This episode was great I liked how Castle stood up for Kate and tried to give Coonan the money i'm glad Kate shot Coonan but the only question now is how will the NYPD find out who hired Coonan to kill Johanna Beckett. Lady Brenlis Castle probably meant he should of paid the guy off.

Castlemuse, I agree with you 100%. You said all the things that I was trying to say, but failed at doing because I was still so excited after watching the episode. :)

Going to watch the episode again now. *heads to the kitchen for popcorn*

Other comments/things I caught/ect. after re-watching the episode.

Castle and Esposito: "I own a boat!" I just about died laughing.

Beckett has gone from forcing Castle to stay in the car (handcuffs) to asking him if he's really sure that he wants to come in. Major progress.

Beckett saying to the bartender "It's not like I'm asking you to cough up-" just when Castle starts to spit out the egg. Perfect timing.

Castle: "Well… Maybe instead of using a stiletto he was wearing stilettos…"

When they realize that the last two digits from a number in Coonan's phone are missing, Castle comments that that's 99 possibilities and that they'd better get looking. "Ryan, I'm looking at you." Poor Ryan is always stuck with the boring work that takes forever. Even in "Heat Wave" his character looks over the same surveillance video about six times.

Beckett (to Ryan in reference to the infomercial dvds): "Put it back…"

Castle's response to Beckett tasting the heroine. "Yeah. That was very Miami Vice." XD

Beckett: Which means someone on this end had to know which boxes contained the drugs…
Ryan: *rubbing a dvd box lovingly* And which boxes contained to secret to financial independence… *sees the stares he's getting* …What?

Ryan: *starts kicking off his shoes so he can walk across the hot coals*
Esposito: Don't even think about taking them off. If you do, I will pepper spray you.

The guy that played Johnny Vohng[sp?] did a great job. The accent was awesome, and his reaction in the interrogation room were believable. When he's telling Beckett that he'd rather take his chances in jail, you can actually hear his breath hitching.

Castle: There has to be a way to get it out of him… We could make him watch Paris Hilton videos!
Beckett: You want me brought up on charges?

Beckett: And if you tell anyone what I'm about to say, there's going to be another shooting…

Absolutely loved Ryan obsessing over "the secret to financial independence". It added some nice humor in the mix. Amazing job by supporting actors, especially the guy that played Dick Coonan. Everything else I want to comment on has been said about a million times, so I think I'll leave it at that for now. :)

I have read this entire thread and pretty much everything has been mentioned. I was down south in LA watching Stana in the play she was in so by the time I got home yesterday Castle was about to come on and no time to post here.
I have always liked bloopers or editing glitches and did anyone catch that when Capt. Montgomery gives Beckett the flask to have a drink, she seems to be opening it twice unscrewing the cap two times where they edited the film together?
I liked several things about this episode, When Castle calls after Beckett and says Kate when she won't stop and listen to him. He swallows and you see the lump in his throat. I am always laughing about this when we are in chat, when they swallow to let you know their true emotions that camera focuses on their throats lol!
I thought there should have been more interaction with her Dad and at Castle's home. I think the last 11 minutes were rushed and the first half of the show could have been trimmed to use for more important scenes.
I expected more drama or I built up more drama in my mind about the hostage situation and the shooting. I thought there would be more concern for Castle from Beckett, maybe there was as she kept her cool without showing the gunman with her eyes and expressions that she cared if Castle was killed.
I would have liked Alexis to have run back quickly and given Kate a hug even if her gram pulled her out of the room. I think Alexis likes Kate not only as a friend but role model.
Alexis knows her Dad likes this woman, and so does she.
I liked the ending it didn't appear in any way for me to be brother and sister I never got that and I have watched it so many times. I love the way Beckett is sitting in her chair reading the Catp.'s report, how she always knows/feels when Castle is close by and the way she looks over at him knowing it is he who stands quitly by her side. These two are finding out just how much the other has touched their lives, slowly yes sometimes to slow for me but at least they are taking a few baby steps in the right direction. I like how they now stand so close to one another been happening in past few episodes, sitting closer in the questioning room little things make me happy.
I loved the scene where Castle eats the egg, reminds me of how well Nathan plays I love Lucy, but he is I love Ricky(Castle). Nathan plays the comedy timing so well. Not often on TV these times do you see that kind of comedy timing with facial gestures go hand in hand so well. Like when he enters the bar the first time after Beckett tells him to butch up, love how he acts like he is a fighter going into the ring.

Beckett allowing Castle to see a vulnerable side is telling she is opening up to him as her mate but she doesn't know it yet! Stana plays so many emotions in this episode and it is nice the writers are giving her sides we haven't seen yet in her character, I am glad they are allowing Castle and Beckett to grow with each other. Nathan has been in acting a decade longer then Stana this series is giving Stana a place to tune her craft as it is her first series. She has done TV episode appearances, films, and some television movies but this series is where she is getting experience with her first series each episode she ingrowing as an actress and getting better and better with experience.

Yeah I liked that part it was sweet of him to say that to make her feel better.

I haven't read through the thread yet, but I don't think anyone has mentioned one of my fave bits from this ep (I love the ones I've read through from you guys so far, though!)

I think it's when Ryan is watching the DVD, and Vong is saying how hard he had it, and how he learned English by watching VHS tapes of Cannonball Run.  We re-ran that one a couple of times to make sure we heard it right.  Seriously. Laugh. Out. Loud. Funny.  Great throw away line.

And that's another thing I love about this show–there are great throw away lines that you know the writers (or the actors, if they are ad-libbed) put in there for the pure pleasure of their viewers.

This is a show that trusts in the intelligence of their audience.  It's a rare network show that does. 

I put Castle in the group of shows that knows "The Right People Will Get It"; the first show that did that (imo) was MST3K.  Right now, Castle can be added to that glorious category, as can Leverage and Psych.

Love when networks program shows that prove they don't have to "dumb down" the shows to reach a viable audience.

But they never would have figured out Coonan was the assassin either, so that doesn't fit. I think Wynnara had the best explanation, although I appreciate all who put in their $.02.

Wynnara Said:

When Coonan took Castle hostage he basically presented Beckett with two options… either they shoot Coonan (which may or may not include Coonan killing Castle before he goes down) or they let Coonan walk out of there and presumably Castle gets to live (although who knows, Coonan could've killed Castle out of spite)… if they shot Coonan however they'd loose their lead and Castle knew that the way things were playing out shooting Coonan was very likely. That I think is what his headshake was about–him trying to tell Beckett to not let this go, no matter what danger he happened to be in.

Thus what I think Castle was attempting to do is give Beckett a third option… one where he sufficiently stuns Coonan so that they can recapture him without anyone having to get shot. Near as I can tell, this was completely his idea and thus when it backfires and his move ultimately forces Beckett to kill Coonan in order to save Castle's life, Castle feels extraordinarily guilty. That I think is what he meant when he said he overstepped… he wanted to hand Coonan to Beckett so he could give her that all important lead, but he failed.

Hey all – i'm a newbie, so if i say something dumb – have patience.

Interesting and evocative use of first names in this episode. In order:

The Captain calls Beckett Kate while administering the "Poor Man's Painkiller" in his office.

Castle uses Kate's first name (for the first time since the beginning of the show, I think) to try to call her back as she's fleeing the precinct.

Beckett's father calls her Katie.

Finally, Beckett calls the Captain Roy when imploring him not to shoot the bad guy.

Use of first name = deep emotion/ personal connection.

Flashback to last episode with Kyra's comment about Beckett calling him Castle vs. Kyra thinking of him as 'only' Rick.

There are two apparent inconsistencies here:

Lanie didn't use Beckett's first name when responding to KB's tirade before the Captain comes out of his office. [And why is Lanie the only police character who almost always is called by her first name?}

Martha doesn't call her Kate at the apartment, but does call her Kiddo.

I can't explain the first of these omissions, but Martha seems to use Kiddo as a term of affection for her son. She only calls him by his first name when she's a bit perturbed at him. (So, has she adopted Kate now?)

Look for this usage to come up again.

Slight aside – i do love KB's clothes, but what's with the coats/jackets? I counted about four different ones on KB this episode and more than 20 over the season thus far – including about six to eight leather jackets. She'd have to have a three bedroom apartment just for the coats – and at NYC prices????