I'm a sucker for call-back episodes, two-parters and any installment that pushes the story forward (stand-a-lone's are not my favorite), so Monday's new 'Castle' was precisely the type of show that I was hoping for and one this show badly needed.
I liked how the episode focused on Kate protecting Bracken (a cool idea that I wouldn't have predicted) and loved how it also gave us a new case for the team to investigate -- was Bracken involved with the "suicide" of his 24-year-old staffer? But it also makes me worry: I don't want that to be the way that Bracken is taken down by Beckett and Co.
That would be a travesty, as far as this show is concerned. We spent the first 4+ years of this show wondering what happened to Beckett's mother and now that we are invested, we need the proper resolution to that storyline. He should go down for THAT crime.
While Beckett doing the right thing in the end by protecting Bracken was predictable, I did like how they showed how she struggled with the decision and having her realize she almost made a huge mistake.
I was hoping in this episode, though, that Captain Gates would find out about Bracken and be on Kate's team in trying to take him down. It did seem that Gates had a suspicion that Beckett was telling the truth in that interrogation room, though. I'm sure in the next Bracken-related episode, she'll be clued in on what's going on. I hope so.
I also wonder if the next time we see Bracken will be Kate trying to get him on murder or if Kate will be cashing in on that favor Bracken said he owed her. Maybe both.
Two complaints before I wrap this up:
(1) By now you should know how partial I am to Esposito over Ryan. So you may think what I'm about to say is biased, but it isn't: Ryan is such a killjoy. Get over your damn high-horse all the time. Cops that have a constant stick up their ass and condemn cops for not doing everything 100% by the book are annoying. I used to really like that character, but not anymore.
(2) OK, so you have a massive car bomb. You have the detonator and your target is walking towards the car with NO idea what's about to happen. HOW DO YOU MESS THAT UP?
QUOTES OF NOTE:
--BECKETT: "In my dreams, I'm the one that gets to pull the trigger. But you know what, if you're not comfortable with me leading this investigation you're more than welcome to tell everyone why."
--BECKETT: "When someone commits murder, whoever he is, Senator, I will bring him to justice -- no matter how long it takes."
--ESPOSITO: "If I'm her, I'm sitting there shuffling papers until whoever it is puts a bullet in his head."
--THERAPIST: "Maybe the right choice is the one that you can live with."
--CASTLE: "I wouldn't have done it, what she did. I would have stood and watched."
--BRACKEN: "You never know when you might need a friend."
RANDOM RAMBLINGS:
--I want to be an extra on a TV show, discovering a dead body.
--Oh come on! Like the dead woman's sister didn't know she had a missed call on her cell phone with a voicemail. Everyone knows when they have a missed call. Why do I feel the need to complain about the little things
--I wish I wasn't following a million TV insiders on Twitter, it would have been a cool surprise that this was a Bracken-related episode.
--Swell job in not letting Bracken know Beckett was on the trail, Esposito and Ryan.
--I'm sorry, I just find it weird when a woman is referred to as "sir".
THE GRADE: B+
