And welcome to Season 7 Castle Fans!!! Sorry for the late arrival of this post, hopefully the next time I go to L.A. it will be a little bit more beneficial for you guys, no luck on seeing Stana, Nathan, or any filming this time!
Issue 1: CASTLE IS BACK! (The person and the show!)
Now on to “Driven”, the season opener, unlike the ones that have preceded it, left us with many more questions than answers. Most notably, “Where has Castle been?” along with a host of others (in no particular order):
- Where has Castle been?
- Who took Castle?
- What is the significance of the key and #38
- Does Castle truly have amnesia or is does he know more than he is letting on?
- Who is “Henry Jenkins” and what does he have to do with anything?
- How did they manage to have Castle complete the money drop?
- So they have the capabilities to hack the DMV, can/could this also include marriage records??(Still hoping the Mrs. O’Leary thing is a bad dream!)
- Where was Castle exposed to Dengue Fever?
- When and why was Castle shot?
- Is Rogan a part of what happened to Rick?
- What is the significance of Castle’s watch, it was alluded to and included too many times for it not to be important
- Are any of the old baddies involved? (Hunt, 3Xk, Barbosa, Bracken)
- How did he end up in the middle of the ocean in a sky blue dinghy?
- Can one actually “pimp out” a sky blue dinghy??
- What does “Tropical Storm” and Derrick Storm have to do with it?
And I am sure that there are many more, that I haven’t caught yet!
With “Driven” being our first introduction to David Amann as show runner and to the “New Mythology” that was promised by Marlowe at the end of season 6, I cannot help but feel we are in for the ride of our lives.
Stana Katic completely brought it and sold the performance, it is incredible to have someone with such skill that raises her own bar, time and time again. She transitioned between shock, anguish, outrage, fierce determination, dread, hopelessness, elation, relief, bewilderment, distrust, resentment, and hope all in one single episode, and did it beautifully! I’ve seen some negative feedback about Nathan’s performance, I think he did such an amazing job. His moments of emotional ambivalence, have truly made me wonder just how much he knows.
And while we are talking about the talent that was brought to the episode, I would be remiss in not calling out the impeccable scoring by Robert Duncan as well as the gorgeous cinematography by Rob Bowman!
“Driven” as it stands now, does not make my list of top Castle episodes, however that might change as the season progresses and we get more answers. As much as I like delving deeper into the characters, it is an unsettling feeling, thinking that there might be something they haven’t been telling/showing us all these years.
Some of the standout scenes for me by way of characteror story progression were, Javi bringing Kate the coffee; her face in that scene, expectant and hopeful, only to have reality remind her that her nightmare is real. Kate reviving the “Murderboard” window was a scene that emotionally resonated back to how Kate felt about her mother’s case and the desperation to solve it. I also loved seeing “BadA*s Beckett”, I really appreciate the lengths they have shown, both Kate and Rick will go to for the ones they love. The scenes between Ryan and Espo really speak to the whole “Momma’s Boy” and “Castle Jr.” personas that the boys have adapted into their characters. Where Kevin wants to give Rick the benefit of the doubt, Javier immediately goes into, “How can I protect and/or avenge Beckett?” I loved the family scene near the end of the episode, capping off at the loft seems fitting and back to the “new” normal.
Unfortunately that also brings me to one of the issues I had with this episode, not enough Martha and Alexis. He has been the nucleus of their family and he is missing. What did they do for two months?? I loved the Martha/Kate scenes, and I especially loved Alexis coming to the defense of Rick’s love and commitment to Kate, to Kate. Whatever issues some of the fandom have with Alexis, she really only wants to protect her father. She has lived through how her mother and subsequently Gina made him feel and has those famous walls of her own to break down with Kate. We’ve lauded Kate’s walls as a story device, can’t we accept Alexis’s
I don’t like Agent Connors, and I don’t think I was supposed to. I am hoping that the FBI’s involvement is over, but if not, is it too much to ask to bring back Shaw? I know it was his job, but it was devastating to see him plant and foster the seeds of doubt in Kate.
I loved the ending scene between Castle and Beckett, the hesitance and the reluctance to let herself be open to him. And Castle sticking with it and not letting her feel it all alone. I know some were hoping for an intimate scene between the two, but I think that Beckett allowing herself to be vulnerable and show Castle that it hurts, she hurts, even after all that has happened is a very intimate moment. And I know I am not alone in hoping that the night janitor scene makes it in the deleted scenes, he should have known better than to touch Castle’s chair!
One of my favorite moments of the night was the exchange between Castle and Beckett:
C- I’m so sorry for everything I put you through. I do know that I missed you terribly, there’s no way I wouldn’t….
All photos courtesy of ABC Studios
C- We can’t just pick up where we left off, can we? As if nothing happened.
B – No.
C- We’ll get there. We will find our way home.
I would love to hear your theories and your questions about the episode! Drop a line in the comments or reach me on Twitter@camifaith_fnand on tumblr atdrinkingcastleskoolaid.tumblr.com!
Can our lovely couple get back to where they were, will we get our answers?? I myself cannot wait to find out! Be sure to tune in Monday, October 6th, for 07.02 – “Montreal”
