Here you go, folks. The review everyone has been waiting for. I hope you like the long ones, because in my Word document, this is 22 pages long. Enjoy!
Original Airdate: May 16, 2011 (Season Finale)
Synopsis: Kate Beckett’s investigation into her mother’s murder is reactivated when Hal Lockwood – a hitman with knowledge of Beckett’s mother’s murder – stages a spectacular escape during a court hearing.
Notable Guest Stars: Max Martini, makes his final appearance as Hal Lockwood.
Scott Paulin makes his second appearance as Jim Beckett, Kate’s father.
The IMdB Portion of The Review:
Trivia: In a previous episode, Montgomery says he has two daughters and a son. In this episode, we only see the two daughters. His two daughters are named Mary and Rebecca, according to IMdB, although we never hear their names mentioned. He does have a son named Evan, who is referenced by Evelyn Montgomery in the Season 4 finale, ‘Always,’ although he is never seen. I will be talking about this later.
Continuity: Both the number of Beckett’s badges on her chest and helmet change from 2202 to the one she uses throughout the series – 41319. This is visible when she’s lying on the ground after being shot.
Factual Errors: When Beckett is in uniform she wears a Police Officer’s shield on her uniform. But detectives wear Detective’s shields when on uniform details. (My in-the-know person also confirmed this.)
Incorrectly Regarded as ‘Goofs’: When Capt. Montgomery is giving Beckett his “make your stand” speech, he calls her the best cop he’s ever trained. But in ‘Under the Gun,’ it’s mentioned she was trained by Mike Royce. Both statements are true. Royce trained Beckett straight out of the academy, while Montgomery trained her to be a detective.
Ranking: This is my third favorite episode behind Nikki Heat and 3XK. But just barely. On a good day, this is sometimes my favorite Season 3 episode.
About a year ago, I introduced another person to the Castle-verse. Her name is Tracy and she is my ex’s oldest daughter. This was her favorite episode. She made a comment that she’s never seen a show that crammed so much into 42 minutes. She called it an episode with a lot of moving parts (which I agree with), but none of it was confusing.
That being said, it’s sad that the quality of writing and directing that we see in this episode didn’t continue onward after Season 4. In my opinion, Season 4 is the last great season. After that, it’s steadily downhill. I know a lot of people will disagree with me about that.
As Tracy said, this episode has a lot of moving parts and everybody played a huge part in making it happen. I will be using a lot of quotes in this entry because there are just too many good ones to leave out. I’m also going to divide things up a bit differently than I normally do.
Since there wasn’t anything about this episode I didn’t like, I’m going to skip ‘What I Liked and What I Didn’t Like.’ Instead, I’m going to go character by character, writing about favorite parts and favorite scenes. Even the bad guys are going to get a part in this because Hal Lockwood was as good a bad guy as I’ve ever seen in any TV show. But I also liked listening to him talk. He’s going to get two sections because he opened up the episode and also ended it with a shocking twist that no one saw coming. And no, I’m not referring to Beckett in the cemetery.
Hal Lockwood – Part I
· Money talks. No doubt about it. Hal Lockwood is supposed to be in Administrative Segregation. Meaning solitary confinement. Only he somehow gets released into Gen-Pop, which is very bad news for Gary McCallister. Watching this scene, I get the feeling that the other prisoners knew exactly who Hal Lockwood was, because they move out of the way like Moses parting the Red Sea. Not surprisingly, Gary McCallister isn’t even surprised when Lockwood appears in his cell.
McCallister: You know, I was wondering when he was going to get around to me. (Obviously, the mysterious ‘he’ is whoever ordered Beckett’s mom’s murder along with hiring Dick Coonan and Hal Lockwood, along with one other person we meet much later. We won’t find out who ‘he’ is until 5x01).
Lockwood: It’s okay if you want a minute. (Gee, what a nice killer. He’s going to give his victim a moment to get ready to die).
McCallister: Don’t make a mess of it. Okay?
Lockwood: I never do.
· When Beckett and the other guards finally enter McCallister’s cell, Lockwood is holding a bloody knife in his hand. A knife, mind you. Not a shank or a sharpened toothbrush, but an actual knife. He’s not even a little worried about being caught. That’s because he has a bigger plan in mind.
· When we next see Lockwood, he’s in a cage in a courtroom facing Beckett.
Beckett: First Raglan and now McCallister. What are you doing? Collecting the whole set? You’re a real bad-ass, Lockwood, shanking an old man in his bunk. I don’t know what you think you’ve accomplished, but this doesn’t change a thing. You hear me? Whoever hired you; he can’t hide from me.
Lockwood: No, sweetheart. You got it ass-backwards. You can’t hide from him.
· This was true. By the way, we hear Montgomery also use the term ‘ass-backwards’ toward the end of the episode.
· Beckett realizes something is wrong when she sees the guards with Lockwood wearing the wrong color collar pins. But she can’t figure out what’s off. Lockwood pulls a fast one by having the fake guards throw a smoke bomb into the courtroom before making a run for it. Beckett is able to give chase to the front lawn just in time to see Lockwood and his cronies disappear into a waiting helicopter and take off to God knows where. So, now Lockwood is in the wind. We’ll hear more from him later.
Chuck Ryker
· When we first meet Officer Chuck Ryker at the prison, he strikes me as a nice guy. He even tries flirting with Beckett, to no avail, although she does seem to find him funny.
Ryker: Welcome back, Det. Beckett.
Beckett: Officer Ryker.
Ryker: The special today is serial arsonist.
Beckett: No, thank you.
Ryker: Perhaps I can interest you in an armed robber covered in gang tats and professing his innocence.
Beckett: Uh, you know, I think I’ll just take the usual. Hal Lockwood.
Ryker: It’s an excellent choice, madame. I’ll have someone bring him down.
Beckett: Thank you.
· My first favorite show, The Rookies, had a lieutenant named Ryker, played by the late Gerald S. O’Laughlin. I think Andrew Marlowe was a fan of the show because there are a few subtle references made through the series.
· We later learn that Ryker was massively in debt and had taken a bribe in exchange for moving Lockwood to Gen-Pop. Unfortunately for Ryker, he’s also a loose end that has to be eliminated. And he is with a bullet to the brain. A high price to pay for taking a bribe.
The Third Cop
· While putting the clues together after Lockwood’s escape, they discover a recording of a phone call between Lockwood and a mystery person. A call that had been declined at the prison until four days before the escape. The mystery man asks about Charlie and Mike. Espo explains that he’s not referring to people. It’s military jargon for ‘continue mission.’ It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that ‘continue mission’ means going after Beckett next because she’s the only loose end left. But not necessarily. Montgomery points out that Lockwood could’ve killed Beckett at the courthouse when he escaped. Which means there’s a third cop. Someone who hasn’t been identified yet.
· The first time I saw this episode, I had no clue where this episode was headed. My people in the know operated on radio silence. They refused to even let me Google the series. This was done on an honor system because they didn’t live with me. And yes, I honored the system. I wanted to be surprised. I knew whatever was coming was huge. I just wasn’t prepared for how huge. Watching this episode multiple times since then, I realize now I should’ve seen it coming. I have never seen Montgomery have as much to say as he did in this episode. He had three great speeches in this episode. I never in a million years would’ve guessed he was the third cop. Although there are still things about that revelation that don’t make sense and I’ll get into those soon.
Castle
· Castle is upset that Kate has gone to the prison to visit Hal Lockwood. It’s written all over his face when the boys tell him where she’s gone. He’s arrived that morning with his usual cup of coffee for Beckett and the announcement that A Deadly Storm has been turned into a graphic novel.
Castle: Where’s Beckett? I want to show her this.
Ryan: Making her weekly pilgrimage out to the prison to interview Lockwood.
Castle: Oh. Right.
· Judging by the way he slams down the cover for A Deadly Storm, Castle isn’t pleased by Beckett’s obsession. He’s also concerned that they’re back at square one after the murder of McCallister, but Beckett disagrees.
Castle: Lockwood kills Raglan, then he shanks McCallister, both of them ex-cops who had something to do with your mother’s murder. He’s cutting off all avenues of your investigation.
Beckett: Castle, he’s not cutting them off. He’s giving me new ones. I’ve been going to that prison every week for the last four months to have a staring contest with the devil and the devil just blinked.
· This is the episode where Castle meets Jim Beckett for the first time. He also learns that Kate cares about him, which is an interesting revelation. For the record, I actually liked the deleted scene from Knockdown, which originally has Jim introducing himself to Castle. It’s a cute scene, especially considering how many times Castle sticks his foot in his mouth. But they did keep some of the dialog from that deleted scene in this episode.
Castle: Can I help you?
Jim: I hope so. I’m Jim Beckett, Katie’s father.
Moments later . . .
Jim: I feel like I already know you, Rick. I’ve heard a lot of great things about you from Katie.
Castle: Really?
Jim: Really. So, how’s she holding up?
Castle: Well, it’s kind of tough to tell with her, you know? She doesn’t flinch.
Jim: I know. She wouldn’t accept a night light when she was a little girl. Not that she wasn’t afraid of the dark, but I think she just felt it was a point of pride to stare it down. This . . . man she’s chasing . . . how dangerous is he?
Castle: He’s a trained killer.
· You can tell this is information Jim Beckett wasn’t prepared to hear.
Jim: What happens when she finds him? I’ve already lost my wife over this. I’ve already lost . . . look, it took me years, but I’ve made my peace with that. But Katie, she won’t listen to me, and she won’t back down. Not unless someone can convince her that her life is worth more than her mother’s death. Look, she cares about you, Rick. And unless you’re a lot dumber than you look, I know you care about her. Don’t let her throw her life away.
· The next morning, Castle tries to tell Kate how he feels only to be cockblocked by Ryan. Seriously! This dude has the worst timing ever! And his interruption pisses Castle off. It’s written all over his face. But he’s not going to stop, not until he convinces her she needs to walk away.
Castle and Montgomery
· Before Castle goes to see Beckett and engages in argument #1, he first has a conversation with Montgomery. A conversation where Montgomery tells Castle how he first met Beckett. We will get a flashback of this scene in Season 6, and I’m glad we did. They gave Ruben Santiago-Hudson so much dialog in this episode. That should’ve been a clear sign that we were going to get our hearts broken.
Castle: Continue mission? If Lockwood isn’t going after the third cop, then who’s the mission?
Montgomery: I put a protective detail on her. These guys are good.
Castle: Good enough to stop Lockwood? Look, she’s not gonna stop, and the next time he sees her, one of them is gonna die. Take her off the case.
Montgomery: Castle, did Beckett ever tell you how we met?
Castle: No.
Montgomery: I was working late one night and went down to archives to locate some old reports, and there she was with a flashlight and a banker’s box open on her lap, studying this unsolved. She was a patrol cop then. She wasn’t even authorized to be down there. When I asked her what the hell she was doing, she told me this was her mother’s case. That she found some things that didn’t add up. Now I could’ve written her up right then.
Castle: Why didn’t you?
Montgomery: Because I knew it wouldn’t stop her. It was there in her eyes, and I thought, “With this kid’s tenacity and some training, I mean, she’d make a hell of a homicide.”
Castle: That tenacity’s going to get her killed.
Montgomery: I cannot make Beckett stand down, Castle. And the way I figure, the only one who can . . . is you.
· Does anyone else think that Montgomery had received word that Beckett was in archive? That he was going down there to either make the file disappear or to doctor it? Because we know the file was doctored.
· It’s too bad Montgomery’s plan didn’t work. Ruben Santiago-Hudson had stated on X that leaving the show wasn’t his desire, but he is normally a New York based stage actor and writer. He took the role on Castle to get back on his feet following the writer’s strike. So, his departure was unlike Penny Johnson-Jerald’s departure ahead of Season 8. Because she was definitely fired.
Castle and Beckett
· This will lead us up to what I call Castle and Beckett Argument Part I. This is because they have almost the exact same argument in the finales for Seasons 3, 4 and 5. They’re just worded slightly differently. Of the three arguments, this one is by far my favorite because Castle is so clearly wearing his heart on his sleeve. While I am no longer a fan of Nathan Fillion, I thought he knocked it out of the park during the blowup scene in Beckett’s apartment. Although my favorite speech is in Castle and Beckett Argument Part II, which is in the Season 4 finale.
Beckett: Castle, if you’ve got something to say, just say it.
Castle: Beckett, everyone associated with this case is dead. Everyone. First, your mom and her colleagues, then Raglan, then McCallister. You know, they’re coming for you next.
Beckett: Capt. Montgomery got a protective detail on me. Wasn’t that hard to spot.
Castle: That’s not going to stop Lockwood. You know that. Think about what they’re up against. Professional killers? I – I’ve been working with you for three years. You know me. I’m the guy who says we can always move that rubber tree plant. But you know what, Beckett? I don’t think we’re gonna win this.
Beckett: Castle, they killed my mother. What do you want me to do here?
Castle: Walk away. They’re going to kill you, Kate. And if you don’t care about that, at least think about how that’s going to affect the people that love you. You really want to put your dad through that? And what about Josh? (Oh, at last we’re getting a mention of DMB. It’s been weeks since he was mentioned last).
Beckett: And what about you, Rick?
Castle: Well, of course, I don’t want anything to happen to you! I’m your partner. I’m your friend.
Beckett: Is that what we are?
Castle: Alright, you know what? I don’t know what we are! We kiss and we never talk about it. We nearly die frozen in each other’s arms, and we never talk about it. So, no, I got no clue what we are. I know I don’t want to see you throw your life away.
Beckett: Yeah, well, last time I checked, it was my life, not your personal jungle gym. And for the past three years, I have been running around with the school’s funniest kid, and it’s not enough.
Castle: You know what? This isn’t about your mother’s case anymore. This is about you needing a place to hide. Because you’ve been chasing this thing so long, you’re afraid to find out who you are without it. (This was true. Fast forward to Season 8 and you see how true it is).
Beckett: You don’t know me, Castle. You think you do, but you don’t.
Castle: I know you crawled inside your mother’s murder and didn’t come out. I know you hide there. The same way you hide in these nowhere relationships with men you don’t love! You could be happy, Kate. You deserve to be happy.
Beckett: You know what we are, Castle? We are over. Now get out.
Castle and Martha
· Castle is angry following the fight with Beckett. But he’s also frustrated about how he feels about her. So frustrated that he throws his empty Scotch glass at the poster for Heat Rises. Martha, hearing the commotion, gives him a bit of advice that Castle takes, only . . . well, let’s just say his timing, much like Ryan and his cockblocking prowess, is very, very bad.
Castle: She’s going to get herself killed.
Martha: She’s a grown woman. She’s a homicide detective, for god’s sake. It’s her job. It’s her life.
Castle: I – if anything happens to her . . . it –
Martha: Go on.
Castle: I –
Martha: Oh, Richard, Richard. For a man who makes his living with words, you sure have a hell of a time finding them when it counts. Darling, let me give you a word of advice, all right? From someone who’s better than halfway through the movie, don’t waste another minute of it.
Beckett
· We’ve watched Beckett through three seasons being bull-headed and having single-minded focus, especially when it comes to her mother’s murder. This episode finds her impatient with everyone. She wants things done and she wants them done yesterday. Especially after Ryker is murdered.
Castle: You know, whoever planned this escape for Lockwood knew they would need someone on the inside. If Ryker was such a straight arrow, why would they approach him?
Esposito: He was a soft target because of financial troubles.
Castle: How would they know that?
Beckett: They found him the same way we did. Financial records. They ran financials on everyone in the prison.
Castle: Who would have that sort of authority?
Beckett: A cop. Or someone who was a cop. So, this third cop wasn’t Lockwood’s target. The third cop was the one who was holding Lockwood’s leash. He’s the one behind this whole thing. Okay, I want us to pull reports with Raglan’s and McCallister’s names on them.
Ryan: We did that already.
Esposito: Months ago. There’s nothing there.
Beckett: No, no, no. I’m not talking about arrest reports. I’m talking about performance evaluations.
Esposito: We went through everything. We looked at every cop we could find who could’ve worked with them. None of them are our third guy.
Beckett: Well, then check it again. And when you’re done with that, check it again.
Ryan: Beckett, we want him as bad as you.
Beckett: The hell you do! Nobody wants him as bad as I do! Okay? Nobody! So, check it again!
· So, this is where things get confusing for me. And I can’t count the number of times I have watched this episode. It’s high in the double digits. Was Montgomery holding Lockwood’s leash? They mention in the episode that the third cop had money and was well connected. I didn’t see that with Montgomery. Overthinking plot points on a TV show makes my head hurt. I’m hoping we can start a conversation with this post. Muses, help me out! People on Reddit, same!
Beckett and Montgomery – Part I
· There were two great scenes with Beckett and Capt. Montgomery. The first great scene is after Beckett has the fight with Castle in her apartment. She wants Castle kicked out of the precinct. Whether Montgomery was serious about what he tells her, I don’t know. I doubt it, because he needed Castle to keep Beckett in line. As he’d told Castle earlier, Castle was the only person who could get Beckett to stand down. Jim Beckett had told him the same thing.
· Montgomery needed Beckett to walk away. He didn’t want her running roughshod and learning things about him he didn’t want her to know.
Montgomery: You want Castle gone? He’s gone.
Beckett: Wha—I—what—What about the—mayor?
Montgomery: This is my house, Kate. They mayor doesn’t call the shots here. I do. You oughta know that by now.
Beckett: But I—I thought—
Montgomery: I could’ve kicked Castle to the curb years ago. Anytime I wanted to. The only reason I kept him around this long is because I saw how good he was for you. Kate, you’re the best I’ve ever trained. Maybe the best I’ve ever seen. But you weren’t having any fun before he came along. We speak for the dead. That’s the job. We are all they’ve got once the wicked rob them of their voices. We owe them that. But we don’t owe them our lives.
· I never understood exactly what Montgomery was telling Kate until I began transcribing the words. Subtext! I’ve learned so much about subtext by watching this show! I guess listening to the words and reading them does make a difference.
Beckett: He said we can’t win this.
Montgomery: He’s right. I spent most of my life walking behind this badge, and I can tell you this for a fact. There are no victories. There’s only the battle. And the best you can hope for is that you find someplace where you can make your stand. If this is your spot, I will stand with you.
· In other words, he was prepared to give his life so she could put this chapter of her life behind her.
Hal Lockwood – Part II
· Lockwood sneaks into Montgomery’s house in the middle of the night after everyone is asleep. Everyone, that is, except for Montgomery, who is making preparations in his office. For what, we don’t yet know. Hearing a noise, he pulls his gun on Lockwood, who is now standing in his office doorway holding a stuffed Teddy Bear in his hands. The way he’s holding and twisting the Teddy Bear is creepy! This is not a nice guy.
Lockwood: Hello, Roy. You’re not that fast. Besides, they’re all upstairs, asleep, safe and sound. And they’re not on tonight’s menu. But if you wake them up, well, then I gotta order off the menu.
Montgomery: What do you want?
Lockwood: He is very disappointed, Roy. We all are. I mean, di—did you not understand the conditions of the agreement? Beckett stays alive as long as you keep her on a leash. That’s the deal you made with him. But you’re not holding up your end. And that’s unfortunate, because she really is a lovely girl. But now we’ve reached a critical stage, and I have to cap the well. So, here’s the news. Tomorrow night, you’re gonna call off that protective detail that you have on her, and then you’re gonna get her to meet you at the hangar where we stashed the bird. And I don’t care how you do it. Just get her there, and we’ll handle the rest.
Montgomery: Go to hell.
Lockwood: Well, then you have a decision to make. You can have Beckett. Or, you can have your family. But you can’t have both. Look at it this way. If you and Raglan and McCallister hadn’t sinned so spectacularly, then God wouldn’t have sent a punishment like me.
Ryan and Esposito
· Ryan and Esposito are never better than when they’re working a case together. I’ll be the first to admit I’m not a fan of episodes where either of them are front and center. The exception to this is ‘Under Fire’ in Season 6. The most heartbreaking scene in the entire series takes place in this episode when the boys are searching for the third cop. Their search takes them to a bar owned by a former cop named Mike Yanovich, who worked in the records room back when Raglan and McCallister were still on the job.
Ryan: You worked in the records room at the 12th, right?
Yanovich: Decade ago. So what?
Esposito: Some records went missing on your watch. And some got altered.
Yanovich: Yeah, well, I don’t doubt it. I mean, uh, it wasn’t like it is today. We didn’t make a federal case out of everything back then.
Ryan: You graduated from the police academy with John Raglan and Gary McCallister.
Yanovich: Mm-hmm. And forty other guys. Listen, I read the papers. I know Raglan and McCallister rode dirty, but I didn’t have any part of it. I mean, I knew them. Say hi. Talk some baseball. Maybe bitch about the ACLU. I used to drink here before I owned the place.
Esposito: You know if Raglan and McCallister were tight with anybody else?
Yanovich: Yeah. Some black kid used to follow them around. A rookie. I got a picture of him somewhere up here. (Taking a picture down and handing it to the boys) Yeah. That’s him. The hell was his name? Ah. Montgomery. Yeah, McCallister and Raglan trained that kid.
· The second he said ‘black kid,’ I started screaming at my TV.
· The hurt and the anger that came across their faces, especially Esposito’s when Yanovich handed them the picture. Esposito doesn’t want to believe it. But Ryan realizes all the pieces are beginning to fit together. The scene in the alley was one of their best scenes ever.
Ryan: Hey! You know it’s him! Montgomery’s our third cop! He’s the one who altered those records!
Esposito: How can you even say that? How can you even think that? Montgomery brought us into homicide! What do we got? A picture?
Ryan: Think about it. Why else did he want us to take Lockwood out? Because Lockwood leads us to him! He’s been lying to us! He’s been lying to us the whole time. Hey?
· The boys begin brawling with each other until they both come to the realization that now that they know about Montgomery, Beckett is in extreme danger.
Beckett, Castle and Montgomery
· Montgomery calls Beckett and asks her to meet him at the hangar. Only she doesn’t know that he’s luring her there to bait Lockwood. The only person aware of what’s going on is Castle. I wish there had been a scene showing Montgomery calling Castle. I’d love to know what was said. The scene where Castle is trying to keep Kate quiet is heartbreaking. But I guess if we’d seen Montgomery call Castle, this whole scene wouldn’t have been such a surprise.
· Just as Beckett walks into the hangar, she receives a text from one of the boys warning her that Montgomery is the third cop. But I have a feeling Kate was already aware of this or strongly suspected it. Because the text didn’t seem that surprising to her. A suspicion that’s very strong because Montgomery is approaching her with a gun in his hand.
Beckett: Put the gun away, Roy.
Montgomery: Kate, I’m not going to jail for this. I can’t put my family through this.
Beckett: Why?
Montgomery: I was a rookie when it happened, Kate. McCallister and Raglan were heroes to me. I believed in what we were doing. We were just going to snatch Pulgatti that night. Bob Armen wasn’t even supposed to be there. Armen reached for my gun. That’s when I heard the shot. I didn’t even know it was my gun that went off until Armen went down. Then McCallister pulled me into the van. I remember him saying, “It’s okay, kid. It’s not your fault. Happens in this town every day.” McCallister and Raglan tried to drown it. But not me. I put it all into the job, Kate. I became the best cop I could be. And then, when you walked into the 12th, I felt the hand of God. I knew He was giving me another chance, and I thought, “If I could protect you that way I should’ve protected her.”
Beckett: Did you kill my mother?
Montgomery: No, that was years later. But she died because of what we did that night.
Beckett: Then who killed her?
Montgomery: I don’t know how, but somehow he figured out what we had done. But he could have turned us all in. Instead, he demanded the ransom money. He took that money to become what he is and, God forgive me, that may be my greatest sin.
Beckett: Give me the name. You owe me that, Roy.
Montgomery: No, kid. I give you a name, you’ll run straight at it. I might as well shoot you where you stand.
Beckett: That’s why you brought me here, isn’t it?
Montgomery: No. I brought you here to lure them.
Beckett: You baited them?
Montgomery: And now they’re coming. I need you to leave. They are coming to kill you, and I’m not gonna let them. I’m gonna end this.
Beckett: I’m not going anywhere, sir.
Montgomery: Yes, you are. Castle, get her out of here!
Castle: Captain, I don’t—
Montgomery: Don’t argue. That’s why I called you. Get her out of here! Now!
Beckett: Captain, please. Just listen to me. You don’t have to do this.
Castle: Kate.
Beckett: No. Please no. Sir, I forgive you. I forgive you.
Montgomery: This is my spot, Kate. This is where I stand.
· Every time I watch this scene, I feel the pain Kate feels. The pain and the betrayal. I think the betrayal takes longer to move past than the pain. And then I go back and think about every scene Montgomery has appeared in where the episode involves Johanna Beckett’s murder, and it’s so hard to see the clues. When I was writing the entry for ‘Knockdown,’ I finally began to see the subtle clues. The writers did a phenomenal job with this story arc.
· Castle bodily removes Kate from the hangar and makes a vain attempt to keep her quiet during the gun battle that follows inside the hangar. It’s only after everything goes quiet that she manages to break free from Castle’s grip, and runs back into the hangar where she finds Roy, Lockwood, and his goons all dead.
Montgomery and Lockwood – The Final Showdown
· Needless to say, Lockwood isn’t happy when he arrives at the hangar with his goons only to find Montgomery, and only Montgomery waiting for him. The gunfight ends with him and Montgomery being the last ones standing. Well, sort of. Both are wounded, but still alive.
Lockwood: And that was . . . what? Your last stand? That’s just sad, Roy. I’m just gonna kill her anyway.
Montgomery: No. You’re not. And he’s not. I saw to that. We’re done, Lockwood. We both are.
· I’d love to know what the cover story was when the cops showed up and there were dead guys everywhere. Including a captain from the NYPD. Are you going to tell me there wasn’t an investigation? This was the only part of the episode where I had to suspend my disbelief more than a little. Even my guy in the know shook his head at this one. He told me there would’ve been all kinds of inquiries and investigations when a cop dies in the line of duty. He said these inquiries can take months, sometimes years. My guess, based on what Beckett tells the boys and Castle, is they are all involved in whatever lie was told to explain why she, Montgomery and Castle were all in that hangar. My guess is she may have had Castle take off before the police showed up.
· There were two reviews about this episode on IMdB. One was a favorable review and the other wasn’t. The unfavorable review referenced Montgomery’s funeral. If he was proven to be a disgraced cop (which we know he wasn’t), there wouldn’t have been an honor guard. There wouldn’t have been a 21-gun salute, and Evelyn Montgomery wouldn’t have received the flag from his casket (think back to ‘Den of Thieves’ in Season 2). This reviewer also said that the police commissioner or another dignitary would’ve made the eulogy. My thoughts on the eulogy is that Evelyn asked Kate to say something. At least that’s the way I wrote about it in ‘All the Songs Make Sense.’
· This unfavorable review also wrote about the sniper. You have a funeral service attended by hundreds of law enforcement. Believe me, police funerals are massive! A sniper wouldn’t have gotten anywhere near that service. I agree with that, but again, I’m reminding myself that ‘Castle’ is fiction and not real life.
· Speaking of Evelyn Montgomery, where was her’s and Roy’s son, Evan? Was he like Bobby Martin on ‘All My Children?’ In 1970, Bobby Martin went upstairs to get skis to take to summer camp and was never seen or heard from again. Many people equate him to daytime’s answer to Chuck Cunningham on ‘Happy Days.’ Anyway, did they send Evan upstairs and forget about him? Because his sisters were at his father’s funeral, but Evan wasn’t.
· Before I close, I need to address the ‘I love you’ heard around the world. Like I said earlier, Castle’s timing was bad. As in very, very. He caught the glint of the sun off the sniper’s scope and made a flying tackle to save Beckett. Only he dove a fraction of a second too late. And how did everyone know right away that Beckett was shot? The rifle had a silencer. Yes, they all saw Castle tackle her. But that was it. Yes, you can hear Ryan shouting that Beckett was down. But that’s all we hear, thanks to Castle’s very, very bad timing. Have I said ‘very bad timing’ too many times?
Castle: Oh, Kate. Shh, Kate, please. Stay with me, Kate. Don’t leave me, please. Stay with me, okay? Kate, I love you. I love you, Kate.
Favorite Quote:
Beckett: Roy Montgomery taught me what it meant to be a cop. He taught me that we are bound by our choices, but we are more than our mistakes. Captain Montgomery once said to me that, for us there is no victory. There are only battles. And in the end, the best you could hope for is to find a place to make your stand. And if you’re lucky, you find someone willing to stand with you. (I love the look she gives Castle!) Our captain would want us to carry on the fight. And even if there is –
· She didn’t get to finish because a sniper’s bullet entered her chest. Oh, and Shannon says there’s no way she would’ve survived that in real life. Apparently, she discussed the show and this episode with her pediatric cardiologist when she was 13 or 14 years old. But this is why we have to remind ourselves that we are watching a work of fiction! She also told me that one of Beckett’s scars is spot on (where Josh cuts into her in 4x01), but the other scar is not (the scar where she was shot). Her dad confirmed this, as well.
WTF? (Why the Face?): Why, Roy? Just, why? Not that I didn’t grow to love Capt. Gates, she just wasn’t you.
Castle/Beckett Scorecard: Again, I know it’s not on the official count, but Castle did tackle Beckett, saving her life. Thus, the score is now Castle—7 -- Beckett—4
With this entry, I have finished Season 3. I need to take a break because right now, I have absolutely nothing written for Season 4. I promise I will be back as soon as I possibly can.
