Castle (TV series)/Recap/S1/E01 Flowers for Your Grave

Richard Castle is a mystery writer, with problems; he's killed off his bestselling character Derrick Storm, he's got writer's block, his ex-wife (and publisher) is threatening to demand the return of his advance if she doesn't see anything in a week, and ennui is setting in with his playboy lifestyle (except for the bits where he gets to sign the breasts of attractive, flirty women -- he doesn't mind those bits much) leading to one bored, frustrated writer. To top it off, his interfering, critical mother Martha has moved in with him and his teenage daughter Alexis.

Kate Beckett is an NYPD detective, also with problems -- someone is killing people. Specifically, killing them and staging their bodies in the same way as can be found in mystery novels written by Beckett's favourite novelist -- Richard Castle.

Owing to the similarity between crime scenes, Beckett brings Castle in for questioning. She is less-than-impressed with his flirtatious, flippant attitude; Castle, however, is greatly impressed and intrigued -- in more than one way -- by the attractive, brilliant detective, and is also intrigued by the killer deciding to stage his murders based on Castle's self-described "lesser works". As such, he calls in a favour with an old friend -- who just happens to be the mayor -- to get himself attached to the investigation as a consultant, much to the irritation of Beckett and the amusement of her colleagues, Captain Roy Montgomery, Detectives Javier Esposito and Kevin Ryan and ME Lanie Parrish.

The discovery of a third body leads Castle to note that there are certain minor but glaring inconsistencies between the crime scenes as he wrote them and the crime scenes as staged by the killer. It's seemingly immaterial, however, as the discovery of fingerprints on a fan-letter depicting in detail the second crime scene have led to Kyle Cabot, an fan of Castle's with a history of psychiatric problems, a connection to all three victims and a rather creepy shrine devoted to Castle in his apartment. Clearly Cabot has lost touch with reality and gone on a killing spree. Case closed.

Castle isn't buying it.

It's too easy; his writer's sensibilities won't allow him to accept such an easy solution to the crime. Furthermore, the inconsistencies between the crime scenes and his books would be impossible for an obsessive fan consumed with getting every detail correct to tolerate. After discussing his latest "project" with his poker buddies (who just happen to include Stephen J Cannell and James Patterson), he comes to the conclusion that Cabot has been framed by someone who wanted to cover up one of the murders by committing two more and depicting it as the work of a psycho, and decides to keep digging to clear Cabot's name. This involves charming Beckett with an advance copy of his latest novel and stealing evidence from her. Beckett is not pleased, and Castle finds himself under arrest.

Beckett, however, has also let the inconsistencies of the case (and Castle, although she's loath to admit it) get under her skin, and begins reinvestigating the matter as well. Of the three victims, only the second -- Stephanie Tisdale, Cabot's social worker and daughter of a wealthy real-estate mogul -- had any serious connection to Cabot or knowledge of his psychiatric issues. And her brother is now the sole heir to the multimillion dollar fortune of their father, who doesn't want anyone to know that he is dying of cancer. That, and his failing business, equal one very strong motive for murder. Unfortunately, Harrison Tisdale was out of the country for all three murders, and has a stamped passport to prove it. An airtight alibi -- unless, as Castle suggests, he has acquired a fake passport to enable him to slip back in to the country and commit the murders.

Which he has.

The police arrive at Tisdale's apartment just as he's destroying the evidence, leading him to escape out the back -- and run right past Castle, who has been handcuffed to a police car to prevent him from interfering. Castle isn't about to let that stop him, however, and follows Tisdale in hot pursuit, only to wind up a hostage. Beckett and Tisdale face off, but Castle manages to goad Tisdale's motivation out from him before managing to extricate himself from the hostage situation. Awesomely. Helped that the safety was on, however.

The loose ends tied up, Beckett and Castle say their farewells; Beckett politely rebuffs Castle's offer of dinner, and walks away from the writer forever. Or so she thinks; turns out that Castle has a killer idea for a series of novels about a savvy, beautiful NYPD detective which he needs to research and a newly-acquired taste for solving real-life mysteries. He also still has the mayor on speed dial, meaning that Beckett isn't rid of him just yet....

Tropes
"Esposito: A control freak like you with something you can't control? That's gonna be more fun than Shark Week."
 * As Himself: Stephen J Cannell and James Patterson.
 * Control Freak: Beckett. Which is why her cop friends are so amused by Castle's presence.


 * Crowning Moment of Awesome: "Tell me you saw that!!!" We did, Castle. We did.
 * Early Installment Weirdness: Esposito does most of the talking in the Those Two Guys dynamic with Ryan. And there's a second detective (played by Colby French) who has more lines than Espo...but whom we never see again.
 * Foreshadowing: Castle is familiar with guns.
 * Not With the Safety On You Won't: Part of the reason Castle is able to extricate himself from the hostage situation.
 * Put Down Your Gun and Step Away: Subverted. Awesomely.
 * Screw the Rules, I Have Connections: Castle. One of the perks to having the Mayor on speed-dial is allowing tests that would take weeks in real life happen in mere hours, just like they do on CSI.
 * Your Princess Is in Another Castle: No pun intended.