SPOILERS AHEAD

Before Castle departed for the winter break, Captain Gates (Penny Johnson) informed Castle (Nathan Fillion) he was no longer allowed to work on cases with the NYPD because of his involvement with the mob during the investigation in “Bad Santa.” Quite a conundrum since he’s married to the lead detective Kate Beckett (Stana Katic). But you can’t keep a good writer down as Castle comes up with an ingenious way to still investigate cases –become a private investigator. Too bad he doesn’t tell Beckett about it before showing up to the latest crime scene.

Castle gets booted out of the preliminary investigation but he’s got his own way of getting information.

“Castle P.I.” takes a fun and interesting look at how this long running series is keeping things fresh and entertaining. During the preliminary analysis of the murder of Shana Baker (Gia Mora), an elite pre-school admissions director, things take an unexpected turn when Castle begins his own parallel investigation. Not even pepper spray will stop Castle from pursuing the truth.

There are many suspects, including Shana’s neighbor and friend Jeremy (Mac Brandt) who occasionally dog sits for her beloved pooch Sparkles. Then we have many of New York’s most elite, whose children attend the prestigious starter school The Eastbourne School. One such notable person of interest is top prosecutor Spalding Elliot (guest star Tim Griffin). And then, there’s corporate big shot, Brian Whitman (David Shatraw), whose threatening message on Shana’s office voicemail leads Beckett, Esposito (Jon Huertas), and Ryan (Seamus Dever) down a winding trail of mystery.

Ryan is keeping the Castle theories alive!

Is it just me or does Esposito seem more than OK with Castle not being on the team anymore? Thankfully, Ryan is representing Castle’s good name after being dubbed “Baby Castle” by Esposito when he mentions a possible “conspiracy” theory afoot. That a boy, Ryan.

One change up that fuels the angst is the other medical examiner, Sydney Perlmutter (guest star Arye Gross). His loathing of Castle and his delight that Castle is no longer allowed to work with the NYPD is definitely a departure from our Castle loving Lanie (Tamala Jones). I wonder when and why Perlmutter’s intense dislike of Castle manifested. What is behind his cynicism? I like the contrast, which is made even funnier when Perlmutter chases Castle around the morgue.

But there is more to Shana’s murder than meets the eye. Castle, in spite of his lack of access to the amenities of the NYPD, seems to have a leg up on Beckett throughout the case. Will Castle solve the mystery before Beckett and the team? The race is on and it becomes a game of cat and mouse between this newlywed couple that injects a bit of romance and one night stand innuendos throughout “Castle P.I.”

Beckett: “I’m sorry Castle; we shouldn’t be doing this.”

Castle: “Doing what?”

Beckett: “This. You. Me. Theorizing. Together. It’s not right, especially here, after this whole P.I. thing.”

Castle: “No…shh. Don’t think about it. Just think about how it feels when we work together. Besides, we have the place to ourselves; who’s gonna know?”

I adore when Castle and Beckett get cute and act all silly over each other. There is a moment after their night of “theorizing” when Beckett says it’s a “one time thing,” making it seem as if she and Castle are passing ships in the night rather than a married couple. It’s this playful banter that keeps me coming back week after week.

Beckett and Castle arrive at Shana's place of employment to discover she was recently out of town.

Beckett and Castle arrive at The Eastbourne School to discover Shana recently took time off work.

It seems Shana was conducting her own investigation before her untimely demise. She was looking into an old case involving her college boyfriend who died under mysterious circumstances. That presents another suspect, Frank Johnson (Alimi Ballard), the former editor of the Radnor University paper who covered up the story and the identity of a second, unknown person in the room when Shana’s boyfriend fell to his death.

As Beckett and Castle reconvene at home over large quantities of wine, they each divulge some information crucial to their separate investigations. But without the necessary means, Castle must conduct his case using old school methods. Turns out, Castle is more resourceful than Beckett or Captain Gates give him credit for. It’s a great touch adding what seems like narration as Castle sips dark liquor from a glass in his office, thinking he’s done in the P.I. business. But Castle is listening to his own recording when Beckett comes in with the killer’s identity. And it’s not who you think it is. It seems someone hired attorney Nicole Morris (Heather McComb) to set up Elliot for the murder. But who hired Nicole?

The writers are shaking things up by pulling Castle out of the NYPD’s shadow but I think this case with Shana Baker’s murder, specifically involving Elliot, may come to light again since the identity of the person who orders Shana’s death is still unknown. It reminds me of the dealings with former Senator Bracken (Jack Coleman) and the conspiracy behind Beckett’s mother’s murder not so long ago.

Overall

I like the new angle of making Castle a private investigator as it will allow him to go places he normally wouldn’t be able to go if he’s under the watchful eyes of the NYPD. Not that it has ever stopped him before. “Castle P.I.” opens a new chapter into the world of Castle as a series. But the question on all our minds is what happened to Castle in “Hollander’s Woods” when he was 11 years old? What happened while he was missing? You’re clever writers but I haven’t forgotten about “Montreal” and I want answers.

What did you think of “Castle, P.I.?” Do you have what it takes to be a private detective? Leave me a comment below and/or tweet me @judybopp.

Tune in to Castle, Mondays at 10/9c only on ABC.

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Judy Manning

Dream chaser extraordinaire! Judy tends to be a tad sarcastic and kind of goofy! She is an avid admirer of all things supernatural, paranormal, celestial and mystical. She loves to read, write, and watches way too much TV. She enjoys many genres of film and music (and let's be honest, most music from the 80s). She also has a wicked sweet tooth. Cupcakes beware.