TV Recap: Castle 7-18 - At Close Range

I always enjoy it when they give the supporting players a chance to shine on Castle.  It helps fill in a little more about them, but it also allows us a twist on the formula of the show.  Last night was Ryan’s turn to shine, and what a night it was.

From time to time, they’ve mentioned the extra jobs that Ryan is taking on to pay for the growing needs of his family.  One of those lands him in the middle of a case.  He’s working for his brother-in-law, a former cop who now does private security.  Their assignment tonight is a Representative with huge political aspirations.  Yes, there is the potential for death threats, but they also need to make sure no one attacks the Representative and makes an embarrassing scene.

The event is actually for the Representative’s friend who runs a charity dedicated to getting clean water out to those who need it in less developed countries.  The two are talking back stage just before he goes on to introduce her speech when three shots ring out.  Ryan had been momentarily distracted by a hotel staff member, so all he sees is the friends going down.  His brother-in-law was on stage, and he runs backstage.  Ryan spots the shooter and takes off after him, only to lose him when the hotel security blocks him.

Beckett lands the case when the Representative’s friend dies, making it officially a murder.  They are able to get an ID on the man Ryan saw fleeing the scene, and it turns out to be someone with a known grudge against the Representative.  He’d need connections to get a gun past security, and that connection seems to come when a hotel janitor confesses to having seen this suspect talking to a millionaire who was determined to stop the Representative’s political career.  Only the suspect claims to be set up and the millionaire isn’t talking.  Time to dig in and find the evidence, right?

Except something that is said makes Ryan reconsider where the shots came from.  He asks Castle for some help, and he determines that the shots actually came from behind the lights, away from where their suspect was standing and where no one could see the shooter.  Furthermore, they determine that the friend was the real target and not the Representative.

Still, it was obvious our first suspect was set up, so we start looking for who gave him his press badge.  Turns out it was left in his mailbox by…Ryan’s brother-in-law, who promptly runs when the police arrive at his house.

Ryan goes out to track him down, and learns that private security hasn’t been going as well as he let on and he’s started taking money on the side to make ends meet.  Usually, these have involved sneaking people into concerts, but in this case, he was paid money to deliver that badge.  Yes, he’s in hot water and is taken in to custody.

Meanwhile, Beckett has been looking into the victim’s purse and finds a second cell phone.  She turns it on and finds a pretty powerful motive for murder.  Couple that with the fingerprint on the envelope the cash was delivered to Ryan’s brother-in-law in, and they’ve got the killer.

It seems the Representative was having an affair with the victim, and his wife’s fingerprint is on the envelop.  Just one problem, she knew about the affair and was having one of her own with a different woman at the time of the shooting.  She recognizes the envelop as coming from the Representative’s political office, however.  They are able to track down which bank the bills in the envelop came from and that leads them to…

…The Representative’s chief of staff.  She saw the friend as a threat to his political career, something she had poured her entire life in to.  With that on the line, she decided to act to take her out and set the entire thing in motion, frame job and all, pulling the trigger herself.

And for the final scene of the episode, Ryan is leading his brother-in-law back to where he lives with Ryan’s sister.  The man is unsure how to face his wife and dreading the consequences of his actions.  However, as he wonders whether to open the door or knock, the door opens and his wife embraces him.  Amidst words of comfort about working things out, she mouths “Thank you” to Ryan.

This was definitely on the more serious side of things for the show, but I enjoyed getting to see more of Ryan.  The lighter moments about them investigating an actual conspiracy and harebrained ideas were absolutely wonderful.

Your thoughts on the episode?  Hit me up in the comments.