ABC’s ‘Castle’ season 7, episode 22 review: ‘Dead from New York’ the right sort of ‘SNL’ parody

Given that “Castle” recently had one serious episode in “Sleeper” and another is on the way in the form of “Hollander’s Woods,” we were not surprised that they went in a sillier direction in Monday night’s “Dead from New York.” This was a chance to spoof “Saturday Night Live,” and do so in a way that was for the most part fun and never acted like it was going too far or crossing any lines.

Was the Carly Rae Jepsen cameo completely random? Sure, as was the dancing. With that said, it all made a little bit of sense given what they were spoofing. There was also a fun guest spot from Jaleel White as a potential suspect in the case, a comic actor who was so desperate to get out of his contract that he was trying to convince the show that he was insane.

Solving the case proved to be mostly as traditional as it goes for “Castle” cases, though there were at least some nice little moments such as a fake Castle – Beckett sketch being shot for the show and also a little bit of classic Ryan and Esposito banter. The main side story was Martha getting her way back onto Broadway and some of her anxiety about it. Luckily for her, she seemed to have a successful turn, and there was a celebration had by all!

Maybe the overall happy tone of the episode (despite the murder case) is meant to help to prepare us for a dark finale, or even the fact that we could have the show next season without one of the leads. It’s tough to say. At least “Dead from New York” brought in some classic “Castle” storytelling, and is the sort of episode that you could find yourself watching again on a rainy day at home without feeling bored. Grade: B.

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