Category Archives: Television

The Best Thing I Saw on TV This Week (12/15 – 12/22)

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I apologize for the slight delay in getting this post finished. I hope all of you had a happy weekend of pre-Christmas festivities! 

With Christmas fast approaching and many shows on short or painfully long hiatuses already, this was a relatively uneventful week in the world of television—with a few major exceptions, of course. Sunday’s midseason finale of Once Upon a Time was every bit as compelling and emotional as a series finale, with only its final moments serving as a reminder that there’s plenty of fun in store for us once March 9 rolls around. The rest of the week was filled with Christmas specials and classic films (from It’s a Wonderful Life to The Sound of Music), and it concluded with the hilarious hosting performance Jimmy Fallon provided on Saturday Night Live, proving that his beautiful bromance with Justin Timberlake is creative comedy gold.

I don’t think it should come as a surprise that my favorite television moment of the week came from Once Upon a Time. “Going Home” was one of the show’s most powerful hours to date—from Rumplestiltskin’s climactic showdown with Pan to Regina’s gorgeous character growth; from the Charming Family’s final hug to Hook’s last promise to Emma. But in an hour of incredible emotional highs and lows, nothing was better than the sequence of Emma and Henry driving away from Storybrooke as the town disappeared under the purple cloud of Regina’s magic. Everything about this scene was perfect—the music, the lighting, the editing, and the subtle but effective acting by Jennifer Morrison with just her eyes in the rearview mirror.

I got choked up when the new curse engulfed Henry’s storybook—that symbol of hope and connection between mother, son, and the world of fairytales they were leaving behind. But I completely lost it when Emma chose to hold baby Henry in her new memories. Although it’s not real, whenever Emma gets her old memories back, she will still have the belief that this new memory represents—the belief in the possibility of her having a happy ending as a mother. To see Emma’s entire character arc reflected in this change from the inability to believe in her role as a mother to her acceptance of this role was truly touching. And the way Morrison showed—just in the slight crinkle around her eyes—Emma’s new sense of peace and happiness as the new memories took hold was wonderful.

The final scene of the episode was worth all of the emotional exhaustion that came before it. Hook’s arrival in Emma and Henry’s world was a most welcome surprise for me as a viewer, and it gave me such hope for the second half of this season. I’m hopeful that Emma will get back her old memories while still getting to keep the ones of her happy life with her son. I’m hopeful that she’ll have someone by her side who crossed realms to find her after she was supposed to be gone forever. And I’m hopeful that Emma will be able to accept and be with people who accept all that she is—the savior, the mother, the princess, the lost girl, and all of the other facets that make her the kind of character such great episodes are based around.

What was the best thing you saw on TV this week?

TV Time: Once Upon a Time 3.11

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Once-3-11

Title Going Home

Two-Sentence Summary Pan’s plan to once again cast the Dark Curse (this time with fatal consequences) on the residents of Storybrooke has powerful ramifications for every character, especially Rumplestiltskin, who must finally decide if the price of destroying his father is one he is willing to pay. Regina finds a way to destroy the curse, but it comes with its own price: The inhabitants of Storybrooke will all go back to the land they came from, except for Emma, who is allowed to stay with Henry, but both are left without any memories of their time in Storybrooke—a fate Hook plans to change upon arriving at Emma’s New York City apartment one year later.

Favorite Line “You’re not a villain; you’re my mom.” (Henry, to Regina)

My Thoughts Well I certainly didn’t see that coming. Rumplestiltskin dying (or “dying”—we can only hope), Emma and Henry losing their memories of Storybrooke, fake memories of a world where Emma never gave Henry up, Hook crossing realms to help Emma remember who she really is, the intensity of the emotional trauma I felt while watching— I didn’t see any of it coming. And I loved it.

Yes, the plot surprised me, but what really shocked me was just how visceral my emotional reaction was to what was happening onscreen. This episode had the feeling of a series finale, and that was for a reason. “Going Home” changed the game, and it did so in a brutally emotional fashion. When I say it reminded me at times of “Through the Looking Glass”—the finale of LOST’s third season—I mean that with the highest respect. It appears that Adam Horowitz and Edward Kitsis learned a lot from their time as LOST writers, not the least of which being how to craft a finale (even just a midseason one).

Perhaps the biggest thing I learned from LOST (and Alias before it) was that I’m not a person who needs all the answers when it comes to the TV shows I watch. I can deal with unanswered questions, confusing plot threads, and even the occasional inconsistency or plot hole if I’m emotionally engaged in an episode. I don’t need to feel 100% intellectually satisfied by an episode, but I do need to feel 100% emotionally invested. I care about a show’s characters infinitely more than any plot twists or big mysteries it can throw at me. That’s why I watch Once Upon a Time. I don’t care all that much about the rules of magic or the finer points of curses. I care about Emma, Henry, Snow, Charming, Regina, Rumplestiltskin, Neal, Hook, Belle, Tinker Bell, and all of the other characters I’ve come to love over the last two and a half seasons. I care about the people far more than the intricacies of the plot.

For as much as this episode will be defined by the emotions it evoked, there was a lot of plot packed in there, too—probably more than there needed to be. The flashbacks especially felt unnecessary for the most part: Charming and Snow’s was only really useful in dropping a hint that the Blue Fairy was somehow behind Henry’s storybook; Hook and Tink’s reinforced the idea that he’s become a changed man through loving Emma (and once again proved that Colin O’Donoghue is a walking chemistry experiment with every actor he shares a scene with); Henry and Mary Margaret’s brought the attention back to the storybook; Belle and Rumplestitlskin’s just made me sad in hindsight (and felt odd because it seemed to contradict “Skin Deep” in terms of Belle’s knowledge of Bae); and Emma’s was just a way to draw a parallel to the episode’s conclusion. They worked on an emotional level throughout, but I feel like one or more of them could have been cut to make things like the Charming Family farewell or Blue’s resurrection a little longer.

However, the multiple flashbacks led me to believe that this could have been the show’s way of saying goodbye to this method of storytelling. I think we’re going to get flashbacks to fill in the time jump, but I’m not sure we’re going to go back to pre-cursed times again.

The beginning of this episode felt a little bit like a checklist: Reveal the thing Pan loves most? Check. Explain how to stop the curse? Check. Destroy Pan’s shadow? Check. Find out what happened to Blue? Check. Get Tink her wings back? Check. Switch Henry and Pan back into their own bodies? Check and check.

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The Best Thing I Saw on TV This Week (12/8 – 12/15)

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This was a slower week than usual in the world of television, as many shows had already begun their winter hiatuses. However, there are still some shows that are getting into the home stretch for this first half of the season, and they’re approaching these last few weeks with great dramatic flair. For example, Sunday’s Once Upon a Time set up a winter finale that is sure to be emotionally gripping and filled with intriguing twists. Wednesday’s Nashville put tears in my eyes with a beautiful but heartbreaking near-confession of love from Juliette to Avery, and it made me gasp in its final moments. Thursday featured two excellent winter finales: Once Upon a Time in Wonderland ended with a twist I never saw coming, and Scandal was an intense as ever, allowing the most seasoned acting veterans among its cast to do what they do best.

The incredible acting talent on display in this week’s episode of Scandal made that winter finale the best thing I saw on television this week. From Kate Burton’s incredible work in the episode’s horrifyingly tense opening scene to Jeff Perry’s tortured performance throughout, this episode showcased the way great actors can make even the craziest stories feel compelling. But the MVP of this episode has to go to Joe Morton. Rowan’s complete and total verbal smackdown of Fitz was the most satisfying thing I’ve seen on television in a long time. The writing was perfect (“You disappoint me as a suitor for my daughter’s hand.”), but Morton’s delivery made those excellent lines feel even more pointed. (Every time he called Fitz a boy, it was like you could feel the condemnation dripping from his mouth.) Never has brutal honesty been so brilliant.

What was the best thing you saw on TV this week?

TV Time: Once Upon a Time 3.10

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ouat-new-neverland

Title The New Neverland

Two-Sentence Summary In flashbacks, Snow nearly destroys her own happiness when a quest to find Medusa in order to destroy Regina turns her honeymoon with Charming into a potentially fatal mission. Snow’s appreciation for small moments of happiness in the past is contrasted by her daughter’s inability to appreciate or even have such moments in the present, as Emma gets thrown into the center of another crisis when she’s the first to realize that something is wrong with “Henry” upon returning to Storybrooke.

Favorite Lines
Emma: You sure you don’t have other reasons for pushing me towards Neal?
Charming: Like what?
Emma: I don’t know—keeping me away from Hook?
Charming: You think I’m interested in Hook? Emma, I’m a married man!

My Thoughts This episode still has my head spinning. It was an interesting setup to next week’s midseason finale because it asked way more questions than it answered, but that doesn’t always make for easy analyzing/reviewing. Therefore, I’m going to set this week’s episode up as a series of 20 questions I was left with following “The New Neverland.” Some are meant to spark debate and discussion; others are meant to get us speculating for next week’s big midseason finale.

So read on and then share your answers to some (or all!) of my queries. But just try to keep the spoilers out of the comments, if you would be so kind. I’m aware of most of the spoilers floating around now, but I know some people like to be surprised. If you want to talk spoilers, feel free to leave me a Tweet or an email, and I’ll be happy to indulge to your heart’s content!

1. Who else was impressed with Jared Gilmore in this episode?
Gilmore seemed to relish getting to play the villain for once, and he made the most of it. There were more than a few times where I was truly unsettled by his presence in a scene (especially when he was walking around Henry’s room), and I thought his physical performance was better than I could have hoped for.

2. Is Pan the most evil villain this show has ever had?
After all of this, I’m inclined to say yes. Cora was a close second, but she got that way by taking out her own heart because she still had a capability to love (which she saw—until her final moments—as an ultimate weakness). Pan, however, doesn’t need to have his heart removed to feel nothing but enjoyment at ruining (and ending) the lives of others for his own twisted power trips. The thing that stuck with me the most about Pan in this episode was the way he was still able to play his mind games away from his home turf and out of his own body. I’d been waiting to see him play on Regina’s MANY issues from the beginning of the Neverland arc, so it was sad but also perfectly executed to watch Pan prey on her desperation for love, especially love from her son. To be able to play the Evil Queen like a fiddle by using her emotions against her is about as evil as it gets. And to think of it as one parent preying on the love another parent has for their child makes the whole thing even more disturbing.

3. What is the thing Pan loves most?
In order for Pan to enact the Dark Curse, won’t he have to kill the thing he loves most? But what does he love, apart from himself and his youth? At first, I thought the final scene between Pan and Felix was going to end with Pan killing his most trusted Lost Boy to enact the curse. But does Pan love Felix? Does he love Rumplestiltskin? I think it would create an interesting conflict in the midseason finale with Pan trying to kill his son, but I don’t think he loves his son enough (or even at all) for it to work. Is it the Shadow? But how does one kill a Shadow?

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The Best Thing I Saw on TV This Week (12/1 – 12/8)

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This week in television began on Sunday with an episode of Once Upon a Time that answered some important questions (How did Regina come to adopt Henry?) and raised some even more important ones (What kind of havoc will Peter Pan wreak upon Storybrooke in Henry’s body?). That was followed by an episode of The Good Wife that featured one storytelling and emotional highpoint after another. Tuesday may have been without a new episode of New Girl, but a great new episode of The Mindy Project (with special appearances from wine bras, a gingerbread Monticello, and dancing Danny Castellano) more than made up for it. Wednesday’s Nashville featured a father/daughter duet that made me weepy, and Thursday’s Scandal had so many twists that I think my head is still spinning. Thursday also featured NBC’s live TV production of The Sound of Music, which I actually thoroughly enjoyed, for the record.

There were some amazing TV moments this week: Will preparing to question Alicia on The Good Wife, Maddie and Deacon singing together on Nashville, the last 10 minutes of Scandal…But nothing I saw on television this week—heck, maybe nothing I’ve seen on television this year—was better than Chris Messina showing off his dance skills on The Mindy Project. A lot of shows threw a lot of twists our way this week, but was any twist more entertaining than Danny’s Secret Santa gift to Mindy being a perfectly executed dance routine to Aaliyah’s “Try Again”?

It was such a great twist that I had to deviate from my regular posting schedule to talk about it with a fervor that scared even me. 

What was the best thing you saw on TV this week?

Danny Castellano Has All the Right Moves

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On last night’s Christmas episode of The Mindy Project, Mindy threw a holiday party to attract the attention of Cliff, the cute lawyer from her office building, but a bunch of other stuff happened too. Jeremy ate Danny’s gingerbread replica of Monticello. Peter flirted with Maria Menounos. Wine bras were worn, “Santa Baby” was sung, and Christmas trees were carried on subways and thrown over balconies.

Oh yeah—and this happened.

That’s right, friends, Danny Castellano showed off a set of moves that would make the best boy band members jealous as he gave Mindy her Secret Santa gift: a choreographed routine to the song she played on a loop when Danny first met her, Aaliyah’s “Try Again.”

I don’t know what’s more perfect—the dance itself, Chris Messina in general, or the fact that Danny remembered Mindy’s affection for the song from so many years ago. What I do know is that the bar for gift-giving on television has now been raised, and I’m not sure anyone can ever reach this level of perfection again.

The details of Danny’s character get handed out to us like Christmas gifts with every new episode. He’s a little grumpy, but he has smile that can light up a room (I’m talking about the one he gives her after his little “brush the shoulders off” move). He’ll try to smack you if you talk smack about Derek Jeter. He bakes gingerbread houses (and apparently also gingerbread estates). He hates scary stories, he smokes when he’s stressed, and he doesn’t know what a browser history is.

Danny may appear gruff and jaded, but he has a soft spot for Mindy. He knows what her vending machine food preferences are. He’ll clean the schmutz off her glasses when they’re dirty. He holds her hand when their plane hits a patch of turbulence. He writes her letters when she’s lonely in Haiti. And he dances like he’s in a music video for her because she deserves a Secret Santa gift as crazy, thoughtful, weird, and wonderful as she is.

This wasn’t just a regular, run-of-the-mill TV scene. This wasn’t just a good TV scene. This was a moment. This was one of those “I’ve fallen in love with a fictional man and I don’t even regret it” moments. This was Jim saying he’d save the receptionist. This was Ben giving Leslie waffles and chicken soup to help cure her flu. This was Nick yelling “Not like this!” when Jess wanted him to kiss her and Castle bringing Beckett every kind of takeout food known to man. This was a moment that deserves to be talked about, to be watched 500 times in a row, and to be written/Tweeted about until everyone on the planet has seen it. It surprised me, and I love being pleasantly surprised by people—real or fictional.

No, Mindy and Danny didn’t kiss last night. But do we really need them to do that yet? I’m content with where they are right now, even if in the moment I was screaming at Danny to follow Mindy outside when she told him she was getting fresh air. I love their tension, their slow awakening to their own feelings, and, most importantly their friendship. I don’t need anything more right now.

Except more dance numbers, of course.

TV Time: Once Upon a Time 3.09

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GINNIFER GOODWIN

Title Save Henry

Two-Sentence Summary As Operation Henry works to retrieve Henry’s heart from Peter Pan’s body and finally leave Neverland, flashbacks reveal why and how Regina adopted Henry. Although it appears the group will safely leave the torturous island once and for all (and with all the Lost Boys joining them onboard the Jolly Roger), it turns out Pan isn’t quite done with his games.

Favorite Lines
Regina: I need a child, Gold, and I need your help.
Gold: Well, I’m flattered—but uninterested.

My Thoughts Things are moving fast now as the first half of this season of Once Upon a Time draws to a close, but, for a show with such fascinating relationships to explore and such great actors to showcase, I’m not sure it’s a good thing that the pace seems to have accelerated exponentially in the last few weeks. I know there were some out there who were bored by the lack of progress in the earlier episodes of this season, but I loved them. I don’t watch this show for the action; I watch it for the characters. And, while “Save Henry” did provide some strong character moments, it had to fit so much into one episode that I felt some important emotional beats for characters not named Regina were missed.

Don’t get me wrong; I loved seeing Lana Parrilla get to unleash all of her acting powers once again after being more or less stuck as the sassy side commentator for the majority of this Neverland arc. I’m always left awestruck at the way Parrilla makes me feel for a character I should hate. Regina has done so many horrible things, and she’s done many of them to the family I care about most on this show (that would be the Charmings). But I’ll be damned if Parrilla doesn’t manage to tug at my heartstrings more often than I would ever expect. There’s such a fierce vulnerability and desperation for love that runs underneath her performance at all times, and that vulnerability is what keeps me caring about Regina despite everything she’s done. Yes, she’s a monster on many levels, but she’s also still—somewhere under all the menacing malice she uses as her armor—the very broken woman who was abused by her mother and manipulated by Rumplestiltskin into embracing the darkest parts of herself just to become a pawn in his quest to get back to his son.

I’m incredibly conflicted on how to view Regina, and sometimes I wonder if the writers get conflicted, too. In this episode, I wasn’t sure if I was supposed to view her as worthy of redemption of irredeemable. I was surprised that she said she didn’t regret any of the evil things she’d done, and I’m not sure it was a good kind of surprised. In the moment, I cheered for her and thought it was such a strong moment of victory for Henry and against Pan, but upon further review, it’s hard for me to sympathize with a character who has caused people—even her own son—so much pain and regrets none of it.

I had the same feelings of conflicted frustration when she told Emma that she only had Henry while Emma had a lot of people who love her. Regina is alone because she pushed away (or killed/attempted to kill) anyone who wanted to let themselves into her heart. Yes, her love for Henry is a huge factor in why I think she is a complex and ultimately redeemable character, but to make it sound like Emma has been basking in love for years while Regina has been kept from any kind of love besides Henry’s through anyone’s fault other than her own is absurd. Regina is the very reason Emma had to endure such a lonely, loveless existence. It was an strong moment to show how much Regina loves her son (and it was acted brilliantly by Parrilla), but it did nothing other than make me love Emma even more for her respect for Regina and Henry’s relationship (while still asserting that Henry is indeed their son—not just Regina’s). Both of those scenes took Regina back to that delusional place she resided in for a lot of Season Two, which made me sad because I really liked the “Regina becoming self-aware” storyline that had been building this season.

Despite my reservations about Regina, I will never be able to deny that she is brought to life by an actress who is a force to be reckoned with. Parrilla was able to use every tool in her well-stocked arsenal in “Save Henry.” She was sharp-tongued (calling Neal “that person” was a perfect way to show her indifference towards him). She was gleefully evil. She was panicked. She was determined. She was awkward. She was lost. She was paranoid. She was warm. And she was loving. To play such a range of emotions within one episode is a tall order, but to play them all perfectly is just another day at the office for Parrilla. In the flashbacks, watching her grow from a lonely woman to a struggling new parent to a mother who loves her child fiercely was a joy for anyone who is a fan of strong acting.

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The Best Thing I Saw on TV This Week (11/24 – 12/1)

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This holiday week gave us a lot to celebrate as fans of great TV. With Once Upon a Time taking the week off, I also took a break from TV on Sunday night, but I was greeted on Monday with a great group of final performances on Dancing with the Stars and one of the most entertaining Castle episodes of the season. Tuesday saw a new champion crowned on Dancing with the Stars (Congratulations, Amber Riley!) and a rustic Thanksgiving celebration on New Girl. On Wednesday, we were treated to a look behind the scenes at the making of NBC’s live production of The Sound of Music, and Thursday featured the classic Thanksgiving combination of the Macy’s parade, the National Dog Show, and plenty of great football. Finally, the holiday weekend wrapped up with two great movie marathons: the Harry Potter films (on ABC Family) and both Star Wars trilogies (on Spike).

With so many great options to choose from, it was difficult to pick just one that was the best. Instead, I picked one TV personality who stood out above and beyond the rest this week (and really every week, if I’m being honest). From dancing and singing with the Sesame Street cast in the Macy’s parade to performing another classic holiday parody medley with Rashida Jones (and special guest Carrie Underwood), Jimmy Fallon made me smile so much my face hurt this week. His enthusiasm and sense of joy are unrivaled and infectious. Fallon makes me smile like no one else on television, and he does it just by being his happy and charming self.

What was the best thing you saw on TV this week?

TV Time: New Girl 3.10

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I apologize for how late this post is, but I hope all of you had a very happy Thanksgiving (hopefully without any cases of Legionnaire’s Disease)! 

Title Thanksgiving III

Two-Sentence Summary Worried that his relationship with Jess is making him less of a man, Nick drags the gang to the woods for a hunting/fishing/camping Thanksgiving. Tensions run high between Schmidt and Coach when Jess asks Cece to join them.

Favorite Line “Goodness gracious—what are you, a sorcerer?” (Schmidt, after watching Coach make a fire)

Episode M.V.P. “Thanksgiving III” wasn’t New Girl at its best, but it was still fairly enjoyable. Lamorne Morris had some great moments, especially when Winston vented about never being able to do what he wants to do. (Can we please see that pottery seminar someday?) But I still feel myself trying and failing to become emotionally invested in anything involving Coach. Sure, Damon Wayans Jr. makes me laugh, but that’s about it. And for as sweet as Nick and Jess were at the end of the episode, I’m getting kind of tired of the “Nick thinks Jess is changing him and overreacts, but then he realizes he has a great thing with Jess” stories. Don’t get me wrong; Jake Johnson is the master of comedic overreaction, and he’s also the master of the heartfelt moments these episodes often provide at their conclusion. But I feel like the same story keeps being told when it comes to episodes centering on Nick and Jess’s relationship, and it’s forcing him and Zooey Deschanel to simply play the same facets of these characters over and over again.

Thankfully, this episode had a big saving grace in a ridiculous hat, and his name was Max Greenfield. He made me laugh with typically excellent line delivery (his pronunciation of “goodness gracious!” was a personal favorite of mine) and great physical comedy (the entire bit with the trap and the subsequent shoulder injury was fantastic). I also liked that Schmidt was willing to put his friendship with Coach (and his desire for Cece to be happy) above his own self-pity. Greenfield once again balanced the hilarity and sincerity in Schmidt’s character with aplomb.

Favorite Scene Clearly, I have a type when it comes to favorite New Girl moments. If a scene features the whole cast coming together for a moment of genuine friendship and warmth, it’s probably going to be my favorite scene in a given episode. Therefore, it should surprise no one that I had a soft spot for the end of this episode. Did I love the storyline that brought them all to the urgent care center? No. Did I need another scene of Nick telling Jess he’s sorry and Jess telling him she wants him exactly as he is? Not really. But I can’t lie; Deschanel and Johnson can still make me melt with even the smallest gestures—like Nick touching Jess’s cheek. The moment that sold this ending for me, though, was when the whole group came into the room to have their very own vending-machine Thanksgiving. It wasn’t perfect, but it was a moment of real kindness and love between these characters. And that’s what matters. I felt that these people were truly thankful for each other in this scene, and that was enough for me.

A New Girl GIF* For My New Girl Feelings

winston i can't do this

 

I don’t know how many more episodes of the same Nick/Jess story I can take, but I’m willing to keep going along for the ride as long as Deschanel and Johnson can still make me weak in the knees like a grief-stricken Winston.

*I have no talent for GIF-making. Thankfully, I am highly skilled at searching Tumblr for the best GIFs. I take no credit for this beauty.

 

TV Time: Castle 6.10

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Castle 610

Title The Good, the Bad, and the Baby

Two-Sentence Summary After a dying man abandons a baby at a church, Castle and Beckett must solve not only his murder but also the mystery behind the baby’s identity and connection to the case. Until they do, they take the baby in, which allows both of them—especially Beckett—to take a glimpse into their future and the possibility of having children of their own someday.

Favorite Line Upon walking into the loft to see Martha holding a baby while Castle and Beckett are sleeping near her: “How long have I been gone?” (Alexis)

My Thoughts In honor of this episode’s Thanksgiving theme, I would like to turn this week’s review into a little list I like to call: “10 Things to Be Thankful For in ‘The Good, the Bad, and the Baby.’”

1. An Excellent Opening. The opening of this episode, with the victim stumbling into the church while the cantor was singing and the service was going on was just unsettling enough to be memorable. Part of me was a little frustrated that the chilling events of last week’s episode went completely unaddressed in “The Good, the Bad, and the Baby,” but that’s sadly to be expected from a procedural. However, I did get a good dose of goose bumps from this opening scene without being as terrified as I was by “Disciple,” which is just what I want from a holiday-themed Castle episode.

2. Playful Pocahontas. Between last season’s “Secret Santa” and this episode, I really enjoy watching Castle and Beckett share holiday traditions—even made-up ones. I had a feeling Castle was kidding about his Thanksgiving costumes, but I loved that Beckett was willing to play along. Even more than that, though, I loved that she was smart and sassy enough to get him a costume just in case he turned out to be kidding.

3. A Family Affair. It warmed my heart to see Beckett and her father included in Castle’s family festivities for Thanksgiving. I have always loved that the Castle Family feels like a real family, with history and traditions that are special to them. And now I love that Beckett and her dad are becoming a part of this warm and welcoming family. From Beckett helping Castle shop for the Thanksgiving meal to Alexis talking to Jim Beckett on the phone, there was a very natural, domestic feel to this episode, and that tone was perfect for a holiday episode. It further proved to me that this season of Castle is all about confidence, and now that extends to confidence in the characters’ abilities to form their own big, happy family without having to make a big deal about it in the plot.

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