ABC’s ‘Castle’ season 5, episode 6 review: Out of this world
If you love science fiction, then watching “Castle” season 5 pay a visit to a fictional convention was probably a slice of space-themed heaven. Most murder-mystery shows would have transformed this sort of event into a subtle mockery of sci-fi geeks, but like its star in Nathan Fillion, the script really embraced them and created the strongest hour of the season so far.
The mystery itself was the strongest of the season, as a fan of the fictional show “Nebula-9” ended up dying following a simulated journey on the show’s ship. The best part? The murder weapon was a functional version of the laser used on the actual show. The mystery took a number of surprising twists, especially when it came to the fact that the murderer actually was a former star of the show who was so desperate to get past it, she wanted to ensure that no one would ever be able to revive the franchise and her character again.
More than the mystery, though, what this episode represented was an hour of pure, unabashed fun. There were science fiction references galore in between Fillion’s own “Firefly,” “Star Trek,” “Star Wars,” and even some classic films from decades in the past. There was also some top-notch costumes, a shocking appearance by Alexis Castle like you have never seen her before, and a woman wearing only leaves hitting on Esposito.
The episode did give us more in the way of Beckett’s backstory, as we learned that she was a massive “Nebula-9” fan even to the point of dressing us as the characters in college, and this created a rather fun arc of its own as Castle realized that his tough-as-nails cop girlfriend actually had a new side that he’d never taken a look at before. The final scene featuring Beckett in a sci-fi uniform was therefore pure genius, especially since it ended in a way in which you never saw coming. The fact that she asked him to make out during it was even better.
There may not have been too many jaw-dropping moments this week, but this fall we haven’t had more fun watching any other hour of television.
Was “The Final Frontier” right up your alley as the best “Castle” season 5 has to offer?