I especially enjoyed this tongue-in-cheek segment, where S&M was given the "within broadcast TV limits" tasteful treatment, yet still providing the fans with some titillation. Beckett was allowed to become a very playful character, tantalizing Castle over & over with her sexual innuendo, "knowing" attitude, and even hints at a darker private life than he (or the viewer) could have previously imagined.

The mystery of finding the killer of a young student unravels with the show's usual quota of red herrings and surprises, and I liked the fact that nearly the entire cast of guest stars were believable suspects. Of special fun was the repeated in-jokes; for example I live in Chelsea and the writers positing an "s&m district" just north of my neighborhood isn't that far from the truth. In the bad old days the s&m goings on were just to the southwest (now officially the trendy Meatpacking District), where famed dens of iniquity like The Hellfire Club, Manhole, Hell and The Vault have all been replaced by restaurants. I miss the receptionist who always had a funny line answering the phone when you called Hell on Gansevoort St. (put yourself in her place: "This is Hell...").

The teaser plugged a special 2-part event a fortnight from now, guest starring Dana Delaney, and I'm looking forward to that. I recall the many IMDb naysayers at the time of this series' launch, thinking the concept was old hat, but the chemistry between the two leads, buttressed by better & better writing and a welcome spotlight on the supporting cast (missing in the first few episodes) spells success in my book.

This episode is soo funny! It is one of my favorites from season two or from all seasons. The scenes are just hilarious, especially the ones with Castle learning the new side of Beckett. His reactions are so funny I just keep laughing, they seem like Nathan was not acting at all. It seemed like Beckett was just doing all of it to make fun of him, and honestly even if she did, it would be so like her. Lanie was super funny too, and is not appreciated enough.

The flirty banter between Castle and Beckett is strong in this one, more than most, as their feelings for each other (they are denying), which makes their chemistry amazing.

The Mistress Always Spanks Twice (2010) is yet another attempt to establish Kate Beckett as not only an infallible super detective, but also a sexual goddess, superior to all those around her. The attempt fails as Lady Irena (Dina Meyer) shows Kate Beckett how to evoke sexuality and capture the attention of a man.

Javier Esposito gives Kevin Ryan a hard time (again) about his girlfriend, Jenny, but is put in his place by Mistress Sapphire (Azita Ghanizada playing a very different role to the one she plays in Alphas). He was all thumbs when undoing her boots. Kevin Irish Ryan subsequently performed the task without incident. At the end of the episode Kevin Ryan introduces Jenny to the team.

It is also interesting to contrast the forced nature of the Kate Beckett character with Megan Hunt (Dana Delany) in Body of Proof: Doubting Tommy (2013). Co-worker and former flame Detective Tommy Sullivan (Mark Valley) acknowledges Megan Hunt to be a very sexually attractive woman. Megan Hunt agrees to engage with him and treats him with some dignity.

Alexis toys with the idea of being a cheerleader, which meant Richard Castle got some parenting advice from Martha Rodgers and Kate Beckett, the infallible super detective (there is nothing she cannot do).

Kate Becket goes through her usual routine of ridiculing and insulting Richard Castle, but ultimately has to concede "In the end Castle was right". Of course that fact will be forgotten very quickly by everyone and Castle will be ridiculed again. Kate Beckett also got her theory of the crime wrong a couple of times, but that will be ignored, because Kate Beckett the super detective is infallible.

As usual the rights of suspects are not a priority for the writers, nor is the concept of admissible evidence.