The BEST episodes of Castle (2009) season 4

Every episode of Castle (2009) season 4, ranked from best to worst by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The best episodes of Castle (2009) season 4!

Rick Castle is one of the world's most successful crime authors. But when his rock star lifestyle isn't enough, this bad boy goes looking for new trouble and finds it working with smart, beautiful Detective Kate Beckett. Inspired by her professional record and intrigued by her buttoned-up personality, Castle's found the model for his bold new character whether she likes it or not. Now with the mayor's permission, Castle is helping solve crime with his own twist.

Last Updated: 4/21/2024Network: ABC (US)Status: Ended
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Always
star
8.32
4173 votes

#1 - Always

Season 4 - Episode 23 - Aired 5/7/2012

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.

Directors: Rob Bowman
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Undead Again
star
8.09
3831 votes

#2 - Undead Again

Season 4 - Episode 22 - Aired 4/30/2012

When Castle and Beckett investigate the murder of a man with human bite marks on his body, Castle’s wild theories start flying. But none are as wild as what their only witness insists happened – a Zombie attack. As the evidence pointing towards an undead assailant piles up, the team plunges into New York’s Zombie subculture to find the killer and bring him in — dead, undead or alive.

Directors: Bill Roe
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Linchpin (2)
star
8.08
3658 votes

#3 - Linchpin (2)

Season 4 - Episode 16 - Aired 2/20/2012

Castle and Beckett race to stop a series of events that could lead the U.S. into war, and their efforts continue to put Castle in CIA agent Sophia Conrad's orbit.

Directors: Rob Bowman
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Pandora (1)
star
7.99
4098 votes

#4 - Pandora (1)

Season 4 - Episode 15 - Aired 2/13/2012

Castle and Beckett pursue a ruthless killer who, they discover, is part of a sinister, international conspiracy. Castle and Beckett are joined on the case by Sophia Turner, a smart, sexy CIA operative who has a complicated past with Castle.

Directors: Bryan Spicer
Writer: David Amann
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Cops & Robbers
star
7.92
4390 votes

#5 - Cops & Robbers

Season 4 - Episode 7 - Aired 10/31/2011

When Castle and Martha are taken hostage by a crew of bank robbers dressed in hospital scrubs and using classic television doctor names, Beckett finds herself on the outside, desperately trying to rescue them -- which proves to be even more difficult with a by-the-book hostage negotiator watching her every move. Castle becomes the de facto leader of the hostages and discovers that the robbery is actually a skillfully orchestrated distraction for an even more sinister plan. But with Castle stuck on the inside and Beckett on the outside, will either be able to foil the bank robbers' plans before it is too late?

Directors: Bryan Spicer
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Cuffed
star
7.90
3964 votes

#6 - Cuffed

Season 4 - Episode 10 - Aired 12/5/2011

When Castle and Beckett wake up in bed, handcuffed together, in a locked room with no memory of how they got there, they must piece together the mystery of where they are and why, all while trying to escape. But as the two of them adjust to being shackled together, what's the biggest threat they face... the people who abducted them or each other? Meanwhile, Ryan, Esposito and Gates are left to investigate their disappearance in a case where all is not what it seems.

Directors: John Terlesky
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Headhunters
star
7.88
3852 votes

#7 - Headhunters

Season 4 - Episode 21 - Aired 4/16/2012

With tensions rising between Castle and Beckett, Castle finds himself a new partner -- Detective Ethan Slaughter, a tough and colorful cop from the city's gang unit. But Castle gets more than he bargained for when Slaughter shows him a grittier side of police work that puts Castle in the line of fire like never before.

Directors: John Terlesky
Writer: Alexi Hawley
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
The Blue Butterfly
star
7.88
3946 votes

#8 - The Blue Butterfly

Season 4 - Episode 14 - Aired 2/6/2012

When Castle and Beckett investigate the killing of a treasure hunter, they discover the case is linked to a mysterious homicide from 1947 involving a hard-boiled private detective. Castle realizes the only way to solve the present-day murder is to solve the murder from the past. The 1947 case comes to life through stylized flashbacks, featuring Castle as the private eye and Beckett as a femme fatale.

Directors: Chuck Bowman
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Rise
star
7.88
4585 votes

#9 - Rise

Season 4 - Episode 1 - Aired 9/19/2011

In a riveting opening that picks up just moments after last season's climactic finale, Detective Beckett fights for her life as Castle, plagued by guilt over his role in the events, struggles to uncover who's behind her brutal shooting. Meanwhile, back at the precinct, Ryan and Esposito have to adjust, as Victoria "Iron" Gates becomes the precinct's new uncompromising Captain.

Directors: Rob Bowman
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Once Upon a Crime
star
7.87
3896 votes

#10 - Once Upon a Crime

Season 4 - Episode 17 - Aired 2/27/2012

When a woman dressed as Red Riding Hood is found dead in the woods with claw marks covering her body, and soon after a murdered Snow White is discovered with a poison apple in her hand, Castle and Beckett find themselves on a Grimm hunt to catch a fairytale killer before he kills again. But nothing is as it seems in a case filled with deceit, betrayal, secrets and murder.

Directors: Jeff Bleckner
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Kick the Ballistics
star
7.86
4374 votes

#11 - Kick the Ballistics

Season 4 - Episode 4 - Aired 10/10/2011

While investigating the mysterious shooting death of a young woman, Castle and Beckett face a cop's worst nightmare when they discover that the gun used in the killing is Det. Ryan's old service weapon - the one that was stolen by the serial killer, 3XK. Now with the clock ticking, the team must work to solve the murder, track down 3XK and retrieve Ryan's gun before the killer strikes again.

Directors: Rob Bowman
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Heroes and Villains
star
7.86
4440 votes

#12 - Heroes and Villains

Season 4 - Episode 2 - Aired 9/26/2011

When an ex-con is mysteriously slain in an alley, Castle and Beckett believe a vigilante is behind the murder. But efforts to identify their suspect are thwarted when they discover that he roams the city in a Superhero costume -- and may indeed be a Superhero. Can they capture and unmask the killer before he strikes again?

Directors: Jeff Bleckner
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Dial M for Mayor
star
7.86
4081 votes

#13 - Dial M for Mayor

Season 4 - Episode 12 - Aired 1/16/2012

It was longtime Castle friend Mayor Weldon's political clout that allowed Castle to partner up with Beckett. But now, when a woman is found dead in a car that traces back to the Mayor's motor pool, that partnership comes under fire as the scandal surrounding the investigation threatens to bring down Weldon's administration.

Directors: Kate Woods
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
47 Seconds
star
7.81
3999 votes

#14 - 47 Seconds

Season 4 - Episode 19 - Aired 3/26/2012

When a bomb explodes at a protest rally killing five people, Castle and Beckett realize the key to solving the case is to reconstruct the 47 seconds prior to the explosion. Using video and witness accounts, they uncover the shocking truth about who planted the bomb.

Directors: Paul Holahan
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Eye of the Beholder
star
7.79
4396 votes

#15 - Eye of the Beholder

Season 4 - Episode 5 - Aired 10/17/2011

Castle and Beckett work a murder case around the theft of a valuable sculpture. Serena Kaye, a smart, sexy insurance investigator, joins Castle and Beckett in the investigation, but she also has her eyes set on Castle, all the while hiding a very important secret from the team.

Directors: John Terlesky
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Kill Shot
star
7.78
4017 votes

#16 - Kill Shot

Season 4 - Episode 9 - Aired 11/21/2011

A sniper on a killing spree is terrorizing New York City. With the clock ticking down to the next murder and nothing to go on except a killer with no apparent motive but to instill terror, this could prove the team's toughest case yet. The hunt is made even more complicated when Beckett begins to experience increasingly strong moments of PTSD - moments she tries hard to hide from Castle and the detectives.

Directors: David Barrett
Writer: Alexi Hawley
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Demons
star
7.77
4176 votes

#17 - Demons

Season 4 - Episode 6 - Aired 10/24/2011

Castle and Beckett confront the possibility of paranormal foul play when a world renowned ghost hunter is mysteriously murdered while investigating a haunting at a legendary New York mansion.

Directors: Bill Roe
Writer: Rob Hanning
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Heartbreak Hotel
star
7.76
4134 votes

#18 - Heartbreak Hotel

Season 4 - Episode 8 - Aired 11/7/2011

During the investigation of the murder of an Atlantic City casino owner at an abandoned warehouse, strong leads emerge for the team in both New York and Atlantic City. As Beckett and Capt. Gates work the New York leads together, Castle naturally chooses to join the detectives for the road trip to "America's Playground," hoping to help solve the case while throwing an impromptu bachelor party for Ryan.

Directors: Bill Roe
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
The Limey
star
7.76
3943 votes

#19 - The Limey

Season 4 - Episode 20 - Aired 4/2/2012

A devilishly handsome detective from Scotland Yard, Simon Hunt, teams up with Castle and Beckett to find the person responsible for the murder of his friend's daughter. Enter Nigel Wyndham, the Deputy General at the British Consulate whom Castle and Beckett suspect is up to more than just ambassadorial balls and diplomatic luncheons. Meanwhile, Lanie convinces Beckett that she needs to make a move on Castle before it is too late.

Directors: Bill Roe
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Head Case
star
7.74
4320 votes

#20 - Head Case

Season 4 - Episode 3 - Aired 10/3/2011

A murder scene complete with lots of blood but no victim and high tech life-extension science are all part of the investigation as Castle and Beckett try to solve a murder without a body. Meanwhile, Alexis waits to hear news about her application to Stanford.

Directors: Holly Dale
Writer: David Grae
Watch Now:Apple TV
Till Death Do Us Part
star
7.71
3869 votes

#21 - Till Death Do Us Part

Season 4 - Episode 11 - Aired 1/9/2012

When a lothario is killed, Castle and Beckett suspect that the victim’s mysterious double life holds the key to his murder. Their investigation leads to a shocking twist that threatens to disrupt Ryan’s wedding with Jenny.

Directors: Jeff Bleckner
Writer: David Grae
Watch Now:Apple TV
An Embarrassment of Bitches
star
7.69
3763 votes

#22 - An Embarrassment of Bitches

Season 4 - Episode 13 - Aired 1/23/2012

When a famous dog trainer is killed, the investigation keeps coming back to charismatic reality TV star Kay Cappuccio. Kay, a favorite of tabloids and gossip websites the world over, has achieved stardom without possessing any discernible skill or talent. But there seems to be more to her story than she is letting on -- does that include murder?

Directors: Thomas J. Wright
Writer: Rob Hanning
Watch Now:Apple TV
A Dance with Death
star
7.56
4130 votes

#23 - A Dance with Death

Season 4 - Episode 18 - Aired 3/19/2012

When Odette Morton, a contestant on the hit competition show "A Night of Dance," is found murdered in her dressing room, Castle and Beckett must navigate the case's many twists and twirls without stepping on each other's toes. But as they delve into Odette's past, they discover that this reality starlet was harboring a shocking secret that may have led to her death.

Directors: Kevin Hooks
Watch Now:Apple TV