Castle (TV series)/Recap/S2/E05 When the Bough Breaks

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.


Illyska Sokel, an illegal immigrant from Eastern Europe, is found beaten to death in a sewer manhole, and her lonely apartment throws up a possible clue; a photo of a mother and son, with the mother's face viciously scratched out. Investigation reveals them to be the Talbots, a family who lived in the luxurious apartment the victim worked in -- until recently, when Mrs. Talbot raised a complaint about her that led to Sokel being fired. The relationships between Sokel and the Talbots soon reveal to be more complicated, however, with an ugly secret in their shared past waiting to be revealed.

Meanwhile, the launch of Heat Wave is approaching, but Castle has been approached with an offer to write a series of novels about "a certain British secret agent", a dream job of his -- and one that would necessitate him walking away from his 'Nikki Heat' series and, by extension, Beckett. This leads to tension between the two as Beckett finds herself less happy about this eventuality than she'd anticipated.

The Castle episode "When The Bough Breaks" contains examples of:

  • Be Careful What You Wish For: Beckett has clearly been counting down the days until Castle is out of her life -- until the prospect of it actually happening for real starts looming, at which point, despite her protests, she is clearly unhappy about it. There's also an element of this regarding Nikki Heat -- she hasn't enjoyed being the basis for the character, but does not like it when Castle doesn't seem interested in writing about her further. There may be parallels here with her relationship with Castle. It's hard to tell.
  • Cannot Spit It Out: Castle, twice. The first time, he derails a warm-and-fuzzy romantically-charged moment between himself and Beckett to bring up a thought he'd had about the case, leaving Beckett visibly suffering from Mood Whiplash. The second, when it looks like he and Beckett are parting ways for good, he ends another potential romantic moment by holding out his hand for a handshake. Oh, Castle.
  • Incredibly Lame Pun:

Castle: I almost bought a Russian bride once. You know, a Czech-mate?

  • Lame Excuse: The morning after their fight at the book launch, Castle shows up unexpected at the station; when Beckett demands to know what he's doing there, Castle claims he left his sunglasses behind. Beckett sneers that it's the worst excuse she's ever heard -- at which point Castle, stony-faced, picks up his sunglasses off her desk. Beckett is left with egg on face.
  • Moment Killer: Almost every warm-and-fuzzy moment between Beckett and Castle in the episode is spoiled by something:
    • Castle ruins it himself at the book launch when he brings up a thought he's had about the Murder Of The Week. The attempts to get the moment back end up with both of them fighting like teenagers and storming off.
    • Captain Montgomery and Paula, Castle's agent, ruin it by telephone at the end when Castle and Beckett are saying their heartfelt goodbyes to each other.
  • Mood Dissonance: Castle and Beckett seem to be having a warm fuzzy moment at his book launch, when Castle suddenly brings up a thought he had about the current murder they're working on. Beckett is left visibly stunned.
  • She Cleans Up Nicely: Beckett, at the book launch, Lampshaded in pretty much these exact words by Montgomery.
  • Switched At Birth: The solution to the murder hinges on it.
  • Writing Around Trademarks: It's pretty clear who the "certain British secret agent" Castle is invited to write is, but it's strategically framed as Castle refusing to say the name or have it said around him to avoid jinxing the deal.
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