7x11 - "Castle, P.I." Review

‘Castle’ : Let The Competition Begin

By Lisa Caputo

2015-01-13

Castle and Beckett start the new year off with sparks flying

The final minutes of  December’s midseason finale sent shockwaves through the Castle fandom as Castle faced perhaps his most devastating challenge yet; being banned from working with Beckett and the NYPD. For those who felt that this storyline would vastly change the tone and overall premise of the series, or who were concerned that it would separate Castle and Beckett in ways that would be difficult to watch, the Castle team delivered a resounding and definitive answer with Monday’s returning episode; no it would not. In fact, rather than separate the couple, put a strain on their relationship, or force them to spend much of the episode alone, Monday’s episode served to bring them closer together, made them better appreciate what they have always had together, and strengthened their sense of partnership. And it did it all with a wonderful mix of comedy, competitiveness, and classic Caskett chemistry.

Penned by longtime Castle phenom, Rob Hanning, and helmed by the legendary Canadian director, Milan Cheylov, “Castle, P.I.” picked up the story a short while after Castle had been banned from the NYPD. At her latest crime scene, Beckett received a special surprise from Castle, with the writer showing up as a newly-appointed private investigator, proudly flashing his printed license around for the NYPD team to see and proclaiming that this would allow him to work alongside of Beckett once again, albeit while conducting his own parallel investigation. Even though his master plan had some serious flaws, including the fact that he was illegally entering a closed crime scene and rather explicitly ignoring the potential consequences of his actions (which is what got him in this situation to begin with), it was clear that his intentions were nothing short of pure and sweet. In fact, it was rather heartbreaking when he started to realize that despite his hard work, getting his P.I. license may not yield the desired results, especially when he was ushered out of the crime scene by his former partners.

Of course, Castle refused to give up, wanting nothing more than to be able to work alongside of his wife and retain at least some semblance of their former working relationship. So he set out on his own to investigate the murder, driven at first by a simple desire to figure out where Beckett and her team would head to next so he could be there with her. But his natural and unknowing ability to stay a half-step ahead of them through the initial parts of their investigation, despite his limited resources, started to signal alarm bells for Beckett as she faced the possibility that Castle could solve this crime faster than her. This unnerving concern that perhaps her husband and former partner could prove to be better at doing her job than she was immediately pushed Beckett into competition mode, vowing to solve the case first and retain her reputation.

What ensued was one of the most entertaining and truly enjoyable hours so far this season, pitting the newlyweds against one another in a remarkably funny competition of sorts. With pride and bragging rights on the line, Castle and Beckett would stop at nothing to best the other, even using their marriage and their deep knowledge of one another to try to gain an advantage in the investigation. There were so many great moments that sprang from this element of the story, bringing forth some of the season’s most witty one-liners, layers of clever subtext, and a true portrait of how much Castle and Beckett’s love for one another can overcome any obstacle that are forced to face, even having the very foundation of their relationship challenged in this rather massive way.

But beyond the many great scenes, which we will delve into momentarily, this reviewer was perhaps most impressed by the subtle details throughout the episode that continue to add even more depth to the story on subsequent viewings. The foreshadowing in the opening scene where we got a glimpse of Castle and Beckett’s competitiveness long before it became full-blown later in the episode. The way that Ryan (aka: “Baby Castle”) continued to try to keep his friend’s spirit alive amongst their team by spitting out wild theories throughout the investigation. The fact that Beckett drank water instead of coffee at the precinct, perhaps as if she refused to continue that routine without him. The way that Castle put a stool at the side of his new office desk for Beckett while he sat in the comfortable chair behind the desk, a clever reversal of their seating arrangement at the precinct. The voiceover towards the end of the episode that had Castle narrating his sorrows in a brilliant throwback to the 1940s-inspired episode, “The Blue Butterfly”, in which Castle visualized himself as a classic 40s P.I., though this time it was a case of Castle playing around with his digital recorder rather than being an actual narration, delivering a true laugh-out-loud moment. These are just some of the many examples of the subtle yet very telling and interesting nuances that the Castle team carefully crafted throughout the episode, all of which give the audience something new to experience each time they watch it.

As for the highlights of the hour, each and every one had the chemistry between leads Stana Katic and Nathan Fillion on full display, always combining clever dialogue, layers of witty subtext, and the remarkable brilliance of these two actors as they delivered scene after scene with Mr. and Mrs. Castle at their very best. The first major highlight was the early scene at Castle’s new office, where the two quickly engaged in the push-and-pull and seductiveness of their classic theory-building sessions, their dialogue cleverly mirroring that of two people having a secret affair, as Beckett knew she would effectively be cheating on her NYPD team if she gave in and shared her theories with Castle. Another was the side-splitting (literally and metaphorically) phone call that awkwardly pitted Castle and Beckett against one another as they tried to fish for what the other knew about the case, all while Ryan, Esposito, and Alexis prodded them on with no success.

But the crème-de-la-crème came around the halfway point in the episode, a time often reserved for a special moment between Castle and Beckett, where the two rather unskillfully attempted to ply each other with wine at home in order to get information from one another. The charmer and the detective proved they were not very good at being fake with one another, both unable to use their usually formidable talents to get any information out of the other, perhaps holding back because they realized it was not the right approach one should have with their spouse. Eventually cutting to the chase, Castle offered that they could just compare notes on the case and try to figure it out together, and when a reluctant Beckett reminded him that her own job could be on the line if she did that, the clever P.I. quickly appealed to her age-old need for justice to pull her out of her own sensibility. With that, Beckett gave in and the two shared their information and started to solve things together, their classic red-hot chemistry in full force as they expressed how much they had missed this element of their relationship before giving in completely.

Yet after a steamy night and a rather frisky morning, it once again became evident that the sense of competition between them was certainly not over. After all, Beckett had secretly texted Ryan in the wee hours of the morning while she was in bed with Castle to relay the information she got from her husband. When Castle got wind of what she had done, Beckett gave him one last smug taunt before she raced off to try to solve the case and save her reputation, leaving him stunned and ranting like a jilted lover.

Before all was said and done, Castle proved to be integral a part in solving the case, even preventing Beckett and her team from arresting the wrong person, and it was clear to all that it was that still very much existent partnership between Castle and Beckett that got the job done. Even Gates seemed to see that towards the end of the episode, watching quietly from her doorway as Castle seamlessly resumed working with Beckett, Ryan, and Esposito, if only for a moment. But with a job to be done and rules to be enforced, Gates swung back into Captain-mode, ushering Castle out of the precinct and leaving both he and Beckett crushed that this seemed to be something they simply could not fix together, at least not at this point.

In the end, though, it was Beckett who gave Castle an opportunity to close the case with her. After all, he was the one to give them the final lead they needed to solve the case, so she felt it was only fair that he be able to confront their killer himself before she arrested them, regardless of whether or not she could land herself in hot water with her Captain for doing so. Thus, the two made the arrest together, cementing the idea that even if they were no longer partners at the NYPD, it certainly did not mean that they were no longer partners at all. After all, they may be stronger together now than they ever were before, and Monday’s episode made it clear that no matter what, they will stay that way. Always.