List of Castle characters
The following is a list of characters in the ABC crime series Castle.
Main characters
Rick Castle
Richard "Rick" Castle is a famous novelist who weathered through twenty rejections before he got his first manuscript published. He keeps his first rejection letter framed on his wall at home to keep himself motivated.When the series begins, Castle has decided to kill off his most famous character, Derrick Storm, because the character has become boring to him. After weathering the backlash from his fans and nagging from his publisher, who is also his ex-wife, Castle is requested to help NYPD Detective Kate Beckett with a murder case that copycats scenarios from his previous novels. Working alongside Beckett gives Castle a new source of inspiration, and after assisting Beckett with the case, Castle takes the opportunity to use his knowledge and skills, and his close friendship with the Mayor, to stay on with the NYPD in a consulting capacity. In the season seven finale "Hollander's Woods", an incident in Castle's past is revealed that had led to his ambition to become a writer.
Kate Beckett
Captain Katherine "Kate" Houghton Beckett is a homicide detective with the NYPD. Having graduated from New York City's prestigious Stuyvesant High School and Stanford University, she is a first-class investigator who has gained a reputation as a detective who is intrigued by unusual cases, although she is also known for her ability to empathize with the victims of violent crimes. She joined the force after her mother was murdered and the case was unsolved.In season eight, Beckett is promoted to captain and made commanding officer of the 12th Precinct.
Initially finding Castle to be quite annoying, Beckett gradually warms to him as they work together to solve murder mysteries, utilizing his imagination and insight into a killer's mind and her authority and position within the police department. Even though Beckett does date several different men during her partnership with Castle, she eventually develops feelings for him, though she is reluctant to acknowledge them openly to anyone. Her reluctance to acknowledge her feelings for Castle, as well as her rejection of her previous boyfriends, stems from her determination to not get hurt, especially in the aftermath of her mother's death. Nevertheless, Beckett will drop subtle hints of her interest in Castle to him, sometimes in the form of suggestive comments that evoke suggestive imagery in Castle's mind. The two begin dating in season five, get engaged in season six, and are married in season seven.
Alexis Castle
Alexis Harper Castle is Castle's daughter. Unusually mature and responsible for her age, she is highly intelligent, academically motivated, and wise beyond her years. Alexis's social and interpersonal issues often parallel some aspect of the case Castle and Beckett are investigating. Castle will sometimes ask for her opinion on the motivation for some actions committed by the killers he hunts, such as who someone might ask for money.Alexis is very close to her father, as they do many activities together, including fencing, book research projects such as learning lock-picking and safe-cracking—and laser tag. She has also developed a certain bond with Beckett, asking Beckett's advice when contemplating going on an exchange trip to France and making arrangements with the detective to spend three days working at the police station as part of a project for her civics class. In season four, however, Alexis's relationship with Beckett cools since she feels that the detective does not give her father the respect and involvement he deserves from her. Alexis begins dating a boy named Ashley in season three. They hope to attend Stanford University together, but while Ashley gains admittance, Alexis fails in her attempt to apply for early admittance, which distresses her greatly. Though they attempt to carry on a long-distance relationship, the strain of doing so is too much, and Alexis breaks up with Ashley in season four.
In season five, Alexis finally chooses to attend Columbia University so as to remain close to family and friends, and lives in their halls of residence while frequently dropping into her father's loft. She is kidnapped by an ex-KGB officer who previously crossed swords with her mysterious grandfather, but displays her father's resilience, deductive logic and skills during the encounter. In season six, she returns from Costa Rica with a boyfriend named Pi, and the two move in together some time later. After a few episodes, Alexis realizes that Pi is not the one for her and eventually breaks up with him. On Beckett's advice, she moves back in with her father a short time later.
In season eight, it is revealed that Alexis has been unofficially working at Richard Castle Investigations for a month; in that time, she has successfully solved a number of minor cases. When Castle learned that Alexis was not only working but actually solving cases, he officially hired her to work for him. Upon the successful resolution of a case, father and daughter shared a 50-year-old scotch and cigar-blowing-bubbles.
Martha Rodgers
Martha Rodgers is Castle's mother and lives with him and her granddaughter Alexis. She is an actress on and off Broadway. She helps her son through the difficulties of raising a teenage girl, but is also shown to have an active social life. She lives with Castle partly because a previous husband absconded with all her savings. Like Lanie and Esposito, she sees the dynamic between Castle and Beckett and especially from season three onward, gently urges her son to pursue the detective romantically. After inheriting a million dollars from her old boyfriend and brief fiancé Chet Palburn, Martha has opened the Martha Rodgers School of Acting to occupy her time. Martha often adopts highly theatrical gestures and body-movements in her day-to-day life.Javier Esposito
Javier Esposito is a bilingual detective who works in the homicide division with his partner, Kevin Ryan, as part of Beckett's team. He is always ready with a sardonic comment to keep Beckett on her toes and enjoys the way Castle riles her. He and Ryan are best friends, even though they constantly argue about obscure facts. He was disappointed when Ryan felt obliged to ask his fiancée's brother to be his best man instead of him. It is implied in the pilot "Flowers for Your Grave" he is a fan of Shark Week, and in the season two episode "Den of Thieves", it is revealed that Esposito transferred out of the 54th Precinct and has been partnered with Ryan for three years prior to the pilot episode. In season three's "Poof, You're Dead", he and medical examiner Lanie Parish began a relationship that they believed was a secret. However, their relationship was common knowledge to the other characters, who were playing along out of respect for their privacy, and in the episode "Lucky Stiff", Ryan tells Esposito that everyone knows about the relationship. In the season four episode "Demons", Esposito reveals that he and Lanie are "taking a break" after an awkward incident on a double date. In "Almost Famous", it is implied that he was in the Green Berets; this point of Esposito's personal history is developed in subsequent episodes "Knockdown" and the two-episode arc "Set-Up" and "Countdown". In the episode "Kill Shot" he displays technical knowledge of military sniping and refers to his having served in a sniper unit, implying that he received training.In the season four finale, "Always", Esposito stands firmly behind Beckett as she decides to pursue the investigation of her mother's murder in secret because they fear that there would be other dirty cops in the precinct. This leads him to quarrel with Ryan who believes that they should come clean. After fighting with Maddox on the roof of a building, Beckett is saved by Ryan and Gates. Back at the precinct, Gates suspends Beckett and Esposito for their actions. Beckett then resigns, and Esposito refuses to talk to Ryan, just walking away as he tries to explain. Their friendship, however, is quickly renewed in season five.
In season eight, Esposito and Ryan both take the sergeant's exam; although Esposito passed, he is number 279 out of 300, which means his promotion will not be coming anytime soon.
Awards and decorations
The following are the medals and service awards worn by Detective Esposito, as seen in "Knockout" and "Rise".Kevin Ryan
Detective Kevin Ryan, formerly a narcotics division cop, now works alongside Esposito as part of Beckett's team. He and Esposito regularly tease Beckett, like when they discover that she had embarked on a brief modeling career during her teens, but they are otherwise incredibly protective of her and ultimately treat her like one of the guys. In the season one episode "Little Girl Lost", Ryan is revealed to have a new girlfriend named Jenny; she is often mentioned, and routinely calls him to check up on him, but her first appearance comes in "The Mistress Always Spanks Twice", where she was portrayed by Dever's real-life wife, Juliana. Jenny returned in the season three episode "Nikki Heat", where Ryan proposes to her in the middle of the homicide bullpen. In the fourth season, he is shown complaining about how stressful and complicated planning a wedding is. His love life and the fact he is in nearly-constant communication with his girlfriend/fiancée makes him subject to much teasing from his partner, so when Esposito begins dating Lanie, he relished turning the tables on his friend. Little is known about Ryan's family except that he grew up in the Bronx with an unknown number of sisters, only one of which has been named and seen in season seven, one of whom has a son, as Ryan makes reference to a nephew who loves the Captain Underpants book series. He also attended Catholic school for 12 years, as was mentioned during the episode "Knockdown".In the season four finale, "Always", Ryan sides with Castle in stopping Beckett's investigation into her mother's murder in secret, feeling that not going through the proper channels will cost them. This puts him at odds with Esposito, who firmly stands behind Beckett's choice, causing friction within the group. After Castle quits, Beckett and Esposito try to catch the killer by themselves, which causes Ryan to make the painful choice to tell Gates about the secret investigation. Although he is able to save both of them in time, Beckett resigns from the force and Esposito is suspended. Ryan is ignored by Esposito when he tries to explain his reasons for telling Gates, frustrated that his choices cost him his friendship. Their friendship, however, is quickly renewed in season five, where it is revealed he was formerly undercover in the Irish mob under the name Fenton O'Connell, during which time he fell in love with a woman named Siobhan, whom he left seven years ago. She never heard from or saw him again. When her life is threatened, he goes back undercover and brings down mobsters he knew once. He and Siobhan reconcile and she leaves for witness protection, then he learns his wife is pregnant. In the season six episode "Under Fire", Jenny gives birth to his daughter, Sarah Grace Ryan.
Ryan takes on extra jobs out of hours offering private security. In the season 7 episode "At Close Range", he takes a job with his brother-in-law, Frank Kelly, protecting a US congressman. When one of the congressman's aides is killed, Ryan is driven to solve the crime - even to the extent of arresting his brother-in-law, risking a family rift.
In season eight, when he learns that Jenny is once again pregnant and seeing both Beckett and Gates promoted, Ryan and Esposito both take the sergeant's exam. Unfortunately, Ryan does not pass, which leads to conflict and jealously with Esposito, who did pass. In "Death Wish", Jenny gives birth to their second child, Nicholas Javier Ryan.