Castle: Season 7, Episode 21: Dead from New York
I loved this episode. It was a parody of behind the scenes of a show that constantly parodies things. It was like “Saturday Night Live” mixed with “30 Rock” and a little touch of murder. This was the 150th episode of this fantastic show and I can’t come close to even thinking of a way they could’ve done this better. As someone who has watched both of the aforementioned shows, I couldn’t help but keep smiling throughout the set of the fictional “Saturday Night Tonight.”
Another thing that completely caught me off guard was the appearance of Jaleel White. I know he’s been doing the voice of Sonic the Hedgehog for quite some time now, but I haven’t seen him since that disaster called “Who Made the Potato Salad.” Come to think of it, it’s possible I’ve avoided seeing him since I saw that movie a few years back. I honestly can’t even remember whose idea it was to put that movie on. That being said, he works well here. I could see him being something of a Tracy Morgan/Jordan parody. He was the the star who was known as the crazy one.
The premise here is the Lorne Michaels type of character, known as Sid Ross here, was murdered. They have to learn about his shady dealings and back channel deals in order to find out what’s been going on. I’ve said for a long time that I think Lorne Michaels has to be one of the most powerful men in show business, considering the fact that every celebrity either has or wants to host his show. This show just how influential a man like him could be and there are all forms of stress our two protagonists have to deal with.
The two, especially Castle, found themselves star struck when they met a legendary actor who was supposed to be the guest host. Castle’s excitement died quickly however, when Danny Valentine started flirting with his wife. There was all kinds of fun to be had this week. There was even an unexpected performance of “I Really Like You” by Carly Rae Jepsen.
There was an interesting character arc with Martha throughout the episode and there wasn’t much Ryan and Esposito in this one, but it was still a great episode. I hope they maintain this level of fun throughout the rest of the season.
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.
