- Title: Castle – Reality Star Struck
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When one of “The Wives of Wall Street” turns up dead Beckett (Stana Katic) and Castle (Nathan Fillion) take a look into the seedy world behind-the-scenes of the reality-TV show. Aside from the show’s producer (Patrick Fabian) and the other contestants on the show the team also talks with the victim’s brother (Joseph Williamson) who lets them in on the victim’s affair with the husband (Chris Butler) of one of the other “Wives” (Gina Torres).
Beckett and Castle try to trace the victim’s movements during an odd 24-hours before her death when she was completely off the grid and made an unexplained appearance at a local dive bar. Other suspects include the host (Julian Stone) of a financial programming on the network and another member of the show (Gail O’Grady) whose apartment the victim visited 20 minutes before her death, but not to see her co-star.
Captain Gates’ (Penny Johnson) directive for everyone to go home and watch the show to better get to know their victim and suspects leads Castle to watch several episodes with Martha (Susan Sullivan) and Alexis (Molly C. Quinn) but although he finds himself hooked his all-nighter provides no insights into the murder. However it does gives the writer the insight to help Beckett to get the truth about the 24 hours the young woman was held against her will by the man, it turns out, she wasn’t actually sleeping with, and his wife.
St. Valentine’s Day is the common thread of the episode’s various B-stories including Esposito (Jon Huertas) and Lanie (Tamala Jones) hiding their plans, Ryan (Seamus Dever) working overtime to get Jenny pregnant, and Castle trying to retrieve Becket’s Valentine’s Day gift he accidentally slips into Gates jacket by mistake. The later creates an awkward final scene between writer and Police Captain, but Beckett and Castle’s secret stays safe for another week.