Castle (2009)

In the explosive conclusion of a two-part story arc that began last week with "Pandora," Castle & Beckett race to find the "Linchpin" in order to stop the first domino in a chain of events which will plunge the United States into war.

In the first episode of a two-part "Castle" event, Castle and Beckett pursue a ruthless killer who, they discover, is part of a sinister, international conspiracy. Castle and Beckett are joined on the case by Sophia Turner (guest star Jennifer Beals), a smart, sexy CIA operative who has a complicated past with Castle. Josh Stamberg also guest stars as Martin Danberg, an intelligence officer.

When Castle and Beckett investigate the killing of a treasure hunter, they discover the case is linked to a mysterious homicide from 1947 involving a hard-boiled private detective. Castle realizes the only way to solve the present-day murder is to solve the murder from the past. The 1947 case comes to life through stylized flashbacks, featuring Castle as the private eye and Beckett as a femme fatale.

When a famous dog trainer is killed, the investigation keeps coming back to charismatic reality TV star Kay Cappuccio (guest star Hilarie Burton). Kay, a favorite of tabloids and gossip websites the world over, has achieved stardom without possessing any discernible skill or talent. But there seems to be more to her story than she is letting on -- does that include murder?

Derek Webster guest stars as Mayor Robert Weldon, Castle's longtime friend and the Mayor of New York City. It was Mayor Weldon's political clout that allowed Castle to partner up with Beckett. But now, when a woman is found dead in a car that traces back to the Mayor's motor pool, that partnership comes under fire as the scandal surrounding the investigation threatens to bring down Weldon's administration.

When a lothario is killed, Castle and Beckett suspect that the victim's mysterious double life holds the key to his murder. Their investigation leads to a shocking twist that threatens to disrupt Ryan's wedding with Jenny.

When Castle and Beckett wake up in bed, handcuffed together, in a locked room with no memory of how they got there, they must piece together the mystery of where they are and why, all while trying to escape. But as the two of them adjust to being shackled together, what's the biggest threat they face... the people who abducted them or each other? Meanwhile, Ryan, Esposito and Gates are left to investigate their disappearance in a case where all is not what it seems.

A sniper on a killing spree is terrorizing New York City. With the clock ticking down to the next murder and nothing to go on except a killer with no apparent motive but to instill terror, this could prove the team's toughest case yet. The hunt is made even more complicated when Beckett begins to experience increasingly strong moments of PTSD - moments she tries hard to hide from Castle and the detectives.

During the investigation of the murder of an Atlantic City casino owner at an abandoned warehouse, strong leads emerge for the team in both New York and Atlantic City. As Beckett and Capt. Gates work the New York leads together, Castle naturally chooses to join the detectives for the road trip to "America's Playground," hoping to help solve the case while throwing an impromptu bachelor party for Ryan. Richard Burgi ("Desperate Housewives") guest stars as Charlie Turner, the slick business partner of the victim.

When Castle and Martha are taken hostage by a crew of bank robbers dressed in hospital scrubs and using classic television doctor names (Trapper John M.D., Dr. Huxtable, Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman and Dr. Doogie Howser), Beckett finds herself on the outside, desperately trying to rescue them -- which proves to be even more difficult with a by-the-book hostage negotiator (guest star Dean Norris, "Breaking Bad") watching her every move. Castle becomes the de facto leader of the hostages, which includes Barry Livingston ("My Three Sons"), and discovers that the robbery is actually a skillfully orchestrated distraction for an even more sinister plan. But with Castle stuck on the inside and Beckett on the outside, will either be able to foil the bank robbers' plans before it is too late?

Castle & Beckett confront the possibility of paranormal foul play when a world renown ghost hunter is mysteriously murdered while investigating a haunting at a legendary New York mansion.

Castle & Beckett work a murder case around the theft of a valuable sculpture. Kristin Lehman ("The Killing") guest stars as Serena Kaye, a smart, sexy insurance investigator, who joins Castle & Beckett in the investigation, but she also has her eyes set on Castle, all the while hiding a very important secret from the team. Jessica Tuck ("True Blood") also guest stars as Joy McHugh, a wealthy museum benefactor who becomes a suspect in the murder investigation.

While investigating the mysterious shooting death of a young woman, Castle and Beckett face a cop's worst nightmare when they discover that the gun used in the killing is Det. Ryan's old service weapon - the one that was stolen by the serial killer, 3XK. Now with the clock ticking, the team must work to solve the murder, track down 3XK and retrieve Ryan's gun before the killer strikes again.

Gunshots, a fleeing van and a massive blood pool all point to murder, but when Castle & Beckett arrive at the crime scene, they discover that it lacks something - the victim! The investigation leads to the cutting-edge world of life-extension science, a cunning high-tech researcher, and a sleazy porn mogul who invested in a modern-day "fountain of youth." Meanwhile, Alexis finds out whether she got into Stanford.

When an ex-con is mysteriously slain in an alley, Castle and Beckett believe a vigilante is behind the murder. But efforts to identify their suspect are thwarted when they discover that he roams the city in a Superhero costume -- and may indeed be a Superhero. Can they capture and unmask the killer before he strikes again?

In a riveting opening that picks up just moments after last season's climactic finale, Detective Beckett fights for her life as Castle, plagued by guilt over his role in the events, struggles to uncover who's behind her brutal shooting. Meanwhile, back at the precinct, Ryan and Esposito have to adjust, as Victoria "Iron" Gates becomes the precinct's new uncompromising Captain.

Kate Beckett's investigation into her mother's death is reactivated when Hal Lockwood - a professional hitman with knowledge of Beckett's mother's murder - stages a spectacular escape during a court hearing. As police launch a manhunt for Lockwood, Castle and the team uncover evidence of a deeper conspiracy involving a mysterious figure with law enforcement connections who is linked to both Lockwood's escape and the killing of Johanna Beckett. The search for Lockwood and the quest to identify his co-conspirator leads to a shocking and deadly conclusion.

During rehearsal for "Baron's All-American Beauty Pageant," the contestants are shocked to discover the body of Miss Illinois - strangled, but by whom? As Castle and Beckett delve into the cut-throat competition of the pageant world, they learn that a number suspects had motive for murder, including jealous fellow contestants, the pageant's larger-than-life millionaire sponsor, Victor Baron, and the show's host -- hedonistic TV personality, Bobby Stark.

While investigating the shooting death of her ex-partner in New York, Beckett comes to believe the suspect has fled to Los Angeles. Against orders, she travels to L.A., going renegade to track down the killer, with Castle unexpectedly along for the ride. As they dig deeper into the motives, they uncover a trail that leads from a rooftop pool in Hollywood to the sandy beach of Santa Monica. Along the way, they visit the set of the "Heat Wave" movie and enlist the cast to help break the case. But as they get closer to apprehending the killer, Castle begins to wonder whether Beckett is out for justice -- or revenge.

When a champion swimmer and Olympic hopeful is found dead in a training pool, Castle & Beckett dive in to investigate his murder, and uncover myriad secrets that might have led to his death.

Castle & Beckett work the case of a man found dead inside a pizza oven, but it turns out not to be someone associated with the restaurant - it was a reporter. Was his story, "The Pizza Wars," enough to get him killed, or was it something much deeper than that?

During the high-profile trial of a murdered socialite, a juror suddenly tumbles out of the jury box -- dead! When Castle & Beckett learn the juror was poisoned, their investigation soon uncovers that this seemingly innocent juror may not have been so innocent after all.

A murder has been committed on the set of "Temptation Lane," one of New York's longest running soap operas. Sarah Cutler, the head writer on the soap, has been killed with a fire axe. Castle & Beckett quickly discover that the behind the scenes drama at "Temptation Lane" is just as scandalous as the fictitious storylines, and just about everyone would kill to get ahead. Ultimately, Castle's unique skill set as a writer leads to a discovery about the killer and the secret he or she would do anything to protect.

With time running out, Castle and Beckett must put aside their differences with Agent Fallon to avert a city-wide catastrophe.

Castle and Beckett investigate the apparent robbery-homicide of a New York cab driver, only to discover that the victim was involved in a mysterious conspiracy with unimaginable consequences. As the stakes continue to rise, hard-charging federal agent Mark Fallon takes over the investigation. Together, Fallon, Beckett and Castle must race to unmask the truth about the victim before it's too late.

Castle and Beckett find themselves on opposite sides of the case when Castle's old school friend emerges as the prime suspect in his own wife's murder. As they work to solve the crime, Castle comes to realize that one of two terrible things must be true... Either Detective Beckett is about to arrest an innocent man for murder, or his old friend is a cold-blooded killer.

The brutal murder of a lottery winner has Castle and Beckett up to their eyeballs in suspects, envious and angered by the victim's sudden move from the poorhouse to the penthouse.
As the precinct buzzes with fantasies of what our cops would do if they won the lottery, Martha struggles with the reality of such a decision when she suddenly inherits money she feels she doesn't deserve.

Old wounds are reopened when the retired lead detective on Beckett's mother's homicide case contacts her with new information, but then is gunned down right in front of Beckett before he can tell her what he knows. The investigation into his death leads back to a decades-old conspiracy that may hold the answer to who was behind Beckett's mother murder and why. With the stakes and emotions running high, Castle and Beckett take their partnership to the next level.

When the owner of historic Drake's Magic Shop in New York is found drowned in Houdini's famous water torture tank, Castle and Beckett must delve into the world of magic, magicians and their secrets to find his killer. As part of their investigation, Castle & Beckett meet master magician Tobias Strange.
Meanwhile, the magicians aren't the only ones keeping secrets, as a new romantic relationship is revealed for Esposito and Lanie.

Castle's novel "Heat Wave" is being turned into a movie, and the Hollywood hottie cast as the movie's lead shows up at Beckett's invitation to better understand the character she's going to play. As our threesome investigates the murder of a high-class matchmaker, Natalie goes to extremes in the name of "character research," transforming herself into the spitting image of Beckett -- much to Castle's delight and Beckett's dismay.

When the body of a dockworker turned bar owner is found floating in the East River, Castle and Beckett's investigation takes them into the forgotten tunnels and passageways of turn-of-the-century New York, where they uncover a secret that's been buried since the days of Prohibition. The story celebrates New York bar culture, setting Castle on a quest to preserve history by buying a bar of his very own.

After a prominent astrophysicist's body is found in her car -- the victim of explosive decompression - Castle jokingly theorizes that perhaps she was killed in the vacuum of outer space. Yet as they delve deeper into the victim's life, they're confronted with a succession of evidence that keeps pointing them back to the impossible: Alien Abduction. Benny Stryker, a well-known alien abduction expert, and Lovett plays a mysterious government agent intent on shutting down the investigation.

While investigating the murder of a NYC subway worker found shot to death in Central Park, Castle and Beckett unexpectedly uncover the shocking and violent abduction of a young boy. Working against the clock, the team must unravel the motives behind the high-stakes kidnapping, not just to bring a murderer to justice, but to save the innocent lives that hang in the balance.

Responding to an "Officer Down" emergency call, Castle and Beckett's latest case takes a shocking turn when it's revealed that the victim isn't a cop but a male stripper dressed up as one. The murder leads them into the world of male strip clubs, the hardships of struggling actors, and the price that people pay in pursuit of fame. Did our victim's dreams of stardom get him killed, or was there something more nefarious afoot?

When a beautiful woman is found dead in an alley, all clues point to her being a victim of the notorious Triple Killer. The Triple Killer, or 3XK, terrorized New York City four years ago, then mysteriously disappeared. Now he's back. In a deadly battle of wits, Castle and Beckett race against time to stop 3XK before he claims his next victims.

Mysteries abound when pallbearers at a funeral lose control of a surprisingly heavy casket only to have a second unknown woman tumble out along with the original deceased. When Castle and Beckett learn that the victim was a doctor at County Hospital, their investigation takes them into the world of amorous, bed-hopping physicians. Did jealousy turn to murder, or did the doctor's mysterious work outside the hospital lead to her demise? Meanwhile, Castle's relationship with Gina is challenged when she tries to bond with Alexis.

Castle and Beckett look into the murder of a young mathematician gunned down with a 200-year-old bullet, sparking some wild theories by Castle about a time-travelling killer. When their investigation uncovers a tricked-out DeLorean and a suspect in Victorian clothing, is it possible Castle's crazy idea has some validity? This winding tale twists through the towers of Wall Street and into the world of a secret steampunk society that embraces the romance and simplicity of the past, while coupling it with the hope and promise of the future.

When a coded document hidden by a murdered bail bondsman gets Castle's imagination running wild, Beckett must steer the case back to the violent felons who populated their victim's world - only to discover that maybe Castle's crazy theories aren't so crazy after all. Complicating matters is the surprise arrival of Beckett's ex-partner (now a bounty hunter). As the two reunite over a history that Castle has no part of, Castle is forced to watch the relationship take a turn towards the romantic.

When a famous psychic is murdered, Beckett and Castle search for her killer while also carrying on a spirited debate on the existence of extrasensory abilities. Evidence mounts on both sides, especially when a letter arrives from the victim, penned the day she was killed and predicting her own death -- or was it written by a clever killer, hoping to throw off the investigation?

Beckett hasn't heard from Castle since he left for the Hamptons months ago to finish writing his second Nikki Heat novel, "Naked Heat". The most Beckett, Ryan and Esposito have seen of Castle is a bookstore standee of him advertising an upcoming book signing. So when Beckett and her team burst into a shadowy apartment on the trail of a murderer, the last thing they expect to see is the real-life Castle standing over a dead woman's body holding a gun! As Castle protests his innocence, Beckett has no choice but to arrest him on suspicion of murder.

Nothing is as it seems when Castle and Beckett investigate what appears to be the assassination of an intelligence operative.

Meanwhile, Beckett's romance with Demming threatens her relationship with Castle, forcing them to confront their feelings for each other.

A robbery-homicide prompts Beckett to invite Demming to assist on a case, giving Castle a ringside seat to their budding romance. When it becomes clear that the two men have very different ideas about how to proceed, the investigation becomes an unspoken competition for Beckett's attention, one in which each man races to solve the case, as Beckett referees between her two admirers.

A high profile chef is found frozen to death in the kitchen of a hot New York restaurant. Complications ensue when Castle and the restaurant owner, an old high school girlfriend of Beckett's, share an attraction.

Meanwhile, Beckett's relationship with Det. Demming continues to grow.

Investigating the murder of a thief, Castle and Beckett are surprised to learn that Esposito has a personal connection to the suspected killer. Another surprise is in line for Castle when Beckett hits it off with the handsome Robbery detective assigned to the case.

Castle appears on a late-night talk show to promote his new book, Heat Wave. In a commercial break the host Bobby Mann whispers to Castle, "They want me dead". The next day he is found dead of natural causes and its up to Castle to convince Beckett to investigate the case as a murder. Meanwhile, Castle is seduced by Ellie, the guest star to appear on the show the night he died.

The investigation into the shocking death of a museum curator, crushed by a falling gargoyle, takes a bizarre turn when Castle and Beckett learn that he isn't the first member of a recent archeological expedition to die. It turns out there was a legend inscribed over the burial chamber the team unearthed warning that "all who gaze upon the face of the mummy are doomed." Was the curator just the latest victim of "The Mummy's Curse"? And if so, what does that mean for Castle, who snuck a peek at the mummy when no one was looking?

In the second part of the story begun in "Tick, Tick, Tick...," the serial killer remains at large and is taunting Castle, Beckett and Jordan Shaw to catch him. Delany plays Federal Agent Jordan Shaw, an insightful and accomplished Federal Investigator who teams up with Castle and Beckett to hunt down this cunning and elusive serial killer.

When a serial killer is loose in New York Federal Agent Jordan Shaw is called in to take over Castle and Beckett's investigation.

When a half-naked woman is found covered in caramel sauce and hanging by bondage cuffs in a public park, Castle and Beckett's investigation takes them into New York's underground world of sexual domination. Naturally the case serves as sexy fodder for their already charged relationship banter.

When a former major league baseball fan-favorite player is found dead after a trip to Cuba, the investigation, which includes Joe Torre, leads Beckett and Castle to look into the Cuban community. Meanwhile, Alexis' genealogy project forces Castle to look into who his father was.

When a family returns from their vacation and finds a dead man in their daughter's bed, they believe that a squatter was murdered. However, as Castle and Beckett investigate, they soon find the murder was part of a multi-million dollar heist. Meanwhile, Castle tries to hide the fact that they've been romantically linked from Beckett after he's named one of New York's most eligible bachelors.

A known Irish mobster is found dead with multiple stab wounds in his own home, weapons undrawn. Investigations lead to a local turf war that connects a real-estate infomercial guru with an international drug smuggling operation... but when the manner of death for the mobster turns out to match up with that of Beckett's mother, the case becomes personal, and Beckett must face up to her own demons while hunting for her own mother's killer.

When a bridesmaid fails to show on the wedding day, mainly because she's, well, dead, it falls to Castle and Beckett to find the murderer. Castle is stunned to find that the bride-to-be is an old flame, Kyra -- "the one that got away" (guest star Alyssa Milano). Complications follow as Kyra, distraught by the event and with the wedding briefly in abeyance as the investigation takes place, begins to question her choices. Beckett rightly doubts if Castle can be objective about the case and Kyra's place as a suspect, but when it looks to Beckett like Castle and Kyra might rekindle their romance, her own objectivity may be just as compromised .

When an art dealer was gunned down in his gallery, five shell casings plus four bullets equals a missing bullet. When the bullet is found in the possessions of an apparent witness, the answers appear to be in reach, except for the witness, who has no memory at all -- not his name, not his history... and certainly no ideas about what happened the night of the murder.

When a man's body is stuffed into a garbage chute in an apartment building, Castle and Beckett are forced to untangle a twisted web of dual identities, one married, one engaged, and an underlying tale of cutthroat corporate competition that wound up with two very offended women, a dead body, and a lot of confusing facts. Meanwhile, Alexis's school encourages her to do volunteer work, which she arranges to do at Beckett's precinct.

When an Assistant DA is dropped from the fifth floor of a parking garage onto the street below, Castle and Beckett find his empty, single life is somewhat more busy than it appeared. When a co-worker is found to have a shady background, the DA's secrets begin to unravel. Castle's desire to help her and another person connected to the DA raises Beckett's hackles. And, in the midst of the case, Alexis comes to Beckett for advice, to the consternation of Castle, who feels concerned about her not coming to him instead.

When a bike messenger is killed and his package stolen, Castle and Beckett must chase the clues on their contorted path to a twenty-year old case of Captain Montgomery's that was believed solved. When the sender winds up dead, as well, the trail leads into the secret parts of a senator's wealthy and powerful family. Meanwhile, Martha gets onto MySpace, and finds both old friends she wants and old friends she doesn't want.

When a promising young singer's body is found posed in a scene from a recent music video, it falls upon Beckett, Castle, and the team to discover who did it, and why. Was it an ex-bandmate, her ex-producer, her sister? Alexis, herself a major fan of the singer and her band, gets personally involved as well, to Castle's chagrin.

It's Halloween week, the week all cops dread, according to Beckett, when all the really strange stuff happens. This year is no exception, when a young man is found in a cemetery with a stake through his heart, a bite on his leg, and fangs in his mouth. The trail leads from there into the blood play community and off towards the graphic horror novel he and a friend were writing, which may well contain important clues to the killer's identity and motives. Meanwhile, Alexis and a friend are off to a Halloween party.

Castle's book agent has gotten him an offer that would be a dream job and could greatly enhance his career. Signing the offer, however, would mean the end of his relationship with Beckett, as he would have to turn away from Nikki Heat, and both Castle and Beckett are realizing a reluctance to do that, even as they work a case that may be their last... a lonely woman whose body was found tossed down a manhole.

When an Arctic explorer is killed during a mission on live television before a class of students, the mysterious detail of why his body turns up in New York City take Castle and Beckett on a topsy-turvy path where all is smoke and mirrors, and nothing is real, and Castle's appreciation for the case grows by leaps and boungs. Did the dead man find his One True Love, or was it all an elaborate hoax?

When an up and coming young fashion model is found dead, stabbed in the back, just before she was announced as the face of an important new advertising promotion, Castle and Beckett get a good look at the cold, impersonal fashion world from the inside. Was someone stabbing her in the back metaphorically, before she was, literally?

When two different murders fall towards the team, they are split between Ryan and Esposito, along with Castle and Beckett. Challenges are exchanged, and Castle wagers that he and Beckett will solve their case first. In each case, the results lead to an obvious suspect, each of which has an airtight alibi. When further evidence shows an odd connection between the two murders, unravelling the mystery will require the talents of all four.

Castle is trying to repair his estranged relationship with Beckett, exasperated by the publicity for his upcoming book, which adds to the annoyances around the office. When a man's body is found hanging in a tree, the publicity needs, align to force Beckett to continue to tolerate his presence despite her wishes. When the body gets stolen from the coroner's van, though, on its way to the morgue, it gets really mysterious. When the body is found again, hacked up, it gets stranger still.

Castle and Beckett investigate the murder of a plastic surgeon who disappeared and was found a week later dead in the front seat of his vehicle parked curbside. While delving into the world of surgery obsessed patients and secret operations, Castle has a fatherly experience as Alexis attends her first prom. And as Castle looks back into Beckett's past, he discovers information which could stop their relationship forever.

When a little girl is kidnapped, the lead FBI agent in charge of the case asks for Beckett to assist. He asks this because he was an old flame of Beckett. The ensuing testosterone battle as Castle and Sorenson face off over their different approaches, as well as Kate, is not pretty.

A woman was found murdered inside a transient hotel in a bathtub full of motor oil as Castle and Beckett investigate. After uncovering the dark past of the woman, they decide they'll need to seek the help of a crime journalist who may know more about this woman than he is telling. Meanwhile, Beckett uses her best poker face as she squares off against Castle, with both money and pride at stake.

Beckett must enter into Castle's mileau of celebrity and money, portraying his date at a formal social event in the hopes finding those behind a rash of high society home invasions and thefts, the latest of which ended in a brutal murder. Castle finds his own problems when he seeks the assistance of a presumably retired, but dangerous master thief he used as a character model, who at one time made threats to Castle's life. Does he still bear a grudge? Is it him behind the robberies?

When a ritualistic murder takes place which has all the earmarks of a Vodou rite, Castle and Beckett must probe into the Nigerian roots of the deceased. Castle is well prepared for this, having researched the religious practices of Vodou for one of his books. He is less well prepared when his first ex-wife, Alexis's mother, announces an interest in returning to New York City to find acting work.

A woman, frozen solid, is found hanging on the exposed rebar at a construction site. The body is identified as that of a long-closed missing persons case. The slapdash manner in which the case was handled and subsequently closed touches hard against some of Beckett's own personal experiences with shoddy police work, revealing some of her background to Castle.

The body of a New York City Councilman up for reelection is found murdered and rolled up in a rug, sending Beckett and Castle deep in to the world of politics. Meanwhile, Castle's final novel of the Derrick Storm series arrives at bookstores, sending his mother out looking for any sign of failure.

When a teenaged boy whose family has recent fallen on hard times is found dead in a boat in Central Park, Castle and Beckett must piece together the mystery behind the boy's final moments. Meanwhile, Castle mulls over leaving Martha home while he chaperones Alexis' trip to Washington, D.C.

When a body of a young woman is found inside the dryer at a laundry room, Castle and Beckett uncover that the young woman worked as a nanny in the upscale building. Meanwhile, as Castle works on his "Nikki Heat" novel series he watches Beckett's actions as she works the murder case.

Popular murder writer Richard Castle is called in to answer questions when the New York Police Department notes that two murders are left in situations that are strikingly similar to those of plots in his books. He volunteers to help on the case, much to the displeasure of the lead detective in charge.