This season of Castle has had plenty of big, serious episodes. We found out the identity of Castle’s father, Alexis was kidnapped, and Beckett dived further into the conspiracy around her mother’s death. So it’s been a nice break to jump back into the more silly and lighthearted side of the show. This episode, centered entirely around Castle’s Mulder-like belief in the existence of Bigfoot, wasn’t remotely serious but was a zany good time.
Beckett and Castle have always had a bit of a Mulder and Scully partnership. Castle always wants to believe the killer could be supernatural, whether it’s a killer videotape, zombies, or even Bigfoot. Beckett, however, is much more skeptical.
If Castle is putting up an “I want to believe” poster with Bigfoot in his mind, Beckett is trying to bring a little reality into the situation.
This is made clear in the conversation the two share in bed, while Castle dives into a book about Bigfoot and Beckett tries not to sprain something rolling her eyes. Castle says he likes to believe because he likes to think there’s more out there to discover, while Beckett is content enjoying the beauty of the here and now.
Just like Mulder and Scully, their relationship works because both ultimately respect each other and enjoy the other’s point of view. There might not really be anything Castle doesn’t believe in, at least initially, but part of Beckett enjoys Castle’s childlike wonder. Even when she’s raining on his Bigfoot parade.
Is Bigfoot the Killer?
The case of the week this time was full of twists, turns, and Bigfoot tracks. The victim was Anne Cardinal, who was dropped off at the hospital with very serious injuries and later died. Soon enough they find the alleyway where she was initially found and what’s in that alleyway? Footprints…very big footprints.
Castle jumps to the Bigfoot conclusion immediately, while Beckett tries not to choke him. Also put out by Castle’s theory is the medical examiner Perlmutter, snarky as always about Castle’s belief in the unknown. Later in the episode he’s disappointed to see the “B team” of Ryan and Espo because he wanted to see Castle’s face when he crushed his Bigfoot dreams.
Is it just me or has it been kind of a while since we’ve seen Lanie? Where is Lanie anyway? Maybe I’ve just forgotten but it really does feel like ages since she was in an episode or played any significant part.
The case soon takes them to a Bigfoot scientist, an obsessed adventurer, and even a primate retirement home. In the primate house, Castle has a hilarious altercation with Moonshine the monkey. That monkey might be friendly to most people but she certainly did not like Castle. If a Planet of the Apes situation ever happens, Castle will be the first to go.
It seems Anne was something of a Bigfoot expert, which is certainly a boon to Castle’s theory. There was a blink and you miss it reference to Anne’s Native American heritage being part of her fascination to Bigfoot that puzzled me. Do Native Americans have any real connection to Bigfoot or was the show just reaching for something that sounded vaguely credible?
Anyway, soon enough it turns out Bigfoot isn’t at the heart of the case after all. Which is a big disappointment to both Castle and Ryan. I like how over the course of the season we’re seeing just how similar Ryan and Castle are when it comes to believing in the supernatural. Ryan might not be as outspoken as Castle, but he was clearly on Team Bigfoot this week.
No, it suddenly looks likely that Anne’s death connects back to her roommate’s murder at Hudson University. The likely culprit was her roommate’s boyfriend, who it looks like Anne was tracking out in the woods.
Castle and Beckett Get Trapped in the Woods
As Castle and Beckett search the woods for the murder scene, Castle is getting much too into the Bigfoot hunt. He’s wearing a weird, outdoorsy outfit and making Bigfoot mating calls like a crazy person. Beckett threatens if he doesn’t calm down this particular part of the woods will be home to more than one murder.
As the two continue to bicker, they end up falling right into a trap set for the “big” guy himself. Castle helps lift Beckett up with a cheerleader move, and then starts to freak out when she leaves him to go get rope. Thankfully, he has a helpful spork to tunnel his way out of the trap. (Of all his outdoors supplies, the spork is the one I understand the least.)
As Beckett comes back to rescue Castle, she’s presented with a shocking sight: Bigfoot! Yet when she threatens to shoot Bigfoot falls backwards into the hole, clearly a person in a costume. It turns out to be the Bigfoot scientist, but Castle’s reaction to nearly seeing and being eaten by Bigfoot are some of the funniest moments of the episode.
“Shoot it!” For someone so desperate to see Bigfoot, Castle sure did turn on his furry friend fast.
The Real Killer Revealed
Ryan and Espo quickly capture the boyfriend coming out of Anne’s apartment and soon he’s protesting his own innocence. He said Anne was taking him supplies in the woods and looking into Justine’s death herself. The key turns out to be the pendant Justine always wore, which Anne swallowed before her murder.
Justine was scared and being stalked, but by who? Anne must have been getting close to the real killer. So Castle and Beckett pay another visit to the primate retirement home, although Castle stays blissfully clear of his arch enemy Moonshine.
It turns out it was the professor, who had a long and dangerous history of stalking. Justine was going to tell the dean his obsessive behavior was the reason she was switching schools, which is why the professor killed her. When the professor realized Anne was on to him, he killed her as well.
So the murderer wasn’t Bigfoot after all…but Justine’s boyfriend is planning on picking up the Bigfoot research banner. See, Anne told him he wouldn’t be alone in the forest and he says he wasn’t. Castle scampers after him after this revelation to find out if he’s best bros with Bigfoot now.
Alexis the Smurf
Meanwhile, Castle is having some problems on the home front. Namely, that all his food seems to be going missing. Alexis, Martha, and Beckett all claim innocence so Castle is determined to get to the bottom of the mystery.
Because he’s Castle, he rigs a trap ready to spring on the food thief. And it hits its target, unfortunately it turns out that target is a mortified Alexis. Covered in blue paint like a Smurf (or Navi, sorry Castle I prefer Beckett’s 80’s reference) Alexis hightails it out of there.
Later she explains that she spent all her allowance money helping out a friend with a crowd funding project. While Castle likes to believe in the unknown, Alexis likes to believe in people. It’s a cute moment between father and daughter as they go to meet her friend and learn more about his project, provided Alexis returns some of her pilfered food and wine.
What did you think of this week’s episode? Did you like the lighthearted episode or do you prefer more dramatic fare? Did you think it was really Bigfoot? Sound off in the comments!
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(Image courtesy of ABC)
Contributing Writer, BuddyTV
