Season 8 Episode 8 - "Mr. & Mrs. Castle" Review

‘Castle’ : The Greater Purpose

By Lisa Caputo

2015-11-23

Castle figures out what Beckett has been up to while she finally comes to a realization of her own as the midseason finale brings the storyline to its turning point

Hindsight is 20/20. It is a saying we use so frequently yet so often ignore as well. When it comes to the craft of storytelling, it is an essential aspect of a well-told story; present a conflict that pushes the characters beyond their limits, all with a greater purpose to be discovered when the arc comes to its turning point. Of course, a writer must rely on the patience, understanding, and often the foresight of their audience. As viewers, we can either chose to accept the story we are told and trust that the writers will take us down the right path, looking for the reasoning and logic in what we see, or look the other way instead, show distrust, question their decisions or the merits of the story itself, or even stop watching if we feel completely lost. But hindsight never changes, no matter what approach we take, and in the end, if we opt to stick around for the payoff, we will inevitably be left with the clear answers and the greater purpose for the choices made along the way. The Castle team chose to take an immense risk with their story arc for this current season and while viewers have been split on the approach they have taken in watching, accepting, and understanding those choices, Monday’s midseason finale certainly made clear what the plan has been all along and did so in a powerful and satisfying way.

Written by the talented Christine Roum and directed by the legendary Jeff Bleckner, both longtime members of the Castle team, Monday’s “Mr. & Mrs. Castle” brought the story arc of the current season to its turning point as Castle finally discovered why Beckett separated from him in the first place and Beckett herself came to the understanding that her decision, while laced with the best of intentions, was not the right one after all. It was the turning point that showrunners Alexi Hawley and Terence Paul Winter had been working towards all season long, one that would prove the worth of the heartbreaking and emotional story arc for this first half of the season in where it would take both Beckett and Castle individually and together, all while setting the stage for what would come in the second half of the season. With poignant writing, compelling performances, and some of the most memorable moments of the season, this midseason finale certainly did not disappoint.

While the episode started off a tad slow, with an interesting case yet one that seemed far too much like just another case of the week and not one that would lead to the eventual results it yielded, it certainly picked up its pace midway through and the second half of the hour was truly Castle at its best in many ways. That being said, the setup of Castle and Beckett crossing paths on the cruise ship as their murder scene began to drift off to sea was absolutely perfect, an undeniable way to force the two to work the case together, doing what they do best despite Beckett originally not wanting Castle anywhere near the investigation due to its ties to the Loksat mystery. And while this portion of the episode lent itself to some fantastic moments, it was truly once the two found themselves back on land that they began their journey towards finding their solid ground in their relationship again as well.

One of the most intriguing parts of the episode came just after the midway point, with Beckett and Vikram following up on a new lead in their Loksat investigation while Castle and Hayley worked together to track down the truth about what the other pair were up to. Despite Martha’s wise words of advice to her son to back down and just trust that Kate was doing what she needed to do, Castle stood firm in his decision to essentially spy on his wife, fearing she was in grave danger and not being able to just let that go. Susan Sullivan and Nathan Fillion were both remarkable throughout this exchange and while Martha’s advice was certainly sound, it was Castle’s relentlessness that proved most profound. After all, he would rather put his own marriage at risk than watch his wife put her life at risk on her own, something that showed the growth and maturity of his character as well as his selflessness.

What soon ensued was an intense scene that pitted Hayley and Castle against Vikram and Beckett in an effort to out-hack and out-play each other. While Hayley and Vikram battled for hacker supremacy, with Hayley attempting to gain access to Vikram’s system to find out what he and Beckett were up to while Vikram tried to keep that from happening at all costs, Castle and Beckett took turns calling one another to attempt to seduce the other into backing down, both very well aware that they were one to one another by the end of their spy-games. As promised, this was very reminiscent of the 2005 version of Mr. & Mrs. Smith in which a married couple who each were, unbeknownst to each other, secret spy agents and they ended up facing off against one another in their latest mission. It was a scene filled with suspense, humour, and also some very real emotions for Castle and Beckett, the two being forced to confront their own conflicting feelings in terms of whether or not they should be doing what they were doing to one another, no matter if they had the right intentions to begin with. In the end, Castle opted not to back down, needing to know what Beckett was involved in so he could protect her while Beckett gave the order for Vikram to put an end to the spy games so she could protect Castle from getting involved. It was a truly exceptional scene, with Toks Olagundoye and Sunkrish Bala working perfectly alongside Nathan Fillion and Stana Katic, each pairing making this complex scene work wonderfully as it ranged from intensity to humour to heartfelt emotion.

But when all was said and done, and despite far too many protests from Vikram to seem anything other than suspicious, Beckett came to the conclusion that she had to come clean to Castle now that he was even somewhat aware of her secret mission. As much as she had been intent on hiding it from him to keep him from getting involved, thus protecting him from Loksat, she had to accept that he knew too much already and lying to him about it would only serve to ruin her marriage. At the same time, Castle began to question why Beckett made that choice to shut him out in the first place, seeing that there would have been other ways to go about it. So when the two crossed paths shortly after their spy games had ended, the truth and the lies all culminated in one of their classic knockdown arguments that would expose the core of the issue at hand and force a necessary change.

That scene, in particular, was one of two at the end of this episode that shed a great deal of light on the greater purpose of the story arc this season. Now that the truth was even partially out in the open, Beckett made the choice to go ahead and tell Castle the full story. For her, the entire reason she pushed him away in the first place was to protect him from finding out what she was involved in and putting himself in danger. But now that this was no longer the case, now that he had found out enough to make it impossible to ask him not to get in the middle of it, she knew it was time to come clean and be honest with him. And it seemed as though she was actually relieved, finally having the burden of carrying those secrets off of her back, finally able to tell him the truth and let him back in as she had struggled not to do all along, and finally able to ask him for help without feeling guilty for putting him in danger by doing so.

But for Castle, who had the benefit of being able to think the options through clearly and not make a rash decision in the heat of the moment, her choice was still one that showed she had not yet come to terms with the fact that she no longer had to go into battle alone. For him, this was his opportunity to let his feelings be known, to say all that he needed to say, and to put into perspective what Beckett’s choice, regardless of her intentions, had meant to him. This scene allowed Castle to have his say, to voice things that needed to be said, and to even present those other ways of seeing the situation that had never occurred to Beckett when she initially made her decision because, at her core, she believed what she was doing was for the best and she did not take the time to think it through. It was also a cleverly written scene, showcasing the fact that the writers knew that there would inevitably be two ways of seeing this storyline and were aware, even back when this episode was written, that viewers may be split between those viewpoints. By presenting both Castle’s logic and Beckett’s logic in this scene, they perhaps allowed for those who may have only seen one side along the way to see the other side of the coin as well.

Above all else, though, it was a powerful scene that both Nathan Fillion and Stana Katic handled beautifully, displaying the emotions each of their characters were feeling in such a compelling way. It was heartbreaking yet poignant and, as with any of these similar scenes in the past, one that would set the stage for change.

As the episode concluded, the story arc came to its turning point, showing us exactly why this was the journey the writers chose to take the characters down for the first half of the season. For the majority of her adult life, Beckett had felt as though every battle she fought was one she would have to fight alone because letting anyone else in would put her at risk of losing them. And for someone who had lost far too many people she cared about in her lifetime thus far, the thought of losing anyone else would have been incredibly devastating in and of itself. So despite all that she and Castle had already been through, or perhaps because of it, she could not help but heed Rita’s warning to not let Castle get involved in the Loksat investigation. She never could have lived with herself if she lost him and inevitably took him away from his daughter and mother as well because of her own actions, her own guilt, and her own need for justice that she simply could not ignore. So she believed she could not ask him for help, that she could not let him get involved, and that she needed to fight this battle on her own. And even though Castle could have told her months ago that she did not need to do that, that he would be there with her every step of the way no matter what the risk, and that their lives were so intertwined now that it was more of a risk to his life for her to do this alone than it was for them to do this together, the fact is that, as with most lessons we learn in life, she needed to learn it for herself. As the hour concluded, she came to exactly that realization.

In the final scene of the hour, Beckett knocked on the door of Castle’s loft, as she had done so many times before when she had come to understand that all roads would always lead back to him. Beckett admitted to him that she was wrong, that she should have approached this mission differently and come to him for help, and that they could have figured it all out together. And while Castle did not make it easy on her, nor should he have, still very much hurt over what he believed her actions meant in the first place, Beckett assured him that she had never lost faith in him and that she needed him now more than she had ever even realized. Despite pushing him away to protect him and avoid losing him, she realized she could have lost him anyway. And now, she understood the very essence of their wedding vows; she would never have to face a battle alone as they were now in it together and forever, no matter the risk, because the greater risk in life was now the risk of living their lives without one another.

As the hour ended, Castle and Beckett reaffirmed their commitment to one another, back home where they both belonged. While this storyline challenged them, put their love to the test, and hurt them both in many ways, it also strengthened them, showed them how much they truly need one another, and what they would do for one another, and allowed each of them to grow individually as well as together. Now, with them both committed to working together to solve the Loksat mystery, the stage has been set for an intriguing second half of the season. Time will tell if these two will be convincing enough playing up their now-fake separation to keep anyone else from finding out that they are working this case together, or if Vikram and possibly even Hayley have their own secrets to hide as to what they are really up to. One thing is certain, though; whatever challenges come their way, Castle and Beckett will handle them together, just as they should. And hindsight is still 20/20.