Ep 9. Secret Santa

It's the holiday season in New York City and Castle and Beckett are tasked with solving the murder of a guy dressed as Santa Claus. The episode opens with the murder victim, dressed in Santa costume, stumbling through Central Park. He's chased by an unknown assailant and eventually collapses and dies. The homicide detectives arrive on the scene and quickly determine that the man was murdered and not simply a victim of a heart attack.

Castle and Beckett begin to investigate the case and start with looking into the victim's past. They discover that the victim is actually a convicted felon who had been working as a mall Santa as part of his probation. They unearth a list of everyone who had visited Santa at the mall and start to track down leads. As they begin their investigation, they start to uncover secrets about the people on the Santa list.

Meanwhile, Alexis is dealing with the stress of college applications and is having trouble deciding which school to attend. Castle tries to help her with her decision and becomes increasingly frustrated when she doesn't take any of his advice. In an attempt to distract himself, Castle decides to throw a Christmas party at his apartment for his friends and family. However, the murder investigation keeps interrupting the party and leads to some awkward moments.

As the investigation progresses, Castle and Beckett start to uncover a web of lies and secrets among the Santa list visitors. It seems that everyone has something to hide and the detectives struggle to figure out who is telling the truth. To add to the complexity of the case, Castle's mother Martha shows up unexpectedly with her new boyfriend, Jackson Hunt. Martha's arrival creates tension between Castle and his mother, as he discovers that she had lied to him about Hunt's background.

The murder case also hits a personal note for Beckett, whose father had dressed up as Santa to surprise her when she was a child. She becomes emotionally invested in the case and starts to share some of her personal experiences with Castle. The two detectives start to bond over their shared love of Christmas and their commitment to solving the case.

In the end, the detectives uncover the truth behind the murder and all of the secrets among the Santa list visitors. The case is solved and the killer is brought to justice. However, the episode ends with a touching moment between Castle and Beckett, who share a dance at his apartment party. The two detectives reflect on the importance of family and love during the holiday season.

Overall, this episode is filled with holiday cheer, personal drama, and a compelling murder case. It is a great addition to the Castle series and showcases the strong relationship between Castle and Beckett. Fans of the show will enjoy this festive episode and the unexpected twists and turns of the murder investigation.