I actually watched this yesterday. Thanks Canada! But rewatching.
All in all, this episode was more boring than the premiere for me, because I don’t really care about case stuff. But because I was looking for every little Castle/Beckett interaction, I was paying super close attention. This case heavy episode was better than some other relationship light episodes, but obviously, considering the threat to Castle’s life, I would have liked more than just the ending between Castle and Beckett.
It’s really interesting how in character these guys are but how frustrating who they are makes us fans. Castle and Beckett are dealing with this crazy situation and neither of them really talks to the other about it. They joke about it at the end, but no serious discussion of “hey, if you die” or anything. Also, it happens that Beckett is kind of busy trying to save his life, so not a lot of time to swoon over his illness. She’s at work, she’s trying to hold it together as it is, and if they take the moment to talk about it, neither of them would be very useful in solving the problem in time. So they don’t talk about it. They give each other looks and hold it together so the other person has time to do what they need to do. I would be mad about it if it weren’t completely both of their characters. Castle seems like he’s the open one, but he shuts down just as much as Beckett does. He keeps so much close to the chest and hides his serious feelings in jokes and innuendo. I’m sure they discuss these things together later, but sadly, we don’t get to see it.
I do like the ways in which we could see Beckett crack under the pressure. When they visit Reed, the cracks in her walls appear. And then her going to his house. She keeps her cool surprisingly well, but if something had gone wrong, she totally could have abandoned the badge if it meant saving Castle.
Something someone posted on tumblr made a lot of sense to me. Pi, Alexis’ new boyfriend, is super annoying. I’m sure no one likes him but Alexis; Martha and Castle certainly don’t. But as was pointed out here, he’s Castle! He comes in, takes over, makes jokes, “has a guy” for everything, and introduces new, weird things to an already established family. Which seems like an odd pairing for by-the-books Alexis. But clearly she likes him and when you think about it, it’s totally Castle and Beckett’s relationship. I’m interested to see what this means for Alexis and Castle’s relationship, Alexis and her relationship with Beckett, and Castle’s observations about his own relationship with Beckett through the eyes of Pi&Alexis.
Lastly, I can see where the thread of her time at the AG’s Office is going to unravel. When McCord tells her about the “gray areas,” you can basically see her heart break. She’s so used to things not necessarily being black and white (I think Castle helped her be less black and white about things) but used to people getting the justice they deserve. Or at least going to trial. Now that she knows that’s not a staple of the AG’s Office, I think there will be more and more moments where her desire to actually be a federal agent is tested. I don’t know how long this arc in DC will last, though I believe next week we’ll be back at the 12th with both the boys and the feds working together. But soon enough, I believe she will be back at the 12th. Though what that might mean for the future, I don’t know. Beckett regressing back to the 12th might mean other changes in order to keep the show fresh. I can’t wait to see!
Man this show gives me a lot of feelings and a lot of words.
“Sometimes the hardest things in life are the things most worth doing. Just because we haven’t figured it out yet, doesn’t mean we won’t.”
