Season 8, Episode 15 - "Fidelis Ad Mortem" Review

‘Castle’ : Reflections

By Lisa Caputo

2016-03-22

Beckett takes a recruit officer from the NYPD academy under her wing while Castle decides to come clean with the newly-discovered truth about his disappearance

Week after week for the past eight seasons, the Castle team has delivered interesting, intriguing, entertaining, compelling, and engaging stories. But at least a few of these episodes each season have also stood out for bringing forth something remarkable; something extraordinary. These are the episodes that leave the audience stunned, in awe, or deep in thought for weeks on end, wrapping their minds around the brilliant presented and, quite often, pondering how the events of these episodes may affect the story altogether and spin things in a new direction. While most of the standout episodes of the series have revolved around the darker depths of the show, whether it be Beckett’s quest to solve her mother’s murder and bring those responsible to justice or Castle’s longtime battle with 3XK and the haunting demons he brought with him every time he appeared in some way, Monday’s episode vaguely touched on the darker mythology at play this season with Loksat factoring in slightly, instead opting for a story that would delve into the depths of who Castle and Beckett are and how far they have come over the years to steadily become who they are today, both individually and together. It was a truly remarkable episode, one with a story that was steeped in character growth, emotional drama, insights into who these characters are at their core, and reflections on how hard they have fought to overcome their faults. In one single hour, the season reached a turning point, taking us back to the past in such captivating ways while signalling a new direction for the future.

Penned by the incredibly talented Chad Gomez Creasey and directed by the brilliant and legendary Rob Bowman, Monday’s “Fidelis Ad Mortem” brought Beckett and her team back to the NYPD academy to solve the murder of a recruit officer while Castle struggled with his decision to tell Beckett the truth about what he discovered in L.A. It was an episode that was as technically and artistically impressive as it was creatively; from the stunning cinematography to the pitch-perfect editing to the sweeping and scene-setting musical score, this was one of those true cinematic masterpieces that the Castle team delivers like no other on network television. But at its core, it was, quite simply, a brilliantly-written story with meaningful dialogue, powerful symbolism, and compelling character-driven drama, all propelled to its highest level by such riveting and captivating performances from the incredibly skilled cast. Truly, this was the Castle team at is very best, serving up an episode that showcased the immense talents of this cast and crew.

There are far too many highlights within the episode to truly go into depth on each of them in one single review. From start to finish, this was a remarkable hour of television and every scene deserves to be applauded. The cast, as mentioned, was absolutely stellar, and the guest cast certainly brought their A-game to the episode as well, most notably Ellen Woglom, whose brilliant portrayal of NYPD recruit officer Rachel Decker not only introduced us to an interesting new character but also provided the backbone of the episode; a chance to see what Beckett herself was like when she was younger and explore how she would treat a potential protégé now. Stana Katic delivered her uncanny blend of strength, stoicism, protectiveness, caring, and vulnerability throughout the hour, each scene showcasing her remarkable skills with the grace, power, and believability that has always made the character of Kate Beckett one to behold on the screen. And Woglom certainly rose to the occasion of going toe-to-toe with Katic and delivering some of the most remarkable scenes of the episode together. Between the challenging yet lesson-learning training session they engaged in, to the climactic and intense scene that found Decker holding Lucky Jack at gunpoint while Beckett urged her to step away from that ledge, a ledge she knew all too well herself, to the heartwarming moments of respect and admiration exchanged at the end of the episode, the hour was filled with powerful and poignant scenes between the recruit and her newfound mentor.

In fact, this was one of the most compelling aspects of the episode, shining a spotlight on Beckett’s award-filled past as the reigning star of the NYPD academy but ultimately showcasing how far this woman has come over the years and how much she has grown. The character of Decker was someone who mirrored who Beckett was as a recruit, a young woman with great potential but a very large chip on her shoulder from deep-seeded wounds that had prompted her to pursue a career in law enforcement in the first place. Blinded by a desire for justice and propelled by a sense of anger and resentment that only Beckett could fully understand, Decker was someone who the Captain was immediately drawn to, compelling her to take the recruit under her wing and mentor her with the little time she had to spend with her. Not only was this a heartwarming way to see Beckett reach out to someone who needed her guidance, just as Montgomery had done for her in her past, but it was also an incredibly poignant way to push Beckett to reflect on how much she has changed and grown over the years, ultimately recognizing that despite her spending most of her life believing she had to take on every fight on her own, she truly was much better off sharing that burden with someone else, someone who loved her unconditionally and would fight for her more than she may be able to fight for herself.

Which brings us to the true heart and soul of the episode; Castle and Beckett finding their way back to exactly where they should be. In many ways, this was the true turning point of the season, even more so than their initial reconciliation in the midseason finale. This was the point at which the couple came full circle through the season, both finally realizing that the only way to move forward was to do so together with no more lies, no more secrets, and no hiding from who they are and what they need to do. Last week’s revelations about Castle’s disappearance and why he was missing for so long had left the mystery novelist struggling with perhaps the biggest mystery of all; should he tell Beckett the truth and risk her putting herself in greater danger or should he take his own advice and sweep it all away, once and for all. With some sound advice from Hayley, who proved herself to be squarely in the Castles’ corner to get them back to where they needed to be, Castle opted to tell Beckett the truth, no matter the risk. There was an interesting element to all of this in that the episode explored a very important mirror here with Castle and Beckett essentially switching sides of the table from where they sat earlier in the season. At this point, Castle was now the one admitting that he had wiped out his memory and knowingly withheld the truth from Beckett in order to protect her while Beckett was the one who needed some time and space to process her feelings about all of it. In a sense, this was the perfect way to have each walk a mile in the others’ shoes and truly come to understand how the other felt when the tables were turned, something that ultimately helped bring them to the point where they now knew they could not continue on the same path anymore.

With that, the two shared one last moment in the episode, one that also mirrored so many other pivotal points in their relationship with Beckett knocking on Castle’s door and, in a beautiful bit of symbolism, Castle opening the door to not only Beckett but also to a new path for them to follow together. After Castle admitted he needed to be involved in Beckett’s fight, to join the battle alongside her and not be left in the dark anymore, Beckett smiled brightly and told her husband she agreed and that she needed him to be by her side. As she so keenly pointed out, “this is our fight now”, a revelation that may have taken more than half of the season for her to fully understand and come to terms with but also fittingly so. After all, these are the story arcs that truly matter, ones that push our beloved characters past their limits and into unknown territory, ones that force them to confront their deepest fears and their darkest parts of themselves, ones that ultimately bring them to the conclusion that the audience has already come to long before; they are better together, stronger together, and unstoppable together. Always. 




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