Tonight was the second case that Rick solved as a private eye on Castle but something felt off. Read on for the full recap.

I’m not going to lie Castle fans, this was not my favorite episode. I had such high hopes for Rick’s first case but when it basically gets handed to him from Kate, I felt cheated. You see Rick has not been getting the kind of cases or clients he was expecting. Kate is dealing with the death of a murdered telenovela star when a co-worker informs her that the victim had borrowed a clutch but alas it is missing. Kate refers her to Castle and he takes her case.

Yet again Rick’s usefulness is on full display as he keeps showing up where Kate and the team are and by also getting ahead of them in the investigation. He meets Kate at the opera house, which is the hub for the whole case. The victim came late, very late and went straight to the bathroom where she received a flash drive. But in between leaving the opera and getting abducted into a white limo, it disappears.

Ryan is going full Castle with his theories and it’s basically the best thing ever. I find it odd that Esposito hasn’t really had any sort of reaction to Castle’s banishment. Perlmutter is able to pull a fingerprint off the dead body as Kate questions Leyla Nazif about her involvement which she promptly denies and walks out of the precinct.

Kate goes to visit Castle at his office and he starts speaking in old Hollywood gumshoe voice that he has taken to using when he is by himself, which is pretty hilarious on its own. They start to fool around and of course the telenovela star walks in and interrupts. Kate promptly leaves and Castle gets himself fired and rehired when he tells her his plan of action.

What happens next is a whirlwind of action: Castle goes looking for the white limo and ends up using Ryan’s badge number to get a name for the VIN number. While searching the limo, he gets kidnapped by the driver who just happens to be the owner of the fingerprint on the victim’s neck. Luckily Kate and the boys were tracking the lojack on the limo and find Castle.

The driver insists his only job was to pick her up for his boss, Leyla’s father. He had her, but not the purse or the USB, until she jumped out of the car after a few blocks. He circled back to her apartment where he found her already dead, checking for a pulse.

Castle heads back to the opera house and finds the clutch in the bushes. He takes it back to his office and is surprised by the telenovela star and her gun. He disarms her and takes her to the station. She tells Kate that she and the victim were working together to start their own female created station and new telenovela. The money was from Leyla against her father’s wishes and it was to be given via the USB.

Espo and Kate head to the set and arrest the producer of the telenovela, who murdered the girl because he felt betrayed after he found and made her into the rising star she had been. The deal however was able to go forward and it will be made in the victim’s name. Espo finally fessed up that he was a major fan of the telenovela. The end!

Side Notes and Quotes:

– Ryan hitting Espo’s chest during his Castle re-enactment was priceless.
– “I’m just a girl, looking for a private dick.” WHOA , alright Kate. Keeping the love alive!

What did you think of ‘Castle’ season 7, episode 12?

In two weeks Castle is drawn into a murder that he witnesses but no one will believe him. Check back in for more info on Castle later in the week!