Castle: Deep Cover (6x12)

Hmm... I think this episode should have been a good one. It featured the return of Castle's father, and thus should have been full of intrigue and mystery and great character development. Instead, it had a rather convoluted plot, straightforward motivations, and a very lackluster resolution to the previously interesting plot thread about Castle's father. I'm actually pretty disappointed. Here's the plot:

Jackson Hunt (Castle's dad) shows up and becomes the prime suspect in the murder of a computer hacker. Castle isn't sure what to do - does he believe his dad, or does he turn him in to Beckett? Hunt shows up at the house, bleeding from a bullet wound. Martha and Castle help him with an at-home surgery, and then Beckett shows up. Hunt convinces her of his secret role in the CIA. They have disavowed him, but that's only because he has to go deep undercover. Castle and Beckett go to help catch the bad guy, but Castle almost gets himself killed. Luckily, Hunt escapes Martha's house and rescues Castle. He then vanishes with the body of the murderer, and Castle and Martha wonder if they'll ever see him again.

Meanwhile, Ryan is back from paternity leave, and Castle and Beckett try to decide when to get married. At first, they can't seem to find a good date. Later, after the whole incident with his father, Castle decides to cancel his book tour in September and get married then.

So. Let's list the few things I did like about this episode first.

Castle and Beckett's relationship is one of the best on TV, in my opinion. They are so open and honest with each other, and it was interesting to test that part of their relationship. I also liked them trying to decide about a wedding date. The wedding plot has certainly not taken over the show, but I like getting hints of it.

Martha. She was actually involved in the case this week. I like that nobody tried to shut her out of what was going on, and her presence was respected. She got to know the full plan, and she was trusted to watch after Hunt while Castle and Beckett went to finish the case.

But... there are problems with both of those "positive" elements as well. If Castle and Beckett have a really communicative relationship, then the fact that Castle hid the truth about his dad from Beckett should have been a really big deal. Instead, the show brushed over that interesting character dynamic and jumped into more of the case. And Martha, even though she got to be more involved, was incapable of stopping Hunt from leaving, even though it seemed pretty obvious what he was up to. Also, she didn't get any real closure from him.

And there were other problems, too. The case itself was rather convoluted. I was never quite sure what was going on, and it was all too... large in scope, if you know what I mean. The CIA, Iran... why wasn't the FBI called in on a case like this?

Also, not enough Ryan and Esposito. Never enough. I think I got spoiled after watching last week's episode, which featured them both so heavily. Now, we're back to nothing. And no Alexis either! I love Beckett and Castle, but I was missing all of my favorite characters this week.

Okay, I could go on, but I won't. I know that wasn't the most coherent review. I just don't have all that much to say. I had a fairly unremarkable experience watching this episode. It just sort of happened. A few cute moments were not enough to make up for a lackluster experience.

5/10