Before I get to my recap, I have to wish a very happy birthday to Leah, a great writer, great friend, and the Kevin Ryan to my Kate Beckett.
Title Target
Two-Sentence Summary The murder of a Columbia student leads the team at the 12th precinct to the kidnapping of the daughter of a high-ranking member of the old Egyptian regime. When Castle discovers that Alexis was also kidnapped, he proves that a father will do anything to protect his child.
Favorite Lines
Beckett: I didn’t think you had that side to you.
Castle: When it comes to the people I love, I do.
My Thoughts WOW. I’m not sure there are words to describe “Target” beyond that. Everything about it was exceptional: the characterization, the music, the plotting, the twist, and the ACTING. I’m the kind of person who gravitates towards performances more than I do towards any other aspect of visual media. So when an episode of a TV show features the finest acting by its very talented cast to date, it’s safe to say that the episode is going to be one of my favorites.
I felt the setup at the beginning of the episode went on just long enough to build the tension. While some parts were certainly a little heavy-handed (Castle talking about setting Alexis free), it all functioned as a kind of calm before the storm we all knew was coming, a brief period to get settled in before Castle found Alexis’s phone and the wild, emotionally turbulent ride began.
In an episode that depended on Molly Quinn more than she’s ever been depended on before, she truly shone. I loved that the writers kept Alexis in-character. She’s her father’s daughter—like Martha said—brave and smart and strong. She’s also been shown throughout the series to be incredibly resourceful, which served her well here. It would have been easy to turn her into a crying, frightened mess, but I loved that she was the strong one. She used her brains, and she used them to the best of her ability. Alexis has always been one of my favorite representations of young women on television, and this only added to my love for the character.
Speaking of the women in Castle’s life, let’s give another standing ovation to Susan Sullivan, shall we? This woman can take a few minutes of screen time and use them in a way that makes her performance unforgettable. I loved seeing her strength rise to the surface again. Martha has grown in such a natural, believable way along with her son over the course of these five seasons. In a time of total crisis, it’s Martha who becomes the glue holding her family together—and Sullivan nailed that mixture of hope and fierce determination with her trademark power and passion.
Castle’s family at the precinct was also a subtle but huge source of support in this episode. I loved the moment when he walked out of the meeting with the FBI agent and the rest of the team watched him go. You could see the sadness, pain, and resolve on all of their faces. Castle is a part of their family and has been for years. And these people protect their own. I never doubted once that they were ready to do anything in their power to save Alexis, who is part of their family, too.
Captain Gates was especially powerful in this episode. I got tears in my eyes for the first time in the episode (but certainly not the last) when she told Beckett to do whatever it takes to “find his little girl.” For all her gruff exterior when it comes to Castle, it’s clear that Gates sees him as part of their family, too. I also loved the way it became clear that Gates knows about Castle and Beckett’s relationship. Like “Probable Cause,” this episode didn’t make a comedic moment out of the reveal. Instead, it was a quiet but important moment of recognition when Gates saw them holding hands. I’m sure this will cause tension after all is said and done with Alexis, but I liked that it was handled in an understated way for now. There were more important things to deal with.
Like any strong Castle episode, “Target” got its strength from its leads. Nathan Fillion and Stana Katic both have never been better than they were here—and I say this is as someone who was blown away by their work in “Always.” I know it’s common fandom hyperbole to say that an actor deserves Emmy recognition after a particularly good episode, but I genuinely believe Fillion deserves at least a second look by the Emmy nomination committee for his work here. His vulnerability was something we’ve never seen from him before—not even from his best work on Firefly. And his darkness was something I’d missed from his days as Captain Mal. There’s something truly terrifying about watching those beautiful blue eyes go dark and cold—and it was absolutely necessary here.
Nerdy Girl Notes 