I find it entertaining to watch how someone who loves the show's lead, but hates the show, twists himself into knots trying to write it up every week.

I suspect that's the plan.  The showrunner, Marlowe, said Season 5 would be lighter.

Don't you love people who read a review for a show they don't like and then take the time to comment about the existence of said review?

Hell, no!  Headhunters sparkled with onscreen chemistry and outright fun the entire episode; this was plodding and ultimately dropped the ball right at the end, both in the stupid confession and in Castle wimping out on his decision.

Yeah, I wanted Castle to tell her he was quitting, too.  Have her chase him for a change.

I found this one kind of boring.  Yes, it was the cutesy Castle we usually love, and I honestly enjoyed the subplot with Alexis, but something about the main plot execution sucked all the life out of it, and let's not even talk about the painfully-stupid plan to make the killer confess.

Not the same hat.  Badger wears a bowler, but the short cop wore something more like a small fedora.

"Is Kate Beckett suddenly The Twelfth Doctor, and we didn't notice"

I thought it was great!  (See my comment at the bottom for why.)  I enjoyed it immensely.

Are you guys nuts?  B-?  This episode was a blast and had a little meat in it to boot!

drdarke:  I come for the reviews ("Californication," too).  Since we're both nitpickers, you might want to try the Dr Who board at http://nitcentral.philfarra….  There's a decade's worth of nitpicking there!  (No Castle, although there is a little Firefly.)

"We've yet to get any good reason for Kate not to realize Rick's in love with her,"

Hey, I'm a middle-aged woman and yes, I do watch for Nathan, but I'm no more happy about the state of the series than anyone else here.  "Castle" sure isn't catering to me.

This show was MUCH better in it's first season (and second).  But then the love plot got stale, Nate got fat, and they tried to do serious drama.  This should have been the last season, with our leads finally coming together at the end.

Given Tucker's performance last night, I cringe to think how he was when he started out.  That guy's acting was so atrocious, it was distracting.

"B"?  It was better than that!  In fact, I thought it was probably the best one this season (which admittedly might not be saying much).  It was a relief to see Hank's life finally being interpreted correctly by those around him, credit where it's due and admonition in the right proportions instead of the usual…

This is episode 19, not 18.  It's not listed properly on the season titles page.

Pretty sure she was there from the first show.

Unlike everyone else here, including the reviewer, I actually liked this episode.  I totally bought Castle's reaction to Beckett's revelation and thought it was brave of him to go back to finish the case.  A sulky, immature Castle would have moped about his apartment, drinking.

I thought this was supposed to be a review, not an episode synopsis.  We did just watch it, you know.  (And btw, it's "Downton Abbey.")