TV Recap: Castle 6-17 - In the Belly of the Beast

They promised a heart pounding episode, and they certainly delivered.  They even managed to touch Beckett's mother's murder for the first time in a year or so, which was a good thing because I wasn't sure I liked the ending until then.

It all starts with Beckett getting a phone call on her day off.  Narcotics is asking for a favor.  There's a new drug gang in town, and they've found gotten a break - a currier who has a meeting set up for that night.  They are hoping that Beckett will go under cover to this meeting, find out who is involved, and report back.  The meeting is taking place at a hotel room.  What can go wrong?

Never ask that at the beginning of an episode.

In the elevator on the way to the hotel room, Beckett is kidnapped.  She's taken to a house out who knows where.  These people think she is Elaina, the woman who she was supposed to be impersonating, and she is told she is getting a promotion.  But Beckett, being the cop that she is, agrees only if she can meet Lazarus, their leader.  Lazarus agrees only if Beckett will kill someone for him first.

Naturally, Beckett stalls as long as she can before going into the house.  When one of her captures wants proof, she takes him inside and shows him the dead body on the floor.

Of course, she faked the death, as the man tells Gates after he reports what has happened.  He's a lawyer specializing in corporate cases.  He has no idea how or why a drug cartel would want him dead.  The rest of a gang is trying to find any lead they can.  The real Elaina tried to commit suicide.  When she recovers, she kills her police guard and escapes.  At one point, Beckett sends them a text for someone's cell phone, but it proves to be a dead end.

And Beckett is almost at a dead end as well.  See, she goes in to meet Lazarus and it turns out he is…Simmons.

Yeah, okay, I didn't recognize him either.  But he was apparently a suspect along the way toward solving Beckett's mother's murder.  Beckett tries to play it down, but he recognizes her and tortures her trying to find out who knows what about him.  When he finally figures out that Beckett isn't going to talk, he sends a man out to kill her.

However, just before the man pulls the trigger, someone steps out of the shadows and slits his throat.  The real Elaina has returned, and she has saved Beckett's life because "Lazarus wants you alive."

Which brings us to the end.  The only clue Beckett is able to bring back with her (the house where she was was scrubbed of course) was Freedom Forward, a company where money was being forwarded.  It turns out the lawyer she was supposed to kill set up that political action committee, but it's just a front for another one.  Lots of money is going through it.

As Beckett is theorizing that she hadn't truly met Lazarus, just a figure head, she puts it together.  The episode ends with her watching a press conference of Senator Bracken announcing his exploratory committee for a run for the Presidency.  The reason he saved her life?  Payback for the last time they met when Beckett saved his.  But now they are even.  The next time, he will kill her.

Overall, this was an intense episode with little to lighten it up once it got rolling.  However, I did enjoy the moments of Beckett telling Castle just how much he means to her.  I have to say, the way they are playing the relationship this season is just great.  (Although I must ask, if they are getting married in two months or this spring or whenever, why are they sending out save the date cards?  Should they be sending out invitations by now?)

I think that's all I've got for tonight.  Tell me what you think in the comments.