Castle 5.04 ‘Murder He Wrote’ recap: Of Hamptons and secrets

Is anybody even surprised to learn that Murder He Wrote was an incredible episode? I should think not. Starting from the pilot and onwards, the writing team, crew and cast of Castle have proven to be a group of people that consistently delivers quality. This episode was no exception, with its hilarious mix of romance, friendship and a healthy dose of murder for good measure.

The episode starts with Martha and Alexis teasing Castle about his first romantic weekend with Beckett. The pair intends to go to the Hamptons, where they plan to relax and spend some quality time together under the radar. Unfortunately, this plan is rudely interrupted when a man named Randall Franklin chooses precisely the backyard of Castle’s Hamptons house to collapse and die.

And so a new chapter of the comedy of errors that is the love life of Castle and Beckett begins.

The case was a light one: no life or death situations threatened our favorite duo, nor did we have to witness manifestations of grief from Franklin’s loved ones. On the contrary, and after considering several suspects, it was discovered that the crime was perpetrated by the Deputy of the Hamptons Police Department himself, who had not been particularly thrilled to find that Franklin had become a rival to his drug dealing business. A simple case for the most part, it wormed its way into first Castle’s and then Beckett’s minds so deeply that they felt they had to solve the crime instead of, you know, relax in their relaxing weekend. It was hilarious to watch the couple try to negotiate some alone time while at the same time searching for answers.

That wasn’t the only comedic moment of the episode. In a delightful nod to the fans of the show, Castle and Beckett discussed what their couple name would be. After trying some truly horrific ones (no offense to anyone who for some reason liked them, but seriously. Rickate?), the pair settled for Caskett, which has been the name used to refer to them by fans on the Internet since 2009.  Ryan and Esposito also added their fair share of comedy from New York, where they tried to help their coworkers by working on the same case while at the same time raking their brains trying to figure out who Beckett’s mystery boyfriend was. In a hilarious twist, Ryan stumbled upon the answer when he interrogated a man who’d already been questioned by Beckett and Castle. Nevertheless, he kept the knowledge to himself, not without taunting the no longer secret couple with some very not subtle hints.

There were emotional moments as well. Beckett continues to struggle with Castle’s reputation with women, adding one more layer to her character that has nothing to do with her mother’s murder this time. He acknowledged his past, but reassured Beckett telling her that while he had indeed brought other women to his house, “none of them were you”. It was a short, sweet moment, and it balanced out the humor in the episode nicely.

But it that the final scene that left a trail of dying Caskett fans around the world. Picture this: Castle, Beckett, a candlelit room with a king sized bed in it, no interruptions of any kind (unheard of, I know). Beckett narrates the scene as if it was a Nikki Heat book. The camera pans out after the couple kiss.

Like I said: incredible episode. I’m still amazed by the care with which Marlowe and Co. are handling the relationship between Castle and Beckett, as well as by the astounding acting range both Fillion and Katic show us week after week. As it is, Murder He Wrote is nearly good enough to keep me going through the two-week hiatus between this episode and the next. Nearly nothing would be good enough for that.

A funny, lighthearted episode that is Castle at its best. A solid A rating this time.