Mikes Film Talk

Castle: Heartbreakers spends little time on Kate moving back in with Rick full time and moves straight into the storyline. The theme is sharks and ex loves.  Javi’s former fiancee is a thief and the two reunite after the episode begins with an armored car  heist that ends in murder.

Lucy, Rick and Kate are having breakfast and just as the A.I. shows signs of jealousy Beckett’s phone rings and the reunited couple have their first murder. It is the aforementioned  murderous heist and before Kate leaves Lucy refuses to make coffee and orders her out.

At the crime scene Rick spots a glob of perfumed jello on the floor and Esposito recognizes it as the M.O. of his one-time fiancee Sonia (Angélica Celaya). The mess dripping from an air duct is used to by-pass the security system.  Sonia is in prison with three months left in her sentence. 

Javi confesses that he was engaged to Sonia who was sent down for stealing gold bullion. Esposito arrested his fiancee and broke up with her, but the flame lives on. Sonia is volunteered, by Kate,  to help and Esposito has to look after his old love.

Rick is delighted at this turn of events and asks if Esposito let Sonia keep the engagement ring to trade for cigarettes in the prison. Javi is not amused.  As the cop and his former lover spend time together, Sonia works Esposito and escapes.

Prior to Sonia scarpering,  Rick’s obvious amusement at Javi’s backstory allows him to make a few jokes at his pal’s expense although Ryan does save him from getting into trouble. The two monitor Esposito and his old flame through the tracker on her ankle which she removes prior to leaving through a bathroom window.

It is revealed that Sonia was in on the armored car robbery and she used the crime to get out of prison early, even though she was “locked in” to get parole in three months. Her share of the bullion was hidden by her father who had a stroke. Panicking Sonia had to get out or she might lose access to her gold.

Javi and Ryan rush to get Sonia back before Kate can learn of the escape.  Back at the Castle abode, Lucy is acting oddly at the welcome home party Beckett has with Alexis and Martha. (This is the second time that the A.I. uses music to comic effect. This time playing the violin Psycho theme at an ear splitting decibel level.)

Esposito tracks down Sonia, she is at her dying father’s side and Javi is kidnapped by Sonia’s business partner. Ryan rushes to save his partner but is too late.  As Kate, Ryan and Rick rush to find where the gold must be hidden, Javi’s time runs out when Sonia’s partner proposes killing the detective.

Sonia saves Javi and reveals that she still loves him and Esposito gets loose. He reveals that nine years ago he almost ran away with her rather than arrest the love of his life.

The episode ends with Sonia cutting a deal and Javi promising to visit her in prison, while Lucy is now Linus and the male A.I. goes all “2001: A Space Odyssey” on Rick.

Standout Moments: 

Javi’s five finger knife game a’la Aliens.

Lucy.

Linus.

Final Thoughts:

Not a bad episode this one. A gang of thieves who use shark names to identify themselves and a former love who Javi still carries a torch for.  Jon Huertas getting the spotlight and Stana Katic taking the back burner…again  works just fine as Katic’s character does get some comedic moments of her own. 

Overall there were enough comic touches to make the show fun and enough “drama” to keep things interesting.  LokSat has been shoved to the side, for the time being, but the smart money is on it showing up in a big way in the upcoming (remaining) episodes.

Kudos to Constantine actress Celaya for a great guest spot.

Castle airs Mondays on ABC.