Observations while rewatching A Deadly Game

There was only one thing that I didn’t like about this episode. The last 2 minutes. Otherwise, it would have been a good episode.

After the obligatory murder scene, we open with Rick watching an old movie, with the line “We have something between us that nothing can change” and Castle’s phone ringing. He is daydreaming [probably of Beckett], and not writing. He’s hiding from Gina because he hasn’t finished his book, likely because he is so distracted by Demming hanging around with Kate that he has lost his motivation to write. He says it’s because he doesn’t like where his characters are going, but it is really where one significant person in his real life is going.

At the crime scene, Rick works up the courage to invite Kate to his place in The Hamptons, although the invitation is rather light and humorous. She moves on to work without answering.

Rick’s “CIA Front” theory gets really close for once.

When Rick walks to Kate’s desk, he is carrying only one cup of coffee (which he gives her), but has a smartphone photo of his deck in the Hamptons. This time his invitation is serious. But she doesn’t respond again, moving on to business, like nothing happened.

When they find the car, Rick’s habit of fiddling with things starts the pen recording, which provides a clue for them… He touches things, again…

Rick repeats his invitation – for the third time. She finally realizes he means it, but weasels out with “some of us have to work…” But it’s a pretty thin excuse, and he knows it.

When Kate finds the dossier with the information on Kofi Aman-Duhl of the Republic of Luvania, Rick is the one who solves the next mystery. Because of his vast research (and endless curiosity), he knew right away that that was a fictitious country, and the whole spy thing wasn’t real.

I still laugh when “Hans” changes his demeanor when confronted in jail.

Rick is still struggling with his half-hearted efforts to write his book. Martha informs him that she won’t be going with him, Alexis walks in with Carter. Rick is having to face his first summer without either Alexis or Martha in several years.

Next morning, he walks in on Tom & Kate sharing a PDA in the station. [This is unprofessional office behavior, but this is TV, after all] He is crushed, but covers it before them.

“Speaking of red flags.” Demming walks in to talk to Kate about a weekend at a beach house rental. She’s busted. Her excuse to Rick about working was just blown out of the water. She tries to recover, but Rick has reached a breaking point. He tells her he’s going to “take a break”, and this case would be his last. He won’t be a third, just hanging around just watching her & Tom. She looks like she just lost her best friend. That she hadn’t realized that Rick had become for her. R & E both notice the change, but neither Rick or Kate want to talk about it.

Rich’s poker games are always entertaining and allow for a change of pace. They also allow for a different reveal of some plot point or decision Rick needs. Patterson’s “Just one book a year?” prods Rick to think more.

I noticed that Kate did go with Tom for the weekend.

Monday morning, Rick walks in with just one cup of coffee. Kate notices that he didn’t bring one for her. This had been a ritual between the two of them, but now it, too, is broken.

This leads into an awkward start to their theory-building. Once they get into it, the magic is back – briefly.

After the final reveal of the real killer, when Kate is explaining the case to Capt. Roy, his “too scared to say what they really felt” comment pushes her to re-evaluate her relationships with Tom and Rick. So she tries to let Tom down gently. He has been, after all, a really decent guy, but not what Kate really needs right now.

She then starts to (awkwardly) open up to Rick, and is just about to tell him … AARRGG!!

It’s Gina! Rick, in his loneliness and feelings of rejection, has discovered some of the old attraction to her, and she has latched onto that. Maybe she wants the book finished. Maybe she wants him back. We don’t really know. Only that Rick & Kate have both missed a significant opportunity.

And we were left for a summer hiatus fuming and disappointed (some were raging).

I still think this is the time where Stana's hair looks the best. I hope she shortens it a bit for Season 4 to be around the length it was in the last episodes of Season 2.

tyler said:

I hope they take a bit of time to explain the conversation Castle had with Gina and possibly tie it together when Beckett finds out why his 2 marriages failed in season 4….hopefully.. 1 wife was unfaithful and the 2nd…well…the reasons are not so clear.. Well maybe to me i might be missing something. Possibly, she's the one "who love the institution but hate the day to day" ? . .. Maybe Beckett being with Demming pushed him to realise that he tends to leave things unsaid in relationships. .. I'm just speculating here. but the good thing is that castle realise that there is no magic between him and Gina anymore.

I mean it had 2 be a h*ll of a conversation to pushed someone to go back and give a failed marriage a second chance and I'm totally curious about it. Is anyone else curious as well?

In Episode 3x02 (He's Dead…) Rick describes his re-relationship with Gina brought along it's friends High-Maintenance and Shopoholic. That's a not-so-subtle clue.

I think Rick turned to Gina out of hurt and loneliness after seeing Kate prefer Demming over him. That, and he probably forgot the names of those two friends of Gina's.

Okay, so I did not technically rewatch this episode, since I really only started watching Castle in season 3, but I am watching all the episodes from the beginning…

So I don't think the sadness hit quite so bad since I was watching with the knowledge of where they are at now in season 4, but man the faces from Castle when he sees Beckett and Demming together and then Beckett when she is realizing that Castle really might leave.  Some really good acting.  Oh, and the last scene of Beckett turning her head slightly to the side, eyes glistening with tears she is fighting even though we can see her heart breaking clear as day.  And all her friends in the next room watching through the glass.  Man!

skyisblue1, I think you were right about the first offer of a weekend in the Hamptons was spur of the moment but then he came back with a couple follow-up offers that were definitely serious.  I think it was partly because he didn't want to be alone for the weekend and partly because he would love to spend more time with Beckett.  I doubt he intended it as a test, even though that was pretty much what it was.  Would Beckett pick a "friend" weekend with him even though she had started dating Demming. 

With regard to the coffee thing… We both get to see Beckett looking devastated when Castle shows up without coffee for her, and also Castle looking sad and confused when he sees Esposito give Beckett a mug of espresso from the machine.  It is almost like he didn't realize anything was wrong with the whole coffee situation until he saw her drink coffee that he did not bring. 

Honestly, this was a very good episode even though it was incredibly sad. 

skyisblue1 said:

He-touches-things said:

I noticed that Kate did go with Tom for the weekend.

Monday morning, Rick walks in with just one cup of coffee. Kate notices that he didn’t bring one for her. This had been a ritual between the two of them, but now it, too, is broken.

I don't think so. I see the solo coffee being the very next day, the case was still ongoing.  And when Kate breaks with Tom he says, 'it's not just about the weekend is it" and to me that means the weekend to come. Rick had not taken Alexis to Prinction yet and the weekend cant' start till after that.

The A team of AWM and Rob Bowman came together to make A Deadly Game, an episode that managed to make myself and many others frustrated, a little angry (briefly) and even a little sick. Got to be talented filmmakers to do that, and they are.

Castle is watching “His Girl Friday”, avoiding Gina’s calls and not writing his book. All’s not well in Castle land, especially when it seems Castle is going to be all-alone for the summer and Castle does not do alone!

Kate tells Rick his description of the Hamptons sounds Magical, maybe even double rainbowish and Rick off the cuff invites her to fill the vacant seat in the car.  It was not a planned invite at all and I don’t think Kate felt it was all that serious.

They arrive at the crime scene and I love the way Esposito helps Beckett step down to the body, a lovely touch.

At the spy meet Castle gets more serious about the Hamptons offer and for a moment Kate looks like she really wants to say yes, before common sense and yes perhaps Demming come to mind.  I definitely want a Hampton’s weekend or at least the prelude to one in our DD’s future – Please AWM.

“Hands up, not you Castle”, -at least not until the next episode, love it! Castle is a smart guy “it’s all a game” and I love Beckett’s little wave to the suspect in the cell.

Demming is keen to be close to Kate in a display of affection I could have done without but was necessary for Rick to see, painful though it was for all of us. Meanwhile Beckett has had the pleasure of talking to Gina, lucky her, and for a extra good time finds out that Nikki is naked once more on the cover of “Naked Heat” If Castle can’t find the perfect time to tell Beckett the name of book, no wonder he’s no good with the more important stuff!

Demming is not the most discreet guy in the world, he should have pulled Kate away to talk to her but again it was necessary for Rick to hear, and be crushed by Kate pronouncement that she and Demming were together. I know it crushed me. Another split second decision from Castle, he’s out of there, he’s picking up his bat and walking away, and this time it’s Kate’s turned to look crushed, and stunned and empty somehow. Great work by both NF and SK.

As Castle rushes off to his poker game Beckett is left to get some strong words from Esposito, and until she heard them I really don’t think she had let herself believe that Ricks emotions might be genuine and serious.

When petulant Castle show up, he shows up big time, “I think I’ve got everything I can out of that relationship anyway”. Yes; more glory then ever before, critical success, a truckload of money and great friends. Way to go Castle. Wow, a year on and “A Deadly Game” still makes me mad. I love Rick, I really do, but sometimes…

Kate looking at the chair is just such a beautiful image and Demming’s arrival into the scene did nothing to cheer her up. He is so already out of the game.

Castle shows up the next morning with no coffee for Kate, which was just mean, Kate is obviously disappointed, looks hopeful when Castle says he wants to talk then disappointed again when she realizes it’s case related, but she immediately compartmentalizes again and is back to business.  And I absolutely love Esposito taking care of Kate’s coffee needs.

The case gets solved, and it actually wasn’t a bad case but of course is totally overwhelmed by the final scenes. Kate breaking it off with Demming, sending Castle on his way to Princeton with a gleam in her eye.  It seems Gina must have accepted while he was in the car as Rick had told Alexis the mystery woman had not said yes yet, so she is a quick packer.  As he left for Princeton Castle did not strike me a man who has spent all night talking to the love of his life. Spare me.

The final scene of Kate attempting to talk to Rick and ‘man up’ is just so sad and I felt so terribly for her. AWM is a great writer but I just don’t buy the Gina story, not at the time and not now, and I flat out don’t like the character. From her “I don’t bite, much” and “someone has to keep on top of him”, and not letting him even give Kate a hug. I can’t think about without feeling bad.

I am so thankful that Season Three left me feeling better, and when part of that feeling better is watching the leading lady and your favorite character getting shot! That really says something.

I love season 1.  I've watched it in it's entirety at least 3 times, the first episode 5 or 6 times.  I have re-watched all of season 2 a couple of times, except episode 2x24.  The end of it is such a downer I just don't want to go through it again.  So I don't. 

I have re-watched the beginning of season 3, all of season 3, but not 2x24.  The ending of that episode left me so empty I didn't watch the series again till the 3XK episode, and only then because my wife wanted company while she watched it on DVR.  I was literally gone.  Wouldn't have been back.  They hooked me with the handholding at the end.  I went back and watched the beginning of the season to catch up.

Sometimes I wonder what the ratings would be today if that episode had a different ending.  How many people left and didn't make it back?

As it is, I made it through Kate getting shot, thought that was a heck of a good episode – I've re-watched it a bunch of times.  I knew she'd survive, so while it was a shocker of an ending, it left me looking forward to the season premier with enthusiasm and hope as opposed to feeling empty and betrayed after season 2.  I'm enjoying this season, but I'm not watching to be frustrated, that turns me off.  I'm watching to feel good for the characters, to enjoy their love story against the backdrop of the murder of the week.  There is nothing wrong with a series having something other than continuing viewer frustration as the major draw.  It's OK to make viewers happy.  Trust me on this, feeling good is OK, angst is over rated. 

You make some good points.  I am watching most of the episodes for the first time as I work my way up to season 4.  I think the only season 2 episodes I had seen before going through the DVDs were the two parts of the FBI serial killer two-parter.  I have seen maybe half of season 3 and all of episodes thus far in season 4.  I feel like I now finally understand what people are talking about when they refer to earlier stuff, but I may not go back and rewatch many of these episodes and probably not the last few.

Fitch said:

I love season 1.  I've watched it in it's entirety at least 3 times, the first episode 5 or 6 times.  I have re-watched all of season 2 a couple of times, except episode 2x24.  The end of it is such a downer I just don't want to go through it again.  So I don't. 

I have re-watched the beginning of season 3, all of season 3, but not 2x24.  The ending of that episode left me so empty I didn't watch the series again till the 3XK episode, and only then because my wife wanted company while she watched it on DVR.  I was literally gone.  Wouldn't have been back.  They hooked me with the handholding at the end.  I went back and watched the beginning of the season to catch up.

Sometimes I wonder what the ratings would be today if that episode had a different ending.  How many people left and didn't make it back?

As it is, I made it through Kate getting shot, thought that was a heck of a good episode – I've re-watched it a bunch of times.  I knew she'd survive, so while it was a shocker of an ending, it left me looking forward to the season premier with enthusiasm and hope as opposed to feeling empty and betrayed after season 2.  I'm enjoying this season, but I'm not watching to be frustrated, that turns me off.  I'm watching to feel good for the characters, to enjoy their love story against the backdrop of the murder of the week.  There is nothing wrong with a series having something other than continuing viewer frustration as the major draw.  It's OK to make viewers happy.  Trust me on this, feeling good is OK, angst is over rated.