Kate Beckett

Kate Beckett
Castle character
"Shut the front door!"
Portrayed by	Stana Katic
First appearance	Flowers for your Grave (1.01)
Created by	Andrew W. Marlowe
In-universe information Other names Nikki Heat (name of character created by Richard Castle that is based on her) Occupation NYPD Detective (homicide department) Parents Jim Beckett (father) Johanna Beckett (mother; deceased)

Katherine "Kate" Beckett is a fictional character portrayed by Stana Katic in the ABC crime series Castle.

Background

Beckett is a detective with the New York City Police Department, specifically the Twelfth Precinct Homicide Squad, where she works with fellow detectives Javier Esposito and Kevin Ryan and medical examiner Lanie Parish under Captain Roy Montgomery. In the pilot episode, Beckett leads the investigation into the murder of Allison Tisdale, which is staged in the style of a death scene described in the Richard Castle novel Flowers For Your Grave, along with other murders based on Castle's fiction.

Beckett has Castle consult on the case, and though she tries to contain his access, he repeatedly violates police protocol. Although the killer is apparently caught when he leaves his fingerprints on a note he allegedly sent to Castle, Castle convinces Beckett to continue the investigation based on a hunch, the two discovering that the killer was actually Allison's brother, setting up a mentally ill client of his sister- a social worker- so that he could claim the majority of their father's estate due to his father suffering from terminal cancer. By the end of the pilot, Castle uses his friendship with the Mayor to get partnered with Beckett under the pretense of conducting research for a new series of novels starring a detective based on Beckett. Toward the end of the second episode, Beckett's literary alter-ego is revealed to be named "Nikki Heat."

Her shield number is "0884".

Biography

During the pilot, Castle speculated that Beckett had joined the police force due to an unsolved trauma suffered by someone close to her, and Beckett implied that he was correct. Katic also confirmed that Beckett "does have a history with (an) unsolved crime" which inspires her to build "case[s] that would never fall apart in court." In the second episode, Beckett plied suspect Chloe Richardson by admitting that someone close to her had been killed; by the fifth episode, Beckett tells Castle that it had been her mother, Johanna Beckett, who had been violently murdered, Beckett becoming a cop because she wanted to be a detective who didn't commit what she feels was the invstigating detectives' mistake of 'pigeon-holing' crimes (She explained to Castle that she believes that her mother's killer was never caught because the investigating detectives simply assumed that she was killed in a botched robbery and ignored all evidence to the contrary, such as the fact that her mother still had her purse and keys when she was found). She explained that she now wears her mother's wedding ring on a necklace for "the life [she] lost" and her father's watch for "the life [she] saved" when she helped him recover from his alcoholism. She also reads mystery fiction as a result, hoping to gain insight into murderers' motives, and is not so secretly one of Castle's fans.

In episode 9, Beckett's past is further revealed when a former love interest, FBI Agent Will Sorenson, returns to New York and requests Beckett's assistance on a kidnapping case. It is revealed in the episode by Sorenson that Beckett once waited in line for an hour just to get one of Castle's books signed, and also how his novels helped her through her mother's death. In the first season finale, Beckett angrily refuses Castle's help in reopening her mother's murder investigation- having concluded after conducting her own investigations after joining the force that focusing on her mother's death would destroy her life-, stating that if Castle interferes, it will end his police collaboration with her. Despite this, Castle confronts Beckett at the end of the episode with evidence that her mother was targeted for murder. At the beginning of season 2 she forgives Castle for his indiscretion about her mother's murder after he delivers a heartfelt apology. During this period it was also revealed that Beckett speaks Russian after a semester in Kihab between her junior and senior year, as well as spending a brief period modelling when she was seventeen on the grounds that it seemed easier than waitressing (Although the only shown photograph of her modelling period is her in sports gear). Her partnership with Castle is later extended after Castle receives a three-book publishing deal after the success of the debut Nikki Heat novel.

Beckett's mother's case is again brought up at Season 2 Episode 13 "Sucker Punch" when Lanie contacts Dr. Murray after realizing the wound similarities between the victim and Beckett's mother. Dr. Murray then reveals to Beckett that there is no doubt in his mind, that the victim is killed by the same man than murdered her mother. At first she is informed by a corrupt politician Dick Coonan that it is a contract killer named "Rathborne" that killed her mother and the 3 other victims. They then set up an exchange so Beckett can finally catch the killer but he never shows. After the exchange goes bust she realizes that Coonan himself is the killer and as she goes to arrest and confront him, he takes Castle hostage. Castle manages to free himself but Coonan comes charging after him, only to have Beckett shoot him in the chest, killing him instantly. Though she gains some closure on her mother's death she still must figure out who now ordered the hit on her mother. In the same episode, Castle states that he will stop shadowing her and feels guilty that Beckett had to kill in order to save his life. However, Beckett tells him to stay, admitting that she has grown accustomed to Castle "pulling on [her] pigtails," that he makes her hard job more fun, and that she wants him to be there when she finally finds whoever ordered her mother's murder.

Relationships

Richard Castle Beckett's initial relationship with Castle was strained, in part do to the fact that she viewed him as immature and reckless. However, she did see that he was important in solving difficult cases. After "Sucker Punch", however, her relationship with him has shown great improvement, as she can be seen getting burgers with him after a case.

In "Tick, Tick, Tick..." she is shown to be jealous of Castle's attention to Agent Shaw and her high-tech equipment. In the same episode, he is seen to be worried about her, even staying in her apartment to protect her from a murderer. He even made her pancakes in the morning, which she was teased about by Ryan and Esposito.

Her relationship with Castle is further demonstrated by her closeness to Alexis Castle, his daughter. Alexis looks up to Beckett and sees her as a friend and surrogate mother at times, even asking her advice on a foreign exchange program to France.

Tom Demming In "Den of Thieves," Beckett meets robbery detective Tom Demming, whom she instantly takes a liking. It is later revealed that the two have started dating, eating together at work, and even "sharing a cab." At the end of "Overkill," she shares a kiss with him, confirming that they are now in a relationship. However, in the season 2 finale, Beckett breaks off the relationship, claiming that it "isn't what she's looking for right now".