Castle: Season 7, Episode 17: Hong Kong Hustle
I have loved every episode of this show since season one. I’m not a huge fan of longer running, very episodic shows, but this one has a very powerful charm to it. I believe the name of that charm is Nathan Fillion. I have enjoyed his work on firefly and his various voice acting work and he brings every part of that experience and personality to this show.
Being a writer, I’ve always found the way my kind are portrayed on screen. Writers are always hyper-eccentric weirdos, tortured recluses or completely arrogant a**holes. The latter is the best description of the titular hero of this show. Richard Castle is a very “self-confident” man, but he is also a complete and utter NERD! His geek level is over 9000 and as a rich best selling author he can more than afford all of the toys he wants. He has even gone as far as to pay for his ticket on the first commercial flight to the moon.
The show is very formulaic, as the vast majority of episodes have a murder scene beginning, a very gimmicked middle and of course, the reveal of the murderer at the end. As far as the general layout of the show, its not supremely different from most hour long police dramas, but the gimmicks and the humor set it apart in a fantastic way. The cast is perfect and Castle’s hilarious “if a normal guy was there” reactions make this show extremely endearing.
This week’s episode was pretty fun. Chief Inspector Zhang, a super cop from Hong Kong, shows up and makes the unstoppable Kate Beckett question her abilities and position in life. Her kung-fu skills and impressive resume are mind blowing to everyone that encounters her.
Beckett has had a few moments of vulnerability in the history of the show, but this one was especially good. They’ve never really given her someone to compare herself to, at least not someone who was actually superior to her. Of course this leads to a moment of insecurity, followed by a confrontation, then bonding and clear friendship.
This show has a particular niche and it delivers to that audience perfectly. There’s a reason this show has made it to season seven and is like to continue for a nice amount of time. If it retains its quality, I sure it won’t wear out its welcome. See you next week Rick and Kate!
Jonathan Thomas Jones is a speculative fiction author and founder of geekhavenreviews.com. He has been passionate about all things geek for his entire life. See more about him at jonathanthomasjones.com and follow him on twitter @jtgloryjones.
