Castle, "Number One Fan": Because things get glued back together

And so we hit week four, and, to my great surprise, nothing has derailed yet. I had been expecting Beckett's rehiring to be a far more painful process, something I'd have to witness between the slits of my fingers while moaning "Uuuuuuuuugh" until I ran out of breath (continually). I'm not sure what, exactly, I'd been expecting, but I'd definitely been expecting it to last longer than a week and for the problem in her rehiring to be something more complicated than just "hiring freeze." "Number One Fan" instead just went for the easiest possible route back to the way things were, which is something I have mixed feelings on.

I mean, on the one hand, I'm glad that it was a clean and simple deal, that everyone including Gates wanted her back, and that she got her job back so quickly, because (as I've stated (implied?) before) the idea of Beckett going through this annoying, angsty plotline where she has to try to re-prove herself or work under some sort of probationary period just kind of annoys me and it would've dragged like a dead tire. On the other hand, I think I'm still kind of annoyed at how quickly the whole FBI ball was dropped. I feel like back in s5 the writers were throwing the idea of her working for the feebs around, and they committed to it before they'd really thought it through, so once premiere time came they had to figure out the fastest way to make their mistake go away. I can get writing yourself into a wall, but nobody likes witnessing an unsteady dismount (or a mixed metaphor, for that matter), so I guess that's where my discomfort with the past two episodes is coming from (because otherwise I truly did enjoy them -- a lot more, actually, than I remember enjoying sections of s5, especially toward the end). The whole of it comes off feeling vaguely gimmicky and extremely show-y (i.e. this is the sort of thing that would only ever be done on a TV show), which isn't really foreign territory for Castle (let's be real), but that doesn't make it any less cringe-worthy.

Am I criticizing? Well, yes. I feel like if they really didn't want to go down the FBI route, then they shouldn't have brought it up, should've found a reason for Beckett to turn it down in the finale (it would've been really easy for her to encounter an agent and for her to realize that that isn't who she wants to be, or for her to encounter another Joanne Delgado (1.07) and realize the true reason she got into this, or...whatever), instead of the rapid hiring/firing/hiring. I excuse it because I can't say I didn't enjoy the ride (because god knows seeing Beckett working with another woman, and Lisa Edelstein at that, really did make part of my fangirl heart), but it's just...poor storytelling. Again, not anything new for Castle, but... I guess sometimes I entertain this vague hope of seeing a real mytharc appear in a murder-of-the-week show (not that I'd truly been expecting it for a half a second).

Anyway, whatever. Beckett is back on the force, and that's really all that matters. I look forward to finally getting back to regular installments of Kate Beckett's Coat Porn: All the Leather, Wool, Buttons, Buckles, Loops, and Cuffs You Can Never Never Ever Afford to Wear (because god knows I was feeling deprived with all those damn blazers), and also to just generally seeing Beckett work with her people again. And now that she's back, I can once again start actively nursing my weekly hope of seeing a Bracken reappearance.

And while we're on the subject of Bracken and my delusions...

What is up with this season so far? Castle's almost died twice, and both Beckett and Castle have been shot directly over their hearts in the span of four episodes. Indulge me here for a second in some epic fanwanking, but could this be foreshadowing Bracken's eventual return to the story? I mean, I know in my soul it isn't, but part of me just wants to believe that this is purposely calling our attention to what happened to her at the end of s3 so that when shit starts hitting the fan again we'll be already be primed.
...okay, so it's a stretch, but I'm holding onto my delusions. If Caskett shippers can eventually get what they want, then, who knows, maybe I can too... (all I want is for Bracken to realize she doesn't actually have the file and she's bluffing so that she's forced to take drastic action)

With all that said, let's talk about the actual episode already.

For starters, I actually really liked the plot for this one. There was something oddly compelling about Emma's story. I really enjoyed the actress' performance and her stage presence. I can't say why exactly it spoke to me -- maybe it's just because my previous die-hard (though die it did) fangirlism was vomited all over Bones' Temperance Brennan (s1-mids3), and so part of me has a soft spot for storylines involving a woman coming from foster care -- but speak to me it did, and I found myself actually looking forward to the scenes at the dental office just because I really enjoyed her dialogue and her interactions with Castle. It all ended a little too happily-ever-after for my taste, but, on the other hand, part of me can see how the reunion doesn't necessarily solve any of her problems, and the road ahead for her is probably one that's largely unpaved. If this was a show that could get away with it, I'd half hope to see her make a return.

I was also really pleasantly surprised by Gates, same as I was last episode. Gates never really integrated with the group in s4 or s5, and she always seemed so far removed from the cast and the story that half the time I sort of forgot she existed (I mean, I didn't, but at the end of a lot of s4/5 episodes I would go "Huh, Gates wasn't in that episode, was she?" and then I'd have to go scrubbing back through the episode to confirm my realization), yet so far in s6 she's been so...nice. Beckett and her have gotten along in a really legitimate way -- they actually seem to like and respect each other. This episode we seem them sharing a drink together at the end of the day, something Beckett used to do with Montgomery, presumably holding a social conversation. It's really nice to finally see these two bond, especially since two years ago to the episode Beckett was flipping her off (literally).

I wonder if this little snippet made it into the British broadcast of this episode (4.04) ...

I'm hoping this is the start of beautiful friendship (to be intentionally clichéd), since I'd really like to see Beckett having friendships with more women. For the past six years, it's really only been Lanie, and it'd be nice to see her sharing with Gates the same sort of camaraderie she has with her (all male) team, that she had with Montgomery. I had really similar feelings about McCord (a hope I wasn't able to nurse for too long), so I'm hoping there's some transference.

More generally, I also just really liked Beckett this episode (of course, that's not saying much; I always like Beckett), because, I mean, come on...

Look at how happy she is here. Being back at the 12th, being back working a case seems to make her so happy, like she's finally back to doing what she's meant to be doing. She's positively giddy at getting her badge back. The only thing that seems to make her even half as happy as she is at this moment is maybe a handful of scenes with Castle. And that's something I really like, something that feels really encouraging to me about the progression of this show -- that Beckett hasn't been reduced to being fulfilled by Castle (because I was getting genuinely concerned that that was the track this train was heading down), that her job is still deeply fulfilling to her and she loves what she does despite all the hell it's brought on her.

And, I mean, I just like seeing her happy. Don't get me wrong, I love seeing her miserable (obviously), but it's fun to see her grinning like a fiend as she clasps her badge and proclaims "I'm back." We never saw her this happy in DC, and we rarely see her this happy period (outside of, again, shippy scenes), and I really like the reminder here that Beckett loves being a cop.

Other than that, I don't have much of substance to say beyond "I really enjoyed it" (I never seem to have much of substance to say unless I'm complaining...). The fact is, I just really liked Castle in this episode. I liked him bringing the doughnuts into the hostage situation (because I'm 110% sure it was his idea to bring those in; that's right, I'm so sure that my sure-ness occupies a statistical impossibility); I liked his awareness of the situation, his willingness to empathize with Emma and his cognizance of the danger that Die Hard Guy posed; I loved the fact that he's apparently still too soft to do anything about Pi (big surprise, given Martha's still able to do pretty much whatever she wants with his flat whenever she wants); I loved him cracking morbid jokes about the bullet that almost killed him.
I loved Pi's tiny little scene, paired with Beckett's incredulous "Why is he still sleeping on your couch?" I loved Gates allowing Beckett full access without a breath of hesitation. I loved Beckett writing on the murder board and taking a seat at her former desk, rooting around until something that was "once a bagel" falls from the pile to the floor. I love that Sully is the only one to laugh at Castle's jokes. I love Esposito and Ryan's admission that they miss working with Beckett. I just loved a lot of things, which is exactly the sort of thing I like saying about an episode.
And I really, really, loved this moment:

"What am I gonna do? Just sleep in every morning and screw around 'til the phone rings? What kinda life is that?"
"...Mine."

Why did I love that so much? I have no idea, but I listened to it probably ten times in a row. It's almost like just in that tiny fragment of exchange, they managed to sum up 90% of the pathos I've felt for Castle since s1. The fact that Beckett has to live in his world for a few days and realizes how much she hates it speaks to me, for whatever reason.

And now that I've arbitrarily decided that I've reached the end of the post (because I've run out of even semi-cogent things to say), you want to know what else speaks to me? I bet you could guess (assuming "you" exist, and have read my other posts)...

Hey, Beckett, know what could turn that frown upside down?
Shooting Bracken. In the face.
I mean, true, the upturning would be extremely temporary, but, come on, just for a moment, it'll feel really, really good...