Observations while rewatching The Third Man

A welcome light episode, after Sucker Punch. But it still has some memorable lines and events that will stick with us. This is one that I can recommend to a freshman Castle junkie to get started with.

Boy, Rick gets excited when he gets publicity! It’s plainly evident that Martha & Alexis are less than excited by it. Martha seems to like popping Rick’s bubble – “keeping him grounded” I think is how Alexis called it last season. Alexis herself isn’t thrilled by her dad’s popularity with eligible women, especially her teachers and at least one classmate. “It’s the secret dream of every sixteen-year-old…” Her irritation is beginning to show. Until Gramm starts to read the text blurb “rumored to be romantically involved with N.Y.P.D. Detective Kate Beckett” – what’s that? Looks like excitement on Alexis’ face?

“How is it that, for a man surrounded by women, you know so little about us?” He’s not really “surrounded by women”, he has his mom, his daughter, and the inspiration for his book character, and then there’s “the rest”. Each is a different kind of relationship and has different expectations of him. From a man’s point of view, each one is different. Vastly different.

When Beckett calls, Alexis is crossing her fingers, like she wants her dad to keep working with Beckett – maybe she sees that Kate is good for her dad?

At the crime scene, Rick looks to still be ‘testing the waters’ to see if Kate had read the article. He visibly relaxes when she doesn’t react negatively to his presence.

R & E are enjoying tweaking Rick about the newspaper article. Rick isn’t. The interplay between the boys as they subtly try to catch Beckett’s attention (or are they playing with Rick’s discomfort?) is fun to watch.

Beckett’s Little Elephants are on Ryan’s desk, or was Ryan sitting in Beckett’s chair? No dollar bill yet.

Their interview with Ms. Langford was funny. “Are you the detective girlfriend?” was a great line, as was Kate’s reaction: “Don’t. Show me. Now.” Their verbal tiff is great to watch, even though Rick must be faking it – remember how excited he was about the article in the opening?

This leads to her listening to his phone call over his ear. When he tried it (in Hedge Fund) she pulled him away by his ear. He doesn’t.

Rick apparently has been changing subconsciously under Kate’s influence. He has been bragging on her without realizing it, compared to the year before, when he was talking about himself. She is good for him. But he is still trying to maintain his public image – for a little while longer, at least.

Neither Rick nor Kate are actively considering that they are working on a relationship . “There is no ‘us’” she says, he talks about “bachelorette no. 3”. They aren’t ready yet to see what everyone else has already seen.

This leads to one of the most memorable exchanges between Beckett & Lanie: “I have no life” “No. Mr. Bishop has no life. That’s why he’s on my table.” “I need a date.” Why, oh why didn’t Lanie ask her about Castle? BTW, Kate still hasn’t heard “a little lipstick wouldn’t hurt” as Lanie advised her in Flowers.

Then Alexis gets even more irritated with her dad, after the newspaper article made its way around her school…

Both Kate & Rick seem slightly offended that the other has a date. With someone else. But they aren’t ready to acknowledge the attraction to each other yet. It’s going to take a lot for these two to see it.

Rick still gets excited by the “really good story” as told by Mickey Carlson. Kate only wants the facts to be able to close the case. This is an example of Rick being about the journey, while Kate is focused on the destination. So far, it has been easier for Rick to adopt a more goal-oriented vision, while, maybe now that she has been shot, Kate will relax a bit and enjoy the journey Rick offers her.

Then, Rick gets visibly jealous when Brad Decker calls Kate at precinct. Rick’s “Pinup Boy” line will be reflected later as “Motorcycle Boy” and “Dr. Motorcycle Boy”. He struggles with respecting Kate’s dates and potential boyfriends. Actually, they have been decent men, not deserving of his (or our) scorn. But their presence is an irritant, seeing that Rick & Kate are so complementary for each other.

“What’s it to you, Castle?” “Yeah why do you care?” Yeah, Rick, why do you care?

Both Castle & Beckett at Drago’s at the same time. That was awkward. They try to entertain their respective dates, but are so into each other they are totally oblivious to them. Bachelorette No 3 can tell, and asks for another glass of wine. Brad Decker asks Kate “Do you want to have sex with me?” Was he serious, or was he trying to see if Kate was even listening? Rick & Kate are so involved with the case, and each other, that they don’t even notice. Ryan’s “Do they realize they are finishing each others’ sentences?” makes it even more obvious. Then they leave their dates, who have found each other.

Kate solves the case. This time.

When Kate says she wants to go home and slip into a warm bath, she is expecting Rick to make some kind of snarky comment (he’s made them before), but that’s not what he was going to do. When he says he’s starving, and she sees that he’s being genuinely considerate, she softens. When he takes her dress and she says “Oh, why not” we know they are going on their first “date”. There’s no funny business; she’s relaxed and absent-mindedly twirling her hair, and they’re talking about people who don’t know how to behave “especially on a first date”. It is a very sweet scene, full of gentle emotion and sensitivity. It will be a while before we see that again.

As always, I look forward to any other observations you may have…