Castle - The Nose

Continuing the season's theme of having Castle (Nathan Fillion) work outside the department and horn in on Beckett's (Stana Katic) cases in an attempt to win back the affections of his wife (which he hasn't even lost), "The Nose" centers around a priceless stolen painting and a witness (Stephnie Weir) who can identify the killer not by sight but by smell. Caring just as much about how the woman's extra-sensory perceptions can tell him about Beckett's mood, Castle enlists the help of the reluctant witness to help track down the killer and find the painting.

The case provides some unusual moments but once again the show shoots itself in the foot by limiting the interaction and interplay between its two stars. The B-story is the boilerplate sitcom writing as Ryan (Seamus Dever) reacts to the news that he failed the sergeant's exam but Esposito (Jon Huertas) passed. The subplot culminates in Ryan shooting his partner in the ass during a missed communication while hunting down a suspect. The pair seem to make up by the end of the episode but this storyline, and the continued restructuring of the department's hierarchy, apparently will continue to be storyline over the course of this season.