A Hong Kong Detective works with Beckett and Castle on the murder of an ex-con turned tow truck driver.
Tropes that appear in this episode:
- Always Someone Better: Already insecure that her Academy friend has made Captain, Beckett sees Chief Inspector Zhang as herself, only better: she runs a joint task force investigating human trafficking with both Hong Kong police and the FBI, is married to an action movie star, and has two adorable children. She even shoots better than Beckett. Later, though, Zhang reveals she isn't the superwoman Beckett thinks and fears she's "too busy for what's important": her marriage is in trouble, she's not the most attentive mother, and she let down the Victim of the Week, an old friend who reached out to her for help.Castle: Look, you're idealizing Zhang. You're comparing yourself to a version of her that doesn't even exist. She is a human, like the rest of us, flaws and all. Not some infallible super-cop who swoops in every time to save the day.
Ryan: Hey, Zhang just got a lead that could crack this case.
Beckett: You were saying? - The Dog Bites Back: Mimi's "employees" are initially too afraid to talk to the cops. When the detectives later accuse Mimi of killing Henry, one of the women, his girlfriend who he was trying to free, furiously attacks her and agrees to tell the cops everything.
- Gilligan Cut: Esposito claims that Beckett will just have a friendly night out with Zhang and that there won't be a competition. Cut to the two of them at the shooting range, with Beckett a little miffed that Zhang has better aim than she does.
- It's All My Fault: The Victim of the Week was a school friend of Zhang's and reached out to her for help, but she missed his call. By the time she called him back, he was already on the path that got him killed.
- Not Helping Your Case: When Castle expresses doubts about Beckett and Zhang spending time together.Ryan: You see what you did there, Castle, rookie mistake. [...] You tried to stop her. I mean, Jenny, she's got her girls' nights and I'm—I'm totally fine with that. You see... in a marriage, you have to give your partner some space.
Castle: [Chuckling] Okay, Ryan. Uh, this is my third marriage. I think I know what I'm doing.
[Ryan and Esposito stare at him] - Slavery Is a Special Kind of Evil: Mimi Tan profits from human trafficking and slavery (technically peonage, debt slavery).
- Sympathy for the Devil: The killer isn't really the villain. She was desperate not to be left alone in slavery by her childhood friend, and so killed Henry to prevent that. The real villain is, of course, the woman keeping them as slaves.
- Underestimating Badassery: The thugs at the boxing gym didn't think Zhang would be a threat when she came around demanding to speak to their boss. By the time Beckett shows up at the gym, the thugs are writhing in pain on the ground and Zhang is forcefully interrogating their leader.
