Castle - Season 6, Episode 9 'Disciple' (RETURN OF 3XK!) [Review + Recap]

Well, this week's episode of Castle was certainly one of the most interesting and disturbing episodes. Just in case killed doppelgängers of Laine and Espo wasn't enough to get you interested, the potential return of 3XK and his equally as crazy girlfriend certainly will be. 

What's that you say? You want a bit more of a detailed recap? Can do! And this one's certainly going to beguile you. The episode opens with a security guard at the docks who finds a women who is seemingly levitating off of the ground, but upon closer inspection, it's revealed she is hanging from fishing wire. Now for the scary part - she looks exactly like Laine. 

Yep, and Laine's pretty freaked out by it all. Cue the arrival of Castle and Beckett, who were previously discussing potential honeymoon locations, except that Castle has been pretty much all around the world - oh dear. It is soon uncovered that Laine and her doppelgänger, Pam, are exactly identical, and nope they're not related, someone has made Pam (aka ex streetwalker) up to look exactly like Laine. Creepy. Even down to a tattoo that Laine has in a private place. Kate and Rick go to see a plastic surgeon who operated on Laine to ask her a few questions. Her name is Dr. Kelly Nieman. 

She is pretty useless in terms of information. However, she is pretty creepy, complimenting Kate on her looks but insisting she isn't perfect, and let's just say she's less that complimentary to Rick. Ryan calls and says that they have located the boat Pam was last seen on, and they go on over to investigate. Ryan and Espo go on the boat only to find another victim, Daniel, who looks exactly like Esposito. 

Both victims were involved in seedy industries until apparently they both got a big break and someone who funded their lavish lifestyle, and also, they both knew each other. Kate likes Kelly for the crime, as it is revealed she was having a 'physical' relationship with Daniel, but she is less than upset about his death. However, there is no evidence and apparently she has good alibi's, so back to square one. The team uncover security footage of Daniel getting into a car owned by the security guard at the beginning of the episode, who found Pam, and they feel confident they have found the right killer. 

However, all the pieces don't exactly match up and Castle is unsure. Castle has had an overarching theory that 3XK is behind the killings, and upon inspection, they find the lab files and other documents missing, having been checked out by the doppelgängers. Uh-Oh. Castle is now certain 3XK didn't die on the bridge, but is back, and now he just needs to figure out how everything fits. The security guard Carl eventually admits to the murders but says he doesn't know anything about 3XK, and as Kate and Rick leave the room he makes a significant comment that they have no idea what is truly going on. Ryan, on the other hand, has discovered that Dr. Kelly knew 3XK when he was imprisoned, and that she is potentially his girlfriend. Double Uh-Oh. 

They rush on over to her office, but it is completely abandoned and the only thing left behind is a Dr.Kelly pen and a note saying 'better luck next time.' Whilst back at home, contemplating the situation, Rick discovers that the pen is actually a flash drive, and plugs it into his computer, only to hear the song 'we'll meet again' by Vera Lynn. 

Kate and Rick are speechless. The episode ends with a lot of potential questions, like as to whether 3XK is back and teamed up with his girlfriend to kill again? Will Castle and Beckett be able to uncover the truth? Who knows, but this was one hell of an episode. The next episode entitled 'The Good, The Bad and The Baby' sees Kate and Rick become temporary parents to a newborn baby who was left at the scene of a murder. Watch the promo below:

Reviewed by Mel.