| Smells Like Teen Spirit | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Season 6, Episode 15 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Air date | February 17, 2014 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Written by | Chad Gomez Creasey and Dara Resnik Creasey | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Directed by | Kevin Hooks | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Episode guide | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Smells Like Teen Spirit[1] is the fifteenth episode of the sixth season of Castle.
Summary
The murder of a high school mean girl draws Castle back to one of his many alma maters, where he is giddy to learn that the evidence points to a surprising perpetrator – a teenage telekinetic, throwing he and Beckett into a real-life “Carrie”.
Recap
Promo
Cast
Main Cast
- Nathan Fillion as Richard Castle
- Stana Katic as Det. Kate Beckett
- Jon Huertas as Det.Javier Esposito
- Seamus Dever as Det. Kevin Ryan
- Tamala Jones as Dr. Lanie Parish
- Penny Johnson Jerald as Captain Victoria Gates (credit only)
- Molly C. Quinn as Alexis Castle (credit only)
- Susan Sullivan as Martha Rodgers (credit only)
Guest Cast
- Sam Anderson as Principal Duncan
- Hannah Marks as Jordan Gibbs
- Malese Jow as Hillary Cooper
- Leigh Parker as Lucas Troy
- Victory Van Tuyl as Kris Howard
- Maya Stojan as Tory Ellis
- Lori Alan as Ms. Papen
- Cas Anvar as Dr. Rampanel
- Jackie Debatin as Realtor
- John Mese as Mr. Charles Beaumont
- Julie Pinson as Mrs. Diane Beaumont
- Liz Benoit as Assistant
- Will Deutsch as Nerdy Guy
- Natasha Hall as Madison Beaumont
- Arianna Ortiz as Librarian
- Sam Towers as Riley Mitchum
Quotes
- Castle: Ah, "A Starry Night" -- the winter ball. Did I tell you that Principal Duncan expelled me just before Prom?
- Beckett: Castle, no! You mean you didn't go to your own prom?
- Castle: And my date would have been Audra Dobson -- so unbelievably hot.
- Beckett: Well, if it's any consolation, I missed my prom as well.
- Castle: Really? Why?
Featured Music
- "In My Veins" - Andrew Belle
- "Inhale" - Sirah
Trivia
- Neither Beckett nor Castle went to their proms.
- This contradicts Beckett's story in A Death in the Family. Beckett explained that her date and her father were alone for a few minutes, and that when she returned he seemed visibly distraught.
- When recounting the story, she describes herself as "Becks". This nickname, and her rebellious nature, was first mentioned in Food to Die For. Her wild girl high school friend was also named Madison.
- Castle and Beckett's song is "In My Veins" by Andrew Belle.
- "In My Veins" was the song playing near the end of the episode Always, the episode that established Castle and Beckett's romantic relationship.
- Castle once went to Faircroft Preparatory Academy.
- As revealed in Hedge Fund Homeboys, Castle went to, and was expelled from, most of the finer private schools in New York City. While most now claim him as an alumnus and solicit donations from him, apparently relations with Faircroft never recovered.
- Principal Duncan refers to Castle as "Mr. Rodgers"; however, after being impressed by his performance in the case, accepts Castle's name change.
- Castle was kicked out for placing a cow on the top of the school building. The principal needed to hire a crane to remove it. Although many others participated in the prank, Castle was the only one without wealth or connections and was the only one expelled.
- Castle also said he spent more time waiting outside the Principal's office than he did in class. It is possible that his disciplinary record, rather than his social standing, was what lead to his expulsion.
- Although Faircroft students wear a uniform , They each wear a different uniform . Some girls wear dresses , others wear buttons down shirts and skirts , and still others wear pullover shirts and different kinds of skirts . Shoes range up to stiletto heels . Boys can be seen wearing sweaters of all colors , some with full sweaters and others with sweater vests .
- Kris Howard and Hillary Cooper even wear their school uniforms on a cab ride at nine PM, on their way out for a night on the town. This despite the fact that Kris wore a non-uniform top over her shirt when Castle and Beckett spoke to her at school (a top not present earlier in the day when Castle and Beckett first questioned her.
- While the skirts at Faircroft may seem unusually short for school uniforms, it's actually common for girls in schools with a uniform policy to fold or otherwise adjust their clothes to be more revealing. Students will also sometimes "cheat" with jackets, shoes, or other easily changed outerwear that is hard for teachers to police.
- Lucas's use of cerulean blue paint is a subtle reference to an X-Files episode featuring a psychic killer.
- Beckett points out that uniformed officers didn't find magnets or fishing wire at Lucas's home. Similarly, Principal Duncan investigated the "incident" in the school cafeteria and found nothing, either. The false video of Madison being killed is clearly a fake; however, the fishing wire was clearly visible in the undoctored video, whereas the cafeteria video was taken by a third party and the items orbiting Jordan were witnessed by Castle and Beckett directly. It's implied that Lucas might indeed be telekinetic.
- Lucas denies being telekinetic, saying "It's pretty amazing what you can do with, like, some fishing wire and magnets. And people are pretty gullible." Castle is chagrined, but if Lucas is indeed telekinetic, he is actually referring to Beckett.
- Dr. Rampanel's levitation is similarly left unexplained.
- Castle has frequently incorporated elements of the supernatural in its cases; however, these nearly always turn out to have rational explanations. In fact, nearly always the supernatural is completely ruled out. Time Will Tell and this episode are two exceptions.
- This thematic shift may be intentional, harkening back to Castle's line in He's Dead, She's Dead, "Because if you don't believe in even the possibility of magic, you'll never find it." Whatever the truth of the supernatural in the Castle universe, having found love with Castle, Beckett is now open to all kinds of possibilities.
- Beckett's fluency in Russian, seen here, was established in Deep in Death.
- While Kris is definitively established as the killer, how she managed to kill Madison, stage the crime scene, and then rendezvous with Hillary in time to "witness" the murder is not explained.
- Kris's plan was also deeply flawed. She retained the incriminating evidence in her locker, and her supernatural "alibi" was sure to draw scrutiny to her and Hillary, whether they were suspects at first or not.
- Madison's father refusing to answer questions about the bearer bonds seems strange considering that it could hardly incriminate his daughter. However, the bonds could incriminate his client, and discussing them might violate attorney-client privilege. His reaction might have been the only option in this bad situation that did not violate his professional ethics... except that it also proves that Charles Beaumont knew where the stolen goods were stashed, making him an accessory rather than a lawyer.
- Sam Anderson (Principal Duncan) has appeared opposite Nathan Fillion before, in Two Guys, a Girl, and a Pizza Place. During his career, he's played a school principal several times. He also appeared in the Joss Whedon show Angel as the evil lawyer Holland Manners, and in Murder, She Wrote in a variety of minor roles.