It is not often that a one-hour drama can use humor with such precision and grace as CASTLE does week in and week out. Recognizing that it is not aiming to be the standard police procedural, CASTLE opts to skewer its characters and its audience’s attention with perfectly set-up comic-barbs and seemingly inadvertent moments of hilarity.
For fans who tuned-in to see the episode “Nikki Heat,” they were rewarded with several prime examples of comedy at its best – and with an unexpected dash of romance.
Most likely to see if the fans were paying attention, the episode opened with a back alley murder where Detective Ryan asked Richard Castle for his advice on how to propose to his girlfriend. Just as Castle was admiring the engagement ring and offering his advice on the most romantic way to propose using either a scoreboard or helicopter, Detective Beckett chimed-in that in her opinion all that was necessary was that the proposal be intimate, which Castle mocked as boring. Then, in an attempt to prove his point, Castle turned and promptly proposed to her with Ryan’s ring. Just as soon as the words were out of his mouth, there was a momentary pause of awkwardness as both Castle and Beckett realized what he had just done. It was not intended to be a real proposal, but it was a proposal none-the-less – and with an actual ring!
While the inadvertent marriage proposal storyline has been done before, this time it was seamless. The ring was not dropped and picked up on bended knee. Rather, Castle turned with the intent to make a marriage proposal – just as an example, not with intent to truly offer his hand in marriage. But the way the scene played out, it was beautiful.
Sometimes all that is needed to convey romance is silence and awkwardness. True romance is not scripted with words and music, it blossoms from something unexpected. The scene would have been just as funny if Castle had pretended to propose to Ryan’s partner, Detective Esposito. But making the moment even more priceless was because it was between Castle and Beckett – two people who truly care about each other, yet are avoiding their feelings at all costs. It added a sense of genuineness — even if it was done without thought about it actually being “real.”
But because both Beckett and Castle realized how “real” the moment felt, the awkwardness set in and made it feel more genuine. One would not believe that romance stems from unexpected, awkward moments of life – but those moments feel more true.
Validating this point was the scene at the end of the episode where Detective Ryan rushed to propose to his girlfriend right there in the police station. He did not want to delay one more second and have any further misunderstanding as he tried to plan the perfect proposal. So, instead, he chose something real and intimate and proposed right then and there. For love does not wait. Love rushes to declare itself so that not one more moment is wasted hiding in the shadows.
Every girl knows that there is no need for a big show when it comes to declaring one’s feelings. If a guy loves you, he should shout it from the rooftops and not waste a single second.
We all love movie-romance which offers the pretty words and a sun setting on a beach in the background. But real romance – the stuff that feels true to life – comes up at the most unexpected and awkward times. Particularly as the perfect moment is nearly impossible to plan without some kind of hiccup. So embracing the fact that life is unpredictable, messy and never quite as private as you may want – a genuine, heart-felt proposal of love is always best. It does not matter when or where, for it is always beautiful even in the most unexpected of places.
So kudos to CASTLE for realizing that and showing us that love can be declared anywhere and anytime – and melting our hearts in the process! 
Tiffany Vogt is a contributing writer to The TV Addict. She has a great love for television and firmly believes that entertainment is a world of wondrous adventures that deserves to be shared and explored – she invites you to join her. Please feel free to contact Tiffany at Tiffany_Vogt_2000@yahoo.com or follow her at on Twitter (@TVWatchtower). Tiffany also writes as a columnist for NiceGirlsTV, AirlockAlpha and InsideBlip.