Castle: XY (8x01)

Starting things off with a bang, apparently. This episode brought back in the sinister Senator Bracken, and added new intrigue with Kate going missing. I'm going to dive straight in to some of the pros/cons of this episode.

Cons:

Esposito and Ryan had very little to do in this opening episode. Beckett goes missing, and she appears to be working under her own power. They figure out very quickly that she's not kidnapped. I feel like Espo and Ryan could have had a bit more to do in terms of finding her... they mostly took a backseat. The episode starts with a brief subplot - Ryan tells Espo that Jenny is pregnant again, but he's worried about money, and worried about his stagnating career. Interesting in theory, but it didn't go anywhere.

So... Beckett getting kidnapped is sort of a cliche, which is fine in theory, but I hate the fact that she's hiding some big secret from Castle. It makes me not believe in them as a couple, and that sucks. I don't honestly think there's anything that could be going on that would justify Beckett lying to Castle like this. It's not believable in a couple that's supposed to be committed and supportive of each other.

But I think that's all I have for weaknesses. The strengths far outweigh them, and I'm actually getting excited to see where this season of Castle takes us.

Pros:

Alexis. We learn in this episode that she's been solving some cases for her dad, by lying and saying she's his intern in his PI business. This is awesome! I love the thought of having more Alexis in the coming weeks. Maybe she can be a more regular presence, helping her dad on cases. Also, Alexis was a significant factor in helping Castle find Beckett. She was the one who put some of the clues together that led to Beckett's last known location. It's a little silly that Alexis has been going behind Castle's back in solving his cases, but it's still fun, and it suggests some future awesomeness to come.

Hayley. Our new character. A London girl from the wrong side of the tracks. I'm putting her in the "pros" section, but the truth is, I'm still on the fence. There were a few really weak moments, especially when Hayley talked about her unconventional methods as a police officer. Let's just say... now is not really the time to be making flip comments about police brutality. But even though Hayley's character pushed the boundaries of cliche bad-ass chick with a dark side, she still captured my attention. The strongest moment was when she encouraged Alexis to follow up on a lead. That was really important, and I hope we get to see Hayley develop in her own right.

The darkness of the plot was an interesting surprise. Seriously - torture via spiders in a plastic bag? That's some pretty gross stuff! And there's Castle finding Beckett's new bracelet in a pool of blood... and Hayley getting shot, and Castle almost dying, and Beckett killing people... yikes. They really aren't pulling any punches. And on top of that, the case is bringing in a lot of interesting elements, such as Beckett's past with the FBI, and Senator Bracken, of course. Next week we'll be getting resolution on some of these plot points, and I have to say, I'm really looking forward to it.

Castle and Beckett's relationship. Okay, so... it annoys me that we're supposed to believe in this fundamental lack of trust between them, and somehow think they're still a great couple. But that being said, I was really touched by Fillion's performance in this season opener. Castle was really worried about Beckett, and it showed in every move he made. Even when he told jokes to lighten the mood, it was usually part of his strategy in distracting the bad guys.

I think that's all I've got. If this season opener is any indicator of things to come, then I'd say we're looking at a fairly solid season.

8/10