'Castle' Review/Recap: "Clear & Present Danger"

Devika Syal ‘18 / Emertainment Monthly Staff Writer

Monday night’s episode of Castle featured a good balance of sweet, hilarious, and frightening as it tackled the case of a murder committed by a seemingly invisible man. This isn’t the first time the show has brought in an aspect of the supernatural into the murder investigation, fueling Castle’s (Nathan Fillion) usual far-fetched theories into overdrive each time. Previous investigations included the death of a famous ghost hunter, a teenage girl killed by telekinesis, and a man claiming to be from the future.
While the show is different from other detective shows on air in that it skillfully ties in the aspect of humor into Castle’s character and includes outlandish scenarios, it’s still a cop show at its core. Therefore, the end of every episode has a very plausible solution to each murder. Because of this, supernatural-themed episodes of Castle seem like a waste at this point. Sure, they bring audience members to the edge of their seats, hoping that this could be the episode where things really are out of the ordinary, however this is usually not the case. It provides the excitement and mystery, however viewers ultimately do know how it is going to end.
A pool hustler has been killed by an unknown force, initially believed by Castle to be the devil. However more prompting leads him to believe it is an invisible man. A series of information leads Castle and Beckett (Stana Katic) to learn that the victim was working in a secret scientific lab trying to create an invisibility suit. It turns out that he was using his ex-girlfriend’s knowledge of marine biology to help further his research. When he didn’t actually want to commit to the relationship, she got revenge by murdering him wearing the invisibility suit he created.

The episode was far-fetched yet predictable. The fact that the murderer was using an invisibility suit seemed like a cop out. It would have been much more interesting if they had been able to find a solution answer as to how the murderer did it. It was as if the writers were trying to make something supernatural seem realistic yet ended up making something up completely. After a while, it was easy to figure out who the killer was, too, based on clues given and the general way in which the character was introduced. This led to just waiting for the episode to end and waiting for Castle and Beckett to figure it out.
While the premise of the episode was a slightly faulty supernatural mystery, the real promise came from the characters. Last week showed a slightly frazzled Kevin Ryan (Seamus Dever) who had been expressing financial worries ever since the birth of his daughter. When Ryan enters the office smelling like alcohol, it led to the split-second worry among viewers that Ryan’s stress has led him to alcoholism. Thankfully, the show brings back the humor when it is revealed that he is simply a bouncer at a male strip club, prompting best friend and partner Esposito (Jon Huertas) to buy him some very tiny underwear.
Fans of Castle’s and Beckett’s relationship, “Caskett,” were also pleasantly surprised as the couple’s relationship has started normalizing after the traumatizing past two months. Beckett is even able to make a joke about it! The pair’s antics as they try to get back to the bedroom are classy and sweet rather than desperate and raunchy. It went to show that after everything the couple has been through, not just recently but in the span of the show, they truly do belong together.

The show has recently had a lack of Lanie (Tamala Jones), the precinct’s main medical examiner. However, there has been more screen time for a new character who works with technology and tracking people down. While this new character is helpful, she lacks the character and personality the examiner has. Seeing as this is only the third episode of the season, hopefully Lanie will soon be back and for good. However, the fact that is it only the third episode and she is already being missed shows her importance in the show. The core team feels incomplete without her.
Overall, Monday’s Castle was solid. This is a show that does not disappoint. However, now that the show has moved on from Castle’s kidnapping storyline for a bit, hopefully next week’s episode will show things getting back to normal, without invisible people. Just a good, clean murder!
Overall Episode Grade: B