Castle: Scared to Death (5x17)

I really loved this episode! Was it flawless? No. But was it fun, straightforward, well-resolved and well-acted, and was generally what I look for when I watch Castle.

Let's start with the plot. It's not particularly new to go with the idea of fictional horror in a crime show, but what I appreciated about this attempt was the way they set up the stereotypes and then played with them. Some of the funniest moments of the episode came when Castle pointed out how stereotypical everything was: the creepy cabin, the three days before death, the missing body... one of my favorite quotes was when he said "I don't think I need to tell you what kind of chances the comic relief guy has."

Here's something interesting: In a funny episode, there managed to be some real depth. Obviously the idea that Castle and Beckett were going to die because of watching the disk is ridiculous, but real tension was added to the episode because Castle genuinely believed it. It was actually really touching to see how freaked out he was, not just for himself but for Beckett. He didn't want to let her watch the tape, because he was genuinely afraid that she would die. When she wanted to go find the third potential victim in the creepy cabin, he told her that he couldn't let her go alone. I loved Beckett's line: "Castle, that's so sweet! You want me to outlive you?" And then of course there was the adorable payoff at the end, when Beckett saw the following entry on Castle's bucket list: "Be with Kate." Apparently he had written it three years before. These genuine moments interspersed throughout the episode really made a difference.


There were a few things that I wasn't as crazy about. I thought that the twist of the episode kind of came out of nowhere. All of a sudden there was a second suspect for the serial killings, and it seemed to come completely out of nowhere. The motive for the crimes, in other words, wasn't tied to any of the guest characters we had met along the way. I was not invested in the criminal at all.

I also thought that in its attempt to look at horror stereotypes, the episode sometimes tried a bit too hard. I can think of two examples. The first was the portrayal of Leopold Malloy. He was a bit too Hannibal Lector for me. It felt like he was just imitating an existing character. Also, since the twist at the end meant he was actually trying to help the potential victims, it didn't make sense to me that he played the character so creepy. The same can be said for the innkeeper. He was just too creepy, given that his role in the plot was so minor, and he actually wasn't involved in the murder in any way.

A few other funny moments that I loved - I liked when Castle told Beckett that he broke her vase, trying to get out of blame because they might be murdered soon. I loved Esposito trying to act tough but then panicking at the first sign of trouble.

Was it my favorite episode of Castle? No. But I enjoyed it!

7.5/10