So let me begin with the case. Santa was last seen falling from the sky to his untimely death. Castle, the big kid and traditionalist he is obviously was quite upset Santa was dead. Beckett on the other hand is a realist and didn’t believe in all this Santa stuff. Santa otherwise known as James Edmund Smith was shot and fell out of a helicopter. Edmund had an epiphany one night after watching A Wonderful Life, and he left his wife and comfortable life and started a new journey as Santa. The truth was, back in Edmund’s previous life the company he worked for scammed families out of their homes. He was trying to redeem himself so he moved next door to one of the families he destroyed. He came up with a plan to work the Case Commerce holiday party as Santa so he could get the unaltered loan documents that were in the storage room. The murderer ended up being Edmund’s ex wife. She couldn’t let Edmund take away her lifestyle if his swindling came out into the open.

I was so happy we got a Lanie and Esposito scene. I love these two characters and I’m really hoping they find their way back to each other. You really had to feel for Espo. He was alone for the holidays and tried to get with Lanie, but she already had plans. She told him she didn’t want one of those sad desperate holiday hookups. If after the holidays he still wanted to get together, he should call her. It was just so incredibly sweet when Esposito showed up to the Cabot’s with their clock. His face totally lit up when the Cabot’s invited him to spend Christmas Even with them.

We learned Jenny wants to try for a baby and Ryan is scared about it. We got such a sweet moment with Espo and Ryan. Esposito reassuring him he’s ready to have a baby just reminds us how great friends these two are. I can’t wait to see Kevin as a dad.

The funniest moments had to belong to Captain Gates. Her mother in law is staying at her house during the holidays and she makes it quite clear she’s not happy about it. “Detective, if you happen to receive a report of a homicide tonight at my address, do me a favour ignore it.” I almost fell off my bed laughing when Gates saw Esposito holding up lingerie meant for Jenny. Gates said something I thought I’d never hear on television let alone from her. “Let’s finish up this hoochie-coochie thing and get on with it.”  We’re really starting to see a playful side of Captain Gates and I’m loving it. Penny Johnson Jerald is so funny in real life and I’m just so happy we get to see this side of her character.

I’m obviously saving the best for last. Kate told Castle she couldn’t come over to his house for Christmas Eve because she had to work. Castle was obviously upset, which I didn’t blame him. He later learned from Gates that Beckett was the one to volunteer to work that night. I got a little worried how Castle would handle the news. If you recall last season when Castle found out Kate actually remembered everything from her shooting, he didn’t exactly handle things well. I still get upset watching those episodes because I didn’t believe for a second Castle wouldn’t confront her. This time though Castle confronted Kate and she opened up to him. Christmas doesn’t mean the same thing for her as it does for him. Kate associates Christmas with her mother’s murder and it’s hard for her. Stana just killed this scene and Nathan was so great just soaking in all her words. I love these heartfelt scenes between the two of them. It shows me how much these two characters have grown and how much they truly do love each other. I honestly don’t need to hear those 3 little words from Kate just yet. Don’t get me wrong, I’d love to hear them soon but she loves Castle, I just see it by her actions. It torn me up to have Castle and Beckett standing underneath the mistletoe at the precinct and not being able to kiss.

Everything turned out amazing though when Beckett came by Castle’s loft just as he was going to rush out to see Kate at the precinct. She knew how much the holiday’s meant to him and wanted to start a new tradition. That kiss near the huge Christmas tree was just perfection! For a split second when Kate started to whisper something I thought she was going to say those 3 little words. It ended up just being “Merry Christmas” but it was just as sweet. Of course Castle had to tell her he didn’t buy her anything which added humour to the scene. In Castle’s defence, Kate did tell him to not buy her anything. Since when does Castle listen anyways?

Usually by a 5th season of a show starts to go in this downward spiral. Not Castle! I feel as though I’m watching a whole new show. This is a true testament to everyone who works on this show. The cast and crew love this show as much as the fans and they want to make it the best show possible. I’m just so happy I’m along for this wonderful ride.

The post Castle Review: Secret Santa appeared first on TVHackr.

This year the guests were Tamala Jones, Penny Johnson Jerald, Armin Shimerman, Rob Bowman, Christopher Brown, Marta Evry, Warren Bowman, Stephen Bowman, Luke Reichle and Chuck Bowman. They were absolutely wonderful. They donated their time to come down and have Q and A’s and autograph and photo sessions with the fans. My respect level for them increased tenfold.

Jason Palmer, who I first discovered at this past years San Diego Comic Con was also at the event. If you’ve never seen his work, I recommend you check out his website: www.jasonpalmer.net He’s such a nice guy and extremely talented. He truly takes into consideration the fans opinions and recommendations for future works.

As I’m sitting here writing this, I still cannot believe I met Tamala Jones and Penny Johnson Jerald. We even participated in a zumba class with Penny and her private instructor. Tamala and Penny are truly phenomenal women. They were absolutely hilarious together during their panel. You sort of forget that their characters have never had a scene together. I’m really happy I got the chance to meet Penny in person. Her character Captain Gates can be quite the hard ass, so her funny side was really welcomed. We even got to hear Tamala sing a little bit. I know we heard her vocal abilities in the episode “The Blue Butterfly”, but in real life she’s fantastic.

I could probably go on forever, but I have to discuss this week’s fantastic episode. I honestly didn’t think I could love Castle anymore than I already do. For the cast and crew to donate their time like this for the fans was incredible. It proves to me that they actually care about the fans. I will do everything in my power to promote this show and I will try to get everybody as obsessed with it as I am.

After Hours was great of course! The meet the parents dinner was super fun and you just knew it wasn’t going to go smoothly at all. Martha and Jim are from totally different ends of the spectrum but one thing is for sure, they love their children. I’m always so super excited whenever we get more Martha screen time. Susan Sullivan is one of my favorites.

The case of the week had a priest getting murdered. I’m sure all my fellow Chucksters squee’d when Bonita Friedericy a.k.a General Beckman came into the precinct as a nun. Ryan was so terrified of the nun, it was hilarious. Esposito was totally making fun of him. The dynamic between Ryan and Esposito is incredible. That’s one of the many things I love about this show. The chemistry between the actors is just amazing. It doesn’t feel forced at all.

Castle and Beckett end up having to protect the witness of the murder because of unforeseen circumstances. There was a bit of tension between the two because of the parents dinner that didn’t go well. I welcomed the tension because everything can’t be perfect all the time between these two. Let’s be honest, even though they were bickering, it was still hot.

Meanwhile, nobody at the precinct could get a hold of Castle and Beckett and panic mode erupted. Esposito contacted Martha and Jim and they high tailed it to the station. The moment Martha and Jim came in together and asked Gates what was going on, I got a little nervous. I don’t know if it was just my imagination but did anyone catch the facial expression Gates made? Was Gates wondering why Martha and Jim were together in the first place? Jim covered it up pretty fast though. Penny said during her panel at Castle Con, she thinks Gates already knows about Castle and Beckett. This isn’t a spoiler or anything, so don’t take this statement literally, it’s just an actors assessment.

This episode really did keep me on my toes. Especially with all the running around Castle, Beckett and Leo the witness did. This show mixes seriousness, comedy and intensity so well. I loved the scene where Martha and Jim bonded over their shared worry for their kids. When Jim told Martha Kate feels the safest when Castle is watching her back, I totally started fangirling. It’s the sweet moments like this that really make an episode for me. Now for that Caskett kiss. I just love the way Castle grabbed Kate and kissed her, trying to reassure her he’ll be okay. You could really sense the worry Kate had. Stana is just so fantastic. Even though they had been bickering almost all episode long they still really love each other and would never let anything happen to one another.

The twist came when we found out the witness was actually the murderer. I honestly did not see that coming. Now Kate was the one in danger while Castle was with the ones that were chasing them. Kate and Castle’s connection has never been stronger. Just by the fact of the encoded message Kate gave to Castle. Castle knew right away something was up. Kate freaking out when Leo shot up the car gave me goosebumps. Her running to Castle and putting her arms while cuffed around his neck whispering ”I thought I lost you” made my heart beat so fast. The ending with Martha and Jim was fantastic. Her slowly touching his face and them laughing and getting along was so adorable. This show continuously hits it out the park, especially this season. For me the line of the night had to be “Living your life for now makes a lot more sense than worrying about the future.”

How will I possibly survive with no new episode next week? I’ll just have to rewatch After Hours.

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