(ALL) MUST WATCH EPISODES
I was inspired by user natarawilliams19 to create a list of episodes that are key moments in the series (or ones that aren't, but are must-watches because they are the best episodes).
(P) = Plot-related
(KB) = Beckett case-related
(MW) = Must-watch episodes for me because it's so awsome.
**(3XK)**= Episodes involving the 3XK arc
Season 1
1x01 "Flowers For Your Grave" (P) (MW)
1x02 "Nanny McDead" (The first thing to do after becoming a consultant—so it's worth checking.)
1x03 Hedge Fund Homeboys (MW)
1x04 "Hell Hat No Fury" (We learn the name of the character from Castle's books, "Nikki Heat." This is important for the future of the series.)
1x05 "A Chill Goes Through Her Veins" (KB)
1x07 ""Home is Where the Heart Stops" (MW)
1x10 "A Death in the Family" (KB) (P)
Season 2
Episode 2x01 "Deep in Death" (KB) (P)
Episode 2x02 "Double Down" (MW)
Episode 2x04 "Fool Me Once..." (MW)
Episode 2x05 "When Bough Breaks" (P)
Episode 2x06 "Vampire Weekend" (MW)
Episode 2x11 "Fifth Bullet" (MW)
Episode 2x13 "Sucker Punch" (KB) (P) (MW)
Episode 2x17 & 2x18 "Tick, Tick, Tick..." & "Boom!" (MW)
Episode 2x21 "Den of Thieves" (kinda P)
Episode 2x23 "Overkill" (kinda P)
Episode 2x24 "A Deadly Game" (P)
Season 3
3x01 "A Deadly Affair" (P) (MW)
3x03 "Under the Gun" (kinda P) (kinda KB)
3x04 "Punked" (kinda P)
3x06 "3XK" (3XK episode)
3x09 "Close Encounters of the Murderous Kind" (MW)
3x10 "Last Call" (MW)
3x11 "Niki Heat" (MW)
3x12 "Puff, You're Dead" (MW)
3x13 "Knockdown" (KB) (P) (MW)
3x16 & 3x17 "Setup" & "Countdown" (MW)
3x19 "Law & Murder" (MW)
3x22 "To Love and Die in L.A" (kinda P) (MW)
3x24 "Knockout" (KB) (P) (MW)
Season 4
4x01 "Rise" (KB) (P) (MW)
4x02 "Heroes and Villans" (MW)
4x04 "Kick the Ballistics" (kinda 3XK episode)
4x06 "Deamons" (MW)
4x07 "Cops and Robbers" (MW)
4x09 "Kill Shot" (kinda KB) (P) (MW)
4x10 "Cuffed" (MW)
4x12 "Dial M for Mayor" (kinda KB) (P)
4x14 "The Blue Butterfly" (MW)
4x15 & 4x16 "Pandora" & "Linchpin" (MW)
4x19 "47 seconds" (P) (MW)
4x20 "The Limey" (kinda P)
4x21 "Headhunters" (kinda P)
4x22 "Undead Again" (P) (MW)
4x23 "Always" (KB) (P) (MW)
Season 5
5x01 "After the Storm" (KB) (P) (MW)
5x02 "Cloudly with a Chance of Murder" (kinda P)
5x04 "Murder He Wrote" (MW)
5x05 "Probable Cause" (3XK episode) (MW)
5x06 "The Final Frontier" (MW)
5x08 "After Hours" (MW)
5x13 "Recoil" (KB) (P) (MW)
5x15 & 5x16 "Target" & "Hunt" (P) (MW)
5x18 "The Wild Rover" (MW)
5x19 "The Lives of Others" (MW)
5x21 "Still" (MW)
5x23 "The Human Factor" (kinda P)
5x24 "Watershed" (P)
Season 6
6x01 & 6x02 "Valkyrie" & "Dreamworld" (P)
6x03 "Need to Know" (P)
6x04 "Number One Fan" (P)
6x05 "Time Will Tell" (MW)
6x06 "Get a Clue" (kinda P)
6x07 "Like Father, Like Daughter" (kinda P)
6x09 "Disciple" (3XK episode) (MW)
6x10 "The Good, The Bad and The Baby" (MW)
6x11 "Under Fire" (MW)
6x12 "Deep Cover" (P) (MW)
6x17 "In the Belly of the Beast" (KB) (P) (MW)
6x22 "Veritas" (KB) (P) (MW)
6x23 "For Better or Worse" (P)
Season 7
7x01 & 7x02 "Driven" & "Montreal" (P)
7x03 "Clear & Present Danger" (MW)
7x06 "The Time of Our Lives" (P) (MW)
7x10 "Bad Santa" (kinda P)
7x11, 7x12, 7x13 "Castle, P.I", "Private Eye Caramba!". "I, Witness" (Catle P.I ARC) (kinda P) (for me only "I, Witness" is MW)
7x14 & 7x15 "Resurrection" & "Reckoning" (MW) (kinda P)
7x16 "The Wrong Stuff" (MW)
7x17 "Hong Kong Hustle" (kinda P)
7x20 "Sleeper" (P)
7x23 "Hollander's Woods" (P) (MW) (Possible ending of the series)
Season 8
8x01 & 8x02 "XY" & "XX" (P)
8x07 & 8x08 "The Last Seduction" & "Mr and Mrs Castle" (P)
8x10 "Witness for the Prosecution" (kinda P) (MW)
8x12 "The Blame Game" (MW)
8x13 "And Justice For All" (kinda P)
8x14 "The G.D.S" (P)
8x15 "Fidelis Ad Mortem" (P)
8x17 "Death Wish" (MW)
8x19 "Dead Again" (kinda P) (MW)
8x22 "Crossfire" (P) (THE SERIES FINALE)