Castle S6 Ep20 – That ’70s Show

This was a very fun, if entirely ridiculous, episode.

Yeah, I dig it.

This week the mystery is a cold case – that of Vince Bianchi, the head of a mafia family who disappeared in 1978. His body is found under concrete, dressed in a snazzy powder-blue polyester disco suit. Castle, thrilled to have the chance to solve one of the most famous murder mysteries of the disco era, takes advantage of Captain Gates’ absence attending an anti-terrorism seminar (perhaps a callback to Penny Johnson Jerald’s other well-known TV role?) to convince Beckett to get the whole precinct and everyone in it decked out in ’70s garb. This is ostensibly to convince their key witness, Vince’s best friend Harold who is mentally unable to move past the day Vince died and therefore lives his life as if it’s still the ’70s, that he can come down to the precinct to give a statement of what he knows. The made-over precinct is way far out, groovy, and hilarious.

It is eventually revealed that Harold was shaken out of his ’70s bubble when a hitman tried to kill him at the morgue while viewing Vince’s remains. From then, he drew his own conclusions from his memories of the day Vince was killed to lead Ryan & Espo (and man are their ’70s costumes fabulous!) to Vince’s former second-in-command, whom he thinks killed Vince at his own disco club. But the real murderer turns out to have been Vince’s spurned would-be fiancee. She’s the sister of a rival crime family, and their marriage would have united the two. But Vince was secretly in love with Harold, so he couldn’t go through with it. In the end, though Beckett & Castle don’t have the evidence to convict her for Vince’s murder (at least not right away), they do arrest her for trying to have Harold killed.

Best things about this episode: first mention has to go to the makeup, and especially the costumes! The folks in charge of wardrobe deserve an Emmy nomination, because seriously? Awesome. In the ep, of course it’s Martha who is in charge of making over the precinct. It’s part of Castle’s attempt to let her be involved in something other than wedding planning. Because naturally, all of Martha’s ideas for the wedding are outrageously, very amusingly over-the-top. I’m looking forward to seeing what say she ends up having in the big event – since I doubt she’ll stand for being only a “guest”, as she sniffs to her son. Also, Harold addressing Castle as “Captain” has to be a Mal shoutout, right?

Castle, in-character on the ‘set’ of the precinct, providing backdrop.

The other best thing has to be Ryan and Esposito as the two ’70s TV cops. Priceless – especially Espo’s dramatic failed attempt to duplicate the car-slide. Hee!

Last awesome thing: Gates returning before expected – big surprise – and her reaction to the “costume party” going on at her precinct. I do hope we really see the promised disciplinary action Gates has in mind for Beckett and especially Castle. She’ll probably make the punishment fit the crime in some way. On the other hand, the Captain’s party garb at the end of the episode, on the dance floor, was slinky and gorgeous.

So what was your favorite groovy moment from this episode? Do you wish we had seen more of Martha’s handiwork? Let us know in the comments!

Watch “That ’70s Show” on Amazon Instant Video.