Part 2 of the first episode of season 8 focuses on Beckett and her point of view from the beginning of the day so viewers can better understand why she has been in hiding.
The episode starts with Beckett in the abandoned building we saw episode 1 end on as she reflects on seeing Castle at the warehouse and how much she misses him. We then see the man who she has been hiding with, who the NYPD have identified as Vikram Singh, played by Sunkrish Bala, as Beckett and Singh think they are safe for a while one of the teams after her burst into the room leaving just enough time for Beckett and Singh to run they disappear through a trap door and run into a woman who helps them escape she then claims to be Castle’s stepmother. The scene shoots to Castle who is still trying to figure out where Beckett was and what is happening, Hayley joins them and offers to help once again. As Beckett and Singh are saved by Rita she demands that Beckett tell her everything she knows, Beckett flashbacks to the time of the phone call the day before when it all started. Honestly I am not sure how I feel about the presence of Castle’s stepmother, it seems like an attempt by the writers to include some humour in a very serious episode, obviously we would not have heard of her as she is a secret agent like Castle’s father but it seems as though she has been chucked into the storyline randomly, hopefully as the series progresses she will have more of a story, otherwise in my opinion there is not point having her.
The flashback shows Singh telling Beckett there is a code 7 emergency and she is to meet him. Beckett meets Singh at the theatre who tells her that her former DC team, including her former partner have been killed, he tells Beckett she is at the heart of why people are after him. They are then interrupted by assassins, Beckett managers to shoot a few guys but gets shot in the process as they try to escape, Beckett tries to call the precinct but Singh throws her phone out of the car window explaining that, that is the way they found them. Singh and Beckett stop at a dry cleaners for Beckett to sew up her wound, Singh complains of needing insulin for his diabetes, which we see Beckett stealing from the ambulance in the previous episode; he then begins to explain to Beckett that he discovered a document from a database search that Beckett did when she was a government agent that linked to Senator Bracken with her name attached, Beckett explains she was trying to link Bracken to some form of criminality, Singh tells her people are dead now because of it.
The scene shoots to Beckett and Singh at the prison where Beckett goes to find out more information about the document Singh found, that was mainly redacted apart from a word that said ‘Loksat’ Beckett speaks with Bracken to try and get more information from him, as soon as she mentions ‘Loksat’ he appears afraid and worried and he tells her that by unveiling that she has put a target on his back and she will be dead soon. Esposito and Ryan find the footage from Beckett at the prison and they go to speak to Bracken.
Meanwhile, Hayley and Alexis follow a lead that Singh was at a hotel, the flashback shows that Beckett and Singh are trying to get another copy of the document but they are aware that by searching in the information it will trigger an alarm which will cause the assassin’s to find them. I really like how they have set up this episode so that Beckett’s flashbacks coincide with what is happening now with Castle, Esposito, Ryan, Hayley and Alexis it pieces everything together nicely so you as the audience are not left in the dark like most of the last episode. It was also interesting to see how Beckett is with a new partner, the audience are used to her being with Castle, she is softer more concerned, but with Singh she is aware of the dangerous situation and sees him more of a liability than an asset. We then see Beckett and Singh with Rita in a house as she explains that she followed the assassin’s to the abandoned warehouse to save Castle, when questions Rita reveals that she does not know what ‘Loksat’ is but she does know that this person is powerful and a dirty analyst in the CIA, she tells them that Bracken was partners with this person and they will kill anyone to protect their identity. Esposito and Ryan go the see Bracken in prison to find that he has been murdered, Rita finds out via a text and tells Beckett and Singh they have to go on the run to survive.
Back at the precinct a woman, the assistant attorney general named Alison Hyde from DC is there to help locate Beckett, Castle talks to her to discover that Vikram Singh forged his documents to get a job in DC and is not who he says he is. This is something I kind of assumed that they would do, it was expected which was slightly disappointing, Beckett then tells Singh that she will not run, and he says he would stay with her as he feels safer with her, as the audience we worry more for Beckett and her safety. Both Beckett and Castle figure out that the drugs Bracken and ‘Loksat’ where smuggling in were through a plane, they go to the hanger and Beckett questions a staff member from the plane. The tension is heighten as Singh is standing behind Beckett and it looks as though he is about to shoot her as Castle turns up and runs for her. Singh shots the man Beckett was questioning as he was holding a gun, Castle tries to convince Beckett Singh is bad but Beckett believes he is not the bad guy or ‘Loksat’. Castle takes Beckett and Singh to his PI office, Beckett explains to Castle she was trying to protect him but Castle is angry at her for not trusting him. It is interesting to see these character’s argue like this especially as issues such as trust and understanding have not really been addressed since they got married.
Again watching Nathan Fillion and Stana Katic’s relationship is completely convincing their chemistry shows through clearly and as an audience member you honestly believe they are a married couple. Back at the PI office Beckett and Singh explain everything that has happened to Esposito, Ryan and Castle, Castle’s plan is to pretend to unveil the theory on national television to lure out ‘Loksat’ back at the PI office they are held hostage at gun point by the male assassin from episode 1, Esposito and Ryan kill him as Hayley turns up with a man with a gun to her back as the team put their guns down Castle quickly reveals a gun and shots the man. This isn’t Castle’s first kill and I find this hard to believe that Castle so easily kills people, although he is a mystery novelist creating fictional deaths and then committing them are completely different, in this scene although people he cares about are in danger he shows no remorse or psychology damage or impact that he has just taken a life and this has never been addressed in Castle however, when Beckett is shot it takes her an entire season to come to terms with it. Castle has had no therapy or training to deal with what he has done.
Alison Hyde takes the suspect back to DC, Castle makes a speech to welcome Beckett as the new Captain of the 9th precinct. Beckett gives a speech to thank everyone for their support as they are all about to go back to work. Singh comes and tells them he cracked a code from the shooters phone which tells them where the calls came from to discover they came from Alison Hyde’s desk. As the team go to arrest her they hear a gun shot and find her dead having killed herself. Beckett meets Rita by her car and both agree they do not believe Alison Hyde is ‘Loksat’ Rita realises Beckett can’t let her obsession go and Beckett tells her she can’t. Beckett goes back to the loft to see Castle and pack a bag, she tells Castle she loves him but he can’t come with her, Castle begs her to stay and for them to work it out together. Beckett tells him she can’t and she hopes he will take her back, Castle tells Beckett that Bracken told him she would never let her obsession go and it would destroy them. Beckett tells Beckett she loves him and to forgive her and leaves. This scene broke my heart, I understand Beckett wanting to protect him, Alexis and her family and she is finding it hard that she no longer has anything to focus on since her mother’s murder was solved but it felt as if she didn’t even try. She was fine until ‘Loksat’ came onto the picture and now all of a sudden this hunger is back and she has not even tried to live her life with Castle or focus on her new career as Captain. Obviously the writers are aiming to accomplish a storyline similar to the one with Bracken but I Kate Beckett from the previous seasons would have at least tried to put it behind her however, we shall see what this season brings us.
