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10:49 pm
April 3, 2010
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Observations while rewatching The Fifth Bullet
For me, this is always an entertaining episode, fun to watch, not too serious, just pure entertainment.
We get some mentions of Rick’s feelings and memories from his two failed marriages, but they are subtle and easy to write off as jokes. But I think they give us some insights into his past.
The show opens with Rick already at the crime scene before Kate, and while waiting, he is snuggling with someone else’s dog. Aside from Kate’s teasing about seeing Rick “on one knee… Are you proposing?” Why would Rick be petting an unknown dog tied to a parking meter downtown at night? I can see the dog whining, having seen her master walk off and leave her tied up there. I wrote before that Rick was a cat person, because Sally Neidermeier’s cats were all over him. But apparently he likes all animals.
When Rick calls Kate his “work wife” he says that she is “disapproving and judgmental” That must have been what he experienced in his marriages to Meredith and Gina.
I must say that Kate looked stunning in that red overcoat.
At the gallery, I saw that Kate is very comfortable directing the men around her, as if they need to be told what to do. Rick had previously said that she’s very good at bossing men around. I saw that she didn’t give Ryan a chance to get past “We have a problem with the bullets…” without jumping in and giving directions, then he had to come back with “That’s not the problem…”
Ice bullets – ice holes – what’d you just call me? – Watch your mouth. Great word play.
The whole thing with the amnesia victim Jeremy Preswick was well played. The writers avoided the “Easy Amnesia” trope. When Rick said “Dissolving bullets are cool, amnesia is even cooler” and left Kate’s desk, the puzzled look on her face looked like she was annoyed that he left.
Back at the apartment, when Alexis opens the front door to find Martha just coming in, I really liked her “We all share way too much”. The conversation between Rick and his mom – I don’t think I would be very comfortable having a similar one with my mom. Eww…
Later, when Martha revealed why she broke it off with Chet, Rick said “Those are sitcom reasons”. Recall his answer to her earlier question “How superficial do you think I am?” “Intensly” was his answer. She still is, but is starting to grow up herself, with his help.
I was wondering about the coffee that Rick spilled on Kate’s blouse. If it was hot, wouldn’t she have yelled in pain? I know, they couldn’t use real hot coffee because that would hurt, but still…
When Torey Westchester came in to “claim” J, Rick & Kate had growing skepticism on their faces, Rick first.
There was Mr. Harun talking about his friends with “wives who are… demanding” and “the fairer sex can be shallow”. He could have been describing Gina and Meredith out of Castle’s past.
When they discover who Jeremy really is, and start to fill in his past for him, he says something like “An ex-wife that I can’t remember”, to which Rick answers “Some men would consider you lucky.” This is a small window into Rick’s feelings about his previous failures, but it seems that Kate simply dismissed it with a glance. But I imagine that as a woman who has seen a lot of domestic turmoil as a cop, she probably identifies with the wives, and may be hearing Rick’s comments as bitter face-saving comments by an ex-husband. She has yet to see how his ex-wives treated him.
I was intrigued by watching the budding reconnection between Jeremy and Emma, and how it was influencing Rick & Kate, as they reconnected.
In Jeremy’s apartment, they reinforced the picture of him being an ambitious reader if classic literature, before Rick flashes on a stack of his books. “Ah. You get to read all my books for the first time, again.”
How did Rick recognize the painting as being “pretty pricey” so quickly? And how did Harun find out about it? Powell (Home is Where the Heart Stops) had said earlier “Seeing comes before wanting”, so… Was it on his “shopping list” from when Jeremy had it appraised for the divorce? I’m a little unclear about that.
When they find the weapon in Jeremy’s apartment, and he is arrested, he asks “Why’d I do it?” This is a valid question, that starts a dialogue between Rick & Kate that ends up with “The D.A. does’nt need it. But you and me?” Rick, as an author doesn’t like loose ends and unfinished stories, Kate, because of her personal history is invested in finding and giving closure to family members and friends of the victims. Neither one has reached a satisfactory conclusion yet. Different motivations, same results.
In the final station scene, Kate gets to watch a love story rekindled right in front of her eyes. When Ryan says “One of them has 15 years of baggage, marriage, divorce. The other’s on a first date. How long do you think that will last?” Both Rick & Kate voice hopeful optimism for them. For me, that plants the seeds of hope for a real relationship for our DD.
In the final cut, look who is doing the ‘walk of shame’ this time. Martha’s line “You should kiss that girl while you are still young” was well timed advice. Too bad it took over another year for him to do it.
Finally, the dead flower – Rick – didn’t you hear what you just told your mother? You’d better get busy making your own new memories before all you have left are the dead flowers of missed opportunities.
Who has more they want to add? I know someone does.
11:35 pm
April 12, 2010
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Always enjoy this episode. It has a interesting case with a good twist, and good guest performance by Marc Blucas and Anne Durek. David Grae wrote it, which is another plus.
As He-Touches-Things notoed it has a very cute beginning with Castle cuddling lucy the dog as Beckett pulls up “on one knee, what’s up Castle, are you proposing?” then her response of “What am I, your wife?” To Castle asking her if he should get a dog. Then we have the whole work wife too and fro. Classic Castle.
I love the ‘Ice Hole” scene with Beckett apparently playing the straight man, keeping the guys on track and then getting the final zinger, “and watch your mouth” to Ryan.
Love Beckett as she watches Castle looking at the victim’s wife chest. We know from “Bough” that Castle appreciates certain gifts, even if they aren’t original.
Esposito was looking good sitting in Castles chair while talking to Beckett, is that the first time since the pilot? that he has done that? And then we have the coffee collision- fun.
Castle has another dig at marriage that does not go unnoticed by Beckett. Jeremy says he as a wife he can’t remember and Castle replies “Hey some men would consider you lucky”.
In the morgue scene, the camera is positioned at the end of the slot as the body is slid out, Castle looks down in the slot as the body is pulled forward, why? Strange choice by director John Terlesky.
The final summation of Jeremy and his ex’s relationship status is similar to Castle and Beckett, “are you two together” asks Castle “who knows” she replies “I like him and he likes me, and right not that’s enough”. Beckett the romantic hopes it works out for them.
And we end with Martha and some sage advice “you should kiss that girl while you’re both young” here, here!
6:20 pm
May 18, 2011
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Here I go diving in! My first ever post on these boards, but I've been keeping up with several threads since May. I've seen many of my own thoughts mirrored in so many posts, but now it's time for me to share with the class.
The Fifth Bullet makes me think Andrew Marlowe already knew here only half way through season 2 what was going to happen at the end of Season 3. Anyone else get a tingling at the back of their neck when they watch this episode?
The level of foreshadowing and subtext that carries through almost every single episode of Castle amazes me, but it seems so crystal clear in this episode, and yet no one is talking about it.
Well, here goes….and please let me know if you’ve seen mention of this in another thread or somewhere else in the cybersphere.
There are two distinct undercurrents in this episode and they both involve future events. It’s easy to see the hints at the romantic future of the Castle Beckett relationship, but threaded through that is the imminent danger Beckett is in over her crusade to find her mom’s killer. She hasn’t yet dived back into her crusade but she’s just weeks away from the Sucker Punch that pulls her back in regardless of what she wants.
I’m just going to talk about the foreshadowing of Knockout right now, otherwise this post will be way, way, way long. Look down, like it isn’t already, right??
Kate in that red coat is striking in the nearly all white gallery. She's drenched in red. Now I know she’s worn red before and will again, but I think there’s more reason to it than just the fact that she looks gorgeous in red.
Two bullets are in the vic, two are in the wall. Esposito comments, "So our perp's not a sharp shooter." There's a fifth shell casing on the floor. Castle asks, "So where's the fifth bullet?"
Hmmm. After Knockout everyone is wondering how Kate is going to survive the sniper’s bullet. It does seem that the sniper was originally aiming for her chest, but the actual bullet appears to strike her a little lower on the torso. I wonder if there is a chance the sniper actually has nothing to do with The Dragon and is in fact NOT a professional killer.
At the precinct, Esposito says, "He got a call at 9:19 p.m. an hour before he was killed." 9.19. Ummm….Season 4 premier, anyone? I know you say it's just coincidence, and could AWM be sure of when the Season 4 premier would air, but still I wonder.
Ryan notices the bullet hole in J’s book, Crime and Punishment. Look at the placement of the bullet in the book. It strikes the author in his forehead, just above the left eye. That’s the fatal shot to the prison guard, Ryker. Talk about Crime and Punishment. This is where I suddenly started to realize that AWM could be sneaking in some serious foreshadowing because before Knockout, Castle had blocked 4 bullets from hitting Kate.
1. Always Buy Retail – C tackles B when he sees a gun trained on her.
2. Boom –C shoots Scott Dunn in the hand, knocking the gun he has pointed at B out of his hand.
3. A Deadly Affair – C tackles B when he sees Earl has a gun trained on her.
4. Knockdown – C jumps Hal Lockwood just as he fires at B and the bullet goes wild.
5. Knockout – Castle is not fast enough to knock Beckett out of the way of the sniper's bullet.
Here's an interesting quote from the end of Crime and Punishment: "Infinite happiness lit up in her eyes; she understood, and for her there was no longer any doubt that he loved her, loved her infinitely, and that at last the moment had come. . . ."
Aren't we all waiting for the THAT MOMENT??? Yes, Rick tells her he loves her in Knockout, but her happiness at the moment is stolen by that !@#$ Fifth Bullet. Of course, Rick never would have confessed his love at this point in their relationship if it wasn’t for that !@#$ bullet. Oh, the angst!
There are still more ties to Knockout in The Fifth Bullet. Castle and Beckett crash into each other and the coffee he was bringing her spills all over Beckett's white shirt. In Knockdown, the sniper bullet shatters a cup of coffee and splatters Raglan’s blood all over Beckett's white top.
Then we go into the amnesia explanation. Here's an excerpt from that conversation:
DR. HOLLOWAY: He's got a bump on the back of his head. It's usually a blow to the head coupled with psychological trauma, which leads to amnesia.
JEREMY PRESWICK: Trauma?
CASTLE: You did get shot. Could that be it?
DR. HOLLOWAY: If he believed he was going to die, then sure.
If I were a betting girl, I'd bet Kate is going to suffer from some type of amnesia. She did hit her head on the ground and I'm pretty sure she thought she was dying.
A very telling quote said by J: "You know, it's terrifying to think that someone actually tried to kill me and I don't who it was or why and they're still out there." Wow. That could totally be something Beckett says or feels after Knockout. Ryan responds to J, "That's why we're gonna to catch the bastard."
But will they catch The Dragon in Season 4? And is it really The Dragon who is behind Beckett’s shooting? Castle and Beckett have put away A LOT of bad guys. Some of whom may never have been brought to justice if it had been another team catching the case. I think it’s about time one of their collars comes looking for revenge. Castle even mentions hatred and revenge as reasons for murder in this episode. George Heller, the killer, looks full of hatred and thoughts of revenge at the end. Maybe The Dragon is the red herring in Season 4 Episode 1.
7:36 pm
April 3, 2010
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StoriesWithLori said:
Here I go diving in! My first ever post on these boards, but I've been keeping up with several threads since May. I've seen many of my own thoughts mirrored in so many posts, but now it's time for me to share with the class.
The Fifth Bullet makes me think Andrew Marlowe already knew here only half way through season 2 what was going to happen at the end of Season 3. Anyone else get a tingling at the back of their neck when they watch this episode?…
Welcome to the boards, StoriesWithLori!
Wow. You picked up on several things that I've never even read concerning this episode. I know there is a lot of deliberate foreshadowing that we miss on the first [several] watching[s], and a lot more that just may be happy accidents. Some may be unintended future developments that were logical extensions of earlier minor items. Unless AWM tells us, we may never know which is which. But, boy, is it fun to see these early things and speculate about how they effected the later events. Thanks for your thoughts. Please feel free to add more as you get them.
9:06 pm
April 3, 2012
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Just watched this episode again (been making my way thru season to for the Xth time). A couple things hit me as some interesting foreshadowing…
castle's easy rapport with the dog… and dissolving bullets!
C: "amnesia is even cooler" – wonder if he still feels that way?
The "Kiss that girl…" line that probably everyone has already talked about.
And the final exchange between Castle and Martha
M: What if it doesn't work out… what if it does?
C: That's the cost of living.
M: I just don't want to ruin this.
Yikes!
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