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Castle (TV series)/Recap/S3/E11 Nikki Heat


Natalie Rhodes, a B-movie actress who has been cast as 'Nikki Heat' in the film adaptation of Heat Wave, has arrived at the precinct to shadow Beckett to prepare for her role. Much to Beckett's amusement Castle, already less than impressed at the casting decision, is soon seething with jealousy both at no longer being the most famous person in the precinct and how everyone falls over themselves to accommodate her. The tables are soon turned, however, when Rhodes reveals herself to be an unexpectedly dedicated and committed actress -- and her absorption of Beckett's character begins to make things around the precinct increasingly uncomfortable. Furthermore, Ryan's plans to propose to his girlfriend hit a snag when it's revealed that he nurses a not-so-subtle celebrity crush on Natalie.

Meanwhile, a matchmaker has been found impaled on a wrought iron fence, and over the course of the investigation it soon becomes apparent that several of the matches she was responsible made for less-than-happy couples -- and that she went to extremes to make amends.

The Castle episode "Nikki Heat" provides examples of:

  • Absentee Actor: Both Lanie and Captain Montgomery are absent, presumably to accommodate the high-profile guest star.
  • Combat Stilettos: Lampshaded; Natalie notes that they must be hard to run in and that she assumes Beckett wears them as a method of asserting authority and power. Beckett doesn't address the first point, but corrects her on the second, remarking that she simply likes wearing them.
  • Did I Say That Out Loud: Used word-for-word by Castle following his reaction to seeing Natalie-dressed-as-Beckett and Beckett side-by-side ("Just like I dreamed it!").
  • Digging Yourself Deeper/Freudian Slippery Slope/That Came Out Wrong: Ryan gets an extreme case of foot-in-mouth syndrome whenever he's around Natalie, which eventually culminates in him rambling about how she's on his 'freebie five' list of celebrities who he'd sleep with if he had the chance. To her face.
    • Actually, it culminates in a fight with his girlfriend Jenny, which he rectifies at the end of the episode by proposing to her.
  • Doing It for the Art: In more than one way, apparently; Natalie Rhodes' approach to character acting goes way and beyond the call of duty.
  • Drop What You Are Doing: Natalie's appearance in full-Beckett getup causes Castle to drop his pencil.
  • Dumb Blonde: Natalie seems like one of these at first, but is revealed to have unexpected Hidden Depths.
  • Everyone Can See It: Natalie certainly can.
  • Green-Eyed Monster: Castle is not happy at all the attention Natalie gets when she first arrives. He gradually warms to her however.
  • Honey Trap: The matchmaker used a sleazy private eye and an escort to set these up in order to trap husbands she thought were adulterers, to help their wives get better divorce settlements.
  • Hypocritical Humor: Castle when he tries to dissuade Beckett from letting Natalie Rhodes tag along with them on a case:

Castle: She's a civilian! I mean, aren't you afraid she's gonna get in the way and mess up the case?
Beckett: You're kidding, right?

  • I Just Want to Be You/Irritation Is the Sincerest Form of Flattery: Natalie's "character research" leads her to take on more and more of Beckett's personality traits and tics over the course of the episode, eventually culminating in a full Beckett-style makeover. This causes Beckett both great annoyance and a certain amount of identity-crisis consternation.
  • I Need to Go Iron My Dog: Beckett eventually becomes embroiled in a (from her point of view) teeth-grindingly awkward conversation with Natalie about the UST between her and Castle. It gets to the point where Natalie has completely deconstructed the relationship between the two and asked Beckett to give Castle 'permission' to sleep with her (for research purposes, obviously) before Beckett, mortified beyond belief, feels the need to flee:

Beckett: I need to go. [Points at random] Over there. [Scurries off].

  • It's for a Book: Natalie's justification for attempting to seduce Castle.
  • Or So I Heard: Alexis is apparently a fan of Natalie Rhodes' movies, but whenever Castle gives her the eye after she gushes about them she appends "... if I'd seen it which I haven't."
  • Shout-Out: To Buffy; the Heat Wave script is apparently written by "Spike Rosenberg
  • Single-Target Sexuality: Castle's refusal of Natalie-as-Beckett seems to imply that he's heading from his previous playboy ways to this regarding Beckett (though his liaisons with his first choice for Nikki Heat in "The Late Shaft" confirms he's not completely there...yet.)
  • Spit Take: In Nikki Heat, Beckett sprays her coffee in reaction to Natalie's question "Is Castle gay?"
  • Twin Threesome Fantasy: Castle apparently harbours these concerning Beckett... as he unwittingly reveals when Natalie-as-Beckett and Beckett are standing side-by-side.
  • UST: Succinctly summed-up by Natalie Rhodes, much to Beckett's mortification.

Rhodes: I don't get it. He's into you, but you're determined not to give into these feelings that you clearly have for him, so he fantasizes about you through his writing. It's literally verbal masturbation.

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