Miss last night’s episode? Here’s what you need to know about CASTLE’s’ “Probable Cause”
AIRDATE: 10/29/12 WRITER: Andrew W. Marlowe DIRECTOR: John Terlesky SYNOPSIS: When all the evidence in a shocking ritualistic murder points to Castle as suspect numero uno, the Precinct must race against the clock to prove his innocence before he falls victim to the notorious 3XK killer’s seemingly perfect plan. HISTORIC MOMENT: Well, aside from the fact that both Esposito and Lanie finally join Ryan in learning about Castle and Beckett’s inter-office romance, Castle “kills” a man. And while the final scene made it abundantly clear that we haven’t seen the last of Castle and Beckett’s Moriarty-esque equivalent, this TV Addict can’t remember the last time Castle pulled the trigger with such aplomb. NOTABLE QUOTABLE: “This is so much more fun than the other night at your place,” was how Castle, in typical Castle style, reacted to Beckett cuffing him for the murder of a poor woman. CRITIQUE: We’re happy to report that what quite honestly started out as a very disappointing and underwhelming effort — thanks in no small part to the episodes striking similarity to that of a recent storyline on BONES and the ridiculously speedy nature in which Castle’s long-time colleagues (Shame on you Ryan and Esposito!) turned on him — by the time the credits rolled, “Probable Cause” ended up as one of our favorite episodes of the season thus far. Why? Simply put, short of THE GOOD WIFE, no show puts as much thought into its procedural aspect than creator Andrew Marlowe and Co., who continue to do a remarkable job of balancing the case-of-the-week with believable character growth resulting in compelling storylines with surprising turns at every end. And while it didn’t come as too much of a surprise that we haven’t seen the last of the 3XK killer despite multiple shots to the heart courtesy of Castle and Beckett during a climactic final confrontation, what sure as heck did was the emotions we felt watching Beckett stand by her man in spite of a mountain of evidence to the contrary. More exciting still, Stana Katic not only continues to exceed our expectations thanks to her multi-faceted portrayal of Beckett, her Batman-style disappearing act on Esposito in the police precinct coupled with her Terminator-esque “kill” shot at the end of the episode has us thinking that she has the makings of a serious superhero… or bad ass Bond girl, should the opportunity ever arise. GRADE: A-
CASTLE airs Mondays at 10PM on ABC (CTV in Canada) and stars Nathan Fillion, Stana Katic, Susan Sullivan, Molly C. Quinn, Jon Huertas, Tamala Jones, Seamus Dever and Penny Johnson. Catch up with past episodes you may have missed for free online at clicktowatch.tv.