Castle’s debut season is over, and with its future uncertain, it would have to produce an impressive finish to convince viewers it’s worth another year. Though the investigation may not have been as compelling as previous cases, certain character and story developments, along with some hilarious and often touching scenes, helped the tenth episode of Castle end on a high note.
Plastic Surgeon Found Suffocated in Abandoned Car
The tenth episode’s investigation concerned a man’s body found inside an abandoned car, his head wrapped in transparent plastic. Detective Kate Beckett (Stana Katic) and Richard Castle (Nathan Fillion) eventually discovered the man was a prominent plastic surgeon, and surmised a former patient, perhaps angered or spurned, may be responsible for his death.
As usual, Beckett and Castle investigated a lead, a woman who’d had her fourth face-lift refused by the murdered plastic surgeon, but their half-baked accusations directed at the plastic-faced suspect proved wrong.
Inevitably, they found another lead, which yielded better results. The plastic surgeon’s colleagues had no recollection of an operation he had performed and duly stricken from the records. The operation in question concerned a witness under protection from the F.B.I., and with the feds involved, a familiar face resurfaced.
Sorensen Returns to Castle
It appeared Agent Will Sorensen’s (Bailey Chase) role in the series would be limited to only the ninth episode, but he returned again to aid Castle and particularly Beckett in their case. He revealed the murdered plastic surgeon had performed reconstructive surgery for Jimmy ‘The Rat’ Moran (Joe Marinelli). The Spalanos, a crime-family whose secrets Jimmy had been spilling, had seemingly discovered both Jimmy’s betrayal and the plastic surgeon’s involvement, and wanted revenge.
Castle Attempts to Reopen Beckett’s Murdered Mother’s Case
Sorensen’s arrival disrupted a subplot forming between Castle and Beckett. Castle, whose interest in Beckett is deepening, has been digging into the case of Beckett’s mother, who’d been murdered years ago. But when he reveals this to her, Beckett responds angrily, threatening to end their already fragile relationship. Castle was obviously shocked, and the sincerity in his apology was significant.
But Castle persists and discovers, thanks to information gleaned from a renewed forensics investigation, that the clinical nature of her mother’s murder suggests it may have been pre-meditated. Clearly, this particular story thread will be woven into a potential second season.
Castle Season Finale Review
Overall, a solid season finale for Castle, with the mundane investigation bolstered by the story development regarding Beckett’s murdered mother. The subplot involving Castle’s daughter going to the senior prom was hilarious, with the eponymous author staging a frightening set-piece for her date, only to be thwarted by his mother!
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