Thoughts on Castle: 3x24 "Knockout"

I’ve been watching Castle recently (its my new TV obsession), starting from season one, and last night i finished season three. As in I watched Knockout. As in I bawled my eyes out alone in my bedroom at midnight. Yeah. I have no life. I wanted to share some thoughts, as it was a FEEL ALL THE FEELS kind of episode. (Don’t worry, I’ve already felt all the feels, so this is coherent haha) Spoilers ahead!


First of all, let me just say that this was my favorite episode so far. Yes, that includes Knockdown (the ‘fake’ kiss) and Countdown (almost dying together twice - in the freezer and at the bomb), although those have to make my top five. Season three was full of feels and major character development (Beckett finally has pretty hair!) and Knockout was the perfect capstone to that. So here are a few of the things that stuck out to me in this episode:

“You know what, I don’t even know what we are anymore. We kiss, and we never talk about it. We nearly die frozen in each other’s arms, and we never talk about it.”

Castle and Beckett’s fight, and specifically this line, has to be my favorite from the episode. This is the first time either of them has explicitly talked about their relationship going way beyond coworkers. They both have had people tell them about their feelings (Beckett had Royce and Castle had Martha) but neither of them has said anything out loud as to their feelings for each other. I like that Castle finally opening up and at least mentioning the kiss led him to be able to confess his feelings for her at the end of the episode. Another line that hit me from this conversation was when Castle accuses Becket of hiding in relationships with men she doesn’t love. That line is almost out of desperation, but it is coming from a very honest place. Castle just wants Beckett to be happy, and his hatred of each guy she dates only comes from him wanting to protect her.

This protection continually shows up as a theme in the show. Throughout the three seasons, we have seen Beckett as the “bad-ass” of the pair. She is the one that carries a gun, a badge, and real authority. She has had to protect Castle on most of the cases, whether physically or emotionally. But whenever her mom’s case pops up, the roles reverse and Castle does the protecting, especially because of 

Beckett’s emotional involvement. This is certainly the case in this episode. Castle will do everything he can to protect Beckett, including carrying her away kicking and screaming. That particular scene was heartbreaking, when Beckett had to be physically dragged away from the case. You can tell she really trusts him though, even after their big fight. When they get to Castle’s car, she fights less and starts to give in and just slumps against his body. For the first time, she’s allowing him to protect her and keep her safe.

In the three years that Castle and Beckett have known each other, they have never stopped referring to each other by last name. Even though they are clearly in love with each other, they still hold on to that coworker relationship that they think they have and want. It is in scenes like their fight that they let that façade slip and refer to one another as “Kate” and “Rick”. This is brilliant on the part of the writers. When they slip in “They’re gonna kill you, Kate” or “And what about you, Rick?”, suddenly our ears perk up. It draws attention to what the characters are saying, but in a very subtle way.

Castle and Beckett sure have a lot of shippers, especially in this episode. Martha, Captain Montgomery and Mr. Beckett don’t have a lot in common, but they are all rooting for Caskett just as much as we are (:
Martha: “There’s only one person on the planet who can get you this pissed off,” She knows that as much as Beckett infuriates Castle, he loves her that much more, even if he’s not willing to admit it. Plus, a few episodes back, she basically got him to admit that he was staying with the 12^th precinct because of her. (“Its not about the books anymore.”) Also, they looked like teenage girls gossiping by the fire about a crush.
Captain Montgomery: His talks with Castle and Beckett about their relationship are so heart-wrenching, especially in light of what happens at the end of the episode. When Castle asks Montgomery to take Beckett off the case, Montgomery knows that Castle is the only one who can make her stand down. When Beckett asks him to throw Castle out, Montgomery tells her that she needs Castle behind her to get through this. Montgomery has such incredible insight into both of the characters and their relationship, and that is something that I will miss in season 4.
Mr. Beckett: The pure fact that he went to Castle because he knows he is the only one who can help Beckett speaks volumes. He is so concerned for her safety and, even though he only knows about Castle from Kate, Castle is his best bet. I love Castle’s reaction to Mr. Beckett saying that he feels like he already knows Castle from Kate. Its like he almost can’t believe he’s so important to her that she tells her dad about him. Plus, another example of somebody calling them out on their feelings for one another.

In short, I am obsessed with Caskett and this episode, and I can’t wait to start season 4!