Castle (TV Series) That '70s Show (2014) User Reviews

Fun, but kind of annoying

[phoenix-hourglass · 9/10 · 5 November 2014]

Castle's always been a gimmicky show, but for Pete's sake, this is stretching it for me. "The only way to catch the killer is to pretend it's 1970! It's foolproof!" Are you kidding me?

Granted I don't watch this show for one hundred percent accuracy, but still. The story has to take enormous leaps to make the gimmick work. At least in The Blue Butterfly, the period-themed sections were framed as a flashback. I would've been okay with something like that, but I just could not get lost in this story.

That said, it's still an enjoyable episode. The cast is certainly having fun, and despite the gimmick, the rest of the plot flows nicely and the witness (who you'd think would be 'whacky' since he's the one who facilitated the time warp) is a surprisingly deep character who would work in other episodes. And I made a false assumption about him, which is refreshing, because usually the twists are fairly predictable.

Loved it! One of the best this season!

[oooolookapenny · 10/10 · 24 April 2014]

Good lord, this episode was HILARIOUS, all the way through! I had high hopes going into it, as I had seen the previews and they all looked promising, and this surpassed even my high expectations! The dialogue was excellent, their outfits were groovy, and the case was very intriguing! A classic Castle episode, lighthearted and memorable.

Biggest highlights:

Scene in the morgue, dialogue between the guy and Lanie was awesome "Once you go white, nothing else seems right!" "I'd rather be dead than be in your bed!" It had me rolling!

Epso and Ryan in their old-time cop outfits were awesome! They really channelled their inner 70s mojo! When Espo tried to slide across the car and fell off onto the pavement I almost missed the rest of the scene because I was laughing so hard.

The end where we find out that the guy was actually in love with the murdered mobster, and they had to keep their love secret because he had to be married to another girl. It was really sweet to see how much they cared for each other.

Overall, awesome episode. Definitely would watch again.

One of the best episodes!

[lakesbus · 10/10 · 23 June 2022]

I grew up in the 70's and this episode was amazing! I have to love the creativity of the writers! Six years in and they are still surprising me. Love it!

Every car on the road is magically from the 70s?

[malachite-78432 · 6/10 · 19 April 2023]

It seems to me that everyone just magically forgot to mention that every time they were outside in traffic, the only 70s vehicle was the cop car that took them from the house. Heck, I could even see a more contemporary car on the street with the old police car driving them all to the newly made 70s police station!

While this was a fun episode to watch the actors dress up in their bell bottoms and beads, It glaringly ignored the modern cars outside every time they took Harold to another 1970s themed establishment.

Couldn't they have written in that he had to be blindfolded during car travels to handle this obvious to everyone problem?

Still, fun to watch for us 70s teens!

Cute idea, poorly worked out

[rubenvanbergen · 4/10 · 22 April 2014]

This episode was such a disappointment after the series' month long hiatus. The whole shtick of everybody having to pretend it was the 70s felt forced and unconvincing. Most of the jokes based on this gimmick didn't land, or went no further than "I say, weren't the 70s queer?", and none of the actors seemed to genuinely get into the whole 70s vibe. The justification for all of this was clunky and the whole episode actually felt like a run-of-the-mill 70s sitcom. And I don't mean an ironic parody, I mean an actual 70s sitcom: poorly written, formulaic and in bad taste. Stylistic issues aside, the plot was forgettable and devoid of suspense, and I didn't believe the forbidden gay relationship angle they tried to work in at the end. And to top it off, all the detectives suddenly become very chummy with Harold, who just a minute ago was holding a gun to a suspect's head. The ensuing disco party finale was just ridiculous, and neatly summarized the episode: an overwrought and yet uninspired set piece with an unconvincing back story.

One of the worst episodes of the series, if not the worst.

[tles7 · 2/10 · 28 November 2020]

Stupid beyond words. Excuse to do a goofy 70s joke with a moronic premise that could be easily resolved by just arresting the guy to make him talk.