TV Review: CASTLE – Season 4 – “Cuffed”

By ANNE LOUISE BANNON / Contributing Writer

Posted: December 13th, 2011 / 03:46 PM

Stars: Nathan Fillion, Stana Katic, Susan Sullivan, Molly Quinn, Tamala Jones, Seamus Deaver, Jon Huertas, Penny Johnson Jerald
Writer: Terri Edda Miller and Andrew W. Marlowe
Director: John Terleskey
Network: ABC, Monday nights, 10 p.m.
Original Telecast: December 5, 2011

I have to give writers Terri Edda Miller and Andrew W. Marlowe a lot of credit for finding a legitimate way to tell a story in flashback (a tactic I usually find lazy and abhorrent). They start the “Cuffed” episode of CASTLE with crime-solving author Richard Castle (Nathan Fillion) and Det. Kate Beckett (Stana Katic) waking up hand-cuffed together. The flashback scenes happen as they try to remember how they got there.

This worked. And if what you liked most about CASTLE was the light-hearted fun with a touch of romance, this episode is there. Medical examiner Lanie Parish (Tamala Jones) and Det. Javier Esposito (Jon Huertas) are having their issues – which leads to a wonderful bit in which Beckett says about them to Castle, “They’re two people who want to be together but don’t want to admit it.” Uh-huh. Kate, you think you might be in the same boat with Richard?

And the other prize line happens as Castle is trying to help Beckett out of her high-heeled boots so she can climb on his shoulders and possibly get out a trap door above them. Castle looks at the heels and asks, “how do you run in these things?” Beckett doesn’t answer but it’s like we’ve been thrown a wink since every female cop on TV wears shoes with insane heels and it’s impossible to run in them and we all know it.

This being a spoiler-free zone, it’s a little hard to talk about the episode beyond the basics. Beckett and Castle do piece together that the victim was a John Doe who was smothered and had his fingertips burned off to prevent identification. From there Esposito and Det. Kevin Ryan (Seamus Deaver) have to pick up the pieces, especially once they realize that Beckett and Castle have been gone for a very long time – they, uh, forgot to tell anyone where they were going.

And while the whodunit part does not follow the usual pattern of repeat visits to the questioning room (thank heavens), there are plenty of twists and turns, including DEA agent Chuck Martinez (Darin Heames) – he’s kinda cute, so we’re wondering if we’re going to see him again. And there may be a softening between Beckett and Castle that may hint that the friendship is getting warmer. And I gotta admit, as frustrated as I have been about the whole unnecessarily protracted “will they, won’t they?” routine, I do like that the relationship is developing into something warmer without all the storm and stress. It’s actually more realistic and really sweet, in a way.

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