Castle’s first episode back after the winter hiatus picked back up without missing a stride in terms of episode quality. This week’s body was a bridesmaid who was found strangled in her room on the morning of the wedding by the bride herself—who happened to be an old flame of Castle’s. In fact, Kyra (Alyssa Milano) was Castle’s college sweetheart. He has to face working a case that affects him too personally to be objective, while Beckett has to face someone from Castle’s past who “isn’t like his wives” and is, in fact, someone Beckett is jealous of.
So, best opening scene yet? (Including the Cap’n Tightpants reference from Halloween?) That. Was. Hilarious. And so very Castle, to have Alexis duct tape him to a chair so that he can properly research how Nikki Heat might get out of that situation. And so very Alexis to snatch some bills from his wallet—“You wouldn’t respect me if I didn’t—and so very Castle for him to agree with her on that point.
I thought both the coroner and Castle’s mom had good moments this week. Lainey (the coroner) is always good for teasing Beckett, and this time we got to see why she’s a coroner when she started talking to the body after Beckett rolled her eyes and left the morgue. And Martha, who is more hit or miss with me than any of the other characters, had a really nice moment as wise mother who’s been there and wouldn’t go back, advising Castle to just leave Kyra alone. I think her comment about the picture is a perfect analogy—“that picture is a loaded gun.” Yup.
And Castle played with it anyway. This was an interesting episode in that it seemed more about him, his emotions and insecurities, than about the case. I loved Kyra’s fiancé kicking Castle out of the interrogation room because he was being unobjective and because they were having a pissing contest, the jealous ex and the jealous husband (to be). It was also an episode that caught really well the poignancy of seeing someone you used to love, and perhaps never totally got over, in a realistic way. Because, whatever romantic comedies like to say, the truth is that most of the time you stay moved on. I was glad that they did not get back together, despite the kiss on the balcony. That seemed more like a proper goodbye that they never had before, than anything.
And I freaking LOVED Beckett being jealous about all of it. I mean, poor girl, I hated watching her feel that, but it was so funny to see her make Castle squirm with those surveillance photos. And Beckett having to come up with a Castle-mystery-novel scenario to explain why Kyra was, in fact, a suspect to show him that he was way too close to the case. Castle repeated a line he had used before, I think in season one, about Beckett “not asking very loudly.” At first I didn’t like the echo, but after a second to think about it I decided that it was a good thing: people tend to use the same lines. It was an appropriate line for an unusually awkward moment, and it fits that even a writer—maybe especially a writer—would reuse phrases when they are terribly apt for the situation at hand.
I thought Alyssa Milano played the part of a “real” girl very well—she and Fillion certainly caught the awkward emotions of such a reunion palpably. It was also another little piece of Castle’s past, which we still don’t know that much of, given how long we’ve been watching a show based on him now, so it was kind of cool to see the woman who might be the reason he married the women he did instead of someone Beckett could like. Wonder if this cathartic reunion will clear up some of his hesitation about romancing Beckett? Kyra gave Beckett her permission/encouragement/approval in two ways—first in the elevator, when she remarked that “Rick only dedicates books to people he really cares about” and then at the end, when she’s leaving the precinct and says “he’s all yours.”
Hm…I’m still not sure whether I’m ready, or if I ever will be, to see anything actually develop between them. But next week it looks like we’ve got an episode focused on Beckett, as the end of season one comes back into play with her mother’s murderer reappearing. Can’t wait!
