As always, you folks will get the "sneak peek" (lol) at my review before it's published online tomorrow at TV Guide Canada.
This one was a little easier to write as it was a much more singular-storyline episode with the focus squarely on the case and Esposito's connection to Joey, but I'm hoping that being able to write it without much editing doesn't mean it'll not read as well. Lol. Sometimes easier isn't better
Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this one. I'll share the link tomorrow once it's uploaded at TVGC (www.tvguide.ca). I still haven't figured out how you're supposed to post comments there, but you can either send them your appreciation for focusing on the show or share your thoughts about the show in their "feedback" area near the bottom of the page. You can also click on the facebook or twitter links to share the link and spread the word.
Thanks for reading, folks!!
www.theloop.ca/showbiz/tv-guide/reviews/article/-/a/1137918/-Castle-Paying-it-forward____________________________________________________________
Paying It Forward on “Castle”
By Lisa Caputo
2013-01-15
Monday’s Esposito-centered episode proved to be emotionally stirring and touching
You will rarely hear me say that I am less than excited about a new episode of ABC’s hit series, Castle. With storylines and characters that one can truly believe in, so much depth and attention to detail, and a true and clear value in honouring the art and craft of storytelling, this has long been my all-time favourite series.
Yet hot on the heels of last week’s impressive start to the new year and with a host of promos and sneak peeks that left a vastly different impression of what this episode would be like, I found myself wondering if I would struggle to compose a proper review of Monday’s installment of this already epic new season. After all, with so many episodes setting the bar higher and higher for themselves each week, there would eventually be a let-down, right? Nope. Wrong.
Had I realized that Monday’s “Under The Influence” had been penned by the incredibly talented Elizabeth Beall and directed by the wonderful John Terlesky, the same team that brought us the second part of season 2’s thrilling two-parter, “Boom”, an episode that still stands out as one of my favourites of the entire series, I may have had an entirely different level of anticipation for this episode. I admit, with humble humility, that I was wrong not to expect the Castle team to deliver yet another quality episode.
Monday’s installment began with its usual brand of humour and lightheartedness that we have come to expect this season, yet by the time the second act was over, it was clear that the episode was about to take a much more serious turn. In the end, the story proved to be emotionally stirring, dramatic, and incredibly touching, as we watched Esposito take center stage and reveal so much more about his past as he changed the life of a troubled teenager who reminded him of himself at that age.
Jon Huertas was given the daunting task of carrying this episode through the vast majority of the hour, showing a side of Esposito that we have rarely seen before, and the typically-supporting actor truly turned in a memorable and incredibly moving performance. After discovering that the key to solving their newest investigation was a troubled youth, Joey, a teenage boy who had been shopped around in multiple foster homes and turned to a life of crime as his way of being accepted, Esposito offered to take Joey in and see if he could convince young boy to turn on the man he was working for whom they suspected to be their murderer.
Throughout the hour, Esposito attempted to take Joey under his wing and convince him to do the right thing, knowing that he was protecting someone who would certainly not return the favour. In the process, we learned that Esposito had a rough childhood himself, with his parents divorcing at an early age, his father moving to Florida with his new family, and his mother struggling to work two jobs to take care of him. Esposito turned to a life of crime to survive, compiling quite a mass of crimes before one of his teachers helped him find his way and put himself on a better path in life.
In the end, Esposito did his part to pay that act of kindness forward, pushing Joey to find his way as well and put himself on a better path, offering to be there for him every step of the way so that he would have a brighter future too. It was an incredibly moving scene to end the episode, with Esposito sharing his own juvenile record with Joey and offering to help the young man strive to overcome his childhood and make a life for himself, just as Esposito had done so many years ago.
The other highlights of the episode included two scenes that went hand-in-hand together. Once Beckett and her team had tracked down their suspect, Shane Winters, Esposito offered to bring him in for questioning. He arrived at the pub that Shane owned, approached by a threatening-looking bodyguard the moment he walked in. When the bartender asked what Esposito wanted to drink, he told her to get him a bag of ice, prompting her to quizzically ask him what he needed a bag of ice for. With perfect timing, Esposito proceeded to kick the bodyguard in a very specific lower region, knocking him immediately to the ground in severe pain, before letting the bartender know that the bag of ice was for the bodyguard. He then approached Shane at his corner booth, threw a pair of handcuffs on the table, and dared the sleazy criminal to resist arrest. Naturally, Shane slipped the handcuffs on without issue and Esposito brought him in.
Later on, in a scene that book-ended the aforementioned scene brilliantly, Esposito arrived back at the pub to tie up some loose ends with Shane. While he turned out not to be their killer, he was still someone who needed to be dealt with, and Esposito handled this in a way that only he could. As he approached the booth, Shane’s bodyguard hilariously slinked away, silently holding guard over the area that Esposito had kicked him in earlier. Esposito sat down across the table from Shane, placed two guns on the table, and explained that if Shane ever went near Joey, or any other youth for that matter, he would kill him in cold blood and claim it as self-defense. Recognizing how serious Esposito was, Shane agreed to his terms, thus giving Esposito the satisfaction of knowing that he had protected Joey and so many others like him from suffering through the same world that he had once barely made it through.
While much of this season has focused on Castle and Beckett and their newfound romantic relationship, truly the bread and butter of this series, Monday’s episode took a compelling and stirring sidetrack to that story. It gave us the chance to see Jon Huertas take a well-deserved starring role, taught us some truly captivating information about Esposito’s past, and delved into an interesting and thought-provoking storyline in an incredibly dramatic and stunning fashion.
For an episode that seemed to be promoted as a comedic and lighthearted offering, Monday’s “Under The Influence” was anything but. It was, in actuality, one of the standout episodes of the season thus far.
