Castle becomes a Private Investigator and tries to solve a case before the precinct can.
Tropes that appear in this episode:
- Call-Back:
- Following on from Bad Santa, Castle is barred from working with the NYPD.
- When asked about Castle becoming a PI, Beckett notes that he'd been spending a lot of time online, but just figured he was playing TerraQuest, the game from Clear and Present Danger.
- Loophole Abuse: Castle tries to get around being barred from working with the NYPD by getting a PI licence and just happening to investigate the same murders.Gates: Let me remind you, the D.A. was very explicit. Ever since he worked that case for the mob, Mr. Castle can no longer take part in our investigations.
Beckett: He's not. I mean, technically he's conducting his own investigation. And since he's licensed, legally, there's not much that I can do to stop him. - Tempting Fate: Perlmutter notes that at least he doesn't have to put up with Castle anymore... right before Castle shows up, PI license firmly in hand.
- The Unreveal: It's not revealed who the killer was actually working for.
- You Do Not Want To Know: Some of Castle's investigative methods might not be entirely above board.Beckett: Wait a minute. You checked her credit card records? How?
Castle: Okay, we're getting into kind of a gray area here, so let's just say it involved her mother's maiden name and a serviceable falsetto.
