TV Recap: Castle 7-15 - Reckoning

Well, I’m one for two.  I publically made some predictions on what we’d see in the conclusion of the two parter last night.  We didn’t see any more about Beckett wanting to or even thinking about starting a family.  However, my other prediction came true.

We pick up where we left off.  Beckett’s been kidnapped from the corner where she thought she was going to meet with Amy, Tyson’s “girlfriend.”  As soon as the rest of the group realizes that, they rush out there.  It just happens to be in a corner with no cameras.  Castle and Ryan go to visit Tyson and Esposito goes to visit Dr. Neiman, but neither of them will admit to anything.  Both are placed under surveillance.  Castle gets a phone call from Beckett begging for help.  They trace it to a pay phone, but find a recording there.

Castle, fed up with how the investigation is going on its own, goes to confront Tyson.  He throws him around a little and then pulls his gun, threatening Tyson.  But Tyson sticks to his story that he is the guy named Mike.  He almost had me believing it, I must admit, until we saw the look in his eyes at the end of the scene.  Then the police show up and Castle is arrested for assault.  Tyson even wants to press charges.

And, once again, Gates proves how awesome she can be when the situation calls for it.  In a quiet moments, she lets Castle know she gets what he is going through while still firmly reminding him that this is not the way to get what he wants.  She also tells him a story about early in her time in the precinct.  She asked Beckett why she liked working with Castle.  “I follow the evidence, but he sees the story.”  Gates then tells Castle to follow his strength.

About this time, Castle gets a call from Tyson.  They are able to trace it, and it is coming from Castle’s house.  The police storm in and scare Martha and Alexis, but they are the only ones there.  Still, Castle sends them out of the country for their safety.

While canvassing for witnesses to Beckett’s abduction, the police had turned up a red van.  They locate it at a warehouse and even confirm that it is Beckett through the window.  (How they were so certain is beyond me.)  They rush in, but Beckett warns them it is a trap just before guns so off, killing the person in the chair.  Cue half time commercial.

Seriously, did anyone think that was Beckett?  Not for a second.  I did think it was Amy, but she wasn’t the victim either.  It was someone else completely different who was wearing a wig so she’d look like Beckett.  And the voice?  Another recording.

It’s about this time that Castle finally starts taking some wise steps on his own.  After muttering that they will never find Beckett with the investigation the way it is going, he goes to pay a visit to Tyson’s former cell mate – the one that Tyson got to pull off some killings back when we met him.  It takes a little bit, but Castle finally pulls the location of a place Tyson would talk about going to as a retreat.  Maybe Beckett is there.

Castle shows up and finds Amy outside smoking.  She claims she is alone, but Castle ties her hands and puts her in the trunk of his car just to be sure.  Then he goes in the house.  Upstairs, he finds a monitor of Beckett.  She’s tied to a gurney but still very much alive.  Unfortunately, she’s in another location.

And in the second half, we’ve finally popped in on Beckett enough to know that Dr. Neiman is with her and planning to do some plastic surgery on her.  At least, that’s what I thought, but Tyson sure did talk about killing Beckett while Castle watched.  I’m still a little unclear about what the plan was.

Meanwhile, Tyson has snuck up behind Castle, tased him, and is now making him watch the video feed.  Tyson then lectures Castle about how Castle fell predictably into this trap and is exactly where Tyson wants him.  Castle’s response?  Maybe you fell into my trap.  It’s then we learn that his earlier mumbling was actually to Ryan and Esposito who have been following Castle.  Plus Castle is wearing an ear piece.  Castle tells one of them to take the shot, and Tyson turns to the window.  Esposito (who has a background as a sniper if I recall correctly) does and hits Tyson.  Tyson tries to turn and shoot Castle, but he dies before he can.  Ryan starts a trace on the phone number that Tyson called at the beginning of the scene when he called Dr. Neiman, and the trio rush off.

Meanwhile, Beckett has been picking at the strap holding her arms in place.  Dr. Neiman realizes that something has gone wrong since Tyson hasn’t called back to tell her to do whatever the plan is.  She grabs a scalpel and advances on Beckett…who swings up her wrist and grabs Neiman’s arm, keeping her from killing Beckett.  Our next shot is of everyone storming in to where Beckett was held (we never learn where that was exactly) to find Beckett, with blood on both hands, standing over a dead Dr. Neiman.

You know, I almost predicted that both characters would be dead for sure by the end of the episode, but I wasn’t confident enough to say that.  Should have gone with my gut.

Anyway, a shell shocked but cleaned up Beckett is given a standing O when everyone returns to the precinct.  Gates tells Castle what he did was the stupidest stunt he’s pulled yet and then thanks him for doing it.  We then get back to the assault charges.  The DA isn’t completely willing to let those charges drop since Castle pulled a gun on an unarmed man.  However, he will let Castle off with 1000 hours of community service – served helping Beckett solve murders.  Yes, he’s back at the precinct.  (And like that’s really a punishment for him.)

The final scene finds Beckett and Castle sharing a quiet moment at home as they go to bed.  Castle shares how he now understand just some of what she went through during the two months he was gone.  Meanwhile, Beckett says she is seeing Dr. Neiman every time she closes her eyes.  Castle says he’s dealt with the same things since Tyson’s faked death.  But thinking of Beckett helps him deal with it.

As much as I loved the episode, I do have some issues with it.  So, what was the plan exactly?  Were they going to kill Beckett?  Do plastic surgery on her?  Both?  I’m still unclear on that.  And how did Tyson fake the result last week?  The tooth he could have switched out when he got the rest of his stuff from his mom.  Did he hack the database to change the finger prints?  Still, they always seem to gloss over a few things like that in their two parters.

I still thought it was a great episode and a great way to wrap up the 3XK story.  Once again the performances were outstanding.  The two guest stars stole the show, but everyone was at the top of their game.

 But for those who have been missing the fun, light hearted Castle, it looks like that is back next week as Castle and Beckett are faced with solving a murder on Mars.