It’s impossible to see Rick Castle surrounded by second graders while sitting in a classroom for a case and not be reminded of Arnold Schwarzenegger in Kindergarden Cop. But while Rick’s childlike enthusiasm and easy manner with kids produced a few winning moments as he crouched down into the world of princess tea parties and imaginary army adventures, the latest episode of Castle felt off-balance because Kate Beckett and Rick were so distant from each other. In some ways, I suppose it makes sense. Castle is at its best when Rick and Kate can play off of each other, but they’ve also been proven to be strong characters on their own at times and they don’t have to always be together to propel the show. This time, however, it feels like we’re getting two halves that don’t equal a whole. Maybe it has something to do with the contrasting tones of their dueling stories. While Rick spends his time in a warm classroom surrounded by innocence, Kate is unraveling a basic but grim tale that starts off with a murder in the back of an ice cream truck, a missing pint sized witness (hence the school) and a growing number of bodies. There are no real twists or false starts on the way toward resolving the case. Everything is clean and drama free until the very end when Rick and Kate have a somewhat violent tussle with the killer in Mrs. Ruiz’s classroom. As the protective teacher, Michael Hyatt is fantastic. I’ve loved her work for awhile, though, so I’m biased. You may remember her from a 6 episode turn on The West Wing where she played Angela Blake, a trusted associate of Leo’s who comes into the White House as an outsider. She was also Avon Barksdale’s ferocious sister on The Wire. Castle doesn’t get enough credit for the meaty guest roles that it offers, but drawing a talent like Hyatt proves that people recognize the opportunity that the show can give them to showcase their talents a little. Overall, this is middling Castle episode that plays up Rick’s charms while downplaying the driving force of the show’s charms. It’s the weakest episode of the season so far, but if that’s still the case by season’s end, this will be an outstanding season. Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter for all news updates related to the world of geek. And Google+, if that’s your thing!
