(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.

(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.

(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.

(S02E06) Ooh, several Joss Whedon references in the first few minutes, including "space cowboy" and Buffy's vampires. Throw in a reference to Frank Miller, and it's a geeky fantasy paradise. I also got a little of my vampire fix, even if they weren't the real thing. I don't know that Kona's that into vampires, so I'm glad this episode aired on my week to review Castle.

It was the usual whodunnit frolicry, with Castle and Beckett trying to piece together a murder mystery involving vampires, werewolves, and a murder that took place 18 years earlier. And the vampires and werewolves were as close to the real thing as a human can get -- with implanted fur, fang veneers, and a disease that made it impossible to go out in the daytime, lest the person catch on fire. There was even a cemetery and a stake through the heart.

(S02E04) "A con man isn't just about the money; it's about the game." - Castle

This week's episode of Castle continued the theme of a puzzling whodunit that takes viewers on a little journey to solve the crime. I was kept guessing the whole time, which is one reason I love Castle. The other, of course, is the lovely rat-a-tat banter between Castle and Beckett. Like a classic movie starring Cary Grant and Katharine Hepburn.

And it's clear that Beckett is trying hard to hide her intrigue over Castle and his work -- making a date with herself to soak in a sudsy tub, drink wine and read his novel based on her. And then the end scene where he catches her in the bathroom looking for the steamy sex scene in the book. Oh my.

(S02E02) "What is it about full moons that brings out the crazies?" - Castle to Beckett

That line above exemplifies what I love about Castle. Richard Castle is enjoying the bizarre perps and collars traipsing through the police department; he's eating snacks and having fun, while Kate just rolls her eyes at both him and the people. They're such total opposites -- Beckett so cool and controlled and Castle like a giddy kid -- and I hope they don't mess it up by having them hook up. I was just reading a story in one of the entertainment mags, where Stana Katic says that, too. She doesn't want them to get together because it's so cliche.

This week in Jane After Dark, I caught up with season one of Castle. I'm a sucker for fun whodunits, especially when they feature great male and female characters who've perfected the art of the snappy banter. Specifically, here are five reasons why I'm loving Castle:

1. Nathan Fillion is boyishly charming. I've been a big fan of this Joss Whedon favorite since seeing him in 2005's feature film Serenity. I finally completed that awesome circle by watching Firefly last winter. Fillion has the ability to be goofy one minute and deadly serious the next. In Castle, he plays Richard Castle, a best-selling mystery author who's raising a 15-year-old daughter Alexis (Molly C. Quinn) -- and, in many ways, his free-spirited live-in mother Martha (Susan Sullivan), as well. Having killed off his latest fictional character, Richard found inspiration in NYPD detective Kate Beckett, after being called in to advise on a case. Now they're working as pseudo-partners.