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Grading the Season Finales 2013: Castle

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Title Watershed (5.24)

Written By Andrew Marlowe

What Happens? As the team at the 12th precinct investigates the murder of a Harvard student and computer hacker posing as a prostitute in a seedy motel, they uncover ties between the victim and a political dynasty which was behind the cover-up of a young woman’s death years before. The case also proves to be possibly Beckett’s last homicide as a member of the NYPD, as she takes an interview in Washington for a job with the attorney general—without telling Castle. Although she’s encouraged by Captain Gates, Beckett struggles with the decision after Castle finds the boarding pass for her trip in her coat pocket and gets angry over the fact the she shut him out of such an important decision. While Castle discusses their relationship and its challenges with his mother, Beckett is counseled by Lanie and her father. Both Beckett and Castle seem to be questioning where their relationship is headed, but both are too scared to broach the topic with the other.

After Beckett is officially offered the position, she begins to feel the weight of leaving her home at the precinct bearing down on her. Both Ryan and Esposito can tell that something is wrong, but neither can figure out what it is. Instead, Ryan lets Esposito in on a little secret of his own—he’s going to be a father. Fatherhood also proves to be a challenge for Castle, as he deals with his fear of letting Alexis go on a summer trip to the rainforest by avoiding the situation—until he can’t any longer and simply has to realize that despite his fears and worries, he loves his daughter and wants to do right by her. That same emotion goes into his meeting with Beckett on the swings where they once talked about Beckett’s emotional walls and where Beckett decided to let those walls come down with Castle. Castle tells Beckett that he understands she’s always going to have walls and won’t always let him in easily, but he isn’t going to give her an ultimatum. Whatever she chooses, he wants to be with her—and he proves this on one knee with a ring and question left unanswered until Season Six begins in the fall.

Game-Changing Moment Yes, Beckett being offered the job with the attorney general was a major moment, but it wasn’t the episode’s true game-changer. No, that title belongs to seven little words said by Richard Castle on the swing set that has come to mean so much to these two characters are their relationship:

Katherine Houghton Beckett, will you marry me?

No matter what Beckett answers and no matter what she decides, those seven words have forever changed their relationship and the direction of the show, which we all know has always been first and foremost a love story (with some murder thrown in for good fun). I know some people hated this twist and others loved it (my own feelings are quite complicated), but there’s no denying that this proposal was one of the most shocking moments in Castle’s five-year history. Whether you thought it was romantic or ridiculous, I bet you had a reaction—and that’s what a good finale cliffhanger should do. This was a moment that people will be talking about all summer, from the most passionate fans to the most casual observers. And that’s what season finales are all about.

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Grading the Season Finales 2013: Once Upon a Time

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Title And Straight On ’Til Morning (2.22)

Written By Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz

What Happens? Picking up where last week’s “Second Star to the Right” left off, this episode begins with the characters dealing with two tragedies: one recent (the shooting of Neal and his disappearance through a portal) and one impending (the destruction of Storybrooke and all of its residents born in the Enchanted Forest, meaning everyone but Henry). Regina believes she has the power to slow down the destruction of the town enough for everyone else to escape, sacrificing herself in the process. In order for the townspeople to escape, though, they have to open another portal, which means getting at least one magic bean from Tamara and Greg. Charming is aided in this quest by Hook, who believes in self-preservation rather than dying for his cause as Tamara and Greg do.

Once Charming retrieves a magic bean, he and Snow decide to take a chance and send the self-destruct mechanism to another realm through the portal instead, saving Regina in order to do what’s good even though it might not be easy. However, once the Charming Family reaches Regina, Emma discovers that Hook took the bean for himself, leaving them with no option other than to prepare for their death and leaving Henry alone without his family. While Emma says goodbye to her parents and Henry shares a moment of understanding with Regina, Rumplestiltskin prepares for the destruction of this world by restoring Belle’s memories (thanks to a magical potion made by the Blue Fairy and given to him by Grumpy, who never forgot the kindness Belle once showed him) and allowing himself to grieve for his son.

Before Storybrooke is demolished, however, Emma realizes that while Regina may not be powerful enough on her own to stop the destruction, her magic may be able to work with Regina’s to stop it—and she’s right. But as soon as the moment of relief ends, panic sets in when the Charmings and Regina realize that Henry has gone missing. It turns out he’s more valuable to Tamara and Greg than the destruction of Storybrooke, and they take him through a portal to another realm.

Just as all hope appears to be lost for Henry, Hook returns with his ship, a magic bean, and a change of heart. It turns out he has a soft spot for abandoned boys with selfless streaks and big hearts, as we discover his relationship with Bae through flashbacks. What was at first a chance for Hook to find family and redemption in raising Milah’s son and keeping him safe from the shadow hunting him, turned into one of Hook’s darkest moments when he let the “Lost Ones” take Bae after the boy learned the truth about his mother, Hook, and his father. In the present, Hook wants to redeem himself for what he did to Bae by saving his son since everyone believes that Bae/Neal is dead (although we see him at the episode’s end being discovered by Aurora, Philip, and Mulan). Hook’s knowledge of Neverland will surely come in handy on the journey to rescue Henry, as Rumplestiltskin sees that’s where the boy is headed. Leaving Belle behind to keep Storybrooke safe and hidden as he goes to rescue his grandson (although Henry was once said to be his undoing), Rumplestiltskin sets foot on Hook’s ship with Charming, Snow, Emma, and Regina to save Henry from Peter Pan—the shadow who has been hunting a boy who looks just like Henry since Bae was a child in Neverland.

Game-Changing Moment Following last week’s big moment where Neal was sent through a portal, this episode also used a different realm to change the course of the show in a major way and set the stage for a very interesting Season Three. I definitely thought this season’s cliffhanger was going to be Henry going to Neverland somehow, but I honestly believed Hook was going to kidnap him for some reason. I didn’t see Tamara and Greg’s involvement coming at all (and I can’t say I’m thrilled about it). However, the quest to find Henry has the potential to create some fantastic storytelling and powerful moments between the men and women who I feel are the best actors on the show. It unites all of these characters against a common enemy, and that can only be a good thing after a season of so much fighting and so many fragmented stories. Also, the introduction of a new realm and a new villain have me excited for next season to start already—and isn’t that exactly what a finale should do? I think the choice to make Peter Pan evil is fascinating (and actually pretty believable—his story was always darker than it looked at first glance), and making a beloved fairytale character a kidnapping shadow creature is exactly the kind of twist on a classic story that makes Once Upon a Time compelling television. This is how you create a mysterious, interesting villain—not the haphazard way Tamara and Greg were thrown into the show. With Henry and his family’s journey to Neverland setting the stage for Season Three, I feel optimistic that this show, which has felt disjointed for some time now, will find its direction and heart once again.

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TV Time: New Girl 2.24

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Title Winston’s Birthday

Two-Sentence Summary The morning after Nick and Jess’s first night together (and the day before Cece’s wedding) is interrupted by the arrival of Jess’s father, who believes Nick to be unworthy of his little girl because he sees too much of himself in the younger man. Meanwhile, Cece deals with an unfortunate henna accident, Schmidt deals with the beginning (or restarting) of a relationship with Elizabeth, and Winston deals with the fact that his friends may have forgotten his birthday.

Favorite Line “You know how much I love to explore space and time!” (Winston)

Episode M.V.P. While I loved both Schmidt and Winston in this episode, I thought it belonged to Jess, Nick, and Bob. Their dynamic and the way it built from comedy to heartbreak felt incredibly natural, just like so much of this season has felt. Jess had a lot to do both physically and emotionally in this episode, and I thought Zooey Deschanel did some of her best work of the season in this half-hour. Nothing she did or said felt forced—from her easy laughter with Nick before the chaos rained down around them to her palpable panic at having to do too many things for too many people while still trying to make her own future a priority, too. While I loved everything Deschanel did in this episode, three moments in particular stood out. The first was her immediate defense of Nick when Bob told her Nick wasn’t good enough for her. I loved that she didn’t even wait a moment before telling her dad that that there’s nothing wrong with Nick. Jess’s feelings about Nick were also a huge part of her monologue to her students about life being messy, which I thought Deschanel delivered with an incredible vulnerability and emotional honesty. You could feel her come to her decision in that moment; yes, things with Nick are messy (she went so far as to call him a mess during their kissing in “Quick Hardening Caulk”), but the messy things are the best things in life—because they’re real. The final Jess moment that really got to me was her reaction to Nick’s breakfast on the roof. For so long, we’ve really watched this relationship through Nick’s eyes; we’ve seen it written all over his face how much he loves her. But this time, we got to see plainly just how much Jess loves him, too. The soft way she looked at him throughout that rooftop scene was perfect. Being in love looks great on Nick, and now we know it looks gorgeous on Jess as well.

Nick and Bob both worked so well in this episode because of Jake Johnson and Rob Reiner’s ability to so effortlessly show the way both of these imperfect men love a woman who they both feel is out of their league. Yes, they were both hysterical in their early scenes in the episode. (Any scene involving Nick screaming like a little girl will make me cry with laughter.) But what really made this episode for me was their sincerity. When Bob told Jess he’s not good enough for his little girl, my heart broke because you could feel the pain of this man who’s spent 30 years trying to be the best man he could be for his daughter but never feeling good enough. And that reflected back on Nick perfectly because you could see how much that hurt Nick—not just being rejected by a father-figure but the confirmation of what he always believed to be true, that he’s not good enough for Jess. Johnson played that moment perfectly; you could see Nick crumble under the weight of those words. I really hope Reiner comes back at least once or twice a season because he fits in with the cast (especially Johnson) like he’s a regular.

Favorite Moment I cry a lot when I watch TV. A LOT. But New Girl had yet to make me actually cry…until the end of this episode. When Jess got Nick’s text, I could feel my heart start beating faster in anticipation because I’d honestly thought they were just going to leave the relationship in a kind of limbo after the confrontation with Bob. But once Jess reached the roof and we saw Nick setting up the same breakfast he made her in the morning (but this time with the flower!), I started to tear up. There was just something so simple and beautiful about that gesture; it just furthered my belief that Nick is the most realistically romantic man on television right now. He may be a mess in every other area of his life, but that action showed that he loves Jess with a clarity and a simple honesty that is anything but messy. After what her father said to them, they both could have taken a step back. But he made her breakfast on the roof, she showed up, and they were both looking at each other like any doubts that could ever exist about them had no place on that rooftop.

Of course, however, this is New Girl, so the moment had to be interrupted, and it had to be by Schmidt (and later Winston). But that interruption proved to be emotional and beautiful in its own right. The last moments of the episode—with Winston, Schmidt, Elizabeth, Nick, and Jess together on the roof—were moments filled with the kind of silly, sentimental, honest, and hopeful energy that has made me love this show since Season One’s “Injured.” This is a show first and foremost about friendships, and I love that the writers and cast never seem to forget that.

A New Girl GIF* For My New Girl Feelings

winston i can't do this

Yes, New Girl is a comedy, but it’s a comedy that stands apart from the rest because it’s one of the most emotionally honest shows on television. That emotion was what made this episode so special. It made me laugh, it made my heart skip a beat (I can’t end this review without mentioning the fact that Nick kissed Jess’s shoulder!), and it made me cry. The best part about it was the fact that, despite putting me through the emotional wringer, this episode never felt emotionally manipulative. It all came from a very genuine place for each character, and that makes me even more excited for next week’s big wedding finale (even though I’m not sure my heart will be able to handle it)!

 

*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 5.23

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Title The Human Factor

Two-Sentence Summary When the man behind a website famous for leaking government information is killed by a drone, the team at the 12th precinct must work with Jared Stack, an operative put on the case by the attorney general. Beckett’s tenacity and intelligence earn her Stack’s respect as well as a chance at a job in Washington.

Favorite Line “That theory is highly improbable. And coming from me, that’s saying something.” (Castle)

My Thoughts “The Human Factor” was much better than I was expecting it to be. It came on the heels of “Still,” one of the best episodes of the season and was originally supposed to follow, “The Squab and the Quail,” which was one of the worst. I was worried that it was going to bring Castle and Beckett back to an angst-filled place in their relationship before the finale, but I am so happy to say that my worries were all for naught. Instead, we saw them as flirty, fun, and united as ever. I’m happy that the obstacles coming their way in the finale are external ones, and they’re believable ones. After so many seasons of seeing how good Beckett is at her job, it felt right to see her offered a chance at something bigger. This episode did exactly what it was supposed to do—it made me excited for the finale while standing on its own as a solid episode with a very strong case at its center.

This was probably one of the most interesting cases Castle has come up with this season. I found myself drawn to the more “procedural-ish” (I love inventing words!) aspects of this episode even more than I was drawn to Castle and Beckett’s interactions, and that only happens with the most compelling cases. I think what made this case stand out were the guest actors. From the son’s palpable anger over his father’s abandonment (and its reflection of Castle’s own abandonment issues) to Stack’s journey to respect Beckett and her abilities, these characters felt like real people with real emotions and believable motivations for their actions.

The case itself also raised some interesting questions about national security, the use of drones on American soil (and abroad), and morality in general. I love when this quirky little show gets serious because it does it in a natural way. There’s never a “very special episode” feel to it (except maybe when it comes to the Johanna Beckett case); it’s merely a matter of reflecting reality: Sometimes life is funny and light, but sometimes it’s serious and makes you think about things much bigger and more complex than your world usually is. I’m not always a fan of episodes where the 12th precinct deals with federal agencies (Season Four’s two-parter was not a favorite of mine), but the conflict in this episode felt real and understandable from both sides.

I think the real reason I loved the case so much—more than its complexity or its great guest actors—was because it allowed Kate Beckett to shine. Beckett is extraordinary for so many reasons, but it should never be forgotten that one of the first things Castle (and, by extension, the audience) came to love about her was just how good she was at her job. When I watch other characters come to admire Beckett’s skills as a detective, I feel like a proud mother. Beckett is my favorite character on TV for so many reasons, but one of the first things that stood out about her was that she was allowed to be exceptional at what’s typically known as a masculine job, and those exceptional skills were what attracted Castle to her as much as her looks.

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TV Time: Once Upon a Time 2.21

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Title Second Star to the Right

Two-Sentence Summary After Regina is kidnapped by Tamara and Greg, Emma, Neal, Snow, and Charming begin searching for her—and discover the truth about Tamara in the process. In flashbacks to Bae’s life after falling through the portal, we see him living with the Darling family and allowing himself to be kidnapped and taken to Neverland in the place of one of the Darling boys—a sacrifice later paralleled by his descent into a portal Tamara created after shooting him in order to keep Henry from losing both his mother and father.

Favorite Line
“Henry needs you. He can’t lose both of us. Don’t make him grow up like we did.” (Neal)

My Thoughts When I first started watching Once Upon a Time, I fell in love with the creative twists on fairytales that I grew up with, the emotional moments that built characters and relationships better than any other show I was watching, and the gorgeously complicated dynamics between characters who were family even though they didn’t know that yet. Somewhere along the way, those things got lost this season with the introduction of more new characters than the show knew what to do with, a revolving door of villains, and a plot-heavy/emotionally-lacking style of storytelling. Thankfully, “Second Star to the Right” proved to be a return to many of those first-season elements that made the show so compelling and moving. This episode was an excellent setup for next week’s season finale because it proved that the stakes aren’t just high in terms of the plot; they’re high for almost every character on an emotional level.

Before I go any further into my review, I have to ask: Is this the darkest and scariest episode this show has ever aired? For being an 8 p.m. network drama often billed as a family show, this episode was quite disturbing—from the “death” of a major character to the decision to turn Peter Pan into a child-stealing shadow to Regina’s electroshock torture. I know that you have to sometimes go to a very bleak place in order to set up a season finale (like Henry eating the turnover last season), but this was almost oppressively bleak at times.

One of my favorite parts of this episode was the flashback storyline. I find young Bae incredibly compelling as a character because he’s so earnest and yet so broken at such a young age. The actor who plays him really does a fantastic job. I thought his rapport with Wendy was adorable, and his panic in the face of magic was heartbreakingly believable. I really enjoyed the darker take on the Peter Pan story that was told here because there really is something unsettling under the innocence of the original story. Not growing up may seem like a fun concept for a little while, but being stuck in a world without your family where you never mature or grow doesn’t exactly sound like a fate I’d want for myself. And that’s what made Bae’s sacrifice all the more noble. To willingly go back to a world ruled by (presumably) dark magic when you’ve lost everything trying to escape that fate just to save a family from being torn apart is a heroic act of the highest degree.

Seeing young Bae be so selfless, brave, and true (pun intended) made all of Neal’s big moments in this episode (and there were several) feel like they were coming from a genuine place. This is a man who has always wanted to do the right thing, but it keeps costing him. He’s been through so much and has been broken and emotionally damaged in ways not even Emma can comprehend. But in this episode we see him trying to right his wrongs, and I found myself rooting for him more than ever before (and I say that as someone who’s loved Neal since “Tallahassee”—before we even knew who he really was).

When Neal apologized to Emma, I truly believed that he spent every day regretting what he did to her—and so much of that comes from the raw and real chemistry between Jennifer Morrison and Michael Raymond-James. What I love about their scenes is that it always feels like two real adults interacting—theirs is a very messy, very damaged love story in a world where they’re surrounded by magical examples  of “true love.” But their love has never felt any less true than Snow and Charming’s or Rumplestiltskin and Belle’s—at least not to me. It’s true in a way that’s right for the world they grew up and fell in love in: a world without magic. It’s true in a way that hurts, but this episode showed that it’s also true in a way that heals.

Emma and Neal have always represented human drama in the midst of the supernatural—that’s why I loved “Manhattan” so deeply. They’re two people whose lives were destroyed by dark magic but somehow found in each other a very human and very tangible kind of magic. These are two characters who have suffered so much. All magic comes with a price, and too often that price has been their happiness. That’s what hurt so much about this episode. Once again, Neal is faced with sacrificing himself to the whims of dark magic, but this time it’s to save his own family. And once again, Emma has someone she loves—some hope for happiness and family—ripped away because of magic. Neal has spent so much of his life trying to keep himself from committing the sins of his father, so he chose to be brave and fall through the portal to keep his son from growing up an orphan. But that choice came with its own price, which was reflected so heartbreakingly on Emma’s face after the portal closed. Each one of her sobs hit me like a punch to the gut. These two characters have been through so much already: their profession of love as Neal prepared to fall to his (believed) demise was one of the most heartbreaking moments in a show full of heartbreaking moments.

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Grading the Season Finales 2013: Parks and Recreation

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It’s that time of year again—season finale time! Last year, I had a lot of fun grading the season finales for all the shows I watched, so I decided to try my hand at that again this year, starting with the season finale of Parks and Recreation.

Title Are You Better Off? (5.22)

Written By Mike Schur

What Happens? Leslie celebrates the conclusion of her first year as a city council member with a town forum where she asks the people of Pawnee, “Are you better off now than you were a year ago?” Unfortunately for Leslie, most of the townspeople feel they aren’t better off, and they launch into a litany of complaints aimed at her perceived attacks on their personal freedoms (campaigning against giant sodas, keeping Lot 48 from becoming a Paunch Burger location) and moral indecency (teaching sexual education to senior citizens, turning the video rental store into a porn store). This impassioned group of angry Pawnee citizens then begins a campaign to recall Leslie from her office, but Ben encourages her to stand strong in the face of this adversity because he knows she truly believes Pawnee is in a better place than it was before.

While Leslie is fighting her detractors, her friends all face various other long-term challenges. Andy finds a positive pregnancy test in the garbage at Ron’s cabin, and he resurrects his Bert Macklin persona in order to discover the identity of the mother-to-be (with Ann’s help, as we soon learn the test isn’t hers). With Leslie and Donna eliminated from the hunt, Andy is led to believe the woman is Mona-Lisa. Tom is initially terrified of the idea of his unstable girlfriend brining a child into the world. (Plus, he already has problems of his own with a new competitor for Rent-a-Swag—who may or may not be Diddy—opening a store across the street.) Thankfully for all involved, the test isn’t Mona-Lisa’s, but then Andy is left with only one other option—April. However, April also isn’t pregnant, though she does have big news: She got into veterinary school in Bloomington, and Andy is more than happy to support her as she chases her dream. In the end, Andy believes his detective work was all for naught—until Diane enters Ron’s office and asks to talk to him.

Game-Changing Moment The end of this episode featured two big moments that set up major changes for some of the most beloved members of Parks and Rec’s supporting characters. First, the news of April’s acceptance into veterinary school was surely a shock to many (including myself) who’d assumed she was going to be the woman behind the pregnancy test. I have to admit it; I liked this plot twist a lot better than the idea of April and Andy being parents because both of them clearly aren’t ready for that yet. However, April’s new career path felt right after a season of watching her grow, and I loved seeing Andy be so supportive of her.

The second of these major moments was the reveal of Diane’s pregnancy. I did not see that twist coming at all (although my mother did!), and I loved being so surprised by it. For most of the episode, I was wondering why there was such a lack of Ron after he’d been on the receiving end of some really great storylines this season, and then I got my answer. After that ending, I found myself already getting excited to see where this will take Ron next season. His relationship with Diane was a welcome addition to Season Five, and I can only imagine that impending fatherhood will be a welcome addition to Season Six as well.

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TV Time: New Girl 2.23

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Title Virgins

Two-Sentence Summary When Jess gets an unexpected text from the man she lost her virginity to, all the loft roommates (and Cece) begin sharing their “first time” stories in an attempt to determine whose was the worst. After withholding the real story of his first time from everyone but Jess, Nick finally decides to stop thinking and carries her to his room for their own first time.

Favorite Line This episode had so many winners that I’ve composed a little Top Five list of favorite “Virgins” quotes for your reading pleasure:

5. “This guy’s the worst. Playing guitar for girls? Girls don’t like that—that’s a fact!” (Nick)

4. “If I pee while it’s happening, will she die?” (Schmidt)

3. “Ruh-roh.” (Jess)

2. Mysteria: Aren’t you a virgin too?
Winston: Just my penis, baby. Just my penis.

1. “Do you like DVDs? Do you sell cookies? Not a cookie bar.” (Schmidt)

Episode M.V.P. The entire ensemble was on fire once again this week, but I have to single out the guys as the true reason “Virgins” was such a standout New Girl episode. In both the flashbacks and the present-day scenes, Schmidt, Winston, and Nick were at their very best. Max Greenfield, Lamorne Morris, and Jake Johnson play off each other so perfectly; you really find yourself believing that you’re watching three best friends interacting when they share scenes, and that was especially true in this episode.

I think it needs to be said before this season is done: Winston is sneakily becoming a scene-stealer on this show. Morris has owned everything he’s been given this season, and this episode was no exception. His teenage Winston was such a believable mixture of innocence (watching Titanic and not knowing what was going to happen, asking Mysteria what she did for a living) and false bravado (#2 on my list of favorite lines). And in the present, Winston was hilarious in his disbelief over Mysteria actually being a prostitute and his strange optimism over his “last chance” with Daisy.

Schmidt, on the other hand, is no one’s surprise scene-stealer anymore. He’s the character I look to for genuine laugh-until-I-cry moments in almost every episode, and he provided a few gems in “Virgins.” Fat Schmidt is always a welcome addition to an episode because of the naïve vulnerability and inherent sweetness in that character, so I loved his awkward interaction with Nick about the basics of sex (and his strange “Penis! Vagina!” dance). But what really made me laugh until I couldn’t breathe was that genius bit of physical comedy involving Schmidt, Nick, and way too much personal lubricant. It went on just long enough to remain hilarious throughout, and the fact that it happened with “I’ll Make Love to You” playing in the background made it even funnier.

And then there was Nick. Oh Nick Miller, Nick Miller, from the streets of Chicago—just when I think I can’t love you any more, you talk about Jess’s “secret garden,” hide in the bathroom to eavesdrop on conversations (which Schmidt and Winston find totally normal), have a standoff with an imaginary troll during a mushroom-induced trip, and still manage to end the episode looking perhaps hotter than ever before. Johnson can add “Virgins” to the already-long list of episodes he could use for his Emmy submission. He managed to go from awkward teenage boy to perhaps even more awkward college student to a grown man unwilling to let the right moment pass him by anymore. Yes, he was incredibly funny throughout (crying in front of Octopussy, crawling on the floor of his dorm room as Schmidt tried to have sex, letting random jealous outbursts take over whenever Jess talked about Teddy), but what got me once again was his disarming sincerity. I thought his story about his relatively normal first time was delivered perfectly, with just the right sense of nostalgia and vulnerability as he chose to only tell Jess. And then the way he stopped the elevator and carried Jess to his room was the epitome of hotness. There’s something so ungodly attractive about Nick (and by extension Johnson) when he’s interacting with Jess, and this took it to a new level (as it should).

Favorite Moment When Nick stopped the elevator doors from closing just as “Anything Can Happen” started to play, I could feel my heart start beating faster in anticipation of what was to come—that’s how you know a TV moment is a great one. What I loved about Nick and Jess finally taking this step in their relationship was that, like their kiss in “Cooler,” a whole episode was built around getting them to this point, but it still managed to feel natural and spontaneous. It was a moment I knew was coming, but that didn’t make the payoff any less sweet. In fact, it made it feel even sweeter because it felt earned and believable and right. Words are failing me when I try to describe just how sexy Nick was in that scene—the way he held Jess was just so…FGHGHLDGFHAKSFHJDGKHDGJK. (Yes, I believe a keyboard smash is the only appropriate reaction to that level of hotness.) But what really sold me was Zooey Deschanel’s reaction. For a split second, Jess looks at Nick and you can see how nervous she is for what’s about to happen—because she knows it’s going to change everything. But then Nick smiles at her—just a small smile—and Johnson sells the hell out of that moment. And then Jess kisses Nick, all her nerves pushed aside by that one small smile. Because of that beautiful little character moment, I was more than okay with the directorial decision to favor eye contact over kissing in that scene. It was actually more intimate, and it made the one kiss they showed all the most powerful.

My favorite part of that scene, though, was the very end of it. I loved that the sex was clearly very good and not bad or awkward like some sitcoms might have tried to force on the audience. I loved that neither of them seemed to regret it. And I loved that they were able to just be themselves after venturing into such new, intimate territory together. Their laughter, smiles, and facial expressions were so perfectly in-character and added a realism to this moment that kept it from being too melodramatic or too sappy. Their happiness was so palpable, and their dynamic felt so right. The best thing about Nick and Jess’s relationship has always been how genuine it feels, and that extended in a really beautiful way to this scene.

A New Girl GIF* For My New Girl Feelings

tumblr_mm3le9n2kZ1rm1dzfo1_250

That really just happened—and it was awesome! That’s what’s written all over Nick and Jess’s adorable faces here, and that’s how I felt after this episode. I knew it was going to be good, but I had no idea it would be that good.

 

*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 5.22

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Title Still

Two-Sentence Summary When Castle and Beckett search the apartment of an alleged bomber, Beckett accidentally triggers a bomb under the floorboards, forcing her to stay completely still or risk setting it off. To keep her spirits up, Castle begins to playfully argue with her over who fell for whom first.

Favorite Lines
Beckett: Rick—I love you.
Castle: I love you too.

My Thoughts A day later, I’m still unable to wipe the smile off my face from that episode. While I was deeply disappointed in last week’s angst-fest of an episode, “Still” reminded me of all the reasons I fell in love with Castle as a show and with the Castle/Beckett relationship. For as bad as “The Squab and the Quail” was, I have to admit that this is a great time to be a Castle fan. Only a few weeks ago we were treated to the fabulous “The Lives of Others,” and “Still” felt like a continuation of the celebratory and slightly nostalgic feeling brought about by that 100th episode. For being an episode thrown together at the last minute and shifted around in its airing order (for incredibly valid reasons), “Still” was an emotional highpoint in a season filled with emotional highpoints, a crowd-pleaser in every way.

Before I get to all the reasons to praise this episode, I do want to acknowledge its place in the “Caskett chronology.” I know it was originally supposed to air before “The Squab and the Quail,” but it fits so much better as a follow-up to what happened in that episode (what happens next week notwithstanding since I’m really trying to avoid spoilers for the finale lead-up beyond what I saw last night in the promo). I’m not sure if “Still” was re-edited to reflect that episode, but had the episodes aired in their original order, “The Squab and the Quail” would have made even less sense. In “Still,” we see Castle firmly entrenched in “best boyfriend ever” territory, so I can’t imagine how Beckett could doubt his investment in the relationship when it was proven once again that he was willing to die with her. I don’t think relationship commitment gets anymore serious than that.

So in my head, this episode will always follow the events of “The Squab and the Quail” because that’s what makes sense. We saw Castle reminded not to take this extraordinary woman for granted, and we saw Beckett question his commitment to their relationship—both of those storylines finding resolution in Castle’s actions (and Beckett’s) in this episode. I’ve never seen either character more committed to each other, and this episode moved their relationship forward in more than a few important ways (Beckett’s “I love you,” Gates revealing that she knows about them, etc.). I’m hoping next week’s episode derives any angst from outside forces rather than internal ones because this episode was far too reassuring just to have them move backwards again.

The first clue that “Still” serves as a better follow-up than lead-up to “The Squab and the Quail” came in the first moments of the episode when we see Castle being a truly thoughtful, doting boyfriend to Beckett, bringing her coffee and the newspaper in bed. (Anybody else cry into their pillow in that moment because Rick Castle isn’t a real man? Just me?) That scene was such a simple moment of domesticity, but it spoke volumes to me about how much Castle genuinely loves and treasures this relationship—his face as he watched her sleep said all that and more. I loved their playful dialogue after Beckett woke up because it was fun, easy, and comfortable—the way their relationship should feel after watching it play out this season. And I loved the physical intimacy between them, too—Beckett on Castle’s lap and the extra kiss both felt so natural and so real, which is all I ever want to see from their scenes.

Once Beckett stepped on the bomb, the sweet simplicity of that morning scene disappeared and was replaced by a very realistic tension. I liked the sense of urgency that permeated every scene in this episode. The case itself might not have been that important, but it gave me one good “Oh my God!” moment when the suspect killed himself with the pen. I haven’t felt that kind of shock while watching Castle in a long time. I also have to give credit to the guest actors playing both the young lawyer and the head of the bomb squad; both were fantastic in their sense of helplessness as the episode went on and the situation grew more and more serious.

The tension outside the apartment was balanced by some of the best Castle/Beckett interaction this season. Putting Nathan Fillion and Stana Katic in a room and letting them show the full range of both of their impressive acting skillsets was a smart move. Both actors are so good at conveying emotion with just the slightest change in expression or the subtlest shift in tone of voice, and they put it to good use here. Their playful banter (“I can’t help it if you get off by putting things in my mouth!”) kept the episode from dissolving into melodrama and kept what could have been a brutally tense episode relatively fun.

What I loved most about Castle distracting Beckett with the talk of who fell for whom first was that Beckett once again relied on Castle’s words to help her through a difficult time. Even before they met, Castle’s ability to tell a compelling story kept Beckett going when other people would have collapsed under the weight of personal tragedy. His words gave her strength after her mother died, they gave her strength when she was being hunted, and they gave her strength once again to face a horrible situation. Only this time it was different because the story Castle was telling was theirs and Beckett joined in the storytelling too—as his equal, as his partner.

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TV Time: Once Upon a Time 2.20

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Title The Evil Queen

Two-Sentence Summary As Regina embraces her evil side in both Storybrooke and flashbacks to Fairytale Land, she reveals a “self-destruct button” of sorts for the curse, which would allow her (and Henry) to leave Storybrooke before destroying the town and all its inhabitants. However, she is ultimately captured by Greg and Tamara (with some help from Hook), who use science to take her magical abilities away from her.

Favorite Line “Oh hell no—I taught her that!” (Neal, seeing Henry alert Emma to his presence by bumping into his apartment door)

My Thoughts I’ve missed Emma Swan more than I realized. For so much of Season One, Emma was the grounding force that kept Once Upon a Time honest and kept it from taking itself too seriously. I think this season has suffered a lot from pulling the focus away from her and her family dynamics, and this episode only proved my point. There were a few  eye-roll-inducing moments in this episode, but Jennifer Morrison’s performance kept me engaged enough to ultimately find this episode the most enjoyable of Once Upon a Time’s recent less-than-stellar bunch.

Emma’s relationship with Henry was always one of the most beautiful and genuine things about Once Upon a Time, so I was thrilled to see it get a nice chunk of screen time in this episode. Morrison and Jared Gilmore have a very believable and sweet chemistry, and their stakeout brought me back to the good old days of Season One. Just hearing “Operation Cobra” again filled me with nostalgia for a time when this show was so much simpler and more focused. I loved Emma trying to teach Henry how to bump into Neal’s apartment door; Morrison was at her awkwardly adorable best in that scene.

The thing I love most about Emma is that she may be awkwardly adorable in some scenes, but she’s also one of the most determined and fiercest women on television when she really believes in something. And I was so happy to see her be the first one to believe that Tamara has something big and evil up her sleeve. While Emma’s “superpower” has been known to be unreliable, she isn’t as incompetent as Snow and Neal made her out to be—she seemed like a pretty darn good bail bondswoman from what we saw in the pilot. Snow’s disbelief seemed more like clunky exposition/explanation than anything else. (Ginnifer Goodwin had more than her fair share of clunkers this week in terms of dialogue.) I love that Emma clearly has no interest in getting back together with Neal anytime soon (hence her superpower actually working because she has no emotional investment in this situation). I just wish Snow, Henry, and Neal could see that. Emma came off looking like a crazy ex-girlfriend, and that made me sad because she’s anything but.

Speaking of crazy…Let’s get to the Regina situation in this episode, shall we? Remember when she was trying to find redemption through Henry earlier this season? I wonder if the writers remember that—and how much more interesting that storyline was than what we’re dealing with now. I hated Regina using magic to wipe Henry’s memory because it negates everything we watched her struggle with for the first half of the season. Those scenes now feel like such a waste of time if that story was going to be abandoned like it has been. Don’t get me wrong; I love the Evil Queen. But I love the dichotomy of her being pure evil in flashbacks and conflicted in Storybrooke. Now she just seems delusional and trapped in her own “victim complex” in the present-day plot, and that’s not fun to watch. Hearing her talk to Henry about heroes and villains was too heavy-handed, even for this show and even for an actress as talented as Lana Parrilla.

Parrilla did have some great moments in this episode, but they were mainly connected to the flashback scenes. Whenever she shares a scene with Robert Carlyle, I find myself on the edge of my seat, and their two scenes in this episode were no exception. Their gleeful levels of evil never fail to impress me. I especially loved Rumplestiltskin telling Regina to cut off ties with King George. It just added another layer to his schemes and made me wonder how far back he started pulling the strings not only to enact the curse but to bring about Emma’s conception and birth as well. It’s slightly unsettling—and I love it.

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TV Time: Parks and Recreation 5.21

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Title Swing Vote

Two-Sentence Summary Leslie and Ron fight over the funding of a Pawnee miniature golf course, and both attempt to win Councilman Jamm to their side. Meanwhile, Tom tries to end is relationship with Mona-Lisa, and Andy contemplates quitting music.

Favorite Line “Well, math is worthless in real life. There’s an app for calculating tips—that’s all you need. [Quietly] Math is really important, especially for young women. Stay in school.” (Leslie)

My Thoughts After both of last week’s thoroughly enjoyable episodes of Parks and Rec, this week’s episode was a bit of a letdown. While it did have some genuinely funny moments and one scene guaranteed to tug at the heartstrings (or maybe just mine because I’m a sucker for Leslie and Ron’s relationship), the major plotlines in this episode didn’t seem to lead to any new ground or reveal anything new about these characters. This week’s episode featured a lot of “been there, done that” storytelling, which, while still ultimately entertaining, didn’t do much for me as a viewer.

While I do love Leslie and Ron’s friendship, I’m growing a little tired of their “conflicting ideologies” storylines. I thought it fell flat in “Bailout,” and it didn’t feel any fresher or more interesting in “Swing Vote.” The addition of Jamm to their storyline did nothing for me but make it worse. I had really hoped we would be rid of him after “Ben and Leslie.” While he sometimes gets funny lines, I don’t find him an interesting character. His unnecessary meanness clashes too much with the overall tone of the show. In terms of antagonists, I think last season did a much better job creating characters I cared about to work against Leslie. Jamm still feels like a character that is too one-dimensional for a show of this quality.

Although I didn’t find myself all that interested in Ron and Leslie’s story this week, I did love their scene at the end of the episode. Maybe I’m just reading too much A Song of Ice and Fire lately (Ben Wyatt would be proud of me), but Leslie talking about Ron’s code of honor and then living up to her own code of honor was very touching. There’s such a sense of respect between these two characters, and that says something so refreshing about political differences in a world where conflicting ideologies can often lead people to do horrible things to each other. Just because you may not agree with someone, it doesn’t mean you can’t respect their opinion. That’s one of my favorite things this show preaches.

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