1.02 Nanny McDead

Summary and spoilers

An apartment building nanny named Sarah is found dead in the basement clothes dryer of the building where she worked. With no standout suspects, Richard directs the police to investigate her neighbors. A late-night autopsy reveals that the victim had sex – most likely consensually with someone she knew – not long before she was murdered. Sarah broke up with her boyfriend about a month before the murder, and phone messages indicate he was quite angry about that, but he also has a water-tight alibi.

Sarah’s girlfriend reveals another possible suspect: it appears Sarah was having an affair with Mr. Peterson, the (married) father of the boy she was nannying. But this is a red herring; Peterson was having an affair, but not with Sarah – with a woman from his office – that’s why Sarah had to stay late on the nights he was supposed to be home.

Eventually, Kate and Richard solve the case, and Kate shows, with her sensitive negotiation skills, that she’s more than just your average detective.

Comments

The first moments of each television episode are extremely important for luring viewers into the show before they turn away (especially when the show doing the leading is the highly rated Dancing With the Stars, as is the case here). Castle has a slick opening segment: a fly-through from an upper floor to the basement of an apartment building, where a bloody body slowly comes to rest as seen through the glass door of a front-loading dryer.

My first thought about the mystery was: it’s the boy – he was close to the nanny, and, in true TV fashion, they show the boy early on, so as to supposedly fool us longer. I won’t say anything else about it, but let’s just say I’m pleased.

Detective Beckett is finding out that Richard Castle is more than just a flirtatious, extroverted, misogynistic braggart – he’s also a loving, caring, single dad. Go figure. On that subject, the episode ends with Richard reflecting back on the early days of his life as a father, when he cared for Alexis as a little girl. It really is quite touching.

It looks like the characters are already feeling much more comfortable with each other – in particular, the relationship between Richard and Martha (his mother) no longer feels showy as it did in episode one – there’s some depth of feeling there, and a more natural way of playing off each other.

Memorable Moments

• Richard revealing Sarah’s boyfriend by surreptitiously dialing her missing mobile phone while in the guy’s apartment

Quotable Quotes

Police rep: Mr. Castle, be advised: if you get injured following Detective Beckett to research your next novel, you cannot sue the city. If you get shot, you cannot sue the city. If you get killed -
Richard: …my lifeless remains cannot sue the city?

Kate: Mrs. Peterson? Detective Kate Beckett, NYPD. I was wondering if I could ask you some questions about Sarah Manning.
Mrs. Peterson: Of course – please come in.
Kate: Thank you.
Richard: Richard Castle – just…N.Y.

Martha: I did an NYPD Blue once, remember.
Alexis: You were the crazy homeless woman.
Richard: And some might say still are.

"Don’t leave town?"
- Richard, trying his hand at giving the standard police proviso

Beckett: We’re running a test on the condoms we found in your medicine cabinet.
Richard: Whoa! There’s somethin’ you never want to hear.