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'Castle' - 'Food to Die For' Recap

Jane Boursaw — 2010-05-04T09:28:00+00:00

Filed under: Episode Reviews, Reality-Free, Castle, Features, Recaps

(S02E22) "The eternal struggle between work and play. The trick is, when you grow up, to find work that feels like play." - Castle to Alexis

This episode of 'Castle' really played out like a whodunit mystery novel. I guess they all do, but this one really jumped out at me that way, like a Nikki Heat book sprung to life. Plus, it's pretty cool that Castle is a foodie and a fan of the fictional 'Kitchen Wars.' And I'm not surprised that Beckett had no idea the reality show even existed. She's very busy. Solving crimes and all.

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ABC Announces Its May Sweeps Highlights

Rich Keller — 2010-05-03T10:04:00+00:00

Filed under: Programming, Celebrities, Reality-Free, Cougar Town, Modern Family, FlashForward, Castle, Features, TV Schedules, TV News

For the networks, the month of May means just one thing: Sweeps -- the time of year where the Big 4.5 networks pull out all the stops to end their seasons with high ratings and, hopefully, increased ad revenue.

For ABC, this is a particularly important Sweeps period. Not only are a number of renewed freshman and sophomore series ending in the next few weeks, but the network's flagship program -- 'Lost' -- is completing its long and complicated run. Needless to say, they've packed the schedule with guest-stars, trips to exotic locales, and a return of 'The Bachleorette.'

As mentioned, the series finale of 'Lost' is big doings. On Sunday, May 23rd, the network will air a two-hour 'Lost Recap Special' starting at 7:00 p.m. followed by the last episode at 9:00 p.m.. To the cap the night off, Jimmy Kimmel will interview the creators and cast of 'Lost' on a special Sunday edition of 'Jimmy Kimmel Live.'

More highlights can be found after the jump. Be warned: minor spoilers ahead.

'Castle' - 'Den of Thieves' Recap

Jane Boursaw — 2010-04-20T09:00:00+00:00

Filed under: Episode Reviews, Reality-Free, Castle, Features, Recaps

(S02E21) "She and Captain America are in there with Fred Cana." - Castle, noting that Beckett and the new cop are interrogating someone

You could just hear the voices in Castle's head during this episode of 'Castle.' Did I miss my chance? Should I have put the moves on Beckett by now? What is wrong with me?!

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'Castle' - 'The Late Shaft' Recap

Kona Gallagher — 2010-04-13T00:45:00+00:00

Filed under: Episode Reviews, Castle, Features, Recaps

(S02E20) First of all, 'The Late Shaft?' really? That has to already be a porno,right? If it isn't already, I'm sure it's going to be now. After the endless media scrutiny, and of course after Conan's big news, it's really fun to see a new spin on the Late Night Wars. Things got pretty heated between Conan and Jay, so someone getting killed with balsamic vinegar was really the natural progression of the whole thing.

Also, balsamic vinegar? I watch enough Big Pharma commercials to know about MAO inhibitors, but fermentation? Come on, Internet doctors, help me out. Is this even possible in a parallel universe? And if so, why isn't everybody killing everyone this way all the time? Also, a salad sounds pretty good right now.

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What's On Tonight: 'House,' 'Big Bang Theory,' 'Damages'

Rich Keller — 2010-04-12T12:23:00+00:00

Filed under: Other Comedy Shows, Late Night, Programming, 24, House, The Daily Show, How I Met Your Mother, Celebrities, What To Watch Tonight, Damages, Reality-Free, Gossip Girl, The Big Bang Theory, Nurse Jackie, Jay Leno, Castle, Features, TV Previews, TV Schedules, TV News

Here's tonight's TV lineup (all times Eastern). All shows mentioned are new, unless otherwise noted.

8:00 to 9:00
ABC: 'Dancing With the Stars' -- Two hours
CBS: 'How I Met Your Mother' and 'Rules of Engagement'
The CW: 'Life Unexpected'
FOX: 'House' -- Finally!
BBC America: 'Top Gear'
Cartoon Network: 'Adventure Time With Finn & Jake'
Nick: 'Glen Martin, DDS'
TLC: 'Little People, Big World' -- Two 30-minute episodes

9:00 to 10:00
CBS: 'Two and a Half Men' and 'The Big Bang Theory'
The CW: 'Gossip Girl'
FOX: '24'
NBC: 'Trauma'
A&E: 'Intervention'
Cartoon Network: '6TEEN'
TLC: 'Ultimate Cake Off'
TruTV: 'Operation Repo' (starts at 9:30)

10:00 to 11:00
ABC: 'Castle'
CBS: 'CSI: Miami'
A&E: 'Runaway Squad' -- Two 30-minute episodes
FX: 'Damages'
MTV: 'True Life'
Oxygen: 'Tori & Dean: Home Sweet Hollywood'
Showtime: 'Nurse Jackie' and 'United States of Tara'
TNT: 'Saving Grace'
Travel: 'Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations'

Check your local TV listings for more information. After the jump, the late night talk shows.

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'Castle' - 'Wrapped Up in Death' Recap

Jane Boursaw — 2010-04-06T05:22:00+00:00

Filed under: Episode Reviews, Reality-Free, Castle, Features, Recaps

(S02E19) "If something happens to me, I want you to look out for Alexis ... Would you also go into my closet and get rid of my porn collection before she finds it?" - Castle to Beckett

This was sort of an odd episode of 'Castle,' in that it seemed like it was either filmed before the drama of the past two weeks (Beckett nearly died! Castle invited her to move in!), or they're simply back-burnering that storyline. Either way, it was kind of a funny episode with lots of great lines from Castle. That's true of every episode, though. The writing is great.

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ABC Renews 'Castle' for A New Season

Allison Waldman — 2010-03-31T10:03:00+00:00

Filed under: OpEd, Celebrities, Pickups and Renewals, Casting, Reality-Free, Castle, Features, TV News

A week ago with 'Dancing With the Stars' returned for the current season, a new episode of 'Castle' aired afterwards and did something it had never done before. It beat 'CSI: Miami' in the ratings. Not a rerun of 'CSI: Miami.' No, it was a fresh, Horatio Cane dealing with his son episode. Now, normally, that's a slam dunk for CBS. However, 'Castle' took the hour.

This is all a way to explain the following: ABC has renewed 'Castle' for another season. ABC is not just jumping on a strong pairing of 'Dancing' and 'Castle,' because you can't count on that always being the best draw of a Monday night.

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'Castle' - 'Boom!' Recap

Kona Gallagher — 2010-03-30T01:45:00+00:00

Filed under: Desperate Housewives, Episode Reviews, Reality-Free, Castle, Features, Recaps

(S01E18) As much as this episode veered into "bad buddy cop movie" territory several times, it was definitely a fun hour of television. In fact, after watching last week's episode, and now this, I could definitely see 'Castle' spawning a successful made-for-TV-movie franchise at some point. This storyline was a perfectly-contained movie, and it goes to further prove what the actual 'Heat Wave' novel showed us: these characters can thrive in stand-alone stories.

As Jane mentioned last week, Dana Delany is great as Agent Shaw, and I loved seeing her outside of her increasingly ridiculous role on 'Desperate Housewives,' although it was nice to see her and her 'DH' hubby, Nathan Fillion, reunited -- especially because I'm pretty sure it was more his role on that show, and less his cult status from 'Firefly' that got Fillion the 'Castle' gig in the first place.

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'Castle' - 'Tick, Tick, Tick...' Recap

Jane Boursaw — 2010-03-23T01:54:00+00:00

Filed under: Episode Reviews, Reality-Free, Castle, Features, Recaps

(S02E17) "There's an app for that?" - Castle to Jordan Shaw, on her fingerprint app

Tonight's episode of 'Castle' was the first of a two-parter, and some pretty big stuff happened. If you haven't seen it yet, I'll wait til after the jump to talk about the major spoilers.

One thing I can talk about before the jump is Dana Delany. It was really awesome to see her in a meatier role than her 'Desperate Housewives' character. Ever since 'China Beach,' I've been waiting for her to get a really good role and hopefully, her new ABC pilot 'Body of Evidence' will be just that.

I know she's had plenty of roles since 'China,' but nothing that's equaled it in my mind. What can I say? I live in the past. She also played Magnum's girlfriend, so there.

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'Castle' - 'The Mistress Always Spanks Twice' Recap

Kona Gallagher — 2010-03-09T09:45:00+00:00

Filed under: Episode Reviews, Reality-Free, Castle, Features, Recaps

(S02E16) Nathan Fillion really dug deep into his repertoire of cheesy faces for this episode, didn't he? His reactions to some of the naughtier things were so over-the-top that they went from funny, to lame, and then circled back around to hilarious.

There was a lot to like about this episode, whether or not you enjoyed the many faces of Fillion. There was a large suspect pool, plenty of twists, and best of all, two stars from beloved teen dramas. Hudson University has the best PhD program ever (if you overlook the fact that you're likely to be murdered there). Where else could you go for your degree with both Brian Krakow from 'My So-Called Life' and Lane Kim from 'Gilmore Girls?' Granted, this didn't work out so well for Jessica, as Brian Krakow's (or "Matt's," as it were) jealousy led to the exposure of her double-life and eventual murder, but still. How fun!

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'Castle' - 'Suicide Squeeze' Recap

Jane Boursaw — 2010-02-09T16:45:00+00:00

Filed under: OpEd, Episode Reviews, Reality-Free, Castle, Features, Recaps

(S02E15) First of all, those stilettos Beckett had on were awesome. I'm not saying that so much as a girl crush, but as more of a 'Sex and the City' sort of style thing. Her mullet seems to have calmed down a little, and overall, I'm liking her style (though I'm still on the fence about her jacket pictured above). Girlfriends, what say you about the jacket?!

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'Castle' is Moving to Sunday (For One Night Only)

Bob Sassone — 2010-02-04T13:09:00+00:00

Filed under: Programming, Celebrities, Casting, Reality-Free, Castle, Features, TV Schedules, TV News

I have to admit that 'Castle' is a show that took me surprise. I thought it would be one of those light cop/buddy/romance dramas with two different people thrown together even though they don't really want to be together and they'd banter and solve crimes and then the show would be a trivia question later. But it has actually turned out to be doing well for ABC, so I was wrong. Now ABC is moving the show from Monday to Sunday.

Relax, it's only for one episode. For one night only (for now, anyway), March 21, 'Castle' will knock 'Brothers & Sisters' off the schedule and will follow 'Desperate Housewives' on a Sunday. And fans of the show will be happy to know that there will be another new episode the following night in its regular time slot. It's a two-parter that will guest star Dana Delany as an investigator who teams up with Fillion and Stana Katic to find a killer.

Review: Castle - The Third Man

Kona Gallagher — 2010-01-26T00:20:00+00:00

Filed under: Episode Reviews, Reality-Free, Castle, Features, Recaps

(S02E14) Well, this was certainly a complex episode. There were so many twists and turns, that it was hard to keep up at times. What made it even more interesting is the fact that the entire episode was riddled with weird (though not unenjoyable) sitcom cliches. At the end of the episode, I learned two things: I would really like my next job title to be "gentleman squatter," and Castle and Beckett are in loooove.

I'm not in the camp that thinks Castle and Beckett getting together automatically means the series is doomed, but I'm not exactly waiting for the inevitable hook-up with bated breath. However, if they keep throwing their love for each other in our faces like they've been doing recently, then it's going to get pretty difficult to not spend most of the hour sitting in front of my TV yelling, "You're both pretty! Just do it and move on!"

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Review: Castle - Sucker Punch

Jane Boursaw — 2010-01-19T05:35:00+00:00

Filed under: Episode Reviews, Reality-Free, Castle, Features, Recaps

(S02E13) "Now I own a boat!" - Castle, mimicking a late-night infomercial guy

This episode of Castle was really fun (as usual), until we learned that the killer was connected with the murder of Beckett's mother. Then things got intense really fast. And she nearly had the whole thing wrapped up in the palm of her hand, until ... she didn't. But maybe she's a little closer to solving that murder.

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Review: Castle - A Rose for Everafter

Kona Gallagher — 2010-01-12T04:30:00+00:00

Filed under: Episode Reviews, Reality-Free, Castle, Features, Recaps

(S02E12) Do you think child stars from the 80s had some sort of secret blood pact that prevents them from aging? I ask because there are a lot of them (whose names aren't "Corey") who look amazingly good. Alyssa Milano guest-starred in this week's episode of Castle, and damn. She doesn't look like she's aged a day in the past decade. It's a little creepy, especially when we see the picture of her and Castle together. Nathan Fillion looks like a big-haired, skinny (albeit adorable) punk, and Alyssa Milano looks exactly the same. She's like Dorian Gray or something.

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Review: Castle - The Fifth Bullet

Kona Gallagher — 2009-12-08T09:10:00+00:00

Filed under: Episode Reviews, Reality-Free, Castle, Features, Recaps

(S02E11) Don't you just love it when a series uses a tired cliche, only to take it in a completely different (and fascinating) direction? That's what Castle did in this week's episode, and it turned out to be one of my favorites of the season so far.

As soon as J walked in with amnesia, I groaned. Amnesia? Really? When it turned out that he was also a shooting victim and that, in a Theodore Roosevelt-like twist, it was a book that had saved his life, it became more interesting to me. However, I still thought I knew exactly what was going on -- and it's a testament to this episode that I was so very wrong.

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What Jane is thankful for

Jane Boursaw — 2009-11-26T09:02:00+00:00

Filed under: OpEd, Video, TV Squad Lists, Fringe, True Blood, Glee, Vampire Diaries, Lie to Me, Castle, Features

Happy Thanksgiving! It's that time of year when we reflect on all the good things in our lives, and of course, my thoughts turn to TV. Let's take a look at a few things on the tube that make me feel all warm and fuzzy.

Sexy vampires. Oh my, we got lots of them this year. The Twilight Saga: New Moon's got nothin' on TV vampires. Eric Northman and Bill Compton from True Blood are definitely at the top of my list. Pictured is that hunk o' steamy vamp himself, Eric, a.k.a. Alexander Skarsgard in real life. But we also got those lovely Salvatore brothers on The Vampire Diaries. Elena certainly has some high-class problems, doesn't she? Steadfast Stefan or bad-vamp Damon? They both have their particular gifts.

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Review: Castle - One Man's Treasure

Jane Boursaw — 2009-11-24T13:30:00+00:00

Filed under: OpEd, Episode Reviews, Reality-Free, Castle, Features, Recaps

(S02E10) ""A wife and a fiance catfight ... please can we stop for popcorn on the way?" - Castle

Molly C. Quinn is such a cutie. I loved the storyline this week where she volunteers to categorize evidence, and in doing so, uses her skills to help return someone's precious "brag book" to them. She takes after her dad in the "big heart" department.

Castle is good about that. They could have made Richard Castle as a roguish playboy who chases women and loves a good time, and while he's got some of that in him (see above quote), he's also a dedicated family man. The writers are good about the characters that way. Beckett is a hard-nosed detective, but she's also good with people, excelling at giving them bad news in such a way as to soften the blow.

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What's Hot on SlashControl: Sneak peek at tonight's Castle

Jane Boursaw — 2009-11-23T20:00:00+00:00

Filed under: OpEd, Video, Reality-Free, Castle, Features

Here's a sneak peek at tonight's Castle, "One Man's Treasure." When a murdered man is found stuffed in the garbage chute of an apartment building, two women arrive to ID the body -- the guy's wife and his fiance. It's like the ultimate in awkward encounters, and of course, Castle has something to say about it. He looks at the dead guy and says, "You are so busted."

Of course, Castle and Beckett have the fun task of trying to figure out if this guy's been leading a double life or if he's being framed. With this show, you just never know. I'm guessing one of the women is behind it, but we'll see.

I'm loving Castle, because it fulfills my lifelong wish for a TV show that offers the snappy banter and sexual tension of an old-time movie. Well, Castle would call it sexual tension. Ok, Beckett is leaning that way, too. I don't know who I'd compare Nathan Fillion to, though. Maybe a little Cary Grant mixed in with Donald O'Connor.

Review: Castle - Love Me Dead

Kona Gallagher — 2009-11-17T08:35:00+00:00

Filed under: Episode Reviews, Reality-Free, Castle, Features, Recaps

(S02E09) Oh, yet another "hooker with a heart of gold" story. She's putting herself through law school! She had dreams when she came to New York in a rusted out Beetle, only to have them dashed! Scarlet was such an annoyingly stereotypical character, that she was beginning to sour what was an otherwise enjoyable episode. But really, that's my fault. Because if I would have had more faith in the beauty that is Castle, then I would have known that things were not as they appeared.

That's what I ultimately ended up loving about this episode: it went along in such a predictable route: bring a suspect in during the first five minutes, then release him because it's the first five minutes and we obviously can't find out who the killer is for at least another 40 minutes or so. Have the hooker, but then make us see what a sweet girl she is. This episode of castle lulled the viewers into complacency by showing us things we've seen a million times before-- only to turn it all on its head.

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