Castle - Recoil - Recap and Review

Tonight’s murder victim has been found burned a barrel by a homeless person. Lanie soon identifies the vic as a 5’ 4” young woman who was disappeared because of her lack of dental and fingerprints. In her jaw there’s a titanium screw and thus Melanie Rodgers is discovered. By all accounts, she was well liked. The one of the last phone numbers she called was to a cell phone in D.C. The last was to her sister. The sister says that she never spoke to Melanie at four, when she called, because she was in a meeting. She then plays the message for the team where Melanie has left her last words on her sister’s phone knowing she was going to die. ST3 – a partial plate. The echoes – a parking garage. The click – a lighter which points to the killer having experience. Ryan has checked out the cab Melanie took providing a lead. The hotel manager from where she was dropped off says he saw her a couple of times, notably the night she was killed. Beckett threatens to interrogate everyone who has stayed at the hotel for the last year and he manager produces a photo of Sen. Bracken whom fans will remember as the man behind her mother’s murder introduced earlier this season (link).

“I was really hoping the next I saw this guy was down the barrel of my gun.”

The number Melanie called last night was Sen. Bracken’s not a surprise and Kate sees her chance to finally make him pay without him seeing their play ahead of time. Ryan and Esposito go to talk to him with the intention letting him think he’s in the clear. Sen. Bracken was in the middle of rejecting a proposal from a fellow senator, pours the detectives a drink, and claims to have met Melanie awhile ago in a consulting aspect. Bracken gets standoffish after they mention the hotel and threatens to call his lawyer should they continue to want to question him.

The group speaks in hushed tones around Beckett’s desk afraid of spies. Castle points out the proximity of where Melanie was last found to a parking garage she could have been killed in. They find the car she was referencing in her message but it was stolen three days ago. They also find a sniper rifle and the plans to the hotel Bracken was giving the speech at. One poster later, and Bracken goes from suspect to target.

Beckett briefs the captain who agrees that the suspect is still out there. They have serial numbers but no leads yet. Bracken walks into the police station and Beckett reiterates her original plan to put him away. Bracken doesn’t want their help any more than they want to give it but Beckett being a good cop, pushed for the protection of the man she most wants dead. The captain says that she cannot guarantee Bracken’s safety at the conference but he insists on giving his speech. The Captain asks why Bracken would have trepidation on working with Beckett calling into question whether they told her what happened in the start of the season. Kate begins her normal questioning but without the usual gusto. But most people who threaten him aren’t crazy enough to try and kill him aside from Kate. Beckett confesses that in her dreams she would be the one pulling the trigger but if he wants to bring it up or work with someone else, she invites him to tell the squad why they would not be a good match to work together.

Espo puts forth to Ryan that he wants to let Bracken die but Ryan points out that they can’t do that. Late at night Castle and Beckett go through the letters sent to Bracken and he says he likes the way she dotted the 'i' in kill with a little heart. Aside from that cute revelation, they haven’t found any writing sample to match the notes in the suspect’s journal. Beckett hides an envelope from Castle and tells him to go home as he’s getting sleepy.

Beckett talks to her shrink, guest star Michael Dorn, about what to do. They could find the suspect by Kate turning over the letter but if she does than someone else, worse, could walk free. Kate brings a match to the letter and we’re left at commercial break wondering if she’s going to light the paper up.

Returning, Castle asks the team in the morning if they’ve seen Beckett. They haven’t but they’re unconcerned. A few moments later and after a dead end, Beckett walks in and says she found nothing significant in the letters. She blows off Castle and waits in the kitchen observing Melanie’s sister and knowing she made the right choice by not burning the letter. She goes to give them the letter but before she can, they tell her they found a chemical compound for the print in oil that could identify the suspect as a mechanic. Looking inside the window, they find that the shop sells the same type of baseball caps as their suspect has been known to wear. Showing him a sketch, the man confirms it to be one of his laid of mechanics and tells them his name is Robert McMannus, who is living off the grid. Captain Gates comes in with McManus’ location. Beckett orders a thorough investigation of the apartment when the man is not found in his apartment. She goes to check by the elevators and fins him coming up the stairs. She has him at gun point but doesn’t shoot until he’s far out of range and behind a door. She turns around to see Castle who looks disappointed and for the moment, it’s unclear whether he’s upset over the lack of result or the fact Beckett all but let the man get away.

Coming back from the break, Kate confesses all that she kept the letter over night and let the man get away not a miss as Castle had first thought. McMannus wanted to get Bracken to talk to him over his son’s death as he had been working for Bracken at his time of death. At his apartment, they found traces of a bomb which wasn’t in his place or on him. Beckett now wants to save Bracken not to save Bracken but the people who would be considered collateral should the bomb go off. She goes into talk to Robert and speaks very calmly to him because she can understand him. Kate tells McManus the story of how Bracken killed her mother. Captain Gates is surprised to hear this so Castle covers by saying Beckett is lying to get him on her side. McManus thinks she’s on his side and accused the entire force of being on the take. Kate knows she’s losing him but remains calm far past when a lot of people would have. Robert puts his cuffs back on and Gates calls Beckett out for a chat.

Bracken seems almost happy that Beckett nearly let McManus get away. Castle brings an expensive bottle of wine over to Beckett’s apartment where she points out the the bomb vest was expertly made and the body was expertly done as well so why would a duffel bag trip him up. And hat about the lighter? Castle begs her to let it go but Kate insists that it's just about the evidence. Kate thinks that they were supposed to find the bomb but Castle knows her career is over if she stops the speech and is wrong. She calls in the evacuation anyways.

Police cars swarm the hotel. Kate briefs the senator saying that the individual who framed MCMaus had to have access to the files in Bracken’s office. After a thorough sweep of the immediate area, they found nothing. Bracken sees this as a moment of sabotage and walk off getting into his limo after a heated discussion. Castle goes to check on Beckett and sees that she saved Bracken. She orders him to go get the driver who’s been with him for a number of years. Bracken sees the only motive as money. Ryan and Espo took a look into his accounts and they find s substantial payoff. Kate asks Bracken if he knows who did ti and he says he has a theory before telling her again that she has no idea who she’s dealing with. He invites Beckett to walk him out. Outside he thanks her for saving his life. She replies that you can’t win them all. And he claims himself in her debt.

Ben Moss, a big player in their world, is found to have been behind the attempt which calls into question whether Bracken put the hit out on himself which the investigators seem to come to without actually saying.

Next week: A reality star is murdered. Everyone’s dream.

What worked:
♥Having Beckett want to burn the letter.
♥The repeated drama of her mother’s murder and the vengeance she deserves but has been denied.