Season 8 Episode 16 - "Heartbreaker" Review

‘Castle’ : Back To Basics

By Lisa Caputo

2016-04-06

Castle and Beckett make their reunion public knowledge while an old flame from Esposito’s past becomes the center of their latest investigation

While the deep and meaningful relationship and partnership between Castle and Beckett has always been the bread and butter of Castle, it is important to be reminded along the way that bread and butter alone does not make for a complete meal in and of itself. Monday’s episode did exactly that, showcasing the other vital relationships amongst the ensemble cast of characters that bring so much more depth to the series than just the central love story. After all, part of what makes Castle and Beckett’s story so compelling is their other friendships and partnerships with their friends and family, those vital characters who we may take for granted from time to time until we are reminded so starkly of what they truly bring to the series. The bromance between Ryan and Esposito, the deep friendship between Beckett and Lanie, the Castle family dynamics in all of their various forms, and the beloved partnership and friendship between Castle, Beckett, Ryan, and Esposito as a long-running team, all of these elements help deepen the meaning and the scope of the story overall. The latest installment in this eighth season gave a number of those elements a chance to share the spotlight and did so quite brilliantly.

Penned by one of the new additions to the Castle writing team this season, Barry O’Brien, and helmed by the uber-talented longtime Castle director, Thomas J. Wright, Monday’s aptly-titled “Heartbreaker” thrust Esposito into the spotlight as his past caught up with him in an unexpected way. Castle and Beckett’s first case following their announcing their reconciliation to their family and friends found them seeking assistance from an inmate Esposito put away fifteen years earlier for a burglary that the team believed was related to their current case. But when the truth came out that Esposito had once been engaged to her before discovering her involvement in the crime, the case began to hit a little too close to home and Esposito found himself struggling with his emotions while falling back under his past love’s spell once again.

The case itself was an interesting one, filled with twists and turns that this reviewer found to be wonderfully unpredictable. Guest star Angelica Celaya delivered a stellar performance as Esposito’s past love, Sonia Ruiz, towing the line perfectly between Sonia’s sincere feelings for Esposito and her well-played attempts to tug on Esposito’s heartstrings in order to get him to drop his guard so she could escape with her freedom, and her fortune, in fact. And guest star Sebastian Sozzi provided some truly hilarious comic relief as Sonia’s past partner, Joey Montez, the smooth-talking criminal-turned entrepreneur-turned criminal again. Of course, Castle has always stood out for its attention to detail and its clever ways of planting clues along the way for fans to find on a second or third viewing. So for those viewers with a keen eye, watch the scene at the El Toro bar again and ask yourself if the bartender looks familiar the second time around. Pay special attention to the glances he shoots Sonia’s way, a hint that he’s looking to her for help when their plan goes awry and Esposito starts to take his interrogation tactics a bit too far.

Despite being heavily centered around Esposito’s backstory, Monday’s episode actually felt a great deal like a return to the basics of the show. With Castle and Beckett reunited again, there was a familiar dynamic at play between both the couple and their NYPD friends, with Lanie even getting in on the action in her classic way of standing by her best friend and jokingly warning Castle not to mess things up with her again. After all, even when Lanie has known Beckett has added to her relationship woes, the sassy M.E. has always backed her up as a best friend should and has never backed down from challenging the love of her friend’s life to keep him honest and on his toes. We also saw a brief but meaningful reunion amongst the three women in the Castle family with Martha and Alexis spending some time with Beckett for a girls’ night in at the loft to celebrate her return. And, of course, the fabulous foursome of Beckett, Castle, Ryan, and Esposito were in fine form again, working together as well as they always have and now without the shadow of Castle and Beckett’s fake separation hanging over their partners. Even the absence of season eight characters Hayley and Vikram seemed to be an evident sign that this was an episode meant to bring the classic Castle dynamic back to the forefront after a season that shook up those dynamics in interesting ways but also left some fans longing for a return to the classic elements as well.

While the episode centered largely on Esposito’s past with Sonia and his struggles to work through his mixed feelings in order to get his job done and not let his team down, there was still a fantastic story woven throughout that focused on Beckett’s full return to her home with Castle, their loft that was now being shared with Castle’s home-automation device, Lucy. What could have easily turned into a ridiculous gag if done wrong was actually handled quite wonderfully, with Beckett picking up on some hints that perhaps Lucy, despite being an electronic device, had some ill-will towards sharing her home, and Castle, with Beckett now that she had moved back in for good. While nobody else seemed to believe Beckett’s wild theory at first (sound familiar?), it soon became evident that Lucy was taking some extreme measures to let her “feelings” be known. And perhaps it Aubrey Plaza’s voiceover work as Lucy that really sold the off-the-wall story, keenly giving Lucy’s voice a brilliant mix of a monotone lack of emotion and the occasional hint of actual jealousy in the odd word here or there. In the end, Beckett solved her issues with Lucy while turning the tables a tad on Castle himself, perhaps a slight jab at him for taking so much interest in his other lady of the house. When the pair returned home after solving their case, Castle was greeted by a very different version of his beloved Lucy, with Beckett having flipped a switch to turn her into Linus instead. In a fitting ending, Castle was left alone with Linus (voiced hilariously by Seth Green), only to encounter the machine’s jealously himself, evening the scales and perhaps sealing the fate of Castle’s latest toy.

But despite the hilarious Castle/Beckett/Lucy love triangle and the slapstick moments of humour as well between the boys as Castle and Ryan got to take some shots at Esposito - and delivered some brilliant one-liners as well - once the truth about his past with Sonia came out, much of the episode had a vastly more serious tone throughout the hour. It has always been a staple of this show to weave so seamlessly from comedy to drama to suspense to romance, often all within a single episode, and this was one of those episodes that did exactly that and did it so remarkably well. The Esposito-centric storyline allowed the audience another rare glimpse into how this character came to be who he is today. This has been something the Castle team has done for all of its ensemble characters throughout their eight seasons on the air and while these episodes are few and far between, that is what makes them special as they allow the audience to get a rare peek into the backstories of these beloved characters while also allowing the incredibly talented ensemble cast a chance to shine when it is their turn in the spotlight.

This time around, it was Jon Huertas who was allowed that opportunity to step up and swing away. As always, he knocked it out the park. Esposito has always been a complex character; stern and serious at times while goofy and letting loose other times. He has a great sense of humour but also a great sense of defensiveness. He can be boastful and brash but also sensitive and kind. And while we have long seen these different sides to the character, portrayed perfectly since the beginning by Huertas, there was a sense of understanding that developed out of Monday’s episode that perhaps shed some light on why Esposito is who he is on some of the levels we have never fully grasped before. His past with Sonia, the love of his life whose own mistakes challenged the very core of who Esposito always has been deep down, was also the one who ultimately reinforced his strength of character and his belief in what he does no matter the cost to his personal life. Perhaps now we have come to understand that he protects his heart for fear of it breaking again, that he envelops himself in that bachelor lifestyle to hide being hurt again the way he was when he found out who Sonia really was. And perhaps his coming to terms with all of that and accepting his past will now help him see the future he deserves to have with someone who will love him and protect him the way he protects everyone else around him.

Huertas brought us along a captivating journey alongside Esposito throughout the episode, truly displaying such a powerful range of the character’s personality and emotions. And through Esposito’s journey, we were also treated to some wonderful moments between he and his partner, Ryan, allowing Seamus Dever to also share in the spotlight of the episode and do so with his right-hand man, Jon Huertas. These two are such great talents separately but they are even more stellar together, and as much as fans always clamor for those great Caskett moments, there is always something special about the bromance moments between Ryan and Esposito as well and that is attributed to both the writing and, of course, the natural chemistry between the off-screen friends that portray the on-screen partners.

Monday’s episode was truly a return to the classic Castle form, all while discovering more about Esposito’s character in the process and presenting the audience with a remarkable hour of television to continue to propel the season forward. Most importantly, though, this episode was a much-needed reminder that as much as we often focus on the relationship between Castle and Beckett, there is much more to the story than just that and their relationship in and of itself would not be as meaningful and compelling without the added dynamics, friendships, and partnerships that the ensemble cast of characters bring to their lives. Bread and butter are essential but adding some jalapenos and honey milk just makes the meal even more interesting, doesn’t it?

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