ABC’s ‘Castle’ season 5, episode 16 review: Meeting Rick’s [spoiler]

Were you tearing up during the latter half of Monday night’s “Castle”? If so, you are surely not alone. We have waited for a full five years to find out the truth about Rick’s father, and it certainly came in shocking fashion as we learned that he was really the reason why Alexis was abducted in the first place.

Basically, the story goes as such: Rick’s not-so-dear ol’ dad works as a counter-terrorism spy, and over a decade ago he killed the wife and family of a very bad man. Now, this said man is out for revenge, and the moment that he figured out just who his family was, Rick and Alexis quickly found themselves in the crosshairs. Molly Quinn’s character was the target all along, and her fellow classmate was really just a pawn that was later used as a money grab.

As for how much you enjoyed this story, it probably depends on whether or not you are willing to suspend belief for some of the episode’s ridiculous moments. Was it a little bit unbelievable that Rick’s dad was a spy of all people, and had been watching over him for much of his entire life? Sure, but if you are able to look past this, this two-episode arc felt a little bit like “Taken” mixed with “The Da Vinci Code.” The only real issue that we had was that Rick did not seem as upset with his father for never being around as he could have been (though then again, he was not really in a position to really ask a ton of questions).

The entire episode left us with a bittersweet feeling: it was emotional and even tear-inducing hearing Rick’s dad say that he was proud of him, but at the same time, James Brolin’s character disappeared seemingly as quickly as he arrived. This was his job to be distant from everyone, and save for a copy of “Casino Royale,” this all we know about the man still being alive. At least Castle was king enough in the closing minutes to explain to his mother what he saw on his journey.

Overall, what did you think about this episode? If you want to read some more details on the upcoming 100th installment of “Castle” season 5, you can do so over at the link here.

Photo: ABC