It’s Valentine’s Day time on Castle! The murder investigation in “Reality Star Struck” has to do with couples and love (as well as reality TV!) and, of course, it’s Castle and Beckett’s first Valentine’s Day. I hope you didn’t think that would go off without a hitch.
But first, the murder of the week: Hannah Green, a cast member of the reality show Wives of Wall Street, is literally stabbed in the back with a kitchen knife. When the detectives find out that Hannah was having an affair with Bob, husband of fellow cast member Penelope, both Bob and Penelope seem like good suspects – until they realize the affair was all staged for the ratings and to get attention back from cast members Margo and Nancy, who are planning a wedding – and a spinoff – for their children Stone and Ashley. But Hannah and Stone were actually in love, and when Ashley found out that Stone was planning to ruin her plans by running off with Hannah, she killed her rival.
Wondering who at the precinct is a Wives of Wall Street fan? As it turns out: Gates. Huh. I actually love that; it’s great when characters, especially supporting characters, have very specific outside interests that aren’t necessarily what you’d expect from them, as long as it’s not something that seems wildly anathemic to the character. Gates assigns watching some Wives of Wall Street as “homework,” which really makes sense, since learning about the people involved in the case – and the places they frequent – can only be helpful. Castle winds up being enthralled by the show; he binges on it and then bonds a bit with Gates over discussing it. Beckett, on the other hand, just watched one episode, and when Castle protests that that’s like just eating one chip, Beckett says “I usually just eat one potato chip.” What? Who does that? I don’t believe her.
If you thought the case sounded a bit convoluted, you’re not the only one: Castle briefly (and jokingly, I think) suspects that it might be a ruse concocted by Beckett: “Is this your Valentine’s Day gift to me? A complex mystery where nothing makes sense? You know me so well!” Ha. Early in the episode, they set up a sort of loving tension as Castle brags about his gift-giving skills but Beckett claims that her gift for him might be better than whatever he got her. It turns out that he got her gorgeous earrings, and Martha convinces her son that it would be extra-romantic to sneak the gift into Beckett’s pocket for her to find. But things go horribly awry when Castle accidentally puts the earrings – and a note – in Gates’s blazer pocket instead of Beckett’s. He tries unsuccessfully to get them back out all day, and somehow it takes hours for Gates to notice that they’re there, which seemed entirely unbelievable. Castle finally confesses the mix-up to Beckett, and she’s upset, because she fears that the note will make Gates figure out their secret relationship. But it turns out that Castle didn’t put Beckett’s name on the note, just his own, so when Gates finds the earrings she thinks he intended them for her. She’s upset, of course, but when he agrees that it was just a misguided attempt to curry favor, she promises to ignore it. Phew.
Meanwhile, Beckett indeed manages to give Castle the best gift ever: his own empty drawer in her bureau. It’s good in one sense because it neatly sidesteps the question of “What do you buy for the millionaire who has everything?” But more importantly, this is a huge step for Beckett. She’s intensely private and very hesitant to trust anyone, so giving Castle this bit of space in her apartment shows a level of commitment and a level of trust required to let him into her personal space in an ongoing, if not yet quite permanent, sense. Awww. I’m so proud of her.
Castle and Beckett aren’t the only ones at the precinct having an eventful Valentine’s Day. Ryan and Jenny are trying to conceive, and aw, I hope they succeed, because it would be nice to have a baby around once in a while (but I absolutely do not think Castle and Beckett are ready for that). And Lanie and Esposito go on a Valentine’s Day date together! Everyone’s happy! For the moment. But don’t worry, next week the two-parter starts, so I’m sure everyone will be devastated soon!
(Image courtesy of ABC.)