I  think the first thing we have to try and figure out is how old was Kate when her Mother was killed. It's a 10 year old cold case. She can't be more than 30, yet she's risen to the rank of leading Detective. Apparently (according to Google) from Academy to Detective could take from 5-7 years or longer… so in ten years she's made good headway. So when her Mom was killed she had to have been in her late teens to early 20s and probably in college… did she drop out to attend the academy?

She seemed overwhelmed also at Castle's digs and didn't pick up on the over sized screen in the room (Homeboys ep. Not that being rich would give you a sense of decorating but&hellip so it would indicate to me as well that she does not run in such high social circles that Castle hypothesized in the pilot.

I think maybe her father didn't want to wear the watch anymore since it reminded him of the life they had before the tragedy. Kate on the other hand just wants to move past it, but she certainly doesn't want to forget it. She might wear if for the exact opposite reason, she wants to remember them as a family unit.

Now I'm wondering about the implications of 'cold case'. Are we counting ten years from the murder or ten years from when the case was set aside as 'cold'. Because doesn't it sometimes take a while for a case to go 'cold'? I realize the lead detective in that case probably shut it before it was fully opened so it most likely doesn't make a difference, but wouldn't that make it closed instead of cold? She could have even been 18 when Mom was killed.

I don't know why I'm taking this route with the speculation since I like the idea that a.) she was in college when it happened, and b.) that she either finished her degree or was close to done when she entered the academy. Regardless, I think she for sure has some post secondary education under her belt. Unless the fancy pants private schools (which we've sort of decided she didn't go to) teach ten times more English Lit than regular schools, she sounds like she's spent a year or two in university/college.

True. The Kate Beckett we've come to know isn't hung up on material things at all… or celebrity.

I think for some reason the watch is an important clue. Mrs. Beckett's death affected both of them deeply (as it should) and both were able to pull out of it. We know Kate did it with the help of therapy. And "this is for the life I saved" statement made it seem she was the one that helped her father out of his depression. It must have been a very tough time to try and overcome your demons and at the same time try and help another person do the same. It's no wonder she doesn't want to go there again.

It is fun trying to figure out what makes them tick. 

I was thinking about your comment about it being a closed case vs a cold case. I think it's only closed when they've caught someone they can prosecute. They attributed it to gang violence, but they obviously did not pursue any gang members, so I guess it's not a definitive conclusion.  However having said that, I don't think it was active very long. Maybe a year or so… before it goes cold.

I agree. I haven't been caught up in wanting to know more about the characters of a tv show in a long, long time. I can watch the eps endlessly and find something new everytime. I'm really a goner when it comes to Castle. I think we all are.

Right. That does throw a wrench into the whole 'present from mom' theory. So would it have been a sort of AA type program/treatment centre gift? Probably not since, hello, 3K watch.

Gift makes more sense now, but still, who would give Beckett's dad such an expensive watch, why would he not wear it anymore (or maybe he never wore it at all), and why is she wearing it. The layers multiply!

Aicha said:

 5 nights a week from today till forever.

That would totally kill the actors and the crew hahaha  But I agree that we need more episodes and soon!!

akajb said:

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Huh… in the scene where she mentions the watch I always got the impression the watch was directly linked to the number of years sober her dad had been. Kind of like a reward. Below is a rough transcript of the scene. But I have always wondered why she has it, when he's still alive. That's why I don't think it was ever something he wore. If it'd had been from his wife, I think he would still be wearing it.

<<regretfully snipped>>

Castle: Why do you wear the watch?

Beckett: My dad took her death hard. He's sober now. 5 years. So, this is for the life that I saved <points to watch> and this <pulls out ring> is for the life that I lost.

You could be right but I think that would only apply if you took the words literally, which I feel don't think she meant for it to be. I feel more that the watch just represents her father just as the ring represents her mother. Since the ring is not (as far as we know) the cause of her Mother's murder and just a reminder, I'm guessing that the watch is also a reminder. The watch might not be a reward, per se, but something that means a lot to him.

How she ends up wearing it is anyone's guess.

Weekly with no hiatus hahaha. If only, if only….