Castle - Episode 6.17 - In the Belly of the Beast - Review

“In the Belly of the Beast” was amazing. Damn you Oscars for making me wait an extra day for this remarkable moment of television! It was breathtaking; I am still actually a little shaken up by it. I can’t believe how invested I get in those characters. With the incredible premise and cast, Rob Bowman as the episode director and a script signed Andrew Marlowe I was expecting nothing less. (Actually, my expectations were pretty darn high on that one. Oh, you shall never cease to amaze me Miss Katic!) “Castle” has had the ability to flirt between drama and comedy for the past 6 seasons; rarely do we get the darker, really darker episodes, without the touches of Castle humour. I actually don’t think any previous episode of “Castle” compare to this one. It gets to stand on its own.

What Beckett believes will be an easy-peasy, back for dinner, undercover operation with the Narcotics Team quickly turns darker, really quickly.

As for those of you that want to bitch about why Beckett should not have been apprehended for an undercover op. given the amount of times she’s been in the tabloids over the last couple of years, go ahead, but I won’t be getting into that. It’s a show, its fiction, and I do not wish to overthink it and ruin it. Richard Castle isn’t Brad Pitt. (The man who needs no introduction, Oscar reference, peeps!) Most of us probably don’t know what some of our favorite authors look like (I know I don’t). And with that, it’s the end of this. (Ok, so maybe I did, get into it. A bit.)

We’ve witnessed our fair share of undercover assignments in the past but none of them with actual implications. Basically, Kate needs to impersonate Elena Marcov, who they all believe is simply a courier for the drug operation. Seems simple enough, right? When Beckett realises the women is not who she says she is, it’s way too late for her to back down. Elena Marcov is the drug cartel’s contract killer and they’re testing Beckett. She’s got an assignment, and you really don’t say no to guys like that.


When I saw the dead body on his living room floor, my heart shrank a little. This wasn’t her, Kate would never kill someone, even to safe her own. She’s the one that speaks for the victims, the families. This was going to eat her inside. Relieved wouldn’t even describe how I felt when the man, covered in ketchup and beet juice (lol?), confirmed what I so strongly believe: that Katherine Beckett was no killer, no matter the mess she was in. (How freakin’ genius is that gal, by the way? Timing may be a little off, but who cares?)

“This is Beckett we’re talking about. She might be your fiancée, but she’s also a damn good cop, so don’t sell her short.”

If being kidnapped and taken hostage by a nasty and incredibly efficient drug cartel wasn’t enough for Beckett, she also gets to confront old demons (aka the dragon). Having successfully coordinate a meeting with Lazaras(Or however the hell you write that), the head of the cartel, she finds herself face-to-face with Vulkan Simmons. As his voice resonated, I am sure most of us (Kate included) made the connection long before his face was showed. It was going to be about her mother’s murder, once more. It could break her, or it could make her stronger.

Castle and Beckett where physically separated for the most of the episode (Although the beginning scene was all kinds of cute!). We usually experience the Castle and Beckett against the world vibe during the previous intense 2-parter episodes. I still felt during this episode, Kate has never been closer to Rick. I am sure, most of us had this lump in our throats when Kate was writing the letter, his letter. Their relationship, it has changed her. It changed her long before they were an item.

“Babe I wasn’t alone. When they were interrogating me, the only thing that kept me going was thinking about you, about our future, the wedding. You were with me the whole time.”

The last scene of the episode was very telling, for me. Bracken is once again in her life, the man who orchestrated her mother’s murder. She’s saved his life, but he’s saved hers. They’re even and they both know it. He is once again behind felonious operations and he’s getting away with it. Past Beckett would have dove back in that at 1000 miles an hour, but Present-Day Beckett just took her fiancé’s hand and closed the computer.

About the Author - Ann-Sophie

Ann-Sophie is a self-diagnosed TV addict and SpoilerTV reviewer for Castle, Revenge and Homeland. She's also an avid reader and disciplined runner(most of the time!).