Castle: “The Blue Butterfly”

So I thought last night’s tale of guns, gams and grifts was hitting on all eight. Even though Beckett thought he was just bumpin’ gums, Castle was savvy to the game. Turns out the whole shebang was buzzing around a hood, his dame, and some swanky ice.

Sorry, I got into the spirit I guess. Anyway…

In this week’s episode of Castle, entitled “[easyazon-link asin=”B0076I3H3G”]The Blue Butterfly[/easyazon-link]”, the 12th is called to investigate the death of a man who’s apparently been treasure hunting. Castle finds an old diary in the victim’s belongings, and is drawn to it. While the other detectives gather clues, he finds his own while reading the narrative written by a hard-boiled 1940s private detective. The show easily switches back and forth between present-day and 1940s versions of the events that led up to not only the murder they were assigned to investigate, but an old incident that was presumed to be a closed case.

During the modern scenes, dialogue from the supporting characters (suspects, a landlady, witnesses) all spoke in the same style, albeit a subtler version, of 40s gangster speak. A crafty way to keep the mood of the show the same throughout the entire hour. Also, the Castle-esque twists and turns were less obvious because of the time period switches.

Kate seems enthralled with the romance and intrigue revealed while investigating the 1940s evidence, a nice change from her usual eye-rolling and barely tolerant demeanor towards Rick. She catches him when he substitutes her name for that of Vera’s just before he reads the last pages – which end without resolution. This leaves her wanting more – telling Castle that she wants to know the ending. He counters, saying that she could always read one of his many books if she wants a clear beginning, middle, and end. A very cute interchange.

The clues lead them to a bookie, then a professional (and pretentious) treasure seeker, the bartender from the old speakeasy, and a homeless man. Not all of the leads are what they appear, and the bartender and his wife turn out to be none other than Joe and Vera – the P.I. and the Gangster’s Moll. The two were supposedly murdered by Dempsey in ’47 and burned in the alley behind the club. However, the bodies were really the daughter of Dempsey’s ex-girlfriend and her husband – who pounced on the pair seeking revenge for her mother’s suicide. They were both accidentally killed during their ambush, and Joe put them in his car and set it ablaze, hoping that they would be mistaken for him and Vera, so they could escape and live out their lives in peace.

Thinking the priceless necklace was cursed, Joe hid it behind a loose brick in the wall of Dempsey’s club – and the pair disappeared into the night. Dempsey was, of course, accused of the murders – and ended up dying from a heart attack a few months later.

Turning back to the modern events, Castle and Beckett figured out the real identities of the older couple, and confronted them about the more recent murder. Since the murder weapon was found to be one of Joe’s old pistols, they were on the short list of suspects. However, they weren’t the only ones to deduce that Joe and Vera were alive and well, and living in a senior community. He assumes the role of caretaker to eke out the location of the jeweled neckpiece – but when the amateur treasure seeker arrives armed with new information, the younger man finds him at the now-derelict club with intentions to confront him and take the necklace. Things get away from him and he kills the man – and absconds with what is later found to be a replica to the original jewelry.

The episode concludes with scenes of the two couples – Kate and Rick / Joe and Vera – discussing the events of the past, and Kate decides not to unmask them in order to bring the revelation of the original murder victims to light. In the last flashback of the episode, we are returned to the alley where the young Joe and Vera begin their life together – with a promise of ‘Always’.

I found this episode to be lovely, and very well acted by the entire cast. I like seeing the new, more relaxed Beckett, and it’s nice to see the four leads interacting in different pairings.

Castle returns next Monday, February 13th, with part one of a two-part event entitled “Pandora”. The second half airs the following week with the outing called “Linchpin“.