How to Properly Quote "The Karate Kid"

Castle has demonstrated the one quality that most one-hour dramas lack. The magic ingredient, whose absence usually leads to a sub-4-season run: improvement. Said another way, Castle keeps getting better instead of fading into drama obscurity like most shows. True to its strength, last night's episode "Knockdown" was the best of an already great third season - and we're only halfway done!

The show rests on a basic crime/mystery format, but the excellent writing and casting separate it from this already overpopulated genre. The show is also blessed with a subtlety of wit that dramas like CSI and Without a Trace can only aspire to. Of course, without Nathan Fillion the well-written witty dialog would grow stale after a few seasons (witness Pushing Daisies). Mr. Fillion's delivery and charm, not to mention his uncanny ability to rocket from levity to panic in a single expression, will almost (almost) make you forget the network sponsored murder of his first show Firefly.

Last night, in "Knockdown", Castle gave audiences a teaser of things to come for Rick Castle and Kate Beckett - the show's protagonists. Clearly they are made for each other, and in the real world these two would have consummated the relationship before the end of the fourth episode, but who wants to watch characters either settle into an every day relationship or explode in a fury of recrimination and de-friending on Facebook? We can get that in our own lives. No, the writers of great drama have to keep the two right on the edge of relationship bliss without the prospect of a stodgy, boring, committed relationship. At least not until the series wraps up after the tenth season.

Lucky for us, Castle has very clever writers. Last night we got to squeal like tweens (I'm man enough to admit it) as Castle and Beckett burned up the celluloid (what do they burn digital prints on these days?) with a wicked-hot kiss. Without ruining the suspense of the relationship, and totally seamless with the plot, I hasten to add!

Will Beall, who wrote this episode, deserves uber praise for this one. Nicely done, Mr. Beall. And props to Nathan Fillion and Stana Katic for rocking the make-out. I'm sure it took 40 takes, but who would turn down that job?!

If you're not watching Castle, go out ... Netflix the first two seasons ... and put this one in Tivo rotation. It's a keeper.

P.S. -

Erica Durance, I love you.

and P.P.S. -

The "I almost missed it" quote from The Karate Kid? "Fear! Does not exist in this Dojo!"