Castle - Montreal - Review: "What happens in Montreal, stays in Montreal"

""The supreme art of war it to subdue the enemy without fighting"-Sun Tzu. The tactical smooch is just one weapon in my vast arsenal." – Castle

The team from Castle wasted no time in telling us they knew exactly what we were thinking and that they had thought about it too. “Montreal” started off with an interview, a dressing down with Richard Castle, addressing everything this fandom might or might not have thought about the premiere, about the story, the explanation we got served in “Driven”. The interviewer made fun of the amnesia storyline, and it’s like they’re telling us, “Hey, we know, just give us a chance.” Castle and the interviewer threw each other the ball, giving explanations and questionings about his disappearance, about his motives. And they both seem to come to the same conclusion, no one believes him.

The show returned to its status quo with the murder case of the week type plot, but in “Montreal” the case really wasn’t what seemed to drive the storyline, there was so much more going on. The death of the CEO seemed like an excuse for the characters (Castle and Ryan, of course) to play with toys, to become kids, more than anything. It’s an attempt back to familiarity. When Beckett and the rest of the gang at the precinct are pulling for normality, for things to go back to how they were, Castle just isn’t there yet, literally.

“What we could really use right now is a crazy Castle theory.” - Ryan

Castle wants answers, can't stop until he's found them, and he’s willing to search through the haystack to find them. And the haystack, as it turns out, is polluted with the crazies, the lonely and the desperate. But one lead is all they need, and one lead is what they get, and the plot thickens. We got answers, but we also got more questions. Rick was spotted in the background of a picture talking with Fake Jenkins, in Montreal. After some pleading, Castle manages to convince Beckett to let her go without her, to go with Alexis. Though this episode had a lot of great moments, the scene between Kate, Alexis and Rick is probably my favorite. It was light and fun, I can’t seem to be able to put my finger on what it was exactly, but I really enjoyed their interaction.

One question is answered as the mystery of the “38” key is unveiled. The Castles’ subdue their way to the safe deposit box and manage to open number thirty-eight. They’re letters, but not really, they’re videos, farewells, goodbyes. This the second time we get a, if you get this it means I’m dead speech. Beckett’s was in “In the Belly of the Beast” and now Castle in “Montreal” and yes, it's love stories like this one that give us unrealistic expectations. The scene was beautifully put together, with the character's reactions spot on, it was touching.

“Kate, if you’re seeing this. Well, if you’re seeing this I’m probably dead, I want you to know I never intended to leave you, not like this, not on our wedding day. But I, I… it wasn’t my choice. I wish I could tell you what’s going on, I wish I could explain. But just know that I love you. I’ve always loved you. Always.” - Castle

They search for something in the audio, something in the background and they find it. Well, Castle finds it, and he goes back to Montreal by himself, after hesitating to call Beckett, in the hopes of jogging up his memory. It’s in the building where he taped his farewells, that he’s ambushed by fake Jenkins. It’ not amnesia, Castle wanted to forget, asked to forget, and it makes us wonder what could have been so bad that it would have made Castle want to forget 2 months of his life. This is Castle, he hates not knowing, he hates not having the answers. Castle yearns for the truth. Living with it without knowing, I'm not sure he's going to be able to. I know I wouldn't.

Some things though still don't make sense in my head. What was the point of the tent with all his things, the dinghy with the bullet holes? Is that part of the cover up?

But the bigger mystery here is what happened to 11 year old Richard Rodgers in the woods that pushed him to become a mystery writer. Do you guys think it might be related to his abduction? It kind of feels weird to finally get into the Castle mythology after 7 seasons. To discover what shaped him, in the same capacity Beckett's mother's murder shaped her. I'm excited though, happy to uncover the Castle onion he writer's now seem to be slowly unpeeling.

“What was he, a nun in another life?” - Castle

Beckett and Castle are slowly (very slowly) going back to the people they used to be, the team they used to be, the partners. But they're still looking for solid ground, and even though she chooses to believe him, to trust him, they're not ready to get married, yet. So we wait.

So, one month until the wedding. One month gives 4 weeks, so four episodes. They’ll get married in 4.06, is that how it works?