CASTLE “The Squab & the Quail” recap

When the promo emerged for this episode, my twitter timeline exploded with panic from Castle fans.

“omg Beckett kisses that guy!”, “Are they gonna break up?”, etc.

I knew with certainty that they wouldn’t. Why, you ask? Well, the main reason is because TPTB switched the episode that was supposed to air this week with the one from next week. Next week, we’ll see “Still”, and because of spoilery things, we know that Beckett and Castle are very together. We were also told that swapping the episodes wouldn’t cause any continuity issues – thus – no danger to Caskett.

That doesn’t mean there was no angst. Rick is definitely settling in with Kate, it seems that he’s kinda taking her for granted. As a gamer myself, I actually found myself siding with him in the beginning of the episode. He continues playing his COD-style game instead of dropping it when Beckett comes on to him. Look, he’s right in the middle of owning Patel. How on earth could he just leave the game to do his girlfriend? Of course, I get her side too – I used to be unmarried. *wink*

That sets up Kate to have some doubts about their relationship, and she thinks about it throughout the episode. Enter Eric Vaughn (played by Ioan Gruffudd). He’s literally the guy all the guys wanna be and all the girls wanna be with. A rich, successful businessman with a heart of gold – even Lanie thinks Kate has the right to lust after him.

Rick starts off in awe, but it soon turns to jealousy when he realizes Vaughn might actually be a threat. The team figures out that the victim was given the poison meant for Eric, so he’s in danger. Kate is assigned to keep him safe when Eric requests her specifically. The writers set this up artfully when she was lauded for protecting Senator Bracken. That allowed for Vaughn to take note of her skill and professionalism, and decide she’s the best person to guard him.

Back at the 12th, Rick works harder than ever to find the murderer. He wants to shorten Kate’s assignment as much as possible. I think my favorite part of the episode was when Castle had to sober up a witness by making (and drinking) a copious amount of strong coffee. You’d think he’d have built up a tolerance, however, it wires him like a rat on crack. Watching the already hyper Castle talk like a 45 played at 78. (You’re young – look up vinyl speeds).

They follow the trail from person to person – this week’s episode actually had quite a few guilty parties before it actually got to the person guilty of orchestrating the death. Vaughn’s assistant was using a dummy corporation to siphon funds for himself. He justifies it by saying that his boss took similar risks to get where he is, but the lackey is sorely lacking in skill and lost everything. When an investor demands to tour the facility, the assistant panics and tries to kill his boss.

Another thing that gave me confidence in this episode was watching the promo where Gruffudd’s character tries to kiss Beckett. They don’t show the actual lip-lock – and that led me to believe Kate pushes him away before anything can happen. I have faith in these writers. They haven’t upset me yet, even though there’ve been some pretty bad episodes. I’m still really happy with the way they’ve handled the romance between the leads this season, and we’re almost done. Two more hours left before the season is over.

Don’t get me wrong, I have no doubt that we’ll get a cliffhanger in the finale – that’s their M.O. But I’m okay with it. Castle‘s not rocket science or Shakespeare, but it’s a skillfully written and acted series. I can’t wait for the final two episodes of Season 5, and the inevitable renewal and execution of Season 6 in the fall.

Watch the penultimate episode of Season 5, “Still” – Monday April 29 at 10pm/9pm Central.