Castle 5x04: Murder, He Wrote

Castle and Beckett (who the internet apparently call 'Caskett') are going away for the weekend as couples are wont to do. Since dating is still a violation of the NYPD anti-fraternization whatever, they have to lie about what they're doing. Castle says he's going to the Hamptons to write, while Beckett gets her metaphorical balls busted because she's going away with her secret boyfriend for the weekend. They don't have a case, so Ryan and Esposito decide to spend the weekend tracking down Beckett's new man. Because they're her partners, and it's important for them to make sure she's not dating a scumbag.

As it turns out, Beckett was actually more or less telling the truth. She is going away for the weekend with her secret boyfriend. Her rich secret boyfriend, who has a big-ass house in the Hamptons.

Having Castle own a literal castle would've been a bit too on the nose, so he just has this place.

But, before the sexytimes can begin, a dead guy falls in Castle's pool. That's always the way these sorts of things go. You're about to have a weekend of pantsless fun, and a guy just flops down dead in front of you. It totally kills the mood. Anyway, the local constabulary is on the case, so Castle and Beckett can get back to being bottomless. She makes a valiant effort, but his inquisitive mind just won't let it go. Personally, I think naked times with a pretty lady are more fun than investigating a murder, but maybe that's why I'm not a best-selling author.

Sure, he looks happy, but he's really thinking about solving a murder.

The dead guy is a local rich dude who nearly lost it all in the crash, and avoided jail time by ratting out his co-workers. While the Mayberry PD think it was a local meth head, Castle goes poking around and accuses the dead guy's mistress. It's a small town, though, and she's good friends with the police chief, so Caskett are quickly arrested for interfering with a police investigation.

My vacations have fewer meth addicts.

Fortunately, a quick internet search determines just who exactly the two of them are, and since the chief's never worked a murder investigation before, he asks Castle and Beckett to work as consultants. And so, the dance begins. It's not the mistress, the guy's ex-co-worker, or the local mafioso who was ticked at him for buzzing his house with a helicopter.

Vinnie the Scar is *not* the killer.

Back in New York, Esposito and Ryan check out the dead guy's real estate holdings. He's been buying up distressed properties, but not renovating them, and not renting them out. It doesn't add up, so it's time to pay a visit to one. They find a fully-loaded meth lab down in the basement, along with some dudes who say the ex-co-worker was in on it. Ryan interrogates him, but he doesn't know who killed the guy. However, he lets it slip that Castle and his girlfriend brunette girlfriend named Kate interrogated him up in the Hamptons, and Ryan finds that just as interesting.

Kevin Ryan: Smug bastard.

They now know that the dead guy was killed over meth, and the local meth addict tells the cops that he buys his stuff from the dock master. Case closed... or is it? Castle notices that the dock master's boat is tied up with perfect knots, whereas the boat where the guy was killed was tied quite sloppily. The real killer was whoever got the info from the meth addict: Deputy Jones. A quick standoff ensues, and the chief shoots his deputy. Case closed... for real.

Then, at long last, it's sexytime.

What I Liked
-They managed to work in Martha and Alexis. It was right at the beginning of the episode and only for about 45 seconds, but they were there. I hope this means the writers like that part of the show as much as I do.
-Beckett forgot her bathing suit. Women who do that are awesome.
-In exchange for their help, Castle has to let Ryan and Esposito borrow his Ferrari. That's not technically a bribe.
-Ryan's interrogation. Getting the guy to describe Beckett is actually kinda pervy when I think about it.

I don't make this face when I think about it.

What I Hated
-Esposito says "Yeah, this is definitely a meth lab" in what is quite obviously a meth lab. I think it must've been for the audience's benefit because otherwise it's like walking into McDonald's and saying "Yeah, this is definitely a fast food joint" which would be a really weird thing for a person to say.
-The killer was sort of random. I know that's sometimes how it has to be, but I don't care for it. We barely caught a glimpse of Deputy Jones before he was outed as the killer.

Final Thoughts
This episode did not, in any way, take itself seriously. That's good. Castle is not a serious business cop show. It's a goofy guy investigating murders with the help of his sassy partner and interracial buddy cop chums. There's no need for seriousness.

I'm left wondering if Castle's wealth will become an issue in the Caskett relationship. Sure, it's nice to date a rich guy, but do you wind up resenting his wealth or getting accustomed to it? The fact that he's loaded doesn't come up that often, but they've gone two straight episodes with Castle showing off his wad. Last week it was a literal wad of cash, and this week it's his big-ass house. Will he buy her an exceedingly expensive bracelet only to have her go "Whoa, hey, slow down cowboy. We've only been dating for a few months"? I hope not. This show avoids cliches most -but not all- of the time.

That being said, I really enjoyed this episode. It was fun, not too grisly, and it even had a little bit of action.