Season 8 Episode 13 - "And Justice For All" Review

‘Castle’ : It's All In The Details

By Lisa Caputo

2016-03-01

Beckett asks Castle to go undercover to help with their latest case but he unintentionally stumbles on a memory from his unsolved disappearance

For eight seasons now, the Castle team has always done well to tackle some notable and relevant social issues without coming across as being too preachy and while never straying far from their usual brand of storytelling. Monday’s episode touched on such a subject, with the case of the week revolving around a classroom of recent immigrants trying to better their lives as they focused on learning the English language. At times, the story dove into some relevant social commentary on the subject, bringing to light the issues that face immigrants whose previous education and experience are not recognized in North America and the struggles this causes, as well as the often negative ways they are perceived by their new neighbors. Yet amidst this wise social commentary within the episode, the hour was also very much a classic Castle episode, with a case filled with twists and turns, clever comedy, quotable lines, and just the right amount of drama and suspense mixed in to keep it compelling. And it did well to focus the spotlight on Castle and Beckett's relationship using such subtle yet incredibly meaningful details, a variation of the classic Castle subtext that has always made it so captivating. If all of that was not enough, it also found a way to set the stage for what may be Castle’s long-awaited discovery of the real truth behind his mysterious wedding-day disappearance.

Penned by the wonderfully talented Adam Frost and directed by the incomparable and accomplished Kate Woods, Monday’s “And Justice For All” found Castle struggling with writer’s block while attempting to start on his next Nikki Heat novel. Meanwhile, Beckett and her team picked up an intriguing new case that Castle felt could provide plenty of much-needed inspiration, eventually leading to Beckett enlisting his help as an expert in linguistics to follow a lead in the case. At times, the episode was serious and dramatic, at times it was profound in its social commentary, and at times it felt like a lighthearted caper, all with plenty of opportunities for witty one-liners. But despite the shifts between the various tones throughout the hour, it was always seamless, always natural, and felt very much like a classic Castle episode.

There were many highlights in this episode, many of which were provided by the ensemble cast. It seemed Alexis found another potential avenue for her talents as she happily took over teaching the ESL class at the end of the episode, again a clever nod to how she seems to have her father’s talents more so than she perhaps knows yet. Meanwhile, Perlmutter returned with a hilarious offer to set Beckett up with his twin brother while showcasing his absolute disdain for Castle, something that has long been a recurring bit of comedy throughout the series. And, as always, Ryan and Esposito infused such a fantastic and often hilarious backbone to the episode this week, showcasing their partnership and putting on display the fact that the timing and chemistry between Seamus Dever and Jon Huertas is truly on point. In particular, the scene early on with Ryan and Esposito teaming up to interrogate Alistair was pitch-perfect, with Dever and Huertas working off of one another so incredibly as the detectives struggled to make sense of their suspect and his odd dialect. One of the funniest lines of the night came from a stunned Esposito during this scene, as the pair hilariously turned away from their suspect to ponder, “If this guy is from England, why doesn’t he speak English?” before enlisting Hayley’s help as a translator of sorts.

Speaking of Hayley, not only was she brought into the case to help Ryan and Esposito properly interrogate Alistair, but she also became a valuable asset to the investigation later on when she and Castle plotted a way to interrogate their latest suspect, a corrupt judge who was under surveillance already from the FBI. Knowing it was too risky for Beckett or her team to go after the judge, Castle and Hayley hatched a clever scheme to force the judge to spill the truth to them. While the plan was foiled in the end, they did get just enough of a clue to break their case wide open and eventually lead Castle and Beckett to their killer. Toks Olagundoye has been a wonderful addition to the ensemble cast this season, with Hayley not only proving to be an asset to Castle in his P.I. work but also to Beckett and her team with their own NYPD cases as well. Even more so, though, this new character has helped bring out the maturity and growth in Alexis as well, forging a friendship with the youngest Castle that has proven to be a compelling element of the story this season.

But the heart and soul of the story, as always, was the relationship between Castle and Beckett, one that was allowed to shine much more brightly and publicly throughout the hour this time. While the two had a few moments that could have easily blown their cover, it seemed clear that their friends were happy to accept that these two were able to work together again, perhaps hoping that the more time they spend together, the more probable it would be for them to find that spark again. After all, Ryan and Esposito know better than anyone what brought Castle and Beckett together in the first place so why would they protest at all to the pair working together or call attention back to their separation and break whatever possible bond was being reformed again between them? If anything, the two detectives may try to find a way to further boost that spark down the line, hoping it could all lead to a reconciliation between Castle and Beckett, all the while not knowing the two have long been back together.

While Castle and Beckett were not always together during the episode, their relationship truly was in the spotlight throughout the hour, albeit sometimes in cleverly subtle ways. From their opening scene where Beckett tried to support and encourage Castle through his ridiculous (yet realistic) reaction to his recent writer’s block, a scene infused with their playful energy and relaxed sense of being when they are around each other and nobody else, to their working the case together, even when apart at times, to Beckett’s attempts later on to calm Castle down after a memory of his disappearance had flooded back to him suddenly, the two truly showcased so many of the best elements of their relationship all in one episode. Leads Stana Katic and Nathan Fillion were brilliant through each of these moments, the on-screen chemistry between them just as compelling as it has always been.

The meaningfulness of these moments was equally undeniable, allowing the two characters to show how much they truly love and support one another in their own ways. When Castle needed inspiration for his latest novel and Beckett saw an opportunity to get Castle to work on her case without raising suspicions about their relationship, she took that opportunity without hesitation and did so quite happily. When Beckett’s hands were tied in the case because she would be disobeying direct orders by going after Judge Caldwell while the FBI were on his trail, Castle swooped in and took a big risk himself to help her get the information she needed from the judge. And when Castle’s vivid yet confusing new memories of his disappearance prompted him to want to irrationally jump on a plane to Korea to search for answers, Beckett calmed him down and helped him see clearly that his plan was not the best approach, instead convincing him to take some time to sort out the memories and determine what they mean before doing anything rash. And in the end, that simple way of keeping him calm and focused on what was important paid off as Castle discovered one more vital part to that memory that would send him to the opposite end of the country rather than the opposite end of the world. 

Sometimes it is the small things that mean the most, these unmistakable yet often overlooked details that show us the depth of the love, compassion, protectiveness, and selflessness of this couple. Despite their flaws, despite their own personal issues and weaknesses, despite the mistakes they have made and will continue to make along the way, these two are at the center of a true love story. Always.