Castle – Conspiracies, murder and phone sex, oh Mayor!

Castle got a little real this week, right when you weren’t expecting it. A threat to the mayor is a threat to Castle working with the NYPD. Apparently, a threat to that is also a threat to Beckett’s continued safety from the “Conspiracy.”

I was glad that the mayor was cleared of the murder charges. I wasn’t worried that there would be any real impact to the Castle/NYPD dynamic, but I would have hated for Castle to been so blatantly incorrect about the quality of the man he called his friend – at least about the murder. Because, obviously in the end, all of the clues point to the mayor somehow being connected to the conspiracy involving Beckett’s mother’s murder. The way that the mayor ended the growth of his political career, supposedly content with “just” being the mayor of the greatest city in the world, was about as transparent as a window.

It does seem odd, however, that the “Mystery Man” would influence the investigation just to keep Castle’s relationship with the NYPD, and obviously Kate Beckett, intact. This story started small on Castle, but has certainly evolved into a vital part of the overall journey that Beckett and Castle are on. I’m interested in finding out just how far up, down, and around the story will go.

The :45 Guess: This is a tough one as it is any time there’s not enough evidence on the table. What little we have points to the mayor, but for that very reason (and the appearance of “Mystery Man”) it’s likely not him. As much as there’s a familiar face in his office (familiar, at the very least, to Bones’ fans), he’s not yet said a word on camera. As much as I want to pull back to one of the dead end leads from earlier in the episode, I think the murderer is in the Mayor’s Office. The only person given any time there is his Chief of Staff.

The Answer: I wasn’t correct, but I don’t feel like I was wrong. Sure, Norris facilitated the murder, but because so many of the circumstances behind the scenes remain unrevealed, it is hard to buy into it being just that simple.

Notes & Quotes

• “That’s between our 8:00-10:00 murder window.” – Castle, sharing the details of the investigation with basically anyone.
• Castle’s guest casting continues to shine with Derek Webster (who has guest starred in just about every thing on TV in the past ten years) and Michael Grant Terry (Bones’ Wendell Bray).
• “You get that warrant and you do your job – whatever the cost.” – Gates, proving that even the sentiment before that statement will never get me to like her.
• I still don’t like Captain Gates, in case you were wondering.
• Castle went to Ryan for help; how long will Ryan keep that from Beckett? From Esposito?

Clacked by Ivey West
on Jan 17, 2012 @ 02:33 EST5EDT