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Character Development: Esposito’s Past is Revealed, Castle “Under the Influence” 

Photo Credit: Ron Tom/ABC
Photo Credit: Ron Tom/ABC

Castle “Under the Influence” was strictly a case of the week episode. There was no Beckett and Castle romance goodness (although we loved that exchange between Caskett and Espo about Valentine’s Day. Side note: can you even imagine Beckett watching that movie?) but we did get a chance to learn more about Espo. He made a connection with a teen who was embroiled in the murder they were investigating.

It was great that the kid came out of the situation without having to go to jail or juvie hall or ending up dead. Instead he ended up with a mentor. Someone that is going to show him that there is someone in this world that cares about him. You could tell he definitely needs that. He has no parents and his uncle isn’t all that present in his life. So the fact that Esposito saw something in him was wonderful. After all, someone did that for the detective when he was young.

What we learned about Espo:

  • His parents split up when he was five.
  • His father moved to Florida with his new wife. The most Javier got after that was a phone call or a postcard.
  • He has a juvenile record for things like assault, resisting arrest and unlawful possession.
  • Not only was his dad gone but his mom was working two jobs. He was basically on his own. No rules. No discipline. “In my neighborhood,” said Esposito, “you had to do what you had to do to survive. Not everybody made it.”

For Javier, a teacher was the one to see through his walls and imagine a future for him that he didn’t. “But it was up to me to make the choice and pick which road to go down.” Can’t tell you guys how nice it was to see this side of Espo. We so often see the macho side. Or the flirty side. Or the badass soldier side. Learning a little more about this character was definitely a good thing, even though it’s all happening in season 5. It’s about time we found out a little more about him. Jon Huertas did an excellent job as Espo reached out to this kid. A kid that probably reminded him of his younger self.

Castle airs Mondays at 10/9c on ABC.

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