As our Bonnie Steinberg pointed out in her recent review of an episode of Mad Men, work is a big deal. And for characters like Don Draper and Kate Beckett, being temporarily relieved of your duties is no small matter. In “Veritas” Beckett finds herself in too deep after going after her mother’s murderer, Presidential hopeful Senator Bracken. Watching her get taken off of her case, then on the run from Internal Investigations made from some great TV last night.
Early on in the episode Beckett loses a key suspect, Jason Marks. She’d been following him as he met with Bracken’s people, but he gets killed soon after one of her late night surveillance gigs. Beckett, after being taken off the case, breaks all of the rules and goes to see Vulcan, who was clearly behind the murder. Naturally, he’s found dead the next day. But someone is trying to set up Beckett, and they’ve used her gun. They even partially clean up the crime scene so that it looks like a professional—or a cop— did it.
At this point, things get really exciting. Internal Affairs representatives show up and Beckett makes a run for it. Still trying to work the case, she and Castle question a doctor who helped one of Bracken’s people disappear. While in the hospital she sees the worst thing ever: her face on the television screen with the caption “FUGITIVE COP.” It really feels like her career/life is over, and it’s pretty sad. Plus. she’s been wearing a hoodie to disguise herself—also sad because her wardrobe is so detective chic, it’s not fair. Anyway, once again, she has to start running. She and Castle even get burner phones, which is how they get in touch with Smith. He basically tells them it’s too late, they know too much, they need to run away forever. But he also tells them that there’s a taped conversation somewhere that has everything they need on it, so we know what choice they’ll make.
In the meantime Ryan and Esposito decide to tell Captain the truth about Beckett’s involvement, and her mother’s murder. Caskett decide to hide out in a hotel, but when Castle goes to nab a getaway car, Bracken himself shows up with his crew. They begin to stage a suicide, drugging Beckett (so they think), pouring liquor down her throat, and tying her up. She fakes a drugged/drunken stupor and narrowly escapes shooting both of them dead. But we get quite a scare when we see the trail of blood she leaves on the wall as she drags herself out of there. Castle shows up just in time, and as Beckett drifts in and out of consciousness she remembers a conversation she had with Montgomery, in which he attempted to give her clues about her mother’s murder. She and Castle, still on the run, team up with Ryan & Esposito and sneak into her house. They hope to find this tape, but instead they get caught by Internal Affairs and end up back at the precinct—every single one of them in cuffs.
Just when all hope is lost, Beckett has one of those it-was-right-under-my-nose moments, runs to her desk (with guns pulled on her), and busts open this trinket of a family of elephants given to her by her mother. Out falls the tape and it’s everything she ever dreamed. It was truly cool watching Beckett make the arrest—on live television, no less—and tear up a little as she finally brings her mother’s killer to justice.
“Veritas” was a great precursor to the season finale. Enough drama to make it feel like a finale, but we’ve still got the wedding to look forward to (hopefully). Things did get a little too cop-drama-y at times. Did Smith really need to have that parking lot conversation with them, like, 200 yards away? Wearing a trench coat and a fedora? And when Beckett ran up on Vulcan (may he rest in peace… or whatever) yelling, “Who do you work for?” that was also somewhat over-the-top. But overall, this was a strong episode.
Favorite Quote of the Episode: “Senator Bracken,you are under arrest for conspiracy, fraud, and the murder of my mother Johanna Beckett.”
Shannon M. Houston is Assistant TV Editor at Paste, and a New York-based freelance writer with probably more babies than you. You can follow her on Twitter.