Tonight on ABC’s Castle starring Nathan Fillion continues with an all new Monday January 12, season 7 episode 11 called “Castle, P.I.,” and we have your weekly recap below. On tonight’s episode, Castle [Nathan Fillion] gets a PI license as a workaround for his banishment and shows up at Beckett’s [Stana Katic] crime scene, but his plan hits a snag.
On the last episode, when an ER physician was gunned down in the street, Castle and Beckett soon discovered that the victim was a mob doctor to a Mafia family run by an old friend of Castle’s. Also, against the backdrop of Christmas, Esposito and Lanie reached a defining moment in their relationship. Did you watch the last episode? If you missed it, we have a full and detailed recap right here for you.
On tonight’s episode as per ABC’s synopsis, “after being forbidden to work with Kate Beckett or the 12th Precinct, Castle obtains a P.I. license and shows up unannounced at Beckett’s crime scene, hoping to investigate alongside her as a private eye. But things don’t go as Castle had planned.”
Tonight’s episode is going to be great so be sure to tune in to CASTLE on ABC at 10PM EST. We’ll be blogging all the action, be sure to hit up the comments and tell us what you think of this new season.
Tonight’s episode begins now – Refresh Page for Updates
A woman comes home and locks her apartment door behind her. She pours a stiff drink and then looks around her apartment. She sees her window is open and then a man is there with a gun. He fires. Castle is making breakfast and his mom says he’s been in his PJs a lot since he was banned from the precinct. Kate is also surprised to see him dressed. He says he has a surprise planned for her. She asks for details but he won’t answer. She gets a call about the murder.
The victim is Shayna Baker, a preschool employee. They say it doesn’t look like she was trying to run away. Just one gunshot to her chest. Perlmutter says he’s happy to come to work knowing Castle isn’t there. He says she was dead by 10 pm or so the night before. Ryan says they found a cigarette butt on the fire escape and no one around them smokes. Kate says this is premeditated and they wonder where the dog is. Javi says he’s gone and Ryan says maybe he’s out tracking down the killer.
Ryan says someone has to provide out of the box thinking now that Castle isn’t there but then he is there. She asks why he’s there. He flashes his Private Investigator license and says he took an online course. He asks if she’s surprised and she takes him to the hall. She smiles and says the PI license changes nothing. He says he’s not investigating them but paralleling them. Javi says that won’t fly. Castle says he’s legally entitled to investigate on behalf of his client and his client is confidential.
Kate says it’s a private crime scene and he has to go. He says he’s seen all he needs to and will conduct his investigation elsewhere. She asks where and he says that’s confidential too. Javi and Kate head to the preschool. She says she saw Castle on the computer but thought he was playing an online game, not getting a PI license. She says maybe it will be harmless. She says he knows nothing so it can’t hurt. He’s at the preschool ahead of them and says it’s the prestige feeder school in the city.
He points out some famous and powerful people and says it’s a bastion of the city’s elite. He heads inside and she says he can’t follow her in. He says he was there first. Her boss, Dr Mathews, tells them that Shayna is the admission director but she hasn’t been there in a few days. She just sent out acceptance and rejection letters. Javi plays a threatening message from an angry rejected parent and they ask for a list of those rejected. Castle asks for a copy but is denied.
He says people do insane things for their kids even though Kate thinks it’s not that big of a deal. She says he’s headed to the precinct but he says a PI’s work is done in the field. He’s in Shayna’s office and looks at a photo of her and her dog. He snaps a pic and sees something on the dog’s neck. Kate tells Gates about Castle being a PI. She says the DA was very specific that he can’t take part in their investigation. Kate says he’s not, he’s doing it on his own.
Gates tells Kate, Javi and Ryan they can’t share any info with him or there will be hell to pay. Kate says Castle will give up when he finds out he can’t get far. Ryan says it will suck if he solves it before them. She says they would never hear the end of it. Javi says she would never hear the end of it since she lives with him. She says there’s no way he can solve it. Castle tracks the dog’s ID tag and finds a guy carrying the dog. He follows at a distance and the guy notices.
He falls back and then ducks into an alley. The guy grabs Castle and threatens him. He asks why he’s following him. Castle breaks loose and tells him his name and the guy maces him. He asks why he did it and the guy says he thought he was reaching for his gun. He says he was getting his PI license. He says he’s looking into Shayna’s murder. The guy says he was her friend and asks who killed her. Ryan has the name of the threatening caller, Brian Whitman, a high powered local.
Javi says they showed his photo around Shayna’s apartment and they saw him banging on her door. They bring her in and the guy says he was being dramatic but didn’t do anything to her. He says she changed her mind about letting his son in. He says to call the school and says he has the letter she wrote. Javi asks why she’d change her mind. He says he doesn’t know why but she did. Dr Mathews said Shayna would not have given in to threats. Kate wants to dig into Brian some more.
Ryan says Shayna took out a pile of cash. The guy with Castle says he’s dog sitting because Shayna says she was going out of town. He says she usually gives him more notice and says where she’s going but she dropped Sparkles off this time with no notice. Perlmutter finds Castle in his office looking over Shayna’s death report. Castle says he thinks she traveled somewhere before she died and Perlmutter says he’d rather die himself than tell him.
Castle reads the stomach contents and figures out she was on a flight. Kate then calls and asks if he thinks she traveled and he says he was just discussing that with the writer she married. Turns out she flew to Boston a couple of days before she died and she got back hours before she was killed. It wasn’t a work trip and she called a newspaper when she got back. Javi says they have to find out what happened before Castle does.
Ryan says she had lunch before she left town with Nicole Morris, a top attorney. Ryan says it smells like a conspiracy and Javi says Baby Castle may be right. Ryan gives Kate info on where to find Nicole. She shows up to where Nicole has her 3 pm appointment and she’s dismayed to see it’s Castle’s PI office. She asks why he’s there and he says he works there. He says – welcome to Richard Castle Investigations.
Kate pulls him aside and asks when he was going to tell her he had an office. He says eventually. She asks why Nicole is there and he says she had lunch with the victim and she asks how he knows. He says he checked her credit card information. Nicole opens the door and says she has another appointment. Castle offers to let Kate sit in on his interview. He asks how well she knew Shayna. She says she met her when she toured the school. She says Shayna called and said it was urgent.
She says Shayna was going to Radnor University. Nicole says she was asking about felony murder statutes in Massachusetts and the difference between murder and manslaughter statutes. Castle thanks her for her time and she tells him to call if she can help. Castle is very excited and he and Kate talk but then she says they can’t talk about it. She says they can’t theorize together with this whole PI thing. He says it can be their secret and no one will know but then work calls.
Javi says he found something on Whitman. She says that can’t be a coincidence and says to bring him in but she won’t tell Castle anything. Whitman rants and asks why they brought him back in. Kate sits and asks about his generosity including sitting on the board of Radnor University. She says she thinks all this is related. Javi says they’re going to take him down for obstruction and he’s going to lose his preschool slot. He caves.
He says Shayna came to him asking him to pull strings at Radnor. He says she wanted time with the Dean of Students and says that’s all she asked for. Kate calls the Dean and says Shayna wanted campus police files and she looked through incidences back from 1999. Javi says he wonders what it’s about and Ryan says he bets Castle knows. They tell her to call Kate and see if he’s onto this lead. Alexis is eating dinner with Castle at his office.
He says he hacked Shayna’s accounts but then admits she used her dog’s name as her password. He says he found one thing that happened 15 years ago at Radnor University. Kate calls and he says he’s hanging out at the office. The guys are shocked to hear he has an office as they listen in. They both say their cases and day is going great. Alexis says Kate knows something and the guys say the same thing about Castle. They agree they have to find out what it is.
Kate pours Castle a giant glass of wine and he sees she has a much smaller one poured for herself. She asks if he’s trying to find out about her case. He says no and asks the same thing. He says if she’s asking, she must be stuck. He says they should just trade information. She says she can’t and he asks her to think about the victim. They agree then each say – you first. Castle says she had an old BF who died at Radnor – Jeff Whalen. Kate says she was looking into old police records.
They agree they miss this energy and then embrace and start making out. Kate says she forgot how creative he can get. Next morning, her phone rings and asks how long til the files get there. He accuses her of texting Ryan while she was in bed with him. He asks to see the files but she says she can’t. He says last night was anything goes and she says it was great but they both knew it was one time only. Kate comes in and Ryan says her two am hunch paid off.
Ryan says there were witness statements about Whalen’s death but witness statements are missing. The original officer passed away. Ryan says Shayna went to the alumni office after she looked at the records. Castle rants to Alexis about Kate’s betrayal and says he may have a way to catch up. He says he went to the Radnor University paper and shows her an ad. He says the ad is above the fold but you never do it that way. He says he thinks something was pulled.
Castle says the editor knows – Frank Jackson. That’s the guy she was looking for at the alumni office and he works at the newspaper she called. Castle and Kate are neck and neck. They agree that Frank could be their killer. Castle catches up with Frank at the newspaper and he asks about the student that died. Frank says he’s late and can’t talk. Castle says he knows he left something out of the article about how Whalen died. Frank says they can talk nearby in private.
Ryan tells Kate they can’t find Frank. Javi says one of his co-workers saw Frank with someone that looked like Castle. She tries to call Castle and then he shows up with Frank. He sits down with them and Castle tells Frank to tell them about Jeff Whalen’s death. He says he heard Jeff scream and knows he wasn’t alone in the room. He says he was pressured to take out the name of the guy that was in the room and he was pressured by the kid’s dad.
Frank says he was young and scared and did what he was asked. He says he figured out too late that he had helped cover up a murder. Frank says the last person he told wound up dead and asks if they want to know. He says it’s Spaulding Elliott. He’s being groomed for bigger things and is a parent at her school. Gates reminds Kate he’s the top Federal prosecutor in the state. She says Kate need bullet proof evidence to nail him. Kate says they may be able to get a DNA match from the cigarette.
Gates says to tread lightly and says Castle can’t be involved. Kate tries to defend him but he says rules are rules and takes off. He goes to spy on Spaulding Elliott. He sees him throw out a coffee cup then goes to grab it for DNA evidence. Javi tells him not this time and the blocks him while Ryan grabs the cup. He’s annoyed and heads off the other way. They call in Spaulding Elliott and Gates says they have a DNA match from a cigarette butt he left at Shayna’s apartment.
They tell him they know Shayna tracked him down about Jeff’s murder. He says he was in the room, but didn’t do it and says he didn’t hurt Shayna. Spaulding says his enemies have been circling this story for years but says there’s nothing there. Then he looks at the cigarette butt and says he’s been set up. He says Shayna told her that he pushed Jeff to push her toward investigating. He says he’s a prosecutor and wouldn’t be stupid enough to leave an obvious piece of evidence like that.
Gates says someone would need to know that he was at the party with Jeff and spoke to Shayna. Kate says they checked his alibi and he got to the party by 11. Gates is about to arrest him when Castle busts in and says to wait because he’s not the killer. Gates chews Castle out and then calls over Jeremy, Shayna’s dogsitting friend. He tells her to watch. He holds the dog out to Spaulding and he freaks and starts sneezing horribly.
Castle says there’s no way he could wait in her apartment with all that dog hair everywhere. He breaks out in hives and Ryan shows them a photo with no hives on him. Javi says Ryan was right – it’s a conspiracy. Castle is proud he used the c word. Castle says it’s a big gun for hire Michael Clayton type. Kate says they had to get the cigarette from Spaulding which means there is an overlap. He uses the we word but then Gates freaks out and he leaves.
At his office, he does a 1930s PI monologue. Kate comes in and says it’s not fair. She says the cigarette also had traces of BBQ sauce on it. She says no one will now she’s sharing. She says he had BBQ uptown last week and they found a guy digging through the ashes to get the butt. He says he wishes he could see the look on their face when they slap the cuffs on her. She says maybe they can. Then Nicole shows up and Castle asks her who hired her to frame Spaulding and kill Shayna.
Kate snaps some cuffs on her and Castle says he always heard her law firm was killer and now he knows why. Later, Castle asks Kate if they will ever know who hired Nicole. She say Spaulding is chasing him down. She tells him that he impressed her with his PI stuff. He says he got some ideas for his new book but also wants to keep with this for a while. She tells him not to move then comes over with a present.
He opens it and gasps. He says he’s so going to wear it to work. She got him a Sherlock hat and a magnifying glass. She says maybe he can use it to locate a real client. He asks her to go into the bedroom and she asks him to keep the hat on.
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