The essential episodes of Castle

Watch these 15 in order and you've got Castle — each pick states its reason.

  1. 01

    S01E01 · Pilot · March 9, 2009 · 1h

    Flowers for Your Grave8.3

    A wildly famous mystery novelist, Richard Castle, who is bored with his own success, learns that a real-world copycat killer has started staging murders from scenes depicted in his novels. Castle is questioned by NYPD Detective Kate Beckett, a bright and aggressive detective who keeps her investigations under a tight rein. Though they instantly clash, sparks of another sort also begin to fly, leading both to danger and a hint of romance as Castle steps in to help find the killer.

  2. 02

    S02E06 · Top rated · October 26, 2009 · 1h

    Vampire Weekend8.7

    As Halloween approaches, Castle and Beckett are called to a graveyard where the body of a young man sporting vampire fangs has been discovered with a wooden stake driven through his heart. Their investigation takes them deep into the heart of New York's underground vampire fetish community, where they learn that the motive for the victim's murder may be hiding within the pages of the graphic novel he was writing before his death.

  3. 03

    S02E09 · Top rated · November 16, 2009 · 1h

    Love Me Dead8.6

    The murder of an Assistant District Attorney thrusts Castle and Beckett into the world of ex-cons and escorts. But when Castle's desire to help a vulnerable call girl endangers the case, Beckett is forced to decide between honoring promises and putting a killer behind bars. Matters are complicated even further when Castle's daughter shares a potentially explosive secret with Beckett instead of her father.

  4. 04

    S02E13 · Season 2 peak · January 18, 2010 · 1h

    Sucker Punch8.9

    While investigating the death of an Irish mobster, Beckett and Castle uncover a local turf war that may be connected to both a late-night infomercial guru and an international drug smuggling operation. But the case turns agonizingly personal when evidence emerges that the killer they're chasing may have had a hand in Beckett's mother's murder.

  5. 05

    S02E17 · Top rated · March 22, 2010 · 1h

    Tick, Tick, Tick…8.9

    An accomplished and insightful federal investigator helps Castle and Beckett track down a serial killer.

  6. 06

    S02E18 · Top rated · March 29, 2010 · 1h

    Boom!8.8

    The serial killer, still at large, taunts Castle, Beckett and Shaw to catch him.

  7. 07

    S03E13 · Top rated · January 24, 2011 · 1h

    Knockdown8.7

    Old wounds are reopened when the retired lead detective on Beckett's mother's homicide case contacts her with new information, but then is gunned down right in front of Beckett before he can tell her what he knows. The investigation into his death leads back to a decades-old conspiracy that may hold the answer to who was behind Beckett's mother murder and why. With the stakes and emotions running high, Castle and Beckett take their partnership to the next level.

  8. 08

    S03E17 · Top rated · February 28, 2011 · 1h

    Countdown8.7

    With time running out, Castle and Beckett must put aside their differences with Agent Fallon to avert a city-wide catastrophe.

  9. 09

    S03E24 · Season 3 peak · May 16, 2011 · 1h

    Knockout9.0

    Kate Beckett's investigation into her mother's death is reactivated when Hal Lockwood - a professional hitman with knowledge of Beckett's mother's murder - stages a spectacular escape during a court hearing. As police launch a manhunt for Lockwood, Castle and the team uncover evidence of a deeper conspiracy involving a mysterious figure with law enforcement connections who is linked to both Lockwood's escape and the killing of Johanna Beckett. The search for Lockwood and the quest to identify his co-conspirator leads to a shocking and deadly conclusion.

  10. 10

    S04E23 · Season 4 peak · May 7, 2012 · 1h

    Always8.6

    When the murder of an Army veteran puts Beckett on the trail of the man who shot her, Castle must decide how much he's willing to sacrifice to keep her safe. As secrets are revealed and feelings are put on the table, the lives of the detectives at the 12th Precinct may never be the same.

  11. 11

    S05E05 · Season 5 peak · October 29, 2012 · 1h

    Probable Cause8.3

    While investigating a shocking ritualistic murder, Beckett and her team uncover surprising evidence linking Castle to the killing. As the evidence against him mounts, loyalties are tested, and when surprising revelations come to light, Beckett begins to wonder how well she really knows her new lover and partner of four years.

  12. 12

    S06E01 · Season 6 peak · September 23, 2013 · 1h

    Valkyrie7.7

    Last season ended with Beckett wrestling over whether to take a high-profile job in DC -- a dilemma made more complicated when Castle proposed to her. In the Season 6 Premiere of "Catle," Castle and Beckett will deal with the consequences of their decisions against the backdrop of a high-stakes investigation.

  13. 13

    S07E07 · Season 7 peak · November 17, 2014 · 1h

    Once Upon a Time in the West7.3

    When Castle and Beckett learn that a murder victim may have been poisoned at an Old West-style resort, they visit the resort posing as newlyweds to uncover the truth.

  14. 14

    S08E21 · Season 8 peak · May 9, 2016 · 1h

    Hell to Pay7.4

    When an axe-wielding, escaped psychiatric inmate drops dead in Castle's P.I. office, Castle and Beckett's investigation leads Castle to suspect the victim's death could be the work of the Antichrist,

  15. 15

    S08E22 · Series finale · May 16, 2016 · 1h

    Crossfire7.1

    With their best lead in hand, Castle and Beckett are ready to take on LokSat. But an unforeseen twist puts their case – and their lives – in jeopardy.

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