It looks like things are getting back on track.

The winter finale of Castle, “Mr. and Mrs. Castle” is probably the best episode we’ve seen so far this season. Its tone strikes the balance of humor, romance, and serious conversations perfectly, and it feels more like the way Castle is supposed to feel.

The case is as lighthearted as a murder case can be, and the cruise ship setting offers opportunities for Castle to be that suave, sexy, playboy that we saw in earlier seasons — but in sort of an adorable and funny way. He doesn’t quite know what do to with himself dancing with those women in stage, and it’s a joy to watch.

He and Beckett are also under a time constraint. They literally have to solve the case in 60 minutes, and it’s only the two of them on the ship to solve it. Split up or not, they make a good team, and that’s exactly what we need to see. The focus is on their partnership and the way they are able to play off of each other to solve a case.

When this season began, I could see that one of the advantages of splitting up Castle and Beckett was to give them the opportunity to work with new characters, therefore offering them new opportunities for their own character development. That’s even more clear in this episode, particularly as we see Castle and Hayley working together.

Vikram, on the other hand, I could do without. (By the way, I also don’t trust either of those characters.)

The ending of the episode gives us hope. No, everything is not resolved with Castle and Beckett. Not entirely. But there is enough of a resolve to this mess that it feels like we’ll be able to get back on track.

The best moment is when Castle confronts her, and says everything we as the audience have been thinking all along. Why didn’t she come to him with what was happening? Why couldn’t he be in on it if they were going to fake a split up?

Castle: You wanna know what hurts the most? You could have come to me with everything. Broken us up, just like you did, only it would have been a cover. And together, in secret, we could have taken this guy down. Only that thought never even occurred to you, because deep down inside, you like being broken. And you need this obsession. And no matter what I do, I can’t change that. Only you can, Kate.

He has such a logical yet heartfelt way of thinking about it, and it actually serves the purpose of reminding us of another reason we love Richard Castle so much. He’d do anything for Kate Beckett, so she needs to let him.

Castle is also hurt and angry, and he’s honest about that fact. That’s the other thing I’ve been waiting to see. As nice as it can be to see Castle try to woo Beckett, it was time for him to stand up for himself and call her out. When he finally does it, it’s incredibly satisfying.

With everything finally out in the open, both with what Beckett has been up to and with the way it has affected Castle, I’m hopeful again about the way the show is heading.

Other Thoughts:

Favorite quote from Martha: “I told you if you can’t tell your mother what you’re doing, you should not be doing it.”

Who knew cat videos could be so useful in a cyber battle?

I enjoy seeing Beckett more in her role as captain, and I hope that’s something we continue to explore in the coming episodes.

What did you think of this episode of Castle? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

Reviewer Rating:

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[Total: 4 Average: 3.3 /5]

Photos from “Mr. and Mrs. Castle”

Castle returns in 2016, Mondays at 10/9c on ABC.