This isn’t necessarily my favorite episode of the television series about a thriller writer and his job as consultant to a New York homicide detective. I just picked this one because it takes place around Valentine’s Day. As this episode is from season 5, majors spoilers for this show from fifteen years ago.

Castle and Beckett are about to have their first Valentine’s Day as a couple while investigating the stabbing of a member of a “Real Housewives” style reality show. There are jokes about what the couple will be getting each other, how their friends on the force are spending the holiday (Ryan is under his wife’s control in the attempt to convince), and how the murder weapon is high end. Actually, jokes about the fancy knife could’ve been better. “The good news is, expensive cutlery like that won’t dull while cutting bone. Too soon?”

One of the better things about this episode is it is one of many that include a guest appearance by one of Fillion’s “Firefly” co-stars, Gina Torres. It’s fun to see kick-ass Zoe as a uppity rich bitch. Castle is also appalled by the unscripted format of reality TV . . . until he gets caught up in the drama and watching the show all night long. Beckett only watches one episode because she’s classy.

This is also a side plot of Castle accidentally placing his gift to Beckett in their Captain’s coat with a romantic note (he’s a writer, of course he wrote a note). As she is not aware that they are a couple, it become a ridiculous bit of shenanigans that make me quite uncomfortable. Also, Beckett’s gift to Castle is really sweet gesture -a drawer in her apartment to keep his stuff in showing that their relationship has reached the next level. But she also gives him the smallest drawer! Did no one else notice that?

At this point in the series, Castle’s ACTUAL job as a professional author has taken backseat to the mysteries. There is at least a joke about Castle’s thinking the murder is a Valentine’s Day gift in the form of a mystery that makes no sense. The point of his role as a consultant is that his skills in people study and creation of unusual murder scenes makes him a good profiler. Hey, it’s a TV show! No one asked for reality!