This past Monday’s episode was probably one of the most hyped ones of the season, and with good reason. “In the Belly of the Beast” is in my opinion of the best episodes of the entire show. It will definitely go down in the books as the darkest and most intense, or as Terri Edda Miller describes, “Gripping.” As fans we’ve all believed in the range that Stana Katic has the ability to portray, but with this latest addition to her repertoire, season 6 has seen her as a love struck bride to be, a grieving child, and now someone in a fierce fight for survival. This is going to be a long one!!
Photo Credit: ABC Studios |
As the episode opens, we are once again in the loft, with Rick and a very domestic Kate Beckett. (She was making him a sandwich people! How ADORABLE!) Kate has seeming found her niche in the world of downtime with Castle and is reveling in a pajamaed afternoon filled with ‘fonts’. But alas, a call comes in beckoning her back to the 12th and to come alone…..
A narcotics mission gone wrong has led to them needing someone of Kate’s certain expertise, specifically, her age, look, and ability to speak fluent Russian. After the rundown of how she is supposed to impersonate Elena Markov, Kate assures Castle by phone that she will be home in time for dinner. In what should have been a heads up moment for Beckett, Gates gives her an opportunity to back out. (WARNING SIGNS!!) I feel like the narcotics division never fully fleshed this out and it seemed iffy from the start! But Kate reassures her that she is capable and that she can, “Handle it.”
So with the meet scheduled and Beckett wired up, she heads in for what is supposed to be a simple “In and Out” meeting. And that is where the tenuous plan very swiftly unravels. With all of the officers put in place, no one had suspected the elevator attendant, who pulls a gun on Kate and throws (like literally throws her) bound, into the back of a utility truck.
One of the my favorite things about Castle is the show runner’s and writer’s ability to draw on parallels. One of the heartbreaking parallels of “In the Belly of the Beast”, was that Castle realized something was wrong, only after Katherine didn’t show up for dinner, which was the same clue that triggered Jim and Kate to worry about Johanna.
And worry he should, after relaying the last bits of information through her button mic, Beckett has the presence of mind to rid herself of it just in time for a “little too personal” wire check from Mr. Harden. He then brings her to meet his boss, and while they wait Kate becomes more and more uncomfortable and unconvinced that Elena was just a drug mule. Stana puts her amazing linguistic skills to work, as Beckett convinces Mr. Jones that she is indeed a, “true friend.” They continue, without giving many more clues to Elena’s involvement, only that they would like to retain her services on a more permanent basis, to the tune of $50,000. A. Week. Beckett immediately knows that she is in over her head and makes demands on the new partnership, that she be able to meet “Lazarus.” that it is simply a matter of trust, knowing who you are working for. While Harden and Jones step out of the room to discuss her reservations, Beckett gets a phone call out the the 12th, telling Javi to get eyes on her and to track the phone and confirms her previous suspicions that Elena Markov is a bigger piece in this game.
Back to the 12th, we discover that the call is untraceable. Our narcotics Captain has a lot of explaining to do. He admits that he jumped at the chance to use Markov without the benefit of “going deep” and that she only became known to them the day before. A phone call from the hospital comes in informing them that Elena is awake and can be questioned, so Ryan and Espositio jump on any lead that can help bring Beckett home. Without any knowledge of what his betrothed was up to, Castle heads to the precinct to inquire as to her whereabouts, and Gates proceeds to break my heart. She treats Castle like the family of a victim, because that is what Kate is now, the victim of a kidnapping and Lord knows what else. Arriving at the hospital to question Elena, the boys find her guard dead and her bed empty. Either way Beckett’s cover has been blown.
Not knowing when or if she will make it out, Kate pens a letter to Rick that is truly devastating and inspiring at the same time. To see how far these two have come, in their partnership and their relationship, was enough to reduce me to tears, and then to add in the fact that she is writing it for his posthumous comfort. I was a sobbing mess.
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