History Recap / CastleS1E9LittleGirlLost

* JerkassHasAPoint: Theresa broke the law, violated her husband's custodial rights, kidnapped her daughter, and staged everything to give herself grounds for divorce... but Alfred was a fairly neglectful, useless father and a [[LazyHusband lazy deadbeat husband]].

* VillainHasAPoint: Theresa may have kidnapped her daughter and she wasn't in the right for denying her husband his custodial rights. But whatever her flaws as the antagonist, she makes a ''scathing'' point about how Alfred alone is an unfit guardian for Angela. As a [[HouseHusband stay-at-home parent]], he ignores his daughter in favor of his paintings, to the point he'll ''turn up the music'' in response to her crying. As a provider, he hasn't sold even one of his aforementioned paintings for a full decade. Either way you look at it, [[ParentalNeglect Alfred]] is no more a good parent than [[EvenEvilHasLovedOnes his own wife]]. (In addition, Theresa makes another point that as simple as it sounds, a straight-up divorce could've simply come at hers and Angela's expense, where she might lose custody of the girl, and Angela would be stuck with the negligent Alfred.)

* VillainHasAPoint: Theresa may have kidnapped her daughter and she wasn't in the right for denying her husband his custodial rights. But whatever her flaws as the antagonist, she makes a ''scathing'' point about how Alfred alone is an unfit guardian for Angela. As a stay-at-home parent, he ignores his daughter in favor of his paintings, to the point he'll ''turn up the music'' in response to her crying. As a provider, he hasn't sold even one of his aforementioned paintings for a full decade. Either way you look at it, [[ParentalNeglect Alfred]] is no more a good parent than [[EvenEvilHasLovedOnes his own wife]]. (In addition, Theresa makes another point that as simple as it sounds, a straight-up divorce could've simply come at hers and Angela's expense, where she might lose custody of the girl, and Angela would be stuck with the negligent Alfred.)

* BittersweetEnding: Angela has been found safe and sound. But now that the ugly situation between [[TheResenter Theresa]] and [[ParentalNeglect Alfred]] has been revealed, it leaves Angela's fate in the air as to whether she'll stay with Alfred or if she'll be relocated to a new family all together. And at the end of the day, [[WhatHappenedToTheMouse whatever becomes of Angela]], Theresa and Alfred's relationship is at a bitter end.
* TheDragon: Nina Mendoza is [[SiblingsInCrime Theresa Candela's henchwoman and her sister]].

* FiveSecondForeshadowing: Alfred is elated that the kidnapper was apprehended and that Angela is back. Theresa reacts not with joy, but by ''scowling at him''. Ominous background music begins to play moments before Sorenson requests that Angela is taken out of the dining room for now. Only then does Alfred begin to realize that Theresa is the episode's [[BigBad culprit]].

* JerkassHasAPoint: Theresa broke the law, violated her husband's custodial rights, kidnapped her daughter, staged everything to give herself grounds for divorce... but Alfred was a fairly neglectful, useless father and a [[LazyHusband lazy deadbeat husband]].

* PapaWolf: As the father of a girl who had a beloved stuffed animal, Castle's the one to recognize that the kidnapper knew enough to take Angela's favorite stuffed animal along with the girl and therefore is close to the family, cracking the case.
* ParentalNeglect: Heavily deconstructed. During Theresa's MotiveRant, she recounts how Alfred kept neglecting to take care of their adopted daughter in favor of his art, even responding to her crying by ''turning up the music he was playing on his iPod''. It's one of the things that motivates Theresa to have Nina kidnap Angela. She's ''especially'' livid he's neglectful to the point that Nina pulled off the kidnapping ''right under his nose''.

* TwoDunIt: The episode's climax reveals that Angela's kidnapper was hired by her sister.

* VillainHasAPoint: Theresa may have kidnapped her daughter and she wasn't in the right for denying her husband his custodial rights. But whatever her flaws as the antagonist, she makes a ''scathing'' point about how Alfred alone is an unfit guardian for Angela. As a stay-at-home parent, he ignores his daughter in favor of his paintings, to the point he'll ''turn up the music'' in response to her crying. As a provider, he hasn't sold even one of his aforementioned paintings for a full decade. Either way you look at it, [[ParentalNeglect Alfred]] is no more a good parent than [[EvenEvilHasLovedOnes his own wife]]. (In addition, Theresa makes another point that as simple as it sounds, a straight-up divorce could've simply come at hers and Angela's expense, where she might lose custody of the girl, and Angela would be stuck with the negligent Alfred).

* EvilAllAlong: Nina and Theresa are proven to be guilty of kidnapping Angela, even if they had good intentions.

* EvilAllAlong: Nina and Theresa are proven to be guilty of kidnapping Angela.
* EvilMatriarch: Theresa Candela may be Angela's adoptive mother, but it doesn't stop her from ordering for the 2-year-old girl to be kidnapped and held for ransom by [[EvilUncle her sister]].

* InvasionOfTheBabySnatchers: Angela's kidnapping, with the kidnapper simply sneaking into the Candelas' apartment through an open window, took the 2-year-old girl from right under her adoptive father's nose, and ''walked out the back door with her''. There's also [[RansomDrop the demand for $750,000]]. The icing on top of the nightmarish cake is that [[EvilMatriarch Angela's adoptive mother]] [[BigBad masterminded the whole thing]], having instructed [[SiblingsInCrime her sister]] (who is also [[EvilUncle Angela's adoptive aunt]] and TheDragon) to commit the crime.

* JerkassHasAPoint: Theresa broke the law, violated her husband's custodial rights, kidnapped her daughter, staged everything to give herself grounds for divorce... and her husband was a fairly neglectful, shitty dad and a lazy deadbeat husband.

* MotiveRant: When she's finally cornered, Theresa goes into ''quite'' a detailed tirade, expressing nothing but resentful rage towards Alfred. Beckett and Castle occasionally inject commentary during said tirade, while Alfred is ultimately left stunned beyond belief by Theresa's venomous words.

* MyGreatestFailure: Beckett had a similar case in the past where the little girl died, hence why this case is so hard for her.
* PapaWolf: As the father of a girl who had a beloved stuffed animal, Castle's the one to recognize that the kidnapper knew enough to take Angela's stuffed animal as well as the girl and therefore is close to the family, cracking the case.

** Angela's birth mother Lucia Gomez signed a form to an adoption agency requesting for the identities of her daughter's adoptive parents. It turns out that it's ''not'' her signature on that form.

* SeriousBusiness: Castle recognizes that Beckett is getting seriously stressed about the case, so when she asks him to go home, he only pauses for a moment before agreeing and telling her he's just a phone call away, even if all she needs is to talk.

** Castle replies "[[Series/CSIMiami the ones on TV seem oddly fixated on their sunglasses]]" when FBIAgent Sorenson asks him why he's shadowing Beckett.

* SecurityBlanket: Alexis has "Monkey-Bunny" who, despite her denials that she has an attachment to, wouldn't even ''dream'' of throwing away. Likewise, Angela has a white stuffed rabbit that she clearly loves very much. [[SpottingTheThread This is the clue Castle needs to realize that Angela's kidnapper was someone who had a personal connection to her]].

* {{Foreshadowing}}: At the start of the case, Theresa is pretty quick to angrily accuse that Alfred being preoccupied with his painting and music is probably why the kidnappers stole Angela so easily. Later, we learn she resents her husband for always neglecting their adoptive daughter in order to paint.

** Castle replies "[[Series/CSIMiami the ones on TV seem oddly fixated on their glasses]]" when FBIAgent Sorenson asks him why he's shadowing Beckett.

* BittersweetEnding: Angela has been found safe and sound. But now that the ugly situation between [[TheResenter Theresa]] and [[ParentalNeglect Alfred]] has been revealed, it leaves Angela's fate in the air as to whether she'll stay with Alfred or if she'll be relocated to a new family all together. And at the end of the day, [[WhatHappenedToTheMouse whatever becomes of Angela]], Theresa and Ablert's relationship is at a bitter end.