Devika Syal ‘18 / Emertainment Monthly Staff Writer Stana Katic and Nathan Fillion in the Castle episode “Last Action Hero.” Photo Credit: Michael Desmond/ABC.Castle was back this week with a murder mystery far less dramatic or frightening than last week’s episode. Channeling his inner fanboy, Castle (Nathan Fillion) is put on the case of his dreams when one of his favorite action heroes from the 80s is killed and he’s responsible for finding out who did it. With the help of Beckett (Stana Katic), Ryan (Seamus Dever), and Esposito (Jon Huertas), of course.
The mystery itself took many twists and turns, as any good one should, revealing new things about the victim and the suspects at any opportunity. Initially Castle thought the victim, his childhood hero, was a Latin American spy. He soon figures out that that was a disguise to cover up his real, unglamorous profession, a goat herder, to Castle’s disappointment. Interrogating all of Lance’s contacts, it was revealed that he had an affair with his former co-star’s wife, resulting in a son. She ends up being the very unexpected killer who didn’t want the affair to be revealed after twenty years of keeping it quiet. This mystery tied in to a lot of Castle’s earlier episodes, where the murder mystery would go in many different directions before a familiar face was revealed to be the criminal. Ted McGinley, Krista Allen, Nathan Fillion and Stana Katic in the Castle episode “Last Action Hero.” Photo Credit: Michael Desmond/ABC.
The best part of the episode was when Castle got to live the movies that he used to idolize. Already excited when he was invited out for drinks with the stars, he soon realized that he was to be part of a heist to steal information Beckett needed to potentially solve the murder. The show even featured the cliché, cheesy scene where the good guys walked in a line away from an explosion. Well, the professionals did. Castle was shown freaking out and flinching at the sight. He may have watched a ton of action movies growing up, but he sure couldn’t live them out. Although, it could be argued that Castle is very much a hero in his own right, using more brain than brawn. Viewers knew Fillion wasn’t acting much as he showed enthusiasm throughout the episode, seeing as he is a self-proclaimed fan of so many similar things.
A small bit of humor in the episode came from Ryan and Esposito, as it often does. Inspired by the action hero atmosphere present in the precinct, Ryan decided that he needed a catchphrase to legitimize his detective work. To Esposito’s dismay, he tried out a variety of phrases during his investigation. The sheer outrageousness of what he said in conjunction with the fact that sweet, gentle Ryan was saying them made everything hilarious. At one point, someone he was interrogating even looked him in the eye after he uttered a catchphrase and basically said, “I do not know what that means.” Krista Allen in the Castle episode “Last Action Hero.” Photo Credit: Michael Desmond/ABC.
The episode ended on a sweet note. Throughout the show, there were various scenes showing Beckett packing up her old apartment and getting ready to move in with Castle. At one point, she and Lanie (Tamala Jones) spend an evening reminiscing and proposing a toast “to the best apartment ever.” While Castle went on and on about how happy he was to get Beckett out of her old, undesirable apartment, to her it was home. It was the place where the most life-changing moments of her life had taken place, and where she had fallen in love with Castle. The episode ended with a beautiful scene showing Beckett carving her initials, KB, into a wall. Reminiscent of something so many people have done while moving, Beckett’s actions showed her moving on to bigger and better things in life, while still being grateful for the past.
