7x18 - "At Close Range" Review

‘Castle’ : Hitting Close To Home

By Lisa Caputo

2015-03-23

When a security assignment goes wrong, Ryan finds himself thrust into Castle and Beckett’s latest homicide investigation as their prime witness

Over the years, the Castle team has done well to showcase their extremely talented supporting cast through episodes that focus on one of them from time to time, allowing the characters’ backstories to become fleshed out while also giving their portrayers an opportunity to take centre stage. While most of these episodes have achieved this with remarkable storytelling and hard-hitting drama, they have also often run the risk of being overlooked by viewers because they deviate from the typical dynamic and take the focus off of Castle and Beckett themselves. Thus, despite episodes like “Den of Thieves”, “The Wild Rover”, “Under Fire”, and “The Greater Good” all being stellar stories in their own right, many have not been as well-received as they perhaps should have been based on their significant merits. But Monday’s seemingly Ryan-centric episode found a fantastic way of balancing the spotlight between Ryan’s very personal involvement in their latest murder investigation and the classic and captivating dynamic amongst the entire team. With that, it succeeded immensely in setting itself apart with a fresh new way by finding an opportunity to explore more with a supporting character while still giving the audience progression in Castle and Beckett’s ongoing story as well.

Penned by the wonderfully talented Jim Adler and directed by the incomparable Bill Roe, Monday’s “At Close Range” found Ryan in the midst of an investigation when a security assignment he took on the side to help supplement his income went horribly awry. Working for his brother-in-law, Frank, to protect an esteemed congressman during a charity event, Ryan was clearly putting his detective skills to good use to help earn more money towards supporting his family. But when shots rang out while he was watching over the congressman and the charity’s founder, Carolyn, he was quickly thrust into an unfamiliar role in the investigation; the prime witness.

The case itself was an interesting one, both in its ability to keep the audience guessing with plenty of twists and turns, but also in the way in which it hit incredibly close to home for Ryan, eventually in more ways than one. With a woman murdered on his watch, Ryan’s guilt and the way in which he blamed himself for not being more astute in that moment wore on him in a very heavy way. Feeling ultimately responsible for Carolyn’s death, Ryan simply could not break away from the investigation, eventually leading to him pulling a classic all-nighter as we have often seen either Castle or Beckett do themselves. But just as Ryan managed to break the case wide open with revised ballistics evidence and an extremely savvy interrogation of their former suspect, the shadows of doubt were quickly cast over his brother-in-law instead. With the case now hitting Ryan even closer to home than he could have ever imagined, he set out to put his loyalties aside and do the right thing, tracking down Frank in order to get the truth from him and bring him to justice if necessary.

Seamus Dever’s performance throughout the hour was absolutely stunning, from his quiet yet very heartfelt guilt, especially when apologizing to Carolyn’s father, to his determination to get the answers he needed, to his unimaginable heartbreak at having to pull a gun on his own brother-in-law in order to do his job and see that the truth would come out. Each and every moment, whether through perfectly delivered dialogue or simply a moving and telling look in his eyes, Dever portrayed the emotion that Ryan was feeling with so much depth and believability that it was, at times, both touching and yet also heartbreaking to watch. Detective Ryan has always been a stand-up guy, someone with a strong moral compass who is always willing to do the right thing no matter the personal cost it may force upon him. While that was clear at the end of season four when he betrayed Beckett and Esposito’s rogue mission to find her sniper, all as a means of protecting them despite the trouble it caused for all them as well, it was perhaps even more clear in Monday’s episode when he pulled out his gun and forced Frank’s arrest instead of letting him walk away. Dever’s performance in this short yet incredibly telling scene was absolutely spot-on, as was guest-star David Conrad’s performance, the two sharing a brilliant exchange of powerful dialogue before the climax of the scene. With Frank ready to walk away, convinced that Ryan’s loyalty to his family would supersede his vows to enforce the law just as his own had, Ryan reluctantly yet very decidedly pulled out his gun and cocked it, signalling to Frank that he was wrong in his assumption and that he was undoubtedly under arrest.

While Dever’s performance in the episode was certainly the highlight, allowing the audience to once again see a new side to his character while allowing him to shine in the spotlight throughout the hour, this seemingly character-centric episode was not as entirely focused on Ryan’s role in the story as some may have expected, myself included. Rather, there was a fantastic balance between his personal struggle within the investigation and the support he received from the entire team, with Castle, Beckett, Esposito, Gates, and even Tory doing everything in their power to help solve this case and give Ryan some closure. This comradery was evident right from the very beginning, with a fantastic opening scene that brought some comedy into the mix before delving into the emotion of the investigation. Ryan and Esposito had hilariously convinced Castle to join them and Beckett on a remarkably boring crime-stat briefing by lying to him about how “fascinating” they were, perhaps as a means of letting Castle truly experience the full scope of their own job requirements. And while this scene was a rare bit of comedy in the otherwise extremely serious and dramatic episode, it did set the stage perfectly to showcase the friendships between these four, going much deeper than mere working relationships.

This theme came back around a number of times throughout the episode, with everyone on the team standing behind Ryan and supporting him as best they could through his harrowing experience. From Beckett being the one to call and gently break the news to him that Carolyn had died and her unwavering backing of his seemingly wild yet also incredibly accurate theory to Gates, she was clearly willing to do anything and everything to solve the case but also to provide support for Ryan, someone she has always seemed to have a big-sister / little-brother type of relationship with. Meanwhile, Esposito stood by his friend and partner every step of the way, offering him reassurance and encouragement throughout the hour while also offering to go with him to arrest Frank, knowing well enough not to push back when Ryan told him he needed to do this one on his own.

But it was perhaps most appropriate that Castle factored heavily into the episode as well, as Ryan has always seemingly looked up to him and admired him in many ways. While Castle was, as expected, rather helpless at times, frustrated by his inability to say or do anything to help when his friend needed it the most, as were they all, he was also the one who Ryan called in the middle of the night when he needed to hash out his own wild theory about what happened during the shooting. In fact, this scene was not only perfectly timed to add just the right touch of comedic relief halfway through this intense episode, but it was also incredibly fitting to see Castle running off to help Ryan in the middle of the night while Beckett was almost hurt that he had not called her instead. Of course, it made all the sense in the world when Ryan gave her an answer that was as hysterical as it was honest; “Well, when you have a crazy theory, you don’t call the voice of reason.”

In the end, the team caught their killer and Ryan was given the honour of arresting her, allowing him to get some much-needed closure after what this case had put him through. Frank was reunited with his wife, Ryan’s sister Gwen, who forgave him for his crimes and assured him that they would get through whatever his sentence would turn out to be together. And while the case was wrapped up nicely, as was Ryan’s personal family drama, the Castle writers perhaps opened the door to the next big mystery in Castle and Beckett’s storyline. Earlier in the episode, it was rather cleverly presented that Beckett had a very positive reputation in the eyes of the political world, one that she was shocked to find out but would perhaps eventually serve her well should she opt to fulfil Simon Doyle’s prophecy that she would become a Senator. In the closing minutes, Castle and Beckett shared a seemingly foreshadowing conversation about how Beckett felt strongly about not being in the world of shady politicians while Castle thought that perhaps she could make a difference by being quite the opposite should she go down that path. After all, it was brought up again earlier in the episode that Beckett may feel she is not able to make the difference she wants to make in the world by remaining a homicide detective, perhaps something that may be the catalyst for her to move on from that world eventually.

But just when it seemed evident that political considerations may eventually be in the works for Beckett, Castle discovered a study guide and application for the NYPD Captain’s exam on Beckett’s desk, prompting her to admit that she was planning on taking the test to see how she would do on it, hoping it may help her to decide if this was the next direction that she may want to take her career. Thus, two very different yet also very viable and believable paths seem to be opening for Detective Beckett, and the question remains when she may find herself at that fork in the road, deciding which path to take. Of course, the one sure thing is that she and Castle will take that path together, and they will bring us all along for the journey, as always.