ABC’s ‘Castle’ season 6, episode 9 review: Is 3XK back to haunt Castle and Beckett?
For the past week leading up to the buildup of tonight’s “Castle” season 6 episode “Disciple,” there has almost been a question that has almost lingered under the tongue of every fan: Is this bizarre, twisted case related somehow to 3XK? Just remember that the two victims in the case were carefully chosen to be doppelgangers of Esposito and Lanie, and even before you knew the twist, that was suspicious in itself. Who else would want to take down the precinct other than a presumed-dead guy with a vendetta against Castle and Beckett?
As we learned over the hour, the two clones were designed for one specific purpose prior to their deaths: Pretend to be the two characters in order to ensure that every single thing that transpired happened in a way to ensure that all evidence of 3KX’s existence was destroyed. This was all facilitated all the more by Dr. Kelly Nieman, played here by “24” alum Annie Wersching. She, as it turns out, may also be the lover of 3KX, and someone acting ruthlessly on his behalf.
We did not actually see the long-standing villain this week, and given that Nieman got away, this could be a very long cliffhanger. We don’t believe that we are going to be seeing an appearance from either next week, and this should probably just be stored in the back of your mind for a while. Was the lack of closure frustrating? Sure, but it’s hard to be that down when you have such an exciting episode to enjoy.
“Disciple” was a great recovery from last week’s super-weak episode “A Murder Is Forever,” and it established something more for Castle and Beckett to take on later on this season. Now this, along with Senator Bracken, the wedding, Castle’s dad, and Alexis / Pi are the five major threads that we know will be addressed later. The only thing we wish we had more of here was Lanie’s story with Esposito, and after watching it, we hope that this wasn’t the Lanie-centric episode that was teased before the season began.
After the stellar run that another crime drama in “The Mentalist” has been on lately, “Castle” needed to up its game. Thankfully, it did, and we’re invested now as much as ever before. Grade: B+.
If you want to see some more “Castle” scoop, be sure to visit the link here. We’ll have a preview for the next episode posted there by 11:30 p.m. Eastern time tonight.
Photo: ABC