Castle: "Disciple"

Castle: Season 6, Episode 9

ABC, Mondays 10pm

By Nicole Sandoli

This episode, “Disciple,” is the BEST episode of the season thus far. Although I loved the The Da Vinci Code and National Treasure-esque episode, this one takes the series to a whole different level. We are left with more questions than answers, something that rarely happens in these episodes.  What makes this episode so great is that a second plot line has been introduced – or so it seems.  When Kate was investigating her mother’s murder, parts of that investigation were intertwined with the regular cases we saw each week. In this episode, we are basically left standing on a cliff.

            When the show starts, we see a marina security guard discover a young woman hung by fishing wire.  At Castle’s house, Castle and Beckett are discussing wedding and honeymoon plans.  This gets you excited right from the start because we haven’t heard them talk about actual wedding plans in a while.  As they talk in the kitchen, Castle organizes a bunch of fruit in a smiley face for Beckett –another thing to get excited about. Has Pi, Alexis’ healthy boyfriend, started to rub off on Castle?

            Castle and Beckett arrive at the scene and realize that Lanie is a bit shaken up, and she has a right to be.  When Ryan shows them the body, the victim looks IDENTICAL to Lanie. Lanie doesn’t have a sister, so immediately we’re wonder who this woman is and why she is a clone of her.   Lanie examines the body back at the lab, and she calls Beckett to come down to the lab – alone.  She tells her that the victim, Pam Hodges, got cheek implants to get the same facial structure as Lanie. What continues to shock us is the identical tattoo on the victim’s hip, which is the same location that Lanie has her new tattoo.

            Castle and Beckett question Pam’s uncle and learn that she used to work the streets. He says that she had recently gotten a good job offer and has turned her life around.  When Castle and Beckett go to her apartment, they find it to be huge.  She has expensive coats hanging in the center of the room, which leads them to believe she was someone’s mistress.  When they find out that rent is being paid for by “Greg’s Baker,” an untraceable account, it furthers their theory.

            They trace the serial number on the cheek implants to a Dr. Kelly Nieman. Castle and Beckett pay her a visit, and she says that Pam brought her a picture of who she wanted to look like. Back at the precinct, Esposito questions Lanie about the tattoo. This is also a confirming moment because we find out that Espo and Lanie are still seeing each other. He tells her you could only see her tattoo if she is naked and asks her if she has been with anyone else.  She says she hasn’t shown anyone except him, but says she doesn’t remember getting home one night after going to a bar.  This leads them to thinking she could have been drugged.

            In a deleted picture found on Pam’s camera, they see it’s taken in front of a boat at the marina.  They trace the boat and the owner, and Ryan and Espo head to the location.  When they storm the boat, they find a man with his back turned.  He’s hung in the same way that Pam was, and Ryan goes to see his face.  Pale as a ghost, Ryan tells Espo to stay back because the man is IDENTICAL to Espo.

            Daniel Santos, our new victim, moved to NY from Georgia and used to be a stripper.  Exactly like Pam, he told friends and family he had a new and better job.  The team also found out he was going to a speech therapist.  Castle and Beckett meet with the therapist who has a recording of what Daniel wanted to sound like.  He plays the recording, and to no surprise it’s Espo’s voice.

            Ryan and Espo go to Daniel’s apartment, and a neighbor tells them that a limo would pick him up occasionally.  We then find out that he’s been visiting Dr. Nieman. When brought in for questioning, she tells us they had a “strictly physical” relationship that Daniel referred Pam to her.  With no substantial evidence against Dr. Nieman, she tells them it’s clear she is being set up and gives Kate her card as she walks out of the room.

            They trace the security cam outside of Dr. Nieman’s apartment the night of Daniel’s death, and he is seen getting into a red car. They trace a parking pass on the rearview windshield to Carl Matthews – the security guard who found Pam Hodge’s body. The team thinks they have their killer, but naturally, Castle takes it one step further.  He thinks Carl has a partner and that it could possibly be Jerry Tyson, an escaped criminal from a previous season. Castle goes with his hunch and gets Beckett to let him sign out the “3XK” files. The files had been signed out three days earlier… by Esposito.   The real Esposito gets defensive when accused, and Beckett gets a call that all the DNA samples from those cases were signed out too… by Lanie. It looks like it was the work of Lanie and Esposito’s doppelgängers.

            They locate Matthews at a motel, and he’s checked in to room #47.  This is also odd because it’s the same room number that Tyson was checked into when he was being investigated.  Castle waits outside as the team goes to his room, but Castle sees Matthews and tackles him. He’s brought in for questioning, and confesses to the murders too easily.  Castle and Beckett know he is working for Tyson. The suspense of this episode is high throughout, but the ending truly reaches the climax. Ryan brings the team records from the prison where Tyson was kept, and they find out that Dr. Nieman was the nurse that was treating him. Immediately connecting the two, they speed to Nieman’s office, except it is completely empty.  There are no traces that a business even existed.  The only thing left is a pen and note saying “Better luck next time.”

            At Castle’s house, he plays with the pen and discovers it is a USB drive.  He plugs in into the computer, and a song starts to play.  The singer starts “We will meet again” and Kate’s face is spooked and filled with emotion.  Castle and walk slowly towards each other in silence. Now, we have no idea what this song triggered.  It seems to affect Beckett more than Castle, but we don’t know why.  The murders or the doppelgangers are left unsolved, and we are left confused after the rollercoaster ride we have just been on.  It’s brilliant to bring a past criminal back, and I think this plot line will spark interest in some audience members who are getting bored with the series.  This was one of the more serious episodes because it was heavier on content. This whole episode just screams “PLOT TWIST!”