CASTLE: ‘Castle, P.I.’ You Ask, I Answer

2015 is bringing some changes to CASTLE: as showrunner David Amann teased earlier this year, “Castle starts pursuing work that takes him outside of the 12th precinct.” Of course, what viewers now know is that the decision wasn’t his to make — he was banned from working with the NYPD in the midseason finale.

The first episode of 2015, “Castle, P.I.,” showcases the new dynamic the team is working with (and around). And since I had the chance to view the episode a little early, I have a few answers for your burning questions (and, as a reminder, the intention of these is always to tease, not completely spoil the episode)…

There’s a time jump, right? Do we get to see how Kate finds out about the fact that #Castle has been banned from the 12th? – @Sandraxf via Twitter

There is indeed a time jump — but it occurs before the episode even starts. So, no, you won’t see how/when/where Beckett finds out that Castle can no longer with the 12th; things pick up a bit after he’s been let go, and we get a little bit of dialogue to explain how Castle’s been handling it.

Will the episode address how Lanie and Esposito are holding up after the break up? – @BrissyApra via Twitter

Actually — surprisingly — no. Lanie isn’t even in the episode, so it’s not addressed. (Though Perlmutter’s reaction to Castle’s ban from the 12th — and then finding out that Castle has become a P.I. — is pretty great.)

How is the relationship dynamic between Rick and the team now that he is a P.I.? – @really_sharrie via Twitter

Well, they’re surprised he is a P.I., for starters. (The man can keep a secret when he wants to.)

It also gets highly competitive, because they realize they’ll never hear the end of it if Castle beats them sans traditional resources. (And Gates is not thrilled about the turn of events, given how strict the rules were that Castle not work on cases with her detectives.)

My only question is if Castle and Beckett will investigate the COTW together or if it’ll be once again Castle on his own :/ – ‏@RyanPaulAddison via Twitter

Well, they’re really not supposed to work the “case of the week” together…and while they don’t, in the traditional sense, they do find their own unique ways to brainstorm what’s going on and include each other in a few important moments of the case.

How much will the Caskett shippers will like this episode? – @leriam10 via Twitter

I really don’t want to make a blanket promise that every shipper will love the episode. That being said, just because, technically, things have changed, that doesn’t mean suddenly Castle and Beckett are no longer sharing scenes: I could be mistaken, but it certainly felt like “Castle, P.I.” had the most Castle/Beckett screentime of the season. (I didn’t time the scenes, so it’s possible I’m wrong. But reflecting on the episode/the rest of the season, I certainly at least came away from the hour noticing how often they WERE together on-screen, in spite of the circumstances.) And because Castle really isn’t supposed to be at the precinct, it also means we do get to see more of their time at home.

Will the balance stay that way the rest of the arc? I can’t promise that. But at least for “Castle, P.I.,” it seemed like the show made sure to showcase that we’d still be seeing Castle and Beckett together.

Just curious, was there a clear winner at the end of the episode in solving the case? – @BecklebeeCastle via Twitter

Yep. (Though, there could be an argument made that the work the other person did along the way certainly helped a lot…)

Bonus tease: There’s a very genre-appropriate voice-over scene in the episode that made me laugh out loud. So very Castle (and CASTLE)-y.

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CASTLE returns Monday, January 12th at 10 PM on ABC.

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CASTLE Scoop: ARROW’s Audrey Marie Anderson to Guest Star
CASTLE Scoop: Former ONE LIFE TO LIVE Star Kamar de los Reyes to Guest Star
CASTLE: ‘Bad Santa’ Photos

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