‘Castle’ : The Secret Ingredient
By Lisa Caputo
2015-10-12
Castle continues his quest to win his way back into Beckett’s heart, all the while not knowing that he is very much still at the center of it
Two weeks ago, new Castle showrunners Alexi Hawley and Terence Paul Winter took a rather monumental risk in introducing a twist to the storyline for season eight. In an effort to add some spark back into the story and return to the roots of the “Will They / Won’t They” tension that was once the very heart and soul of the series, the Castle team threw Kate Beckett into an intriguing new mystery that forced her to decide between turning a blind eye and continuing forth with her happy life with Castle or diving back down the rabbit hole to find justice for her fallen comrades despite the sacrifices it would force her to make within her own marriage. It was a heavy risk that clearly promised an equally stunning reward, albeit one that some fans have yet to be convinced of at this point in the series. But despite the fact that there may always be those who doubt the value of this type of storyline, these last two episodes have done well to display that value in spades; creating conflict is a necessity in any storytelling and the sheer emotion alone is worth every minute of watching these characters deal with that conflict.
Written by Castle newcomer Barry O’Brien and directed by TV icon Larry Shaw, Monday’s aptly-titled “What Lies Beneath” presented an intriguing new case for Beckett and her team, one that perfectly allowed for Castle to add his own level of personal history and expertise to the investigation, thus bringing him back to the precinct to work alongside Beckett despite her protests. More importantly, though, it also brought the series back to an aspect of storytelling that it always did exceptionally well; tying the case to the personal storylines within the episode, thus weaving in plenty of subtext and deeper meaning into the story of the hour.
The episode also again featured the entire ensemble cast, including Tamala Jones, Susan Sullivan, Molly Quinn, Jon Huertas, and Seamus Dever, and all added a great deal to the hour in their own ways, something that always gives an episode a sense of fullness that is often lacking when one of these cast members is not included in the story. In fact, despite her on-screen appearance being quite brief, Sullivan’s scene with lead Stana Katic was one of the absolute highlights of the episode as Martha paid her daughter-in-law a visit to try to extend some motherly advice and perhaps bridge the gap between Beckett and Castle. What was wonderful about this scene was that it brought forth such deep emotions without overdoing it and making the scene feel heavy, a balance between hope and angst that resonated strongly but never felt desperate. It also did well to remind the audience, and Beckett herself, that Castle had two previous failed marriages, ones he clearly did not fight this hard to save, something that may play in to this story even more down the road and something that certainly points to how much he truly loves Beckett and how committed he is to their marriage.
While there has been no question whether Beckett truly loves Castle or not, or whether she is truly committed to their marriage or not (after all, whether misguided or not, she does feel like she has to do this to save her marriage and protect her husband), the very fact that Castle himself seems to be so confused over her motives, thus jumping to the conclusion that he needs to do something to make her fall in love with him, has been one of the biggest sources of both that sense of hope and also that sense of heartbreak. Perhaps he could accept her personal mission if he knew what she was doing and why she had to keep him at arm’s length, though Beckett is likely right that he would only force himself into the investigation and thus put himself in grave danger to protect her. But keeping him in the dark, albeit somewhat understandable, is what seems to be hurting him the most, and that is what is presenting both Castle and Beckett with the most pain throughout this situation. Both Nathan Fillion and Stana Katic have played that emotion well over the past two weeks and balanced that sense of sheer heartbreak with an inspiring sense of hope as well, something that has been compelling to watch.
Likewise, there has been no shortage of memorable moments between these two, despite the limited time on-screen together that have come from Beckett’s attempts to keep Castle at arm’s length. There is still that sense that something will always pull these two together, perhaps pointing to the ongoing theme of fate that has always been woven in throughout their love story. In a way, the current pulse of the story feels a great deal like those moments in seasons three and four when the pair were already well aware of how they felt about one another yet were fighting to keep their distance romantically. At times, it was Castle chasing after Beckett as she pushed him away rather unsuccessfully and at other times, it was Beckett pushing forward while Castle tried to keep some space between them. This time around, there is still that distinct push and pull but on a much deeper level as Beckett attempts to keep Castle at arm’s length to protect him yet is unable to completely resist the desire to be near him while Castle tries to give Beckett the space she asked for yet also feels compelled to keep himself by her side whenever she seems willing to let him back in.
The concluding scene of the episode was one that captured the very essence of what this storyline has to offer and both Fillion and Katic delivered the magic and chemistry between Castle and Beckett that fans have come to know and love. From the subtle references back to past episodes, the coffee theme coming back into play, and the poignant subtext that so beautifully showed how much both Castle and Beckett long to be together again, the scene was truly captivating to watch. Again, there was that heartbreaking sense of longing between the two yet also a great sense of hope as well. Through a beautiful exchange of subtext as Castle refuses to share his secret ingredient with Beckett because it would mean she would not need him anymore and Beckett quickly replies that, in that case, he should keep that secret to himself, we saw not only Castle’s heartfelt desperation to stay in Beckett’s life in the hopes that she would soon come back to him but also Beckett’s emotional reaction to knowing that the door was still open to her to come back. So as heartbreaking as this storyline has been at times, there is a sense of hope being woven in through the emotional fabric of the story to let the audience know that there is something to work towards.
While the storyline may still have some fans unconvinced that this was the right move to make, it does seem clear that there is a greater purpose to this latest challenge and the reward will be completely worth the risk being taken to achieve that purpose. The past two episodes have presented this story the right way; as a means of pushing the characters beyond their limits while forcing them to confront their own personal issues to overcome along the way, something that will inevitably make them stronger and better for having gone through this experience.
And for the fans who are still not sold on the storyline, perhaps remember that there is a reason why fairy tales and great love stories always ended with, “And they lived happily ever after”. After all, as much as we love to root for the happy ending for our beloved characters and the stories we get caught up in, what is left for us once we get there? As Castle fans, we have had three full seasons beyond what is usually the typical happy ending for these such “Will They / Won’t They” stories. So perhaps the time has come to challenge these characters and challenge ourselves as viewers to look forward to something even more meaningful, the point where Castle and Beckett will truly get their “and they lived happily ever after” ending.
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