Season 8 Episode 3 - "PH Dead" Review

‘Castle’ : Push and Pull

By Lisa Caputo

2015-10-05

Castle tries to win Beckett back by making her fall in love with him all over again while Beckett pushes him away because she loves him too much

Last week’s conclusion to the season 8 premiere of Castle had fans split down the lines of various emotional reactions as Beckett opted to walk away from Castle in order to pursue a secret investigation into Lockstat and how the deaths of her former allies in the AG’s office were tied to Bracken and his criminal activities. Knowing that Castle would not accept her going off on her own to work the case, Beckett felt the only way to protect him while still actively investigating on her own was to separate herself from him and keep him in the dark as to her motivation for doing so. It was heartbreaking to watch and yet also quite intriguing as it put forth the question of whether or not Kate Beckett could ever be content not risking her life in the name of justice.

Penned by the wonderfully talented Chad Gomez Creasey and directed by the legendary Rob Bowman, Monday’s “PH Dead” jumped right into the aftermath of last week’s stunning conclusion, with Castle attempting to find a way to ease his pain and rationalize how to convince Beckett to come home while Beckett prepared for what she hoped would be a quick battle so she could return to her husband and her life as soon as possible. When a college student was found rather brutally murdered in Central Park, Castle believed he had found his opportunity to get back to working with Beckett as a means of capturing that spark that had brought them together in the first place.

Despite the fractured situation in the Castle’s marriage, the episode did well to balance the natural and necessary emotions in that storyline with some lighter material, including exploring how this separation between Castle and Beckett was affecting their friends and family members as well. At times, the episode dove into pretty dark waters, something that was often difficult to experience yet also wildly thrilling as it added some intense drama and emotion and kept the story grounded in the seriousness of the situation. And while there were some classic comedic beats throughout the hour, including those that found Ryan, Esposito, and Lanie having to balance their loyalties to both Castle and Beckett, much as children of a separated couple would feel the need to do, the episode did well to avoid falling into the all-too-easy trap of being ridiculous given the circumstances.

In fact, Creasey towed that line between comedy and drama extremely well throughout the hour, plotting the comic relief exactly when needed to take a pause from the heavier moments while never losing the truly poignant aspect of the story and the push and pull between Castle and Beckett as both struggled mightily with the state of their relationship. As the audience, we were shown all sides of that struggle and every moment that focused on this part of the story was incredibly compelling to watch, whether it be hopeful or heartbreaking. It should come as no surprise that the Castle team handled a very delicate subject with the utmost care but that is exactly what they did and they truly excelled at it and even managed to mix in interesting case, some solid comic relief, and a great storyline for each of the supporting characters to become immersed in as well.

In fact, this was the first episode of the new season that brought the entire ensemble cast together and allowed each of them the time and material to contribute beautifully to the story being told. We witnessed Lanie attempting to get to the heart of what caused her best friend to suddenly dive away from her marriage while also giving Castle just enough room to get his foot back in the door without betraying Beckett’s trust. We saw Martha do her best to not only console her son but also attempt to keep him from pushing too hard as she knew if Beckett had asked for some time and space, she likely needed it for some reason. We also saw Alexis lending a hand to the investigation while also keeping an eye on her father to protect him, though at times he truly should have won the worst father of the year award for allowing her to go to the lengths she went to. Of course, we saw Ryan and Esposito try to balance their loyalties to both Castle and Beckett while doing whatever they could to try to wrap their own heads around what was going on with their friends. And lastly, we saw more from Vikram, who again proved to be not only wildly entertaining but also rather deep and understanding, many times giving Beckett the opportunity to back out of their mission in order to return to her happy life.

But it was that conflict in Beckett that was at the forefront of the episode, along with the ensuing conflict within Castle as well. Both Stana Katic and Nathan Fillion were superb in this episode, displaying with conviction those conflicting emotions within their characters. It was obvious that Beckett’s decision to pursue this case in secret and her need to push Castle away to keep him safe was weighing on her heavily and Katic did well to tow that line between Beckett’s innate desire to seek justice at all costs with her absolute love and desire to just be with her husband and her family and let everything else go. At times, she teetered back and forth on that fence and at times it seemed as though she may even break down and confess the truth to Castle but she did what we could only expect Beckett to do; stay true to what she believed was the right thing to do, no matter the cost to herself. As for Castle, the confusion and frustration over why Beckett had left him was perhaps the most difficult thing to watch and Fillion layered that pain and suffering on enough to rip our hearts out while never dipping too far into the waters of uncomfortable self-pity. Yet despite the pain and heartbreak, there was also this grand sense of hope within Castle, a steadfast resolve to do whatever it took to worm his way into Beckett’s case and thus give himself a way for them to relive the magic of what had brought them together in the first place.

Perhaps the highlight of the episode was the scene these two shared together in the makeshift prison, working together to solve the mystery of how Peter escaped. In a sense, it captured every aspect of the episode in just one scene, balancing the comedy and drama, showcasing the push and pull between Castle and Beckett, and getting to the heart of their separation itself in a very real and compelling way. It was captivating to watch the two as they did their dance, much like in the early days but now with so much more on the line. On one hand, Beckett was struggling between wanting to push Castle away to keep him safe and pulling him closer to let everything else go, and on the other hand, Castle was fighting his desire to do anything and everything to break her walls down again with his sense of honouring her request to give her some time and space to figure things out. It was truly that push and pull between them that was incredibly emotional to watch as their hearts both wanted the same thing as the other yet their minds both fought them away from giving in to their desires.

In the end, Castle was left pondering whether or not he had made progress in getting Beckett back and whether or not he actually could, still unsure of her motivation for pushing him away in the first place. Likewise, Beckett was left fighting back her second thoughts, those that would allow her to be happily with her husband again but could also put more innocent lives in danger. Despite Vikram giving her one last opportunity to call off their mission, Beckett did what she had to do; she pushed on forward in their investigation.

While last week’s conclusion to the Castle season premiere created a storm of controversy and many debates amongst the fandom, this episode may have achieved a calming wave by showcasing a greater purpose for the temporary separation between Castle and Beckett. The raw emotions this storyline has and will continue to evoke is what good storytelling is truly all about and this episode did well to bring that to the forefront without ever letting it get too heavy or too heartbreaking. It is a story that will challenge our beloved characters to further develop them and bring them together even closer as a result of this journey while also challenging the audience to want more than just an extended happy ending to this great love story that has ultimately always been about these two characters beating the odds and finding their way back together.