Castle - Hunt

"Hunt" picks up where last week's cliffhanger left off with Agent Harris (Dylan Walsh) and the FBI analyzing the Skype call Alexis (Molly C. Quinn) made from Paris to narrow their search for the two kidnapped girls. The kidnappers finally make contact demanding €15 million from Sara's parents (Bernard White, Katherine Kamhi) for the safe return of Sara (Karen David) and Alexis. When something goes wrong with the money drop in Paris and only Sara is returned, and with no reason for the kidnappers to keep his daughter alive, Castle (Nathan Fillion) goes all Taken and heads to Paris to find his daughter.

Back in New York, Beckett (Stana Katic), Esposito (Jon Huertas), and Ryan (Seamus Dever) try to solve the torture and murder of the mid-level narcotics dealer, and find the plane that transported the kidnap victim overseas, which are their only links to finding the kidnappers. Browbeating the dealer's girlfriend (Crystal Allen) Beckett leads them uncover that Alexis, not Sara, was the intended target all along.

After arriving in Paris Castle contacts an old friend (Christopher Curry) who works as an advisor to the Ministry of Defense hoping for an introduction to a highly-trained mercenary (Christopher Heyerdahl) his friend told Castle about years ago while doing research for Derek Storm novels. With the help of a sound expert the writer and the mercenary narrow their search area considerably which leads the pair to the office building where Alexis made the phone call, but both she and the kidnappers are long gone. From examining the scene the mercenary determines the kidnappers are professionals and exceptionally well-trained in spy craft, only deepening the mystery.


Things go exceptionally bad when Castle attempts to buy Alexis' freedom from the kidnappers only to be double-crossed by his mercenary in the middle of nowhere and turned over to the kidnappers. And then, at the bleakest possible moment, Castle gets the surprise of his life when he's saved by an older man who turns out to be Castle's mysterious father (James Brolin) whose longtime enemy (Nestor Serrano) is responsible for Alexis' kidnapping. The insane gene is obviously hereditary as the pair decide their only option is a direct assault on the former KGB Agent's stronghold. With a little sleight-of-hand father and daughter are able to get out of danger and back safely to New York City.

The second-half of the two-part episode doesn't have the same emotional weight as the first but it's got plenty of surprises and reveals that make up for it. Brolin makes for inspired casting for the role of Castle's father and the storyline plays on the groundwork already laid in last season's episode "Linchpin." Here's hoping the elder Castle returns for a future appearance. Although Beckett and team disappear for most of the episode's second-half she's there to great Castle when he returns. Despite going off half-cocked alone it's hard not to see this adventure bringing the pair even closer together.