A sniper targets random people, triggering Beckett's PTSD.
- Born Lucky: The sniper targets people he feels have unearned good lives.
- Born Unlucky: The sniper views himself this way.
- Cold Sniper: The killer is former military, sniping his targets from hundreds of yards away. The first shot? 200-300 yards through the chest. The second? A third of a mile through the head.Esposito: He's smart. He's patient. Part of a sniper's DNA.
- Defrosting Ice Queen: Iron Gates is warming up to Castle. She accepts him as part of the team and asks him for a debrief while Beckett is out of commission.
- "Eureka!" Moment: Beckett, still recovering from her shooting, has trouble climbing the ladder to the roof at the first shooting, leading her to realize the vet they're after has a similar injury.
- Shell-Shocked Veteran: This case forces Beckett to confront the trauma of her shooting. Esposito, a veteran sniper, walks her through it.Esposito: I've been where you are, I know what you're going through....You're not fine, you're just trying to act like you are. This is just a tool; it's a hunk of steel. It has no magical powers and the person that fired it is not some all-powerful god. It's just a guy with a gun. Just like the guy we're hunting now, and like every other bad guy, he's damaged goods.
Beckett: So am I.
Esposito: That's right, and that's ok. You think it's a weakness? Make it a strength. It's a part of you, so use it. - Single Tear: Beckett sheds one when Esposito helps her cope with having been shot.
- What the Hell, Hero?: Esposito walks Beckett into the evidence locker and confronts her with the rifle used to shoot her. She responds appropriately, but Esposito walks her through it.
