#Castle episode 8.20 - "Much Ado About Murder"

CASTLE AND BECKETT GO BEHIND THE SCENES OF A SHAKESPEARE PLAY TO SOLVE A MURDER MOST FOUL, ON ABC'S 'CASTLE'

"Much Ado About Murder" - After a movie star turned theater actor is mysteriously killed, Castle and Beckett go backstage and learn the star had more to worry about than just his lines, on "Castle," MONDAY, MAY 2 (10:00-11:00 p.m. EDT), on the ABC Television Network.

"Castle" stars Nathan Fillion as Richard Castle, Stana Katic as NYPD Captain Kate Beckett, Tamala Jones as Medical Examiner Lanie Parish, Jon Huertas as NYPD Detective Javier Esposito, Seamus Dever as NYPD Detective Kevin Ryan, Molly Quinn as Alexis Castle, with Susan Sullivan as Martha Rodgers. For season eight, Toks Olagundoye ("The Neighbors") joined the series as Hayley.

Guest cast: Jonny Cruz as Zane Cannon, Andrew Elvis Miller as Jake Cunio, Emily Goss as Naomi Fox, Jewel Staite as Erin Cherloff, Juliana Dever as Jenny Ryan.

"Much Ado About Murder" was written by Christine Roum and directed by Hanelle Culpepper.

Episode 20:

Actor practicing lines of Shakespeare. Hears a noise. Then staggers back out stabbed.

Castle excited. He got a box. Yolo card. Handcrafted. Black diamond in the card, RFID. And only 10,000 chosen to have the card. Kate's not impressed. Calls it obnoxious. He says every dollar I spend gets Yolo to spend on the less fortunate. He wants to use it on date night. Kate....seems to have forgotten. Says it's a surprise. Phone call.

Crime scene. Espo and Castle. 8-11pm time of death. A guy is recording them. Espo grabs his phone. Has him escorted out. Ryan brings in Jewel Staite. She was friends with Zane since theater school. He was sleeping with Naomi Fox recently. Bad break-up. She says Naomi's actor crazy, not psycho crazy.

Ryan's a huge fan of the director. Preschool has a play. Castle reminiscing about spending time in theaters like this with his mother. They visit Naomi. She's a method actress, so has to be addressed as Ophelia. Espo doesn't play along. She finally talks. I didn't kill him. I was bar hopping last night with the cast. He was acting like he was cheating on me. He blew up and never asked where he goes again.

News about Zane's death. Kate asks why it's on the news. Espo says a stalkarazzi snuck on the set. And Castle is the face of the investigation. Ooops. Espo and Ryan have info. Zane rented a room at the Black Door Hotel under a fake name. Had a suite for the past 2 weeks and been with a woman every night. She's still there.

They knock. Manager opens it. Looking for the woman. Martha's on the bed!

Martha got tired waiting for Zane last night. He was late for our session. She was his acting coach. He needed her on call. We turned this room into the temple to the Bard. She helped him to clear out the clutter of stardom so he could focus on his craft. She says he did have his demons, though. She hopes she didn't push him into something that got him killed. Castle says no and comforts her.

Kate tells Ryan she forgot about date night and needs help. Espo says Zane with to Sing Sing to pick up his stepbrother. Driver could tell it wasn't a happy reunion. Toro is brought in to interrogation. I was the big brother. I made Z keep his mouth shut and make something of himself. He was mad because Zane abandoned him. No calls, no visits, no money. Zane apologized. He owed the IRS 15 mil in back taxes. Plan to get paid something big.

Ryan figuring out choreography for the preschool play. They're being filmed by the same reporter. He wants an ending to Zane's story. Following Zane since he got to NYC a month ago. They tell him to show what he's got. Offer a deal. They look at video from the day of the murder. Zane talking to a bald man. Kate tells him to leave the room. We gotta fine this mystery man.

Ryan Skypes with the preschool teacher about his idea for the play. Espo watches him. She says the oldest kids are 5. We'll be lucky if they remember the words. Espo interrupts before Ryan goes too far, lol.

Espo recognizes Alejandro Guzman. Operate out of Spanish Harlem. Espo and Ryan talk to him. Researched his mother. Alejandro will talk about Zane. He showed up to talk to my boss. El Oso. He put out the message. 10 grand gets you a burner. Zane met face to face, but it didn't go so good.

No one can find El Oso. Castle says so much for date night. He'll take Martha out to dinner to cheer her up. Kate is relieved.

Castle parks. And is pinned in by an SUV so he can't open his door. He goes out the passenger side. He's knocked out and kidnapped and stuffed in the back of the SUV.

Castle asks who, what, and where? El Oso greets him.

Kate on the phone. Martha arrives. Richard didn't show up. Kate will look for him. Ping his cell. 7th and 53rd. The parking garage across from the restaurant. Kate sends a unit there.

El Oso saw Castle on the news. El Oso wouldn't kill Zane with a pen. Castle says untie me, we'll sit down, and you tell me why you brought me here. He's cut loose. Zane wanted the rights to El Oso's bio. El Oso said no because Zane can't act. If he got a good review in Hamlet, then the story was his. He wanted to meet again, sounded desperate. Then was dead. El Oso wants Castle to write the script for the movie. I'll tell you all about myself. Should only take 6 months, a year, and you'll stay with me. Or I'll mail your body home piece by piece.

Footage from the parking garage. Martha is horrified. There must be something you can do. Kate says Yolo. The RFID chip. Espo will call the company.

Castle and El Oso laughing. Over dinner. El Oso gets offended when Castle equates him with Richard the 3rd. Haha. Castle says you should play yourself in this movie. El Oso would, but he's a fugitive. Will 5 million be enough? DEA helicopter shows up. El Oso fires up at it with his pistol. Castle hides. Place is raided. Castle rips El Oso to get him down alive. Officer asks if Castle is alright. Yes, fine. But I may not be for long.

Castle is freaking out over tripping El Oso. Espo says the DA confiscated a dozen phones. Zane called Hector Zamacona in Mexico. Hector's in town. Jenny arrives.

Preschool called her. They've decided to go a different direction. Ryan says they're firing me? She says they're preschoolers, not Broadway stars.

Kate and Castle at home. He figures out she didn't have a plan. She says it's too much pressure trying to top each other. Castle says rivalry, between two brothers. He looks up something.

Hector's been sleeping with his brother's wife. And Hector can rule in El Oso's place. But can't control it without his brother dead. Castle says it's a real life Hamlet. Zane was the Trojan horse. Zane needed money. El Oso refuses to meet with Zane. So Hector cuts his losses.

Castle and Kate talk to Hector. Hector told Zane he could direct the movie for all he cared. But Zane promised it to someone else.

Theater. Director Jewel telling Naomi she's not doing it right. Castle and Espo and Ryan interrupt. She says she doesn't know anything about an El Oso project. But she has shoes with Zane's blood on them in her closet. Zane told her he was going to do the movie? He took away my shot like it was nothing! She heard him torturing the words and just snapped. They arrest her.

Ryan and Espo talking about the preschool play. Jenny and kids arrive. Daughter wanted him instead. He tells her she doesn't have to sing if she doesn't want to. Jenny says she forgot the words. Ryan does it with her. Espo does it, too. Awwwww. She's ready for the play now.

Kate and Castle eating Chinese food. Sitting on the floor. A knock on the door. Delivery. It's script notes, bio materials.....from El Oso. Only covers the first 2 acts of the movie. El Oso just escaped. Castle says he has to start writing this script.

Next ep - Castle is cursed.