TV Recap: Castle 6-12 - Deep Cover

What happens when you have an ultimate Frisbee game on Monday night that goes late then there is a bad accident on the way home that keeps you from getting home before midnight?  You don't watch Castle until Tuesday night, of course.  (It was worth it, we won!)  As a result, I may have to be shorter than normal tonight because I'm running behind.  But let's get to it.

Normally, Castle has a fun episode to follow a more serious one, but this was a bit more serious.  Not quite as serious as the last one and funnier lines, but still, all told, it was serious.

The episode starts with someone calling 911 from an apartment and then leaving the phone.  The cops show up to find a 20 year old shot and in his shower with the water running.  Lanie quickly figures out that the victim wasn't shot there.  Was the shower used to try to hide physical evidence?  Meanwhile, Castle discovers a computer hidden under the victim's floorboard.

Which is interesting when we interview the victim's father and brother.  The victim was convicted of hacking as a teen and as part of his plea deal, he wasn't supposed to be on a computer.  It takes a while, but the tech is finally able to break the computer and learns the victim had been trying to hack the site of Universal Banking Solutions.  There is an office in Manhattan, and it is run by Anderson Cross.  (Anyone else immediately think of a certain James Patterson character?)

Castle and Beckett go to interview Anderson, but before they meet him, Castle gets a phone call.  "Don't react."  Then Anderson comes out.  He's Castle's father.

They get through the interview with Anderson/Hunt denying knowing the victim and Castle trying to make sense of it all.  He's still in shock when they go to visit Lanie who has found evidence of a coin imprint on the victim's foot.  It's an Iranian coin.  And she's figured out that the stains that were left on the victim's clothes were machine oil and paint.  Meanwhile, the victim's last meal was clams and funnel cake.  That means only one thing - Six Flags Magic Mountain, I mean Coney Island amusement park.

While Beckett, Esposito, and Ryan head out there, Castle goes to a covert meeting with his father.  He learns that his father is deep undercover, so deep that officially he's an enemy of the US.  While he doesn't learn much about what is going on, Castle does share the clues they have so far.

Meanwhile, at Six Flags, er Coney Island, the others have found the murder spot.  There is a camera the victim passed on his way to the spot where he died, but it also picked up one other person - Hunt.

By this point, Beckett has figured out that Hunt is also the mystery man who was involved in Alexis' kidnapping last year.  Castle is still trying to keep his father's secret as requested, but he also sets up a second meeting to try to find out what is going on.

But Hunt never shows.  A dejected Castle goes home and confides in Martha.  Just as Martha has convinced him to tell Beckett everything, guess who shows up at the door.  "Sorry I missed our meet," Hunt says.  "I was busy being shot."

As Castle and Martha are fixing him, Beckett shows up and learns the truth.  And finally Hunt spills the beans.  Cross was just an alias as he tried to track down a CIA agent who had stolen a list of undercover assets and was going to sell them.  The coin was a clue as to the buyer, but as Hunt was breaking into a location to follow it up on a lead, he was involved in a firefight - hence his wound.  He then lead this double agent on a high speed chase that ended with Hunt crashing into the river.  Beckett is skeptical until she turns on the news and hears about it.

The meet to sell this list is happening over wifi in a library in just a little bit.  With Hunt not in any shape to go, Beckett and Castle head out.  Castle is supposed to download the list while Beckett finds their guy.  But it's a set up.  With Beckett off stalking a relay, the double agent kidnaps Castle.

Fortunately, Hunt put a tracking device on Castle and he shows up and kills the villain.  The CIA then plants the evidence that proves the double agent was the killer (which everyone pretty much already knew he was).

While Martha was glad that she got to see Castle's father again and get some closure, Castle was upset.  He felt used, especially when they figure out that Hunt was the one who moved the body so that it would fall into Beckett's precinct.  I honestly don't think that Castle would want to see his father again.

Meanwhile, Ryan is back from paternity leave with pictures of his new daughter.  Everyone looked suitably impressed, although Beckett was the first to tease him that his daughter looked like Esposito.  (Yes, it's just teasing.)

And in the most surprising development, Castle and Beckett are trying to plan a wedding date.  They keep running into issues, and are even considering elopement.  But as the episode ends, Castle decides that Beckett is right - September is the perfect time to get married.  He'll work his book tour around the wedding.  Why is this surprising?  I sure was expecting a May sweeps wedding.  Does this mean we won't have a cliffhanger this season and a next season opener wedding?

I know I said earlier that I was expecting something funny, but I really did enjoy this episode.  The mystery kept me going, and I liked what they did with the characters.

And in case you didn't figure it out, the location of that roller coaster that stood in for Coney Island was Six Flags Magic Mountain which is located in the town where I live.  I've been there too many times not to recognize it.  Plus it has shown up in countless shows over the years.  Still, I always enjoy spotting it again.

What did you think?  Let me know in the comments.