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Castle: Probable Cause

“The evidence isn’t the whole story. Castle’s taught me that.”

My, oh my but I loved this episode. Written by Andrew Marlowe, it is among the best episodes that Castle has done. I never, never thought I would like one as much as the season four finale -- live and learn. For once, the case was the most important part of the show and, not only was it good and filled with twists and turns, but the personal relationships were all shifted and made better.

From the beginning, it was obvious that Castle was not the killer, but I was truly puzzled as to what was going on. So, when Tyson, or 3XK, walked into the jail I literally jumped. We haven’t seen him since he stole Ryan’s weapon back at the beginning of season four and, frankly, I had forgotten about him. He is a chilling villain and the fact that he was able to set up Castle so efficiently is, frankly, frightening. And, by setting up Castle, he knows that Beckett will suffer forever. Castle realizes this as well and it is the only time throughout the show that we see him truly scared.

I was very pleased that Marlowe did not use this case as a reason to break up Caskett, although I spent the first half of the show convinced that’s exactly what was going to happen. Beckett, understandably, is confused and demands explanations; but, throughout this ordeal, she stands by him. And, the code they used during the breakout was very smartly written; I didn’t know what was happening until Beckett walked into the library.

I thought the way that Esposito and Ryan reacted to the evidence was really interesting. Although they firmly believe that Castle is not a killer, they are determined to follow the evidence to see where it may lead. By not being as emotionally connected to Castle as Beckett is, they were able to be the cops that Caskett needed them to be. Although, the looks on Beckett’s and Esposito’s faces when they had to arrest Castle were heartbreaking.

I also like the fact that Ryan told Esposito about Caskett. By bringing him into the loop early, Ryan was able to control a lot of the investigation and he enabled Esposito to be a bit more compassionate towards both Castle and Beckett. The scene where Beckett discovers that the boys know was very sweet. It made me smile when Esposito implied that they knew because they are such great detectives, but it was tough to watch them have to ask Beckett is she could provide an alibi for their friend; tougher to watch her face when she realized she couldn’t.

The BFF scene between Beckett and Lanie was moving. We so rarely see Beckett display that kind of emotional pain that it is difficult to watch. It appears as though that year of therapy has really helped her. It’s hard to imagine her breaking down like that in front of another before all that happened. But, I’m glad she did. It seemed to cement her conviction that Castle was being framed.

The nice surprise was Gates. I believe the writers are trying to make her a bit more relatable for the audience (she was almost universally disliked last season), and they took a big step forward this week. Again, in spite of all the evidence in front of her, she keeps an open mind and gives Castle the benefit of the doubt. The interrogation was fantastic to watch. Although he is a suspect, Gates treated Castle with respect. You could almost see the shift in their relationship as Castle, in turn, learns to respect her for what she is doing. He even calls her “sir” at the end of the episode.

The twist at the end I did not see coming at all. Something tells me that Castle is right and the Tyson will be back sometime in the future. I hope so. Loved this one -- five out of four jailbreaks.

P.S. A huge apology for the tardiness of this review. Real life, in the guise of Superstorm Sandy, kicked us pretty hard. Getting back to normal, slowly.

Tidbits:

-- Tessa’s death display reminded me a great deal of Mary’s in Supernatural.

-- Whenever things get tense among our group, they revert to first names. There was a fair amount of that in this episode.

-- Martha and Alexis didn’t have much to do in this episode except be worried. It would have been nice to allow them a larger role, but I understand that forty-three minutes can go by quickly.

-- The fake emails showed Castle and Tessa had been together for eight weeks and Beckett tells Lanie that it started up a couple of weeks after Caskett started seeing each other. I guess this means they’ve been together ten weeks now.

-- Loved the exchange about the first time Beckett handcuffed Castle. That’s a callback to the pilot episode.

-- Castle is badass whenever he fires a gun.

Soundbites:

Castle: “Jewelry. I never would’ve thought of that.”
Beckett: “I guess I’ll have to remind you when my birthday’s coming up.”
Castle: “Why, Detective Beckett, was that a hint you just dropped?”
Beckett: “Why, Mr. Castle, I do believe it was.”
Castle: “Shameless.”

Beckett: “Castle, whoever is behind this, whatever is going on, I will figure this out. I promise.”
Castle: “I know.”

Beckett: “I know him, Lanie. He is an immature, egotistical, self-centered jackass sometimes. But he’s not this.”
Lanie: “Are you sure?”

Castle: “You won’t get away with this.”
Tyson: “Oh, please. What are you gonna do? You gonna tell ‘em that I came here? You think that they’re gonna believe the lies of a desperate man?”
Castle: “Beckett will.”

ChrisB is a freelance writer who spends more time than she ought in front of a television screen or with a book in her hand.

18 comments:

  1. Wow. Have to disagree; I hated this one! Haha

    I never like episodes that play with the whole 'Is our main character the killer?' The audience never believes our beloved protagonist is the killer and the rest of the cast either doesn't believe their friend is the killer (like here) or act like idiots and actually suspect the person they've known for years.

    3XK or whatever his name is isn't my fav recurring villain. Frankly, I always forget about him until he shows up. Then it takes me five minutes to remember who the heck he is. There's nothing super memorable about him.

    I did love Castle's creative escape. And your review, as always. :) Can't wait to see your take on this week's installment. So much fun!

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  2. I really enjoyed this episode, too, and have been waiting and waiting for your review. I was a little worried that you were in the path of the super storm, but am glad to hear that you are getting things back to normal. I hope there wasn't too much damage!

    Like sunbunny, I can't wait to see your review for this week's episode...there were enough sci-fi references in it to keep you busy for a while, I imagine!

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  3. I liked this one. Beckett didn't doubt Castle was innocent and worked towards freeing him the whole time. Gates is becoming more likeable by the minute. I hope she doesn't get totally fluffy bunny though. I think you're allowed one episode per show with a protagonist suspected of murder. They haven't done it before so it was ok with me.
    Anna

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  4. I have to wash the dishes and eat supper; I haven't seen the episode yet. And shame on me, a good glass of wine on an empty stomach.

    Taking the time to write just to say how amazing that 42 minutes can have such a different effect on different people.

    And also that I love so much the level of mutual respect that we have among ourselves.


    Billie !!!! Have I told you how much I love your site ?????

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  5. Let's see. Has Celticmarc mentioned that he likes it here? Hmmm. Let me think. :)

    ChrisB, I liked this one, too. Yes, we all knew Castle wasn't the killer, and I usually find plots like this frustrating, but not this time because it was done so well. At one point, I even started entertaining the notion that maybe it *was* Castle, even though it couldn't possibly be him. So -- good writing for this one.

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  6. Oh my.

    What a goof I made. This was LAST week's episode LOL I was thinking about yesterday's in my previous comment. Oh heck, for that one, we'll wait for your next review.

    It was good indeed, and I was on the edge of my seat. The images of Beckett at the end, the fury in her eyes and shooting madly at Tyson have left a profound impression on my Psyche. I too, am convinced that this SOB is still alive....

    Crap ChrisB, I hope all is well with you after that storm....

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  7. Hum,

    Have I (ever) mentioned my powerful love for an uncharted island somewhere in the South Pacific ? Not sure !

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  8. Celticmarc, you might indeed have mentioned your love for a certain island. :)

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  9. Wow. I can't believe how different we saw this one guys! I watched it with my mom and neither of us liked it at all. Oh well haha. High fives for disagreeing without being disagreeable! Go Team BD!

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  10. sunbunny -- I've said it before, but one of the things that I love about television is how different shows speak to different people. I completely agree with you that very often shows that have the lead as a murder suspect are ridiculous. What I loved about this one was how what happened changed so many of the relationships on the show. The only person who doesn't know now is Gates -- but something tells me that she strongly suspects.

    Thanks all for the support around the storm. It's been a difficult time, but it sounds as though I have another good episode of this show to look forward to. :-)

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  11. Chris,

    I took notes yesterday for this week's show. No spoilers but it blew my mind, and off the chart(s) ! If you liked this one, the next one should bring you at the same place than me : in Bliss.......

    Well, also, on the other hand, I recommend that we find a multiple online game and that we throw....snowballs at each other. Fun and no danger of catching a cold. And no need to put on a winter coat.

    After all, winter in coming... (in my area, not in GoT, although.....)

    Hum, speaking of cold and winters, I know a few polar bears that are going to have a colder temperature (an therefore have a smile back on their faces if that's possible) (well, since they wage war against each others, why not). Imagine all that fur on a tropical weather. I can barely stand myself in our summers. Too bad nobody contacted the Humane Society when the Dharma Initiative was created. (ok, ok, no more Lost gag until 2013) (unless I find another inspiration) (please forgive me and "blame" JJ Abrams and the other creators of that show)

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  12. Great review ChrisB of an absolutely FABULOUS episode!!!

    I was relieved the rest of the cast were pretty sure almost from the get-go that someone had to be setting Castle up. There's no way, after all they've been through together, over so many years, that they could believe this of him! It shows some respect for their intelligence. And thoroughness at doing their job.

    The part that surprised me was the jailbreak. I really thought the 3XK had gotten to him first!!! It wasn't until Beckett walked into the library that I breathed a sigh of relief. :o)
    I loved Javi's reaction to the Caskett news, loved tearful Kate confiding in Lanie, and loved Gates's behaviour!

    When I saw a new Castle review up my first reaction was "Yay! Now I have people I can talk with about the geekfest that was this week's episode!". I didn't know you were in the storm's path Chris, ouch! Hope you guys came through ok! Must have been a scary experience...

    Am really looking forward to your review of this week's episode. You going to put together a list of all the sci-fi winks/easter-eggs? Starting with the very first character in the very first scene! My favourite "Number 1". :o)

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  13. I loved loved LOVED this episode, easily one of the best they've ever done! Cases where the lead character is a muder suspect are tricky. It's obvious Castle didn't actually kill that girl. But as they showed us more and more evidence of a connection between Castle and the victim, it was very hard not to wonder if perhaps there was something Castle was hiding. He isn't a saint, after all. I mean, it just KEPT piling up, and we hadn't been given ANY reason why someone might want to be framing him. And that moment when 3XK appeared in the holding cells, anyone who didn't jump out of their chairs needs to check their pulse. :) Oh, and as I was re-watching the episode for these comments, I noticed something. 3XK's phony police badge had the name "J. Rook", as in Jameson Rook, the "Castle" character in the Nikki Heat novels. Awesome :)

    I'm very glad none of our regulars ever truly thought Castle might've done it, especially Beckett. And I'm glad Ryan didn't waste much time telling Esposito about Caskett. Though just as I would have liked to see the scenes when Martha & Alexis learn about the new relationship, I would have loved to see Lanie's reaction to the news :) And it was good to see Gates give Castle the benefit of the doubt, though I expect it was her detectives she was actually supporting.

    Basic laws of TV drama dictate that we haven't seen the last of 3XK, since there's no corpse. I wonder if he'll return this season, and how long the writers plan on keeping him around. With his penchant for escapes, his story can only really end with his very unambigiuous death.

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  14. 3xK is very likely still alive and will pop up in time for the finale to get our heroes in trouble.
    Anna

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  15. Patrick -- great catch on the name tag! I missed that entirely.

    It sounds a though this week's episode has enough references to keep us all going for a while. I am sure I will need help finding them all when I finally get the review up.

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  16. Chris and Cris,

    Ohhhhhhh, how much FUN are we going to have on the next review !!!!! Oh my, oh my, oh my !!!!

    I repeat, I took notes ! LOL

    TV is soooooo good these days (and it better be next February ! Huh NBC ??!! Hello ??! Anybody home McFly ?????)

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  17. This week's ep is going to be one of those where you see something new EVERY SINGLE TIME you watch it. Shiny! :D

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  18. I just might have to re-watch it myself and take notes to prepare for ChrisB's review! ;o)

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