Castle Season 7 Episode 15 Review: Reckoning
Christine Orlando
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Despite always knowing that Kate Beckett would survive (because what would Castle be without Kate Beckett?), Castle Season 7 Episode 15 still managed to be one of the most suspenseful of the series.
The story picked up right where Castle Season 7 Episode 14 left off. The moment they found Beckett’s car and realized she’d been abducted things moved very quickly. Esposito and Ryan barked orders to the uniforms with an intensity I don’t think I’ve ever heard from them before.
While everyone else was scrambling for evidence against Tyson, Castle’s motives were much more visceral. He didn’t care about evidence or procedure or justice. He simply needed to find his wife – which was why he headed over to Michael Boudreaux’s. Castle never doubted that Boudreaux was really Tyson, not while the man swore he grew up in Iowa nor while he begged for mercy as Rick held a gun to his head.
Even though Gates had to arrest Castle for assault with a deadly weapon, she understood why he went that far. She even took the cuffs off and let him continue with the investigation while sharing a conversation she had with Beckett in this Castle quote…
When I first got here I couldn't figure out what Beckett saw in you but you know what she said? He sees the story. I see the evidence, where it leads but he sees the story.
Capt. Gates
And that was exactly what they needed because Jerry Tyson was smart enough to know how to hide the evidence and how avoid normal police procedure.
Unfortunately, some poor woman was brutally murdered before Castle could figure his way into Tyson’s head. Once again, I knew it was a setup when the team saw what they believed was Kate tied to a chair in that warehouse, but I had a knot in my stomach just the same. That poor woman sat there, knowing she was about to be shot and there was nothing she could do to stop it. I’m relieved it wasn’t Beckett, but watching that woman be killed was still horrifying.
For a moment, Castle’s world crumbled until he realized it wasn’t Beckett, but the shock and horror were still there. It wasn’t until they got back to the precinct that he was able to see Tyson’s plan, see the story and figure out how to change it.
Throughout most of Castle the series, Rick Castle is the charming, funny, genuinely nice guy. He’s the optimist who always turns towards the light. Yet there are moments we get to see the darkness. It happened when Alexis was kidnapped and it happened once again in “Reckoning.” I had no doubt Castle would have tortured and killed Tyson with his bare hands if that’s what it took to save Kate. Thanks to the depth of Nathan Fillion’s performance I never doubted that Rick Castle was capable of doing anything necessary to protect the ones he loves.
When Castle stepped into the house in the woods, I believed that Beckett wasn’t there but Tyson most likely was. What I didn’t see coming was Castle getting tazered. Ouch! But I suppose it’s a whole lot better than getting shot. Tyson’s plan was to force Castle to watch what was going to happen to Beckett. In that way, it was as though he could kill Castle piece by piece.
But Rick Castle had other plans. He’d figured out Jerry’s story…
All the games. All the manipulations. After I screwed up your plans you needed to know you were smarter than me. You needed to know you could control me.
Rick Castle
Rick Castle wasn’t alone. He was part of a team and when he gave the word, a bullet came through the window from Espo’s sniper rifle. I liked the lack of sound when Tyson was finally shot. We never hear the shot because the rifle was so far away. The bullet coming through the glass and entering Tyson was quiet but the shock on his face as he turned towards Castle and fell to the ground was all the drama necessary.
Then everyone scrambled to find Kate who was still in the clutches of Dr. Niemann. So was Niemann simply going to reconstruct her own face to look like Beckett’s or was she actually going to peal off Kate’s skin to use as her own? Just thinking about it is enough to give me nightmares.
One of the things I’ve always loved about Kate Beckett is that no matter the situation, she never plays the damsel in distress. Beckett doesn’t give in and she doesn’t give up, so when she began getting bloody fingers by unscrewing her restraints, I knew that she’d eventually succeed.
Beckett only had one hand free when Niemann came at her with that scalpel but I suppose that was the last thing the doctor expected and I’m sure Kate made the element of surprise work in her favor. We didn’t get to see the struggle that followed. I wish we’d gotten to see at least a portion of it but watching Beckett from behind as she stood over Niemann’s body and then turning, obviously still in shock to find Castle there was all that was needed to tell the story.
Kate still looked badly shaken as she walked into the precinct to the applause of her colleagues and Castle never left her side. Then came the one truly happy moment of the hour. Capt. Gates told Castle that the DA was willing to drop his assault with a deadly weapon charges (he did attack a serial killer after all) but Castle would have to agree to 1000 hours of community service…as Detective Beckett’s consultant.
Not only is Castle finally back at the 12th Precinct; he hugged Gates, twice! She also told him thank you.
Back home, Kate continued to look traumatized as she lie in their bed and, as usual, Castle was in awe of her.
Rick Castle: I don't know how you did it.
Kate Beckett: What?
Rick Castle: Kept it together the two months I was missing. Two days I didn't know where you were and it nearly killed me.
I appreciated the mention of Castle’s two month absence and as much as I want more information about what happened to Castle last summer, I don’t expect to get any answers until the end of this season.
As much as I love how well Castle does these dramatic episodes, I think it’s time for some humor. Tune in next week and check back here for our review of Castle Season 7 Episode 16, where Castle and Beckett head to Mars!
You can always watch Castle online now right here at TV Fanatic.
C. Orlando was a TV Fanatic Staff Writer. Follow her on Twitter.
