The BEST episodes of Castle (2009) season 5

Every episode of Castle (2009) season 5, ranked from best to worst by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The best episodes of Castle (2009) season 5!

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: 11/11/2024Network: ABC (US)Status: Ended
Share:
Hunt (2)
star
8.41
3412 votes

#1 - Hunt (2)

Season 5 - Episode 16 - Aired 2/25/2013

In the powerful conclusion of a two-episode story arc, when the FBI fails to get his daughter back, Castle takes matters into his own hands, reaching out to a shadowy fixer to help him recover Alexis. But Castle soon learns that his daughter's kidnapping may be part of an even more sinister agenda.

Directors: Rob Bowman
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
The Lives of Others
star
8.25
3411 votes

#2 - The Lives of Others

Season 5 - Episode 19 - Aired 4/1/2013

In the show’s 100th episode, Castle finds himself in the unfortunate position of NOT being able to work a case. While he’s holed up in the loft with a broken leg, Beckett goes off to investigate the death of an IRS agent without him, leaving Castle miserable and bored. But when he thinks he witnesses the murder of a young woman in the apartment across the street, he is thrown into a "Rear Window"-esque murder mystery that hits much too close to home.

Directors: Larry Shaw
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Target (1)
star
8.21
3439 votes

#3 - Target (1)

Season 5 - Episode 15 - Aired 2/18/2013

In the first of a two-episode story arc, Castle and Beckett begin a murder investigation that also exposes a plot to kidnap the daughter of a wealthy Middle Eastern businessman. FBI Agent Harris (Dylan Walsh), an even-keeled professional is brought in to help find the kidnappers.

Directors: Bill Roe
Writer: David Amann
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Probable Cause
star
8.18
4112 votes

#4 - Probable Cause

Season 5 - Episode 5 - Aired 10/29/2012

While investigating a shocking ritualistic murder, Beckett and her team uncover surprising evidence linking Castle to the killing. As the evidence against him mounts, loyalties are tested. And when surprising revelations come to light, Beckett begins to wonder how well she really knows her new lover and partner of four years.

Directors: John Terlesky
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
After the Storm
star
8.12
3879 votes

#5 - After the Storm

Season 5 - Episode 1 - Aired 9/24/2012

After four seasons of "will they" or "won't they," Richard Castle and Kate Beckett finally gave in to their feelings for each other. Season 5 picks up on the proverbial morning after, with Castle and Beckett facing new questions -- Was this a one-time fling, or are they now a couple? But before they find the answers, they must take on the forces responsible for Beckett's mother's murder that now threaten Kate Beckett's life.

Directors: Rob Bowman
Writer: David Amann
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Watershed
star
8.09
3177 votes

#6 - Watershed

Season 5 - Episode 24 - Aired 5/13/2013

In the season finale, an interview with a high-profile federal law enforcement agency forces Beckett to reconsider what she wants out of her job and out of her relationship with Castle. Meanwhile, the body of a young woman is found floating inside the water tank of a skid row flop house, but as the team investigate, they discover that her final resting place is just one of many strange things about her death.

Directors: John Terlesky
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Murder, He Wrote
star
8.00
3629 votes

#7 - Murder, He Wrote

Season 5 - Episode 4 - Aired 10/15/2012

Castle and Beckett’s plans for a romantic weekend in the Hamptons are interrupted when a dying man stumbles into Castle’s backyard, collapsing into his pool. Unable to escape the lure of the investigation they join up with the small town’s well-intentioned, but inexperienced sheriff to find the killer.

Directors: Rob Bowman
Writer: David Grae
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
The Final Frontier
star
7.95
4037 votes

#8 - The Final Frontier

Season 5 - Episode 6 - Aired 11/5/2012

When a body is found at a sci-fi convention, Castle and Beckett are warped into the heart of fandom -- a world of egotistic celebrities, diehard costumed fans and enough drama for two galaxies.

Directors: Jonathan Frakes
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Secret's Safe with Me
star
7.94
3852 votes

#9 - Secret's Safe with Me

Season 5 - Episode 3 - Aired 10/8/2012

When a young woman is mysteriously murdered, Beckett and Castle discover her death may be linked to a repossessed storage unit up for auction. Was the unit connected to her death? Was something inside it worth killing for? The investigation leads Castle and Beckett to colorful “Storage Wars”-like treasure seekers and Manhattan socialites as they uncover the shocking truth.

Directors: John Terlesky
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Cloudy With a Chance of Murder
star
7.86
3838 votes

#10 - Cloudy With a Chance of Murder

Season 5 - Episode 2 - Aired 10/1/2012

On Beckett's first day back from her suspension, she and Castle are thrown into the salacious world of local TV news when WHNY's veteran weather girl is found dead. As if navigating an industry full of backstabbing and ruthless ambition weren't difficult enough, they have to do it while hiding their new relationship from their coworkers.

Directors: Kate Woods
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
The Wild Rover
star
7.82
3281 votes

#11 - The Wild Rover

Season 5 - Episode 18 - Aired 3/25/2013

When a man is found dead in an industrial cake mixer, Castle and Beckett trace the murder to an Irish gang in Staten Island and a beautiful bar owner named Siobhan O’Doul (Cara Buono). Much to everyone’s surprise, Detective Ryan has a complicated history with Siobhan and the Staten Island crime family from his days working undercover in narcotics. When the case hits a dead end, Ryan must go back undercover to expose the killer, complicating his relationship with his wife.

Directors: Rob Hardy
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Scared to Death
star
7.79
3312 votes

#12 - Scared to Death

Season 5 - Episode 17 - Aired 3/18/2013

When a young woman appears to have literally been scared to death three days after watching a "haunted" DVD, Castle and Beckett delve into one of their creepiest cases yet. To make matters worse, Castle becomes convinced that he too is marked for death when he accidentally watches the cursed video.

Directors: Ron Underwood
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Secret Santa
star
7.77
3535 votes

#13 - Secret Santa

Season 5 - Episode 9 - Aired 12/3/2012

When a bearded, rotund man in a red Santa suit with an ID reading Kris Kringle falls from the sky in Central Park, Castle and Beckett are on the hunt to find the person who killed Santa. But everything isn't holiday cheer, as they discover St. Nick may have been more naughty than nice. Meanwhile, Castle and Beckett prepare for their first Christmas together.

Directors: Paul Holahan
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
The Human Factor
star
7.77
3208 votes

#14 - The Human Factor

Season 5 - Episode 23 - Aired 5/6/2013

When Homeland Security inexplicably seals the crime scene of a car bombing, Castle and Beckett find themselves with two mysteries on their hands: who murdered the victim, a government whistleblower, and why are federal agents trying to take over the case? The plot thickens when they discover that the victim wasn't killed by a car bomb but by a missile from a military drone.

Directors: Bill Roe
Writer: David Amann
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
After Hours
star
7.77
3695 votes

#15 - After Hours

Season 5 - Episode 8 - Aired 11/19/2012

In the aftermath of a disastrous "Meet the Parents" dinner, a bickering Castle and Beckett are sent to retrieve the only witness to a murder, but they get ambushed and are forced to take the witness on the run. Stranded in the middle of the night in a bad part of town, with no phone, badge or gun, Castle and Beckett must find a way to protect him from a team of mobsters -- that is, if they don't kill each other first.

Directors: David Barrett
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Still
star
7.73
3276 votes

#16 - Still

Season 5 - Episode 22 - Aired 4/29/2013

Beckett's life is on the line when she steps on a pressure sensitive bomb. While the team searches for a way to disarm the explosive, Castle distracts Beckett by arguing with her about who fell for whom first.

Directors: Bill Roe
Writer: Rob Hanning
Watch Now:Apple TV
The Fast and the Furriest
star
7.72
3327 votes

#17 - The Fast and the Furriest

Season 5 - Episode 20 - Aired 4/15/2013

When Castle and Beckett find giant footprints at the site of a vicious murder, the team is forced to confront the unlikely theory that Bigfoot is the killer. But as they trek into the world of primate research, big game hunting and mythological creatures, they realize that finding the man (or beast) responsible may put them on the endangered species list.

Directors: Jonathan Frakes
Watch Now:Apple TV
The Squab and the Quail
star
7.69
3065 votes

#18 - The Squab and the Quail

Season 5 - Episode 21 - Aired 4/22/2013

When Beckett is assigned to protect Erik Vaughn, a charming billionaire entrepreneur whose life is in danger, she's forced to reflect on her relationship with Castle which has begun to plateau. Meanwhile, consumed with jealousy, Castle goes to extraordinary lengths to solve the case and separate the two of them.

Directors: Paul Holohan
Watch Now:Apple TV
Recoil
star
7.69
3514 votes

#19 - Recoil

Season 5 - Episode 13 - Aired 2/4/2013

While investigating the murder of a young woman, Castle and Beckett find evidence that links her death with Senator William H. Bracken (Jack Coleman), the man responsible for Beckett's mother's murder. Determined to finally bring Bracken to justice, Beckett soon realizes that things are far more complicated than they seem.

Directors: Thomas J. Wright
Writer: Rob Hanning
Watch Now:Apple TV
Reality Star Struck
star
7.68
3301 votes

#20 - Reality Star Struck

Season 5 - Episode 14 - Aired 2/11/2013

Castle & Beckett get an up-close-and-personal view of a "Real Housewives"-esque reality TV series, "The Wives of Wall Street," when they investigate the murder of the show's rising young star. Meanwhile, Castle's attempt to give Beckett a Valentine's Day gift goes horribly wrong.

Directors: Larry Shaw
Writer: David Grae
Watch Now:Apple TV
Significant Others
star
7.67
3696 votes

#21 - Significant Others

Season 5 - Episode 10 - Aired 1/7/2013

When a powerful divorce attorney who only represented women is murdered, Castle and Beckett are confronted with a plethora of angry ex-husbands, any one of whom could be the murderer. Meanwhile, Castle's ex-wife (Darby Stanchfield), Meredith, moves into the loft to take care of Alexis while she recovers from Mono, and to make matters worse, Beckett is also forced to move in while her apartment is being fumigated, causing tension, humor and more than a little awkwardness.

Directors: Holly Dale
Watch Now:Apple TV
Swan Song
star
7.65
3768 votes

#22 - Swan Song

Season 5 - Episode 7 - Aired 11/12/2012

When the lead guitarist of a rock band is murdered, the documentary crew that were following the band turn their cameras on Castle, Beckett and the team as they try to solve the case. The result is a documentary style episode of "Castle," which offers us a unique glimpse at our characters as they navigate a world that goes far beyond the rock & roll stage.

Directors: David Barrett
Writer: Rob Hanning
Watch Now:Apple TV
Under the Influence
star
7.55
3378 votes

#23 - Under the Influence

Season 5 - Episode 11 - Aired 1/14/2013

When an up and coming DJ is killed at a pop star's album release party, Beckett and Castle must dive into the raucous world of New York's music industry. Then, when the investigation leads to a troubled teenager, Esposito takes the kid under his wing, hoping to put him on the right track before it's too late.

Directors: John Terlesky
Watch Now:Apple TV
Death Gone Crazy
star
7.54
3391 votes

#24 - Death Gone Crazy

Season 5 - Episode 12 - Aired 1/21/2013

When Beau Randolf, the founder of hit adult video franchise "College Girls Gone Crazy," is murdered, Castle and Beckett are confronted with a lengthy list of husbands, fathers and ex-college girls who all have motive. So to find the killer, they must delve deep into the victim’s life, where they find surprises at every turn. Also Alexis starts a video blog, but Castle is not happy that personal and intimate details about her life are being made public.

Directors: Bill Roe
Watch Now:Apple TV