Castle Review: The Nose (Season 8 Episode 5)

While Castle seems to be keeping many of the components that we love about the show, the pieces don’t fit together as well as they used to.

I’ve tried to be optimistic, and I can see the motive behind splitting up Beckett and Castle. Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem to be working well in its execution, as made even more obvious by “The Nose.”

Yes, it’s fun to see Castle trying to win Beckett over, but it’s not believable that he has to do that in the first place. Everything about their split just rings false, and it makes me wonder why the split, if it was going to happen, couldn’t have been brought about a bit more organically. What rings most false is Beckett moving the rest of her things out of the loft. Even the actors don’t seem to fully buy that this is where the story is heading.

If we’re going to see Castle and Beckett overcome obstacles in their relationship, as we certainly should get to see them do, then we need to see more foundation first. One of the key problems is that we as an audience haven’t been able to see much of what Castle and Beckett are like as a normal, settled, married couple. It’s as though the writers are afraid to let them stay together for any length of time.

All that said, the show is still entertaining. This episode brings in humorous elements and the best of Castle’s character — his charisma combined with a bit of slapstick comedy. And who knew Castle could take down a guy with a gun so well? Seriously, his defense skills are really improving these days.

The case itself is light-hearted in its way, and it provides some interesting opportunities. Castle’s interactions with Mia Laszlo are hilarious, and I’m really enjoying the way “Lucy” is becoming an actual character on the show.

Fun fact: The voice of Lucy is apparently none other than Aubrey Plaza. No wonder I like her so much.

Ryan and Esposito are also getting the chance to shine, though the bit with Esposito getting shot feels a bit cheap. Still, it’s funny, and Castle finds a way to capitalize on that humor. I just hope their tension doesn’t last much longer. We can only handle so many break-ups at once!

Here’s hoping things change soon, and that the show begins to feel a bit more cohesive.

What did you think of this episode of Castle? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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Castle airs Mondays at 10/9c on ABC.

Ashley Bissette Sumerel

Ashley Bissette Sumerel is a television and film critic living in Wilmington, North Carolina. She is editor-in-chief of Tell-Tale TV as well as Eulalie Magazine. Ashley has also written for outlets such as Rolling Stone, Paste Magazine, and Insider. Ashley has been a member of the Critics Choice Association since 2017 and is a Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic. In addition to her work as an editor and critic, Ashley teaches Entertainment Journalism, Composition, and Literature at the University of North Carolina Wilmington.