To Love and Die in L.A. (2 May 2011)

Mike Royce, Becket's former police mentor, who lost his bounty-hunter license when she arrested him, is murdered while visiting New York, possibly by a fellow passenger from L.A. The ... See full summary »

Director:

John Terlesky

Writers:

Andrew W. Marlowe (creator), Alexi Hawley

Stars:

Nathan Fillion, Stana Katic, Susan Sullivan

Cast

Episode cast overview, first billed only:
Nathan Fillion	...	Richard Castle
Stana Katic	...	Kate Beckett
Susan Sullivan	...	Martha Rodgers (credit only)
Ruben Santiago-Hudson	...	Captain Roy Montgomery
Molly C. Quinn	...	Alexis Castle (credit only) (as Molly Quinn)
Jon Huertas	...	Javier Esposito
Tamala Jones	...	Lanie Parish
Seamus Dever	...	Kevin Ryan
Jason George	...	Charles Kelvin
D.B. Sweeney	...	Det. Kyle Seeger
Derek Phillips	...	Reggie Walsh
Jason Beghe	...	Mike Royce
Gene Simmons	...	Gene Simmons
P.J. Byrne	...	Tony
Todd Sherry	...	Maurice

Storyline

Mike Royce, Becket's former police mentor, who lost his bounty-hunter license when she arrested him, is murdered while visiting New York, possibly by a fellow passenger from L.A. The captain takes her off the case but she uses extant leave. Castle comes along, having to visit his book's movie set anyway. Informally backed up by Ryan and Esposito, hey soon find Royce must have been after the manufacturer of the dissolving type of bullet he was killed with. The trail of arms-dealings and new crimes leads back to New York, fortunately as LAPD detective Kyle Seeger, who follows, wants them out as much as Montgomery ordered Becket back.

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Plot Keywords:

theft | swimming pool | contraband | arms trade | reference to indiana jones

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Genres:

Comedy | Crime | Drama | Mystery

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

2 May 2011 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Beacon Pictures, Experimental Pictures, ABC Studios

Technical Specs

Runtime:

43 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

16:9 HD

Did You Know?

Goofs

The closeup shot of Beckett picking a lock shows a lock pick and tension tool inserted into a lock, and after being gently shaken the door pops open with ease. When picking a lock you still need to rotate the cylinder (usually at least 90°) the same as you would when using a key, picks don't make doors just magically open.

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Quotes

Captain Roy Montgomery: You heard from Beckett?
Javier Esposito: No, sir.
Kevin Ryan: Yeah, me neither.
Captain Roy Montgomery: She's not answering her cell.
Javier Esposito: Maybe she's airborne.
Kevin Ryan: Yeah, that would explain her phone being turned off.
Captain Roy Montgomery: Oh. You know, I'm trying to decide who is the worse liar. Him or you.
[Esposito nods at Ryan]

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Connections

References To Live and Die in L.A. (1985)

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Soundtracks

"Just Breathe"
(uncredited)
Written by Eddie Vedder
Produced by Brendan O'Brien
Performed by Pearl Jam

User Reviews

Fun change-of-pace romp

Since "Castle" is shot in L.A., it was logical to actually set an episode on the Left Coast, and under the skillful direction of former B-movie actor John Terlesky this segment was a winner.

Not really the fish-out-of-water formula that helped make Eddie Murphy a movie star, this transplanting of Beckett and sidekick Castle to unauthorized police work in Hollywood was a breezy affair, propelled with some serious back-story of her dedication to tracking down the killer of her cop mentor.

I enjoyed the balance between romance (plenty of innuendo advancing towards the fans' long-awaited Beckett/Castle hookup in the sack, especially as they share a hotel suite), in-jokes (fairly hilarious Hollywood casting of types for their fellow cops Esposito & Ryan in the upcoming Nikki Heat movie, plus fun mocking of "cheesy dialog" associated with La La Land), and action.

Inspired casting of former "Prison Break" icon Dominick Purcell as the hissable villain was a real treat -haven't seen him on screen lately but he's poised to make a splash appearing in two high-profile pictures, remake of Peckinpah's STRAW DOGS and original THE KILLER ELITE, coincidentally the name of another unrelated Peckinpah pic.

Hardly controversial, but it was interesting to see the half arousing/half satirical slo-mo scene of Beckett emerging from a pool in a revealing bathing suit, to impress Purcell (and the fans). It showed literally a different side of Stana Katic, and I'm looking forward to seeing how she does on the big screen in the upcoming thriller THE DOUBLE.

This was an excellent example of how week-in, week-out series television can keep things fresh, even though we know that formula is the name of the game. For example, the coming attraction for next week's "Pretty Dead" episode instantly reminded me how these shows would have certain bases to touch: like a memorable Charlie's Angels plot of them going undercover at a beauty pageant. It will be interesting to see how the "Castle" team handles that trope.