Castle: The Wild Rover – A Good Cop/Bad Cop Review

Castle: The Wild Rover

 

Okay, who knew that straight-as-an-arrow Ryan had an edgy dark side? I, for one, was pleasantly surprised to see Seamus Dever take on the persona of the undercover cop as an Irish mob thug, and boy did he deliver a very nice performance. It was also nice to see Dever showcased instead of doing the instant “pop-in” thing whenever a bit of information is needed to move the story from one point to another.

Before I spill my entire review in this opening segment, though, let’s move along to Melanie’s take of the show. I know she had to be squealing like a hungry pig when Beckett and Castle finally locked lips near the end of the episode. I wonder if she’s back from her trip to Cloud 9? Melanie, would you please stop swooning long enough to share your thoughts on last night’s episode…

Melanie Atkins

Wow. I wasn’t sure if I’d like this episode or not, since it focused more on Ryan and less on Castle and Beckett, but I was pleasantly surprised. What a great episode! The writing was tight, the scenes moved quickly, and the show had enough humor and Caskett moments sprinkled in to keep me on my toes.

The episode started with Kate confronting Rick about saying the name “Jordan” over and over in his sleep. Was Jordan a woman? Someone he just met? Or maybe someone from his past? She kept bugging him about it throughout the entire episode, and nearly every time they made me laugh.

Ryan and Jenny are trying to have a baby, of course, and they go to have tests made to see why they hadn’t been able to conceive. Ryan leaves his lunch at home afterward, and Jenny brings it to him at the precinct — just in time to see some strange woman lay a kiss on him and call him “Fenton”. Can you say awkward?

The woman turned out to be someone from Ryan’s past when he was undercover with the Irish mob, and he hasn’t said a word to Jenny about it. The woman is tied to the murder of Jimmy the Baker, as are some guys Ryan ran with when he was undercover as Fenton O’Connell. He goes back under to catch them, and Jenny is not happy. I loved the undercover part of this show. The undercover scenes were suspenseful and scary, with enough twists to keep me riveted to the screen.

Kate finally talked Jenny down, and Ryan escaped with his life with the help of the team. The scene where they rescued him rocked, and Nathan was so funny. I cracked up when Ryan called Castle’s name, and he backed around the corner and shouted, “Seriously? I-I forgot my vest.” Too funny.

Once things settled down and everyone was safe again, Rick finally came clean to Kate about the name “Jordan”, the name of a defunct car company he wrote a paper about in boarding school — or rather, the company he paid someone to write about. That incident helped shape who he was, and he’s felt like a fraud ever since. IMHO, I believe Kate was thrilled he told her the truth and gave her more info about his past, especially after the seed of doubt Meredith, his ex-wife, planted in her head during her visit in the episode Significant Others back in January. Good for him! And that kiss… finally, we got one with a little passion! Whoa. I just watched it again. Can’t stop watching it, actually.

The last scene was between Ryan and Jenny… with him apologizing for going undercover and her telling him she needs him to be there for her. The reason? She’s pregnant! All of their worry about not conceiving was for nothing. How exciting! I can’t wait until the rest of the team finds out.

All in all, this was a solid, fun episode. Still, I can’t wait for the one next week, Castle’s 100th episode, written by the show’s creator, Andrew Marlowe, and his wife Terri Edda Miller. They write the best episodes ever. I predict they’ll treat us to classic Castle, and I cannot WAIT! It has a plot similar to Hitchcock’s Rear Window, with Rick stuck at home after tearing up his knee in a skiing accident when he and Kate go away for a weekend. Should be a blast!

Lee Lofland

Pardon me, while I take a moment to see if I can locate the problem with my computer. I know something has to be wrong, because no matter which keys I hit, the dang machine always types, “Lanie was great last night!” And we all know those words couldn’t coming from me, right?

Think about it. For years, I practically begged the folks writing the show to please give Lanie lines that were believable (remember, believable make-believe is the key to great fiction), but they stood their ground, making the woman spout off nonsensical forensic goop. However, this season has been a complete turnaround. For example, last night Lanie simply told Beckett that CSU would be running the tests on fibers discovered at the crime scene. Great comment. Perfect, actually.

In the past, the writers would’ve had Lanie saying something like, “I personally found these fibers clinging to the victim’s watchband. My preliminary finding is that the right-handed perpetrator stood on one foot and had his left eye closed while shooting our vic in the back with a Star Trek Phaser. As the money-laundering mob hitman pulled the trigger, the vic reached behind and managed to pull nineteen fibers from the shooter’s jacket, a garment made from pure Tibetan Yak hides. Now, those animals always stand on hillsides with slopes of precisely 45 degrees or more, therefore I conclude that our vic died between 11:00 p.m. and 11:07 p.m. Oh, yeah, the shooter’s name is George.”

Again, Lanie did a fine job last night. I kept waiting for the goofy-bomb to drop, but it never did.

– Beckett told the guys to run all ’68 Dodge Cargers through the system to see who in the immediate area owned one. Yes, that is possible, folks. Especially, when it’s a vehicle that’s not commonplace, such as the ’68 Charger. However, if officers attempted to run, say, all the 2010 Honda Civic’s, well, the list would go on forever.

– Sioban’s statement, “I want my phone call, now!” sounded all fine and dandy, but that “one phone call” is not one of our constitutional rights. So, you’ll get to make it when it’s convenient for the officers. And that might mean later in the day, or night, once you’ve been sweetly tucked into your cozy jail cell. At that time, an officer might roll a stand-up portable telephone to your cell, where you can reach through the slot in the steel door to punch in your number. Oh, the call would be a collect call made at a crazy-high rate that’s charged to your family.

– Ryan…where do I start? Well, I could begin by saying I liked his metamorphosis from cop to thug. Anyone who’s ever worked undercover will tell you that it’s a bit like an actor playing a role. However, the role must be so convincing that you’ll walk away at the end of the day, instead of someone discovering your lifeless body floating in the Hudson.

I think Ryan pulled it off nicely, starting with the haircut. And, actually, I thought he looked better than ever with the new “do.”

Ryan also played it nicely when he was around Siobahn. You could see it in his eyes that, at some point, he actually did care for her. And this is the reason why “handlers” absolutely must pay close attention to the officers who’re working deep cover. It’s so easy to fall into the lifestyle and to develop feelings—romantic or platonic friendships—for the very people they’re there to take down. Believe me, it happens. (Handlers are the officers assigned as contact/supervisor for the UC officers)

– Okay, as usual, my wife and I both named the killer very early in the episode, and we did so by following our simple formula…it’s someone who has a very brief role, but stands out just enough in their short time on camera. Still, the writers concealed this one much better than usual.

Well, that’s about it for the police procedure. But I do want to mention the “cheesy factor” going through the roof over Castle’s admission of wanting to write, and write, and write to prove that he was a great writer to…a bunch of kids he went to high school with… That was the corniest thing I think they’ve done on this show so far.

Overall, this was another good episode. The acting, of course, was good. Stellar acting, though, from Semus Dever. By the way, did you know that Semus Dever is a first cousin to a popular mystery writer? In fact, many of you know the cousin. Okay, I see the wheels turning, but I’m sworn to secrecy. But no one said I couldn’t tease.

By the way, every time someone said the name Siobahn last night, all I could picture was the powerhouse singer Siobahn Magnus who once was a contestant on American Idol. Remember her?

 

31 replies
  1. Lynn
    Lynn says:

    I agree with you, Lee. I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed the spotlight on Seamus Deaver. In fact, at the end of the episode, my hubby and I turned to each other and said: “I would totally watch that show about that tough, dedicated Irish-American Cop.”

  2. Tom
    Tom says:

    Hi Janet
    I agree about stranger things happening on Castle. I think the writers intentionally chose ‘Jordan’ to get speculation going among fans.
    To me, Castle knowing about Jordan did not seem unusual. He’s a student of murder, especially serial killers and how they were caught.

  3. Janet
    Janet says:

    Hi, Tom – Beats me! Stranger things have happened in Castle scripts. I was just puzzled that neither C nor B (nor, more peculiarly, the writers) remembered that C&B knew a Jordan.

    Of course, I have a hard enough time keeping track of my own contacts, much less those of a couple of fictional characters, so I’m willing to cut the writers some slack. The continuity person less so.

    Jordan wasn’t a household name like Berkowitz, so I don’t see a parallel.

  4. Tom
    Tom says:

    Janet
    So you’re saying that when Jordan showed up at the merry-go-round, she pretended not to know Castle. Why? Castle also knew how Son of Sam was captured, does that mean he knew David Berkowitz?

  5. Janet
    Janet says:

    And as I recall, Castle knew who Jordan was before Beckett met her — leaving the door open for a cloaked, remote history.

    Sure was nice to have an episode sans Gates, though. Don’t miss her when she’s gone, don’t like her when she’s around.

  6. Tom
    Tom says:

    Janet
    Maybe she did wonder…just not out loud. Shaw was married when Castle met her and Shaw thought Beckett and Castle were a couple.

  7. Janet
    Janet says:

    Both Castle and Beckett *do* know a Jordan — Special Agent Jordan Shaw from 2010. Why didn’t hearing Castle mutter “Jordan” all night make Beckett wonder if Castle had some history with that Jordan? (Do only fans remember these details?)

  8. Sally Carpenter
    Sally Carpenter says:

    Wouldn’t the mob “bible” be on a flash drive? Does anyone still use ledger books? Surely the mob would do their financies on a computer unless they’re afraid of hackers. And where in the world did Ryan hide that book during his drive to the docks? Looked like a bulky package to me.

  9. Liberty Speidel
    Liberty Speidel says:

    I thought this was one of the better episodes. And, I really thought the “Jordan” thing was going to end up being a writer-thing, just that it had to do with the story he’s writing!

  10. Jenna Harte
    Jenna Harte says:

    Louisa…I did a double a take on “Master Baker” too! Must be my perverted mind. I still miss seeing or at least hearing about Martha, Alexis and Gates. And I’m still waiting for Beckett to say those three little words. But all in all a fun episode.

  11. a
    a says:

    I would say as Castle ep’s have gone this season, this was better than most of others, the two-parter was the only one that was better. I kind of wish they’d kept the Kevin Ryan character single because I think he plays passion very well (they could have used his wife for other roles in the show!). Maybe he would have made up for what I hate about the “Caskett” romance. IMHO, Nathan Fillion does NOT play passion well, at least when it comes to the actual romance rather than the will-they/won’t-they. The end scene looked like a first kiss to me, with them almost missing lips, and awkward at first like they’d rarely done it before. I think Stana always brings it, but she doesn’t have anything to play off of. Does he practice these scenes? I have my doubts.

    I loved what they did to Stana’s hair, loved that she wore something that wasn’t so school-marmly. The case of the week was what it was, silly, but not completely awful. I dooo like the Kevin Ryan character. Seamus’ acting rarely makes me cringe.

    The Jordan thread was stupid. Why would Castle repeat that name 14 times in his sleep? Is it because he’s got writer’s block again or something? I have no idea. I also thought Castle’s writing was about his father and the book he sent (can’t remember which book it was). Yet another half-hearted writer contrivance, another Castle continuity problem. I wasn’t impressed.

    I do think Mr. Marrrrlowwwwe is going to break up the Caskett couple. It’s the only reason I can think of about why there was no dating buildup, all of the completely missed moments. The couple will break up, and someone (maybe Beckett) will attempt to romance the other back into the fold.

  12. Lee Lofland
    Lee Lofland says:

    Sure did, Louisa. Funny stuff.

    Tom, since the evidence was in a locked safe, no, it would not be admissible. Even though Ryan was playing the part of a mobster, he’s still a cop and must abide by the rules and law.

  13. Louisa Bacio
    Louisa Bacio says:

    Anyone catch the pun when Ryan was going into the bathroom to “make his deposit” (I’m assuming), and then the next cut was Castle talking about the “master baker?” I had to rewind to show the husband. Love the writing.

  14. Melanie Atkins
    Melanie Atkins says:

    That part was corny, Lee, but they plugged it in for a reason. It all has to do with relationship stuff that will happen later in the season to bring them closer, and it stems from what Meredith said to Kate at the end of Significant Others (5X10) about why Meredith and Rick split up — that he knew everything about her but what she knew about him wouldn’t fill a pamphlet. That’s apparently been in the back of Kate’s mind all this time.

  15. Julie
    Julie says:

    I dunno, I think he wanted to prove to HIMSELF that he was actually a good writer. At least, that’s the way I took that. Now, of course, I need to re-watch the ep and see if I missed something.

    Such a hardship!

  16. Leslie Budewitz
    Leslie Budewitz says:

    And every time I heard the name Siobhan, I thought of a girl I went to grade school with — no new teacher or sub could pronounce her first name or my last!

    And it was a good show, through and through. Yay!

  17. thumper
    thumper says:

    seamus mentioned on twitter last night that nathan ad-libbed the part where he said “Seriously? I-I forgot my vest” ^_^

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