Castle – “Reckoning” Recap. Like a Moth to the Flame. Shocking and Suspenseful!

Season 7, Episode 15

Air Date: Monday, February 16, 2015 at 10/9c on ABC

Rating: ★★★★★

WARNING: MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD

“We’re not gonna find her, not like this. Not by chasing him; not by playing his game. We need to take the game to him.” – Castle

“Reckoning” is a pulse pounding, intense episode that takes you on an emotional roller coaster ride. Ranging from frustration, sadness, grief, fear, anger, vengeance, and relief, the suspenseful nature of “Reckoning” cannot be missed. The intensity is palpable throughout and not something I can easily convey in a recap. This is a must see episode. I found myself biting my nails, something I haven’t done while watching a television show in a very long time. Be warned, there is graphic violence in “Reckoning” that might be jarring to some viewers.

The Real Jerry Tyson

Castle (Nathan Fillion) is convinced Michael Boudreau (Michael Mosley) is Jerry Tyson (Mosley) and not some random guy plastic surgeon Dr. Kelly Nieman (guest star Annie Wersching) cut up to look like Jerry. But Castle has no way of proving it. He becomes desperate in the search for his wife Det. Kate Beckett (Stana Katic) after receiving a decoy phone call and rogue. When Castle shows up at Boudreau’s apartment, kicking his way in, I gasped. The look in Castle’s eyes is full of anguish and pain at the thought of Beckett being dead. As Boudreau cowers on the floor, pleading with Castle and insisting he’s not Jerry Tyson, I was almost convinced he was telling the truth. I should have known better, especially when Boudreau—with his bloodied eye—looks up at Castle as NYPD uniformed officers come in and stop Castle from pulling the trigger.

The fact that Tyson is able to get to Castle so easily is scary. Tyson even figures out a way to clone Castle’s home phone number to make it seem like he’s calling Castle from inside his apartment.

Decoy Heartbreak

Fillion does a great job of expressing fear, grief, anger, and relief during this scene.

When Esposito (Jon Huertas) informs Castle they found the van used to kidnap Beckett near an abandoned building, Castle, Esposito, Ryan (Seamus Dever), and a SWAT team head out in hopes of finding Beckett alive. At the building, SWAT uses surveillance cameras to look inside and see a woman strapped to a chair. As they kick in the doors, the woman yells, “Castle, wait, get back; it’s a trap,” as multiple gunshots ring out. The scene is disturbing as you watch the woman’s brunette hair fly around, and blood squirt out as bullets penetrate her head. My jaw dropped and I think my heart skipped a beat. I knew it wasn’t Beckett but only after the gunshots ended. Come on, the writers can’t kill the leading lady of the series; that would be television suicide! Fillion does an amazing job portraying the grief and remorse Castle feels for not being able to save her in time. You can see the mixed emotions of terror and relief written all over his face when he realizes it’s not Beckett. I had chills watching this scene.

Old Cellmates

Captain Gates (Penny Johnson Jerald) says something to Castle about Tyson that pushes him to think outside the box. “That man got inside your head and you let him. You wanna help her, you gotta get inside his. What’s his story? What’s his next move? Now, you figure that out and we’ll find her.” After the decoy incident, the investigation continues to drag on without much progress. Castle knows Tyson’s former prison cellmate Marcus Gates (Lee Tergesen has insight on Tyson so he pays him a visit, begging for any information that will lead to finding Beckett. Of course, with Marcus being in prison, he knows the value of information and wants something in return. I should have known Marcus was a part of the game. He gives up information on Tyson a little too easily after Castle uses a little reverse psychology on him. Marcus tells Castle about an old house that belonged to a family friend that Tyson used to stay in when he was younger. Why is there always an old house? Criminals really need to start rethinking their hideouts.

The Showdown

When Castle arrives at the old house, he sees the woman who was dating Tyson. Esposito says something about Amy Barrett (Laura Coover) also being a “victim” but she’s not. She’s been helping Tyson and Nieman the entire time. She lies to Castle about Beckett, Tyson, and Nieman’s location. I kind of wish Castle had knocked Amy out before putting her in the trunk of his car.

Castle goes into the house looking for evidence of Beckett. When he finds an office, he sees a computer monitor that shows Beckett lying on an operating table. She isn’t in the house but she’s close. Then Tyson shows up and it seems all is lost. While Nieman is plotting to cut off Beckett’s face for herself (sick), Tyson has Castle tied up and ready to shoot him. The conversation between Castle and Tyson is very enlightening. Tyson thinks he’s had the upper hand the whole time but he hasn’t. Castle didn’t come alone to the house. Esposito and Ryan are nearby. In one single move, a bullet pierces the glass, going straight into Tyson’s chest. There’s no mistaking it now – Tyson is dead. Good shot, Esposito.

Finding Beckett

While Castle and the gang are desperately trying to save Beckett, she’s been rescuing herself from the demented Dr. Nieman. As Nieman grabs a scalpel to slice up Beckett’s face, Beckett frees one of her hands to stop her. As the blood drips down from the scalpel, Castle, Esposito, and Ryan burst through the door to see Beckett standing over Nieman. This traumatic incident is going to stay with Beckett for a long time. This isn’t something you get over in a few days…it’s going to take years to come to terms with.

Interesting tidbit

The pre-recorded call from Beckett is a sampling of audio Tyson and Nieman use from an interview Beckett gave when Castle was missing. It’s obvious Tyson and Nieman took months to plan this scheme. I wonder if Tyson knew anything about Castle’s disappearance. How else could he know Castle would be found alive to plan this elaborate scheme?

Overall

“Reckoning” is an amazing episode filled with drama, intensity, and shocking twists. Is there a link to Castle’s disappearance and Tyson’s reemergence? Will all roads will lead back to “Hollander’s Woods?” I have a wild hair theory about the family friend who owned the house Tyson loved so much. I think that family knew Castle’s family, and both Tyson and Castle knew each other as young boys. It’s a stretch but it’s a possibility. Perhaps something Tyson did in the woods made Castle so afraid, he blocked it from his memory. Either way, I need the writers to start giving us more clues about what happened to Castle when he disappeared.

What did you think of “Reckoning?” Leave me a comment below and/or tweet me @judybopp.

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Judy Manning

Dream chaser extraordinaire! Judy tends to be a tad sarcastic and kind of goofy! She is an avid admirer of all things supernatural, paranormal, celestial and mystical. She loves to read, write, and watches way too much TV. She enjoys many genres of film and music (and let's be honest, most music from the 80s). She also has a wicked sweet tooth. Cupcakes beware.