'Castle' Review/Recap: "Once Upon A Time In The West"

Devika Syal ‘18 / Emertainment Monthly Staff Writer

This week’s episode of Castle took off where the previous episode left off. After Beckett (Stana Katic) and Castle’s (Nathan Fillion) wedding, they invite their friends from the precinct to a small toast in their home to tell them the news. The topics raised in Emertainment Monthly’s review of their wedding were adequately covered throughout this week’s episode. As mentioned in last week’s review, it was unusual and rather unfair that the couple did not invite Ryan (Seamus Dever), Esposito (Jon Huertas), and Lanie (Tamala Jones) to their little ceremony. It was meant to be an event for the immediate family, however the three should be considered family at this point. In the most recent episode, Esposito basically said the same thing, and he and Ryan continued to mope about it for the next forty minutes. Even Captain Gates (Penny Johnson) made a snide quip about not being invited to the toast.
The fact that the show made this a huge point in this episode is a good thing. It shows that the writers are not careless with continuity and can predict and understand their audience’s reactions or expectations. It also emphasized just how much the characters love each other. Lanie told Beckett that she had been avoiding eating poorly so that she could fit into her maid of honor dress the second she needed to. Ryan and Esposito told Castle that they had written a song for the couple’s reception. (Although they bitterly refused to sing it for them. Come on, Ryan and Espo’! Forget, Caskett! Fans want to hear this song!)

The entire episode’s storyline was interesting and engaging. It managed to merge two stories into one: Castle and Beckett’s honeymoon and solving a murder. This way, fans got the pleasure of seeing their favorite television relationship in action while still enjoying what the show is actually about. It’s revealed that Castle and Beckett cannot go on a honeymoon because Beckett had spent all of her vacation days looking for Castle when he had gone missing. An easily looked over line, Beckett’s sentiment reminded viewers about the couple’s dedication to one another. However, a murder took the couple to a mock wild west tourist town, where they used their newlywed status to go undercover as honeymooners and investigate the scene to figure things out about victim and why she was killed, all the while trying to have an enjoyable honeymoon experience.
The episode was overall very strong. By having everything set in that little western town, Castle and Beckett were able to be authentic, dressing and acting like people in the old west might have. Castle’s excitement at trying a variety of activities, and attempting (and failing) to use the jargon of the old west was endearing and hilarious. Meanwhile, it was fun to see Beckett slowly embrace the wild west during their short time in the town. It was only a plus that the couple looked wonderful in western attire.

In addition, the actual mystery tied in to the western theme, including the quest for bars of gold and a tag team pair of bandits from decades ago. Castle was even almost involved in a classic shoot out in an empty saloon with the murderer. The authenticity and resemblance it had to a western made the episode fun and different. It was nice to get a story away from the big city and the typical New York murders.
While this week was all fun, games, and wedding celebrations for both the characters and viewers, next week’s episode will get back to business and be full of suspense and drama, as the newlywed leads take a step back and Ryan and Esposito take on the action.
Overall Episode Grade: A+