Castle had some over-the-top episodes over its eight-season run on ABC. For instance, in Season 2 there’s an episode where it seems like vampires may be behind the murders. But, the most twisty, memorable case was Season 4’s “Once Upon a Crime.” The episode came out in 2012, amidst a wave of media about gritty fairy tales from the TV show Grimm to the movie Snow White and the Huntsman. It featured a serial killer who dresses their victims up like fairy tale characters to create elaborate, macabre crime scenes. Meghan Markle has a scene-stealing guest role. Along with Markle, the episode’s stacked cast of guest stars includes Taylor Kinney (Chicago Fire) and June Squibb (Thelma).
‘Castle’s Weirdest Episode Featured Fairy Tale-Themed Murders
In “Once Upon a Crime,” Kate Beckett (Stana Katic) and Richard Castle (Nathan Fillion) are on the search for a serial killer who stages fairy tale-themed murders. All the victims were drugged and then dressed up as fairy tale characters. The first was dressed as Little Red Riding Hood and then given wounds to make it look like she was attacked by an animal. Another was dressed as Snow White and found with a poison apple. Markle plays Charlotte, the one victim who survived. She was dressed as Sleeping Beauty and given enough drugs to knock her out.
In a great comic relief scene, Squibb plays a woman who ordered all the fairy tale costumes online. Castle and Beckett quickly discover this woman is completely out of it and unaware that the killer used her information to get the costumes delivered to a shared mailroom in her apartment building. The detectives eventually learn that Charlotte and the other women were responsible for a hit-and-run after a fairy tale-themed party. The serial killer seems to be out for revenge.
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‘Castle’s Weirdest Episode Has Its Best Twist
At first, Castle and Beckett believe the killer in “Once Upon a Crime” is Darren (Kinney). Darren is the brother of the man who died in the hit-and-run all those years ago, and he’s blackmailing the women behind it. Darren seemed to be getting his twisted revenge by drugging the women, dressing them up in the same costumes they wore on that fateful night, and staging gruesome deaths that mirrored the fairy tales their costumes referenced.
But, in one of the best twists of the series, it turns out Charlotte was behind the murders. As the one who was actually behind the wheel during the hit-and-run, she had the most to lose. After Darren blackmailed the three women, Charlotte killed the other two and staged her own near death. It seemed like the perfect crime, because she knew the police would naturally suspect Darren, who had motive for revenge and was already blackmailing them.
Meghan Markle Gives a Villainous Performance on ‘Castle’
In terms of Meghan Markle performances, her guest role on Castle doesn’t compare to her more nuanced performance on Suits. But she does get one showstopping scene towards the end. When Beckett grills her after discovering that Darren is innocent, Markle perfectly plays up Charlotte’s innocent act but also shows her increasing nervousness boiling under the surface. In the best moment of the scene, Markle has a striking facial expression change when Castle presents enough photo evidence for Charlotte to realize the jig is up. Her helpless act falls away, and a stonier expression takes over. With hindsight, the casting is extra fun because she’s playing a twisted princess role years before her real-life fairy tale turn.
All episodes of Castle are available to stream on Hulu in the U.S.
Castle
- Release Date
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2009 – 2016-00-00
- Network
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ABC
- Showrunner
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Andrew W. Marlowe
