Castle: Death Wish (8x17)

Subplot is too cute!!!! Main plot also had lots of fun stuff. In all, this felt like an old episode of Castle, with silly antics and a fun team dynamic. A winner!

Cons:

Alexis popped into this episode a few times to help her dad with the case, but she wasn't really relevant, and I could have done with either a) more of her or b) none of her.

Similarly, Martha had the beginnings of a subplot where she asked Castle for her help in getting Oprah's endorsement for her new book. Castle tries to call in a favor, but the case distracts him, and the subplot is literally never brought up again. Maybe we're seeding this for a subplot down the line, but in any case... it didn't really work.

Pros:

I hate that I have to list this as a pro, but I'm so grateful that we had no A-plot this week. Seriously. This was the first time all season that I wasn't sent cringing away from mentions of LokSat or Vikram or idiotic marital woes.

The case itself involved stolen treasure, and Castle's belief that the murder victim had found Aladdin's lamp from 1001 Arabian Nights. I won't go into the details, but suffice it to say, the show got a lot of fun out of the premise.

Castle believes he's been visited by a genie, a woman who keeps appearing and disappearing with helpful hints about the case. Nobody else really believes him, but they are all sweetly indulgent of his crazy fantasies. We've seen Castle believe in paranormal explanations before, but what was cool about this one was that it combined his love for the supernatural with his love of storytelling and history, in the form of 1001 Arabian Nights.

I also liked the reveal that the professor of antiquities was the bad guy. It was just surprising enough to be a good twist, but also felt natural and in some ways inevitable, since they got a fairly well known actress to play her. Tasha Yar! (I mean... Denise Crosby.)

The cutest part of Castle's belief in the magic lamp was that Beckett really wanted Castle to have a good time. She made sure Castle went with the boys to try and find the lamp, and asked Ryan and Espo to let Castle have the first rub. She's such an adorably supportive wife. In fact, the Beckett/Castle stuff throughout this whole episode was extra-strength adorable. We even finished with an announcement from Castle that he didn't need a genie because he already had everything he would wish for. It was really cheesy, but Beckett's genuine delight at the romantic pronouncement felt so appropriate and strong. Beckett then tests Castle's convictions by asking him if he would want to wish for a working Lightsaber. Castle says no. What about a time machine? Castle considers that one, then says he'd only want a time machine so he could go back in time and fall in love with Beckett all over again. Beckett appreciated that one as much as we did. So cute!

The subplot was really adorable. Ryan's wife Jenny is about ready to have her baby, and goes into labor while they're still working the case. Later, Espo gets word that there has been a complication. The whole team - Castle, Beckett, Lanie, and Espo, come down to support Ryan. Although things are a bit rough for a while, Jenny is okay, and she delivers a happy baby boy. This boy's name? Nicholas Javier Ryan. Just. Stop. Now. That is too cute for words I cannot even handle it the bromance is destroying me.

This whole ending scene was full of so much cuteness. There were all these hugs, and happiness, and Castle saying that he used his genie wishes to wish for Jenny and the baby to be okay, and Ryan naming his kid after Javi... gah! I think my favorite was when Ryan and Espo hug, and then Lanie joins in and they all stand there hugging for a long time. And when Castle and Ryan hug, Beckett pulls Javi and Lanie into another group hug... and it was all just so sweet and family-like. The team dynamic of this show comes and goes in its strengths, but we really got a sense of how close all of these people are in this final scene. Of course, this also brings things around full-circle from Ryan and Jenny's first birthing experience, when Ryan thought he might die in a burning building with Espo. He told Jenny to name the child "Javier" if it was a boy, and now we've come full circle on that promise. Too precious.

I'll stop there. This episode really reminded me of the good ol' days of this show. Other than a few missteps with Alexis and Martha, I honestly have no complaints. This is the kind of episode that makes me nostalgic for when this show was always something to look forward to.

9/10