Last week’s episode of Castle had a much more comic touch and focussed more on Rick and Alexis. What Lies Beneath continues the new formula (of Castle and Daughter P.I. LLC) and while Molly C. Quinn does have much more to do, (and please let this continue) there is more Javi, Ryan and Kate interaction, although Stana Katic’s is quite minimal. This segment dealt with a pathological liar who was murdered as he prayed.
What made this installment that bit more clever was that, like the title, most of the main characters were actively lying. Of course that could be the theme of the entire season. Kate is, after all, telling a lie of omission to her husband. Her lack of explanation for leaving Rick, which has him trying to “win her back” is still a type of lying.
In the show, Ryan lies, first to Javi about the sergeant’s exam, then to the entire precinct when he agrees to work for Castle as a mole, for $500 per week. The victim, Dave Johnson; who was a pathological liar, had “fallen off the wagon” (the dead man was a member of PLA “Pathological Liars Anonymous”) and was telling tales to everyone.
To Johnson’s wife and his priest he was the elusive, and eccentric author PJ Moffet ( a favorite of both Rick and Alexis), to a local “mobbed up” sanitation magnate he was Jimmy “Two Guns” O’Malley. In reality he was a former accountant whose lies got him fired and he worked as a janitor at City Hall. The deceased was then fired from his post at City Hall after an “incident.”
The man’s blind priest, also lies to everyone; the “Father” pretended to be blind to have his choice of parish and to get away from Tampa. As Rick and the guys explore the case, they find out about the priest, who then tells the three men what Dave was really up to at City Hall.
Johnson hacked into the the city’s financial data base to falsify records saying the priest had paid his parish’s bill. While inside the system, Dave found a hidden slush fund. Before the man could reveal what he learned, he was murdered.
Once all the clues are put together, Rick, Javi, Ryan and Alexis plan to capture the city official who set up the illegal slush fund using the “Midnight Run” ruse. (Another lie.) The ruse, based on the 1988 film’s plot, the team, sans Kate who would be in trouble if she was connected to the scheme, is to tell their suspect that the jig is up and all the proof is on a thumb-drive.
The suspect falls for the scam, goes to steal the thumb-drive and is caught. At the end of the episode, Kate is given a coffee made by Rick. She takes a sip and tells him that she cannot make her coffee taste that good, even though Rick showed her how. Castle reveals that he lied about the recipe, because if he told her the “secret ingredient” she would no longer need him.
What Lies Beneath still had some comic moments, but not many that can be classed as overly funny and at least one touching moment. Susan Sullivan again made a very short appearance as Martha, and it was her scene with Kate that was offered some lovely sentimentality.
Ryan and Javi have a falling out that is stopped short by Captain Beckett revealing that she put both her detectives in for the sergeant’s exam. The only main characters who do not lie in this episode are Lanie, Javi, Martha and the “Irish hit-man” who Rick is having breakfast with. (Arguably Alexis is also “lie free” as the referenced untruth that Castle mentions in the show happened before the episode.)
By the time the end credits roll, a plethora of leads have been followed and disregarded and lot of lies have been told and the revealed. It turns out that the pathological liar’s wife did him in and Castle and Kate are a little closer to working out a solution where they can at least work together…maybe…
Beckett is still chasing the case that she and Vikram Singh started back in the first episode of the season. This plot line took back seat in this episode with just enough of a presence to remind the viewer that Kate is not leaving this one alone.
Alexis is still proving to be the adult in the partnership with her father and the show allowed Nathan Fillion to do what he does best, be Rick Castle. Stana Katic had very little screen time, but it is a testament to her chops that she consistently delivers with minimal effort.
Castle airs Mondays on ABC, tune in and get your Caskett fix.
