We know Richard Castle is an excellent writer, but sometimes we forget how perceptive he is. This past episode of Castle reminded us all of why he is the perfect partner for Kate and the 12th.

I don’t know about you viewers, but somewhere over the past couple of seasons Castle’s intuitive nature and perceptiveness took a backseat to storytelling. With the mid-season reveal that Rick will no longer be allowed to have a professional relationship with Kate and the rest of the 12th precinct after the District Attorney was made aware of his relationship with mobsters, it was quite a blow for him and seemingly for the premise of the show.

The initial appeal of the show in season 1 and season 2 was that Castle was an asset to the team that they didn’t know they needed. He was a breath of fresh air and ideas that opened up Kate, Esposito, and Ryan to new ways of thinking. He may have been way out of the box at times, but no one can deny that he has not been a huge boon to the amount of cases they have closed.

Castle’s biggest achievement? His insight into the murder of Kate’s mother, Joanna Beckett. Without Castle’s snooping, albeit completely inappropriate and unwarranted, she never would have reopened her search for the killer. And not only did they find the killer, but they exposed an underground ring of murderers, money launderers, and political corruption. Getting closure on her mother’s murder is something that Kate desperately needed and without Castle’s pushing she may never have gotten that.

Now Castle has his own agenda and his own private investigator office to handle his own cases outside of his work with Kate. He proved his resourcefulness in the past episode and you can refresh your memory here. Once again he proved that he is necessary for the case when he found out that the murder victim was researching her boyfriend’s death. Go, Rick, go!

While we all hope that this new development isn’t forever, it has so far proved to be more interesting than I think we all thought it would be. After seven seasons, Castle has earned the right to shake up its formula. And if you think about it, the show hasn’t done anything like this before. The biggest changes have come in the form of the Rick and Kate relationship. Each character has had his or her own episode to shine and those are always great to watch.

So how long will this change last? Probably only for a couple episodes. My guess is that after the soon to be epic two-parter, which now includes an appearance by 3XK and his lady love, Castle’s resourcefulness within the case will probably bring him back in the good graces of the District Attorney.

What are your thoughts? Are you enjoying the change of pace? Share your theories and let me know in the comments below!

Watch ‘Castle’ online

If you’re unable to watch the episode live, ABC offers full episodes of Castle on its official website. However, they typically aren’t up for several days.

Check back Monday for news on the new Castle episodes!