, Clara Strike. Castle clumsily tried to deflect the situation so he wouldn’t have to answer how long he and Sophia had worked together, but it didn’t work. It turned out to be a year. I liked the conversations between Beckett and Castle in this episode. Kate would pretend she didn’t care about what went on between Sophia and the novelist, but she did care. When Kate and Rick are trapped in the trunk, Beckett takes it upon herself to get them out of their predicament. She says “I am not going to be rescued by your girlfriend.” Ouch. Beckett probably doesn’t feel as special as she did before. However, if being jealous will get her to eventually admit to Rick she heard his declaration of love after she was shot, then bring on more jealous Beckett. More satisfying was when Castle came to Beckett with an idea about the chess pieces after their fight. She was skeptical about why he was coming to her with this intel and he summed it up in a succinctly awesome way: “She isn’t my partner. You are.” Castle rules.

4. The secrecy of the CIA was a fun element to the episode. Kate and Rick had to wear hoods every time they were brought to the CIA lair. Rick was jonesing over being in on the special assignment and being in the CIA office or basement or wherever they were — it made him feel like Jason Bourne meets James Bond. And how great was that scene when Conrad narrowed down the cell phone call using the CIA technology? I geeked out over that as well.
5. I enjoyed the Captain being out of the loop as much as Castle did. She’s been giving Rick such a hard time this year that when Sophia told Beckett and Castle they were part of a “special assignment” that they could not talk about, I was happy Iron Gates wasn’t in the know. Her boss, the Chief of Detectives knew all about the assignment, but she didn’t. And she wasn’t happy about it either. And I think Beckett got a little enjoyment out of it too. To me, It seems like she might have been amused at how much happiness Castle got out of telling Gates this was a need-to-know kind of thing. I sort of like the captain but she needs to learn to be more accepting of Castle. Just saying. I didn’t think it would happen right away, thankfully, but we’re well into Season 4. We’re growing close to the finish line, actually.
6. Sometimes watching the previews for the next episode sucks. After that killer cliffhanger with Castle and Beckett (and their car) being rammed off the pier and into the water, I watched the previews and everything was fine. Of course, I knew that they would be fine. These are the two leads, after all. But I think I wanted to remain in a delusional yet suspenseful haze for the next week. I guess I should have known better than to watch the sneak peek. The suspense was killed. I’ll know better next time there’s a two-parter. They do it every year on this show.
Castle airs Mondays at 10/9c on ABC.
Related posts
Classics
John Griffin and Harold Perrineau Talk From on EPIX Season 1 Finale
[Warning: General spoilers ahead.] How are we doing, #FROMily? In case you missed it this morning, the very good news is that that cliffhanger will be followed by a second season, which was gifted this morning ahead of the linear broadcast of the finale. I always legitimately appreciate when we…
Elizabeth Saunders Talks EPIX’s From
[Warning: General spoilers ahead.] One of the things that makes EPIX’s From such a fun ride is the abundance of Canadian cast members. Elizabeth Saunders, who plays Donna, is a favorite from her turn on the third season of Mary Kills People [streaming on Global TV in Canada and Roku…
Corteon Moore Talks From “Broken Windows, Open Doors”
[Warning: Spoilers for tonight’s episode.] Tonight’s episode of From had us all in our feels as we learned through flashbacks about the Sophie’s Choice Boyd had to make to save his son, and back in the present as Boyd said his piece with Ellis before heading into the woods with…
Pegah Ghafoori Talks From “All Good Things…”
[Warning: Spoilers for tonight’s episode] Tonight on From, Fatima’s anniversary celebration turned into a Colony House of horrors when a misguided Kevin let his monster bae in and she promptly killed him and left the window open for her crew. While the party devolved into terror and sent everyone running,…
Shaun Majumder Talks From “Book 74”
[Warning: Spoilers for tonight’s episode.] Tonight on EPIX’s From, Father Khatri made a bold move, kidnapping Sara instead of turning her in, and then recognizing her as a vessel for some big messages. That startling realization speaks to him on multiple levels–as a man of faith, a man trapped in…
Avery Konrad Talks About Sara’s Struggle in From “Silhouettes”
[Warning: Spoilers for tonight’s episode.] Over the course of the season so far on From, we’ve witnessed Sara’s battle against the voices telling her to to do terrible things, and tonight we saw her unravel further, threatening the Matthews and lashing out in a moment of terror with horrifying results….
Hannah Cheramy Talks From “Choosing Day”
[Warning: Spoilers for tonight’s episode.] Tonight, on EPIX’s From, the Matthews participate in the show’s version of the sorting hat, choosing where to call home–the town or Colony House. At the end of the episode, Julie makes the decision to split from her family and instead settle in with Fatima…
Ricky He Talks From “The Way Things Are Now”
[Warning: Spoilers for episode 102 of EPIX’s From.] Epix’s new series From is two episodes in and it’s already laying the groundwork for a seriously spooky season. Tonight’s episode demonstrated the careful balance of relief and horror that the show hits, with our characters’ worst fears realized, just not when…
Catching Up with Ted Lasso and Previewing Season 2
[Warning: General spoilers ahead.] The not so dirty little secret about how I approach a new series is that I sometimes make a call based on the headspace I’m in at the time. It’s been a minute since I’ve picked up a show after the first season and then binge…
Interview: Henri Esteve on Grown-ish Season 3
An interview with Henri Esteve, who plays Javi on Freeform’s Grown-ish. He talks about his season three experience.
What They Said: Three Revealing Conversations from Survivor’s Remorse “Closure”
WARNING: Spoilers for Survivor’s Remorse “Closure” The latest episode of Starz’s Survivor’s Remorse featured conversations that showed characters really digging deep into their thoughts, emotions and motivations.
Two Takes: The Catch “The Knock-Off”
Who can you trust? If this episode of The Catch was any indication, the answer is just about nobody. Betrayal was running rampant as Felicity (Shivani Ghai) arose from the dead to seduce-con Margot, Gretchen (Maria Thayer, Gotham, The Mindy Project) played gold-hearted Alice 2.0 before swindling Ethan, Tessa jumped…
What They Said: Top 3 Quotable Moments from Preacher “El Valero”
Both Quincannon and Jesse refuse to give up on what they each think is rightfully theirs. While Jesse is struggling to face the consequences of his actions, Quincannon has laid his past demons to rest and is hellbent on moving forward and putting Annville on the map again. Despite a…
What They Said: Favorite Quotes from Supergirl “Worlds Finest”
Oh, Supergirl. That ending was cold. But I can’t hate on you because the latest episode has quickly become one of my favorites.
What They Said: Top 4 Quotable Moments from Black Sails “XXIII”
The dialogue in “XXIII” is phenomenal. It’s always a fun ride when Black Sails carries its viewers along without giving them the chance to catch their breath. When an episode moves at this unforgiving pace, there is no chance for a breather nor is there a respite from the information…
What Lucifer Said: Favorite quotes from Supernatural “O Brother, Where Art Thou?”
Supernatural episodes are almost always funny but thanks to the dialogue and a certain man speaking said dialogue, I laughed a lot during “O Brother, Where Art Thou?” You know, when I wasn’t busy fearing for Sam’s life or wondering what in the world was going on with Dean and…
What They Said: The Flash, “Legends Of Today” and Arrow, “Legends Of Yesterday”
Two nights of Arrow + The Flash = what more could we ask for?! I don’t know what it is about blending these shows, but I can’t help but feel that every time they come together, they somehow become greater than the sum of their parts. And that’s saying a lot…
What they Said: Top 4 Quotable Moments from Graceland “Little Bo Bleep”
Shoot outs. Fake outs. And long-awaited revelations. “Little Bo Bleep” was a jam-packed episode that wrapped up some loose ends and totally frayed others. Â It finally gave us one Sarkissian in jail and pulled back the curtain on Briggs’ master plan, but it also set up Jakes for a world…
What They Said: Favorite Quotes from Poldark “Part 4”
“What have I told you, I don’t require my wife to crochet and sip tea, but I do require her to remember she’s not a beast of burden.†No, I’m not talking about The Rolling Stones! I have to admit though, just for a second, the lyrics popped into my…
3 Moments of Goodness from Brooklyn Nine-Nine “Johnny and Dora”
The most satisfying part of this season’s finale has to the Jake and Amy kiss. Well, they kiss three times but the last one is the best one — and it means something. The Charles and Rosa dynamic was also great. I love how she’s convinced he doesn’t know anything…