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MAGIC! Martha completes her son’s sentence in “Poof! You’re Dead.” She knows what he wants in love and life and how Kate is the answer. Some of the best “Castle” moments in seven seasons occur between the single, often struggling diva and her only child. Rick is proud of the woman who makes hard times happy, who celebrates his childhood Christmas with “The Nut Cracker Suite” and who often guides her son, providing joy, and aiding her grandchild.
Martha once describes their relationship: “I call it the pea pod bond that exists between parent and child, you and me, you and Alexis. We’re all peas in a pod.” Rick defends this description when Kate’s former boy friend FBI Agent Will Sorenson hopes to discredit Rick in Kate’s eyes by mocking him for living with his mother. Winning the alpha- male contest, Rick jokes, but knows the pea pod bond is a strong one. So does Kate.
Martha welcomes her son’s love and wife into the pea pod, loving the young motherless “Katherine.” Kate reciprocates the love and concern as she unfolds, blossoms and embraces the Castle family. When Rick investigates his own disappearance in “Sleeper,” Kate holds Martha’s hands in comfort, and promises Martha that she will be with Rick every step of the way. And when Kate experiences stage fright in “Habeas Corpse,” Martha holds Kate’s hand, gives credence to the stage fright, and comforts Kate. Well she knows stage fright.
Early on, Martha recognizes her son’s love for Kate as she holds her son’s hands and urges him to tell Kate of his love. “Oh, Richard, Richard, for a man who makes his living with words, you sure have a hell of a time finding them when it counts. Darling, let me give you a word of advice, all right? From someone who’s better than halfway through the movie. Don’t waste another minute of it.”
She also urges Rick to commit to a loving relationship and offer Kate marriage as well as his love. Martha understands the young woman, so determined like herself and her only son’s fear of rejection and an unsuccessful marriage.
Indeed, scenes between mother and son are priceless. In an earlier episode Rick helps his social -media challenged mother to reach out on the internet, to meet friends and perhaps to find a meaningful relationship. With his push, an enter press of his finger, she joins an on line site and meets an old romance: Chet. Rick helps Martha appreciate that she is still the same beautiful woman: just now with wisdom. He also sees her through Chet’s death and assures her that while she does not love Chet, they spend some wonderful moments and surely that must be enough. Chet knows her heart and he leaves her money in his will.
Just before he welcomes his bride in their wedding ceremony, Rick whispers to his beloved mother to stretch her wings, urges her to pursue her life’s dreams and goals, heartening Martha who is experiencing a late- life crisis.
Despite fears and misgivings, Martha does go for it, landing a role in a Broadway play after a twenty year absence Martha steals the show; the Broadway offering and the “Castle” episode. The divine Ms Susan Sullivan delivers heartfelt and poignant scenes revealing trepidation in the age of tweets and iphones, viral videos and instant character assassinations… and acceptance.
Written by Terence Paul Winter and directed by Jeannot Sywarc, “Dead in New York” is a wonderful confection of all the things “Castle” celebrates: family; friendship; love; rich dialogue; drama; comedy; and Rick and Kate chemistry.
First a body pops out of the elevator shaft, dripping blood on the passengers. Then the scene shifts to Martha as she practices her opening lines as is her custom, ad infinitum as Rick declares to Kate: “She is an actor; what is normal?”
“Is he dead? “ Stress is; stress he; stress dead. Sing it, yell it; live it; cry it; deliver it. Yes, Martha is a method actor, and she is doing her 48 hour first line ritual for getting into character. Ah, remember her early morning humming with a much younger Alexis as the child prepares for an acting role.
Funny one- liners keep coming. Apparently one of Martha’s former oft- practiced first lines is: “Come on baby, I’ll make it worth your while.”
“Most awkward parent teacher conference ever.” Rick dead pans.
“Is he dead?” Yes! Sid Ross, the star of SNT, a “Saturday Night Live” spoof is the jack in the box, bloody body, delivered through the elevator ceiling, dead on arrival.
Nothing is sacred in this gentle spoof of actors, police and…writers. Walking through the hallowed halls of the SNT set, Rick and Kate are enthralled with photographs of 35 years of glorious television. Now Kate proclaims: “Fluffy the space puppy sketch as her favorite. “
Rick pontificates: “The majority of this nation’s comedy was born in the midst of these geniuses, Except for this season. Looking at another poster on the wall, Rick spontaneously comments: “Those guys suck.”
“They were terrible.”
The picture engendering this response is one of the “Castle” writers. Oh my, such irreverent fun.
Dr. Finger is Rick’s favorite sketch. “…necessary I probe you,” Rick delivers the line accent and all.
When Kate rolls her eyes, Rick declares: “How can you not like Dr. Finger?” Rick wags his finger.
“Because I wasn’t a thirteen year old boy.”
Showing Kate the finger, the index finger, Rick walks off.
“Danny Valentine, “they cry in unison over the much admired SNT guest host. The head writer Liz Bell loves the two of them, also, and she “especially adores Kate.”
Always, Liz “wanted to be a cop and ended up…a writer. “ Build Rick up; let him down; this deflates Rick a bit; he is so easy.
Bravely, Liz posits the most pressing, plaguing question of all “Castle” conundrums: “How do you fight crime and keep your hair like that?” Yes, inquiring minds are dying to know, Kate.
A celebration of 150 episodes, “Dead in New York” is a series of sketches and skits within an episode of sketches and skits. A partially staged play, observed by us and Rick and Kate, it is similar to “The Lives of Others,” the 100 episode celebration penned by show creator and husband and wife team: Andrew Marlowe and Terri Edda Miller.
Can it be two years or so since Kate and Rick toasted to 100 more murders? Then Martha and her acting troupe staged a murder a la “Rear Window,” a mystery to occupy Rick, bored and hobbled at home with a broken leg, cast and all. And Rick watches the lives of others unveil through the rear windows of their apartments, the lonely and the silly, the profane and the murderer. Rick also spies on one couple he dismisses as writers who just turn out to be Marlowe and Miller busily creating new lines and scenarios.
Jaleel White in “Dead in New York,” appears in a comedic scene as Mickey Franks who seems to have a motive for killing Sid who plans to fire him, and Franks rampages a tantrum, yelling: “He’s dead to me,” and “I’ll kill him.” When dressed in his armor, he attacks Kate with a sword. Kate flips him on his back and Rick flips out laughing hysterically as Kate eye-rolls her opinion. In interrogation, the eccentric comic asks Kate to address his counsel, a puppet strangely resembling Terence Paul Winter or is it “Castle” creator Marlowe. Somehow Kate plays along and addresses the puppet counsel: Too funny.
Not the perpetrator, but Mickey does reveal some information. He overhears Sid yelling on the phone about a deal “going down around midnight.” Mickey foists them off on to Danny Valentine who should know more about the situation.
Next Rick and Kate observe the Rick and Kate comedy sketch rehearsal. The actress who plays Kate expounds on her expertise: “I’m a cop and a model so I know when someone is lying to me.” One thing for sure, Kate does have model looks, designer clothing and a kick ass attitude, so admired by men and women.
As he awkwardly slips into his Kevlar writer-vest, Danny heroically explains in his best soap opera tones: “My experience at writing crime novels has prepared me for danger. “
The farce continues as “Kate” attempts to smash down the door only to get her high heel caught in the door, perhaps to answer our second most compelling question. How does the real Kate do it in high heels? Apropos to nothing perhaps, but wasn’t it Ginger Rogers who once said that she does everything Fred does only backwards and in high heels.
Kate isn’t quite sure about the sketch. “I don’t know if we should be flattered or offended.” Nothing is sacred tonight.
Valentine, the aging lothario, played by guest star Gregory Harrison, walks right past a preening anticipating recognition Rick, and mesmerizes a star- struck Kate who twirls her hair (and we know what that means) in response to Danny. Rick notices. Then smarmy Danny invites Kate to his dressing room, to talk about the case. Rick gives him the stink eye as he attempts to defend his territory from the interloper with whom Kate agrees inspired her to be a detective…”maybe a little.” Rick literally gives the space- encroaching lover- boy a chest push- back, away from his wife.
Danny reveals he saw Sid go to the subway on the corner as if to meet someone.
At the station, getting off their elevator, Kate humors Rick regarding her flustered and fawning display with Valentine. “What was I supposed to do? He’s Danny freaking Valentine.” Hmm.
In the alley- way, crime scene, our other intrepid duo has comedic words when Ryan admonishes Esposito for his negativity and tells him: “He needs to be more positive.” That he does we must agree.
“No I don’t.”
“Stop saying No all the time…say ‘Yes and.’ Partners cannot deny one another’s progress,” a compelling piece of pop psychology Ryan learns via SNT. But Esposito does look and sound a little happier than usual.
“Yes and.” Does Esposito tell Ryan jokingly, to go to hell? Ah, another homage to partners.
The drama shifts to another locale and a new skit or scene unfolds. Because Martha has been acting distracted, Kate worries and asks Rick to stay home to talk to her. “So.” I can hear Rick begin many an inquiry with his daughter with the solo word: “So…Is he dead?”
“Wrong question,” Martha replies: “Am I dead?” Martha and Rick are framed by Kate’s wall hanging of Matasburo of the Winds, by Alex Gross, a brave rendition to me and highlighted so frequently in Kate’s loft, in times of high drama, distress and concern.
Everything has changed in the theater and technical world during Martha’s 20 years of retirement, something the older parents among us can attest to as we struggle to keep up. “It’s all viral; blogger; tweeter.”Martha feels sadly out of touch with the way people record everything on the phone, post and make derogative comments. “I just don’t want to be humiliated.”
These words are ripped right out of today’s reality with shows and actors at the mercy of psychos or obsessive fans or hyper critical people who rip and shred the actors and writers just because they can hide in anonymity, just because they can get away with it.
With great hope and anticipation, Martha believes “this could be my second act.” And so sad it is, she is afraid of humiliation.
Martha thinks she should drop out of the play. Ever supportive, Rick convinces his mother not to quit. “You will not, because you are a fighter. What have you always told me?”
“No one will give you anything in this life. You must earn it. And look at you. Almost 20 years later and you’re back on Broadway. You have earned this.”
“I have. Haven’t I?” Martha seems so buoyed by her son’s loving support.
“Don’t let some idiot with a cell phone take that away from you.” We often wonder how actors and writers, people in the news, the famous among us can live a normal life with everyone wanting something and criticizing and belittling. I am reminded of something Nathan Fillion has said: “It costs nothing to say something kind. Even less to shut up altogether. “
And then Rick coaches the life and acting coach, recalling her first line “Is he dead” with great gusto. With feeling, he instructs his mother: “One more time for the cheap seats.” Proudly they rise up together in solidarity. “Is he dead? He’s so dead.” They chant together.
Rick and Martha take a bow to a standing ovation: Ours. This is classic and wonderful “Castle” to relive forever.
Another suspect makes the scene, Kurt Van Sant, a recently released convict having served a sentence of 35 years, and a man who says he filed a law suit against Sid claiming he financed the pilot for SNT, and he wants a piece of the action and money will do.
One more scene or sketch stands out as pure “Castle” joy and pleasure. On the SNT set the actress who plays Kate in the skit proceeds to mimic Kate’s walk and posture. At this point we conjure up Natalie Rhodes, the Nikki Heat actress who studies Kate’s every move, who virtually takes over her look, her style, her hair, her coffee, her case, Rick, and if Kate isn’t careful, her boyfriend. Ultimately they do agree they like their kicking shoes which accentuate their height, too funny when they stand up next to a much shorter Esposito.
Natalie does make a pass at Rick and is confounded that Rick does not reciprocate. Rick tells her no and Kate is quite happy even if she cannot wait to get away from the inquisition especially when Natalie asks Kate to give Rick permission to sleep with her.
The SNT actress picks up on Kate’s walk. “You have a very bizarre gait.
”
“I’m sorry. What?”
The actress perfects her Kate aping. She crosses her arms as Kate often does; it is a protective gesture. Kate does a double take or triple take as the actress mimics her. Arms crossed again, Kate asks Rick: “Castle, please tell me I don’t look like that. I mean, do I?”
“Is this a trick question? What answer is not going to have me sleeping on the couch tonight?” Behind Kate’s back Rick signal a yes to the actress.
Later searching for Danny Valentine the real Kate successfully kicks a real door down, too rich, in order to save Valentine from Van Sant’s attack. He isn’t the killer, but it turns out Van Sant buys a gun for Sid. Apparently Ross is involved with someone who has kidnapped his first wife Evelyn and who demands 4 million dollars in ransom.
They locate and free Evelyn who really cannot identify the kidnapper other than by a signet ring and a mask used in one of the SNT skits: Luche Libre Lunch Buffet.
Another special guest in this episode is Carly Rae Jepsen who brings it, with her song: “I Really Like You.” Seeing Rick invite Kate to dance is a joy just as it is when they spontaneously dance at Prom in “Smells Like Teen Spirit.” They are happy together.
The page, Chad seems suspicious because of his signet ring and the mask ultimately found in his apartment. But he is not the murderer. Together Rick and Kate do their thing, and proclaim simultaneously: “I know who the killer is.” How long have we been waiting to hear them say this patented phrase just one more time?
Indeed the murderer is Sid’s right hand man Gene Vogel who has been embezzling funds and who needs the money to put back so as not to be caught.
Vogel runs, such a great scene. The “real” Kate seizes the moment, kicks the door down effortlessly, and leaves the sketch actor and Danny stuck in the door on the outside. Rick runs after Kate right onto the SNT stage before the live audience as Kate makes a fabulous take down, as only she can. Playing to the audience, the real writer, Rick, takes Kate’s hand and they bow to the applauding and thrilled audience. Ah, the reality of the actual detective and her writer husband on stage.
The final scene occurs in the precinct with Martha appearing to share her great news with Rick, Kate and the guys. Rick reads Martha’s message from the twitter verse. “Martha is a revelation.” What we always knew. She puts on a “masterful performance, a display as to why theater is still a relevant art form. Martha Rodgers is amaze-balls.” It’s all good, Rick translates.
Rick proposes the toast with family and friends: “To my amaze-balls mother, the best second act on Broadway.” Amaze balls, Martha.
As the final scene unveils itself, “Castle” tradition revives; listen to the music. In “Final Nail,” “I’d go anywhere with you,” so perfect, plays as the two, not yet lovers but in love, walk off together; they will go anywhere with each other and for each other.
At the end of “Always,” Kate’s song and the haunting notes of Robert Duncan’s “I just want you,” blend perfectly and announce Rick and Kate’s love. The plaintive piano vibrates and their variations signal and highlight so many moments of love and passion in many additional episodes.
The haunting and resounding lyrics from Josh Ritter’s “Come and Find Me Now” speak to us of their love and of passion restrained in “To Love and Die in LA.”
“Oh I keep me in a broken lot with the ivy and forget me nots hoping you will come and find me some day.” Come and find me now, reflects Rick’s and Kate’s metaphorical and unspoken words of love and desire…and their unmistakable but fearful need for each other and desire to be found.
In the last few minutes of “Cuffed,” a proud, bouncy tune “Give A Little Love,” by MostarDiving Club, supports Kate’s renewal and return to confidence and strength. With her motorcycle helmet in hand, Kate struts past a bemused and enchanted Rick. “Give a Little love and it’ll all come back. Show a little love and it’ll make you glad, oh wohoho.” We are happy to see Kate back, hitting her stride.
Can anyone forget “Stop and Stare,” the incredible song from the very beginning which highlights Rick’s desire and enchantment with Kate and the beginning of a change in him. “I’m staring down myself, counting up the years; steady hands just take the wheel; every glance is killing me; time to make one last appeal, for the life I lead.” With Kate’s love, Rick is reclaimed and redeemed; he becomes the man, the hero he always was and is.
And as Rick and Kate part in “He’s Dead, She’s Dead” perhaps forever, Duncan’s sound track features “My Fault, Your Mistake” by Lex Land. “You gave me good steps to follow, and I wish I could fill your shoes. I wish the apple fell close to the tree.” Rick reveals how sorry he is for overstepping and hurting Kate. “And I’m sorry that I hurt you, and I’m sorry that I let you hurt me.” The singer cries as Rick does inwardly: “You’ll see.” “I’ll see you tomorrow, “Kate forgives Rick, and invites Rick back, voicing Rick’s own word of hope: tomorrow.
Of the many songs considered in the “Castle” pantheon of perfect music, this one always holds a special meaning and message to me.
One of the most magical moments occurs in “He’s Dead, She’s Dead,” when the psychic shares this hope for the future with Kate: “You will meet an Alexander, and he will be extremely important to you. At some future date he may save your life." Then Rick reveals his middle name: Alexander.
>From the “Librarian” the music begins: “I know the distance it takes to sail around the world I’ve done it many times, on seas of Van Gogh green and every night with certainty the stars descend around the hull like fireflies. It’s no surprise. I’m here tonight, holding out hope for a change in the tide.” They save each other in every possible way.
Rick leaves the precinct, and Kate remains looking after him, star struck, for he is her magic. Even now the words have profound meaning. The mood and tone are beguiling: “Painted windows on the skyline sail me off this empty island; I’ll be home before you know it; I’ll be home before you know I’m gone….without the love notes in the bottles at sea; waiting for someone, waiting for someone like me. “ I’ll be home before you know I’m gone.” Rick and Kate face love’s answers and questions, Hollander’s Woods and their future pursuits, together. We all seek safety, love and home.
Today we recognize the music heard in the last scene in “Dead in New York,” as the “Castle” extended family toast to Martha’s joy, to happiness and to the future, whatever it brings as long as they are together.
“Just Takes A Little,” Amy Stroup’s song in the background, provides a sense of “Castle” hope in tomorrow.
“You make me believe in something better. You make me believe I really could. You make me believe that something special; Just around the corner for us. It just takes a little. It just takes a little, darling. It just takes a little of you to make it good.
We’ve got time to figure it out. So wash away your worry and little doubts. It just takes a little. It just takes a little darling, It just takes a little of you to make it good.”
And so, it does only take a little of you, and a belief in something better. It is good. Amaze balls to all