Castle: Heartbreaker

by Michael Seese

First, we had Castle jetting off to La-La-Land. Then we had Beckett flying solo. And now “Heartbreaker,” aka the Esposito Show. As I've said far too many times, I enjoy the episodes where the supporting cast takes the lead. So I suppose we'll soon be seeing “Ryan Time.”

“Heartbreaker” let us see a few different sides of Esposito. We saw frustration, which often seems to be his primary emotion. But the conversation he and Sonia had in the car -- the one Castle and Ryan eavesdropped on -- was genuine and tender. His speech in the van, as Ronaldo is driving them to the gold stash, showed his nobility. Then we saw his inner strength when he slapped the cuffs on her yet again.

Plus, we were treated to a glimpse of his family, including a feisty tia who slapped him upside the head. “Estupido! Don't let this angel get away twice.”

And of course in addition to tenderness and strength and nobility we had humor.

Esposito: "Sonia and I were kind of involved."
Castle: "Involved? Like dating?"
Esposito: "Dating? No. Come on. Dating. We... we were more like engaged."

Castle: "So, did you ask for the ring back, or did you let her keep that so she could trade it for cigarettes in the prison yard? That's... don't answer that."

Sonia: "And speaking of, I need new clothes, because this outfit is damn near ten years old. And I got a rep to protect, so I need labels."
Esposito: "Fine, whatever. Let's just hurry up and get this over with."
Sonia: "Didn't I used to say that to you whenever you got frisky at night?"
(Followed by Ryan slapping a hand over Castle's mouth, preventing him from saying what they all wanted to.) 

Sonia: "How dumb do you think I am?"
Esposito: "Don't answer that. It's a trap. Trust me."

Then the big sad one:
Esposito: "Nine years ago, I found out you were a thief. You know what I did then?"
Sonia: "Yeah. You arrested me."
Esposito: "No. I went home, and I packed a bag. And I grabbed my passport, cleared out my savings account. I was ready to abandon everything I believed in because I couldn't picture a life without you."

And as Esposito was trying to sort through his complex relationship, we saw the same in the Castle-Beckett-Lucy triangle.

I was in stitches when Castle and Lucy were jostling back and forth.

Lucy: "No, Rick, you're amazing."
Castle: "No, you are."
Lucy: "No, you are."
Castle: "No, Lucy, you are."
Lucy: "Rick, you are amazing and you know it."
Castle: "Stop it."

And then Lucy’s dismissal of Beckett: “Great. Have fun. Goodbye. Leave the house.”

Naturally, Beckett would never allow herself to play second fiddle…

Interesting aside: Toks Olagundoye (Hayley) was listed in the opening credits, but never appeared.

Updated aside: In the back of my mind, I'd wondered if Hayley's increased role was in preparation for a possible Beckett departure. Now we know.

We're looking forward to trying to catch up. In the meantime, please share your thoughts on “Heartbreaker.”