CASTLE: Hedge Fund Homeboys

This week we were introduced to the rich, glamorous and dangerous world of New York City’s Upper East Side. Doesn’t this sound familiar, almost like a distant cousin of the CW’s flagship show “Gossip Girl”? In many ways, this week’s episode of “Castle” was like the mature crime procedural supplement to the gossipy, teen-driven staple, which proved to have its positives and negatives.

Let’s get the negatives out of the way, but let me say this: Even in the grand scheme of things, they are minor in nature and almost insignificant. In the week’s murder mystery, the son, Donnie, of a once-wealthy family is found dead lying in a boat in a Central Park lake. When his friends are questioned by Beckett and Castle after they find out that they were at the park the night their friend was killed, one of the girls (played by “Real World” alumna Jamie Chung) points the dysfunctional duo towards the wrong suspect in an attempt to cover her friends’ tracks. (A day after Donnie died, another member of the group Max is killed, adding another layer to the prep school circle.) Later, when Beckett and Castle corner the Chuck Bass of the group, Spencer, the dark, brooding prep school attendee plays a video on his phone of the night his friend was shot. A little too convenient right? Moments later, Spencer is interrogated by Beckett and Castle after they realize they could pin him at the through a sync application that was installed on the group’s phones and after Castle witnessed Beckett’s no-holds-bar interrogative technique, employs some of his own tricks of the trade – and gets Spencer to confess … Chuck Bass style.

The thing about having similar characters and situations in a world that may resonate with a currently popular television show is the risk of being labeled unoriginal or copying a formula that seems to be working at the moment. While that is certainly OK, it doesn’t allow the show to grow, and being that this was its third episode, now is the time to develop these characters, their relationships and life perspectives so viewers are able to explore and delve deeper into their psyches. Yes, the episode was strong, and yes, I enjoyed it a lot. What I wished developed as the hour progressed was less a subtle homage to “Gossip Girl” and more a unique stamp on a heavily recycled premise. Instead of Spencer as the Chuck Bass of the group (see: his sleazy, uncomfortable mannerisms in almost every one of his scenes), maybe digging into another realm of the prep school drug-induced high life would bode a little better or even going out of the box with the murder mystery itself. Who wouldn’t want to see Nathan Fillion speak in front of a couple hundred snobby 16-year-olds while trying to figure out “whodunit”?

But even though the murder was predictable, and there were moments when Beckett and Castle were several beats behind the viewer in regards to following the clues, “Castle” is proving to be a keeper, if only to see the charming ladies’ man almost have a heart attack when his daughter was hysterical after she felt guilty lying to him about what happened before she got home (turns out all she did was jump the subway turnstiles). We certainly got more history of Castle’s non-professional activities (i.e. kicked out of every New York City prep school as a child) and his role as a father, both fantastically portrayed throughout the hour with the role reversals with his mother and his mature daughter, and as I mentioned in last week’s recap, his professional motives are still unclear. In the previous episode, we saw that Beckett was the inspiration for his next series of novels but this week there was barely, if any, mention of writing or his strong-willed female protagonist Nikki Heat – though that point could be argued as there was the flashing screensaver on Castle’s laptop that was conspicuously placed on the left side of the screen that said, “YOU SHOULD BE WRITING.”

What also gives me hope for the show is the smart usage and infusion of the musical score into the actual development of the plot and the show’s characters. Near the end of the episode, Castle had a revelation on the case and like a character in itself the music clued the viewer into what was happening inside of Castle’s head. Something as detailed as that is commendable and adds another element to it. It wouldn’t surprise me if in future episodes – and my hope is that they continue to do this – the music acts as an indicator of the characters’ inner thoughts and emotions. It is one thing to tell and not show (something that is frowned upon in storytelling), but it is always much more interesting (and entertaining) for viewers to try and understand the state of the characters onscreen.

What are your thoughts on this week’s murder mystery? Did you think it was original or was it just another case of borrowing too much from something that’s popular at the moment? What did you think of the pop culture references that Castle threw in? Did you think this episode helped the Beckett-Castle dynamic or are you still reserving judgment? Do you think “Castle” is on the right track in terms of character development and its plot devices, or are you secretly hoping for other things to happen?

Philiana Ng is a senior majoring in communication and music industry at the University of Southern California. She currently interns at Reveille, LLC in Universal City. In addition to “Castle,” she also covers “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia for GMMR. She is betting on “Kings” and “Better Off Ted” as midseason winners.