Rick and Alexis spent some quality father/daughter time at 39,000 feet this week... solving a murder in Castle Season 7 Episode 21.

Below, TV Fanatics Chandel Charles, Stacy Glanzman, Jim Garner, Robin Harry and Christine Orlando are joined by Erin from The 12th a Castle Fan Forum to discuss who guessed the killer, their favorite pop culture reference and Alexis and Castle finally working together once again...

Did you enjoy Castle and Alexis working together to solve the murder?

Chandel: It's about time they did. The last time they teamed up it was so much more intense because it involved that death penalty case. Though this case had some more serious elements, there was also a bit more room for humor and daddy/daughter shenanigans than that previous installment.

Stacy: I did. I'll always prefer Castle and Beckett together, but the father/daughter dynamic is great to see occasionally. I loved Alexis working with Lanie to check the body. 

Jim: I agree with Chandel, it's about time they teamed up again. I really enjoyed Alexis stepping up and helping, especially working with Lanie on checking the body for clues.

Robin: I loved it. These are the versions of Castle and Alexis that I've been missing. No unsubstantiated outlandish theories just for the sake of them, no petulant teenage behavior. Castle was sharp, observant and intelligent, and Alexis was level-headed and determined. I loved every moment of this.

Erin: I enjoyed watching Alexis and Castle work together to solve the murder. It was a nice change to have an episode with Nathan/Molly being the main pair (sort of like Castle Season 6 Episode 7 ”Like Father, Like Daughter"). In my opinion the change-up is refreshing.

Christine: It was good to see Alexis emerge from her snarky teenager stage. The father/daughter relationship was one of the things that immediately attracted me to this show. I thought they struck the perfect balance between showing that Alexis has grown up and yet she’s still very much her father’s daughter.

Were you able to guess the killer before the big reveal?

Chandel: My suspicion piqued when Alexis and the killer were in the luggage hold and she said "I've spent all my time in the air." Something just didn't sit right with me and I already suspected a flight attendant. It certainly didn’t impact my enjoyment of the show in any way!

Stacy: I had my suspicions that it might be one of the flight attendants, but I did not see the robbery aspect coming at all. 

Jim: I actually suspected Jim, I figured it was one of the attendants and Jim seemed so over the top, I thought he might be covering. But, in the end, I was off by a little bit.  

Robin: I also suspected Jim. He seemed more nervous and rambled on for ages, I thought he was deflecting suspicion. That said, I wasn't surprised either by who the killer turned out to be. 

Erin: I actually was surprised at who the killer was. I honestly didn't believe that Debbie would have been the one to have killed the air marshal. Guess the wool got pulled over my eyes early on in the episode.

Christine: They got me. I kept expecting it to be that jerk sitting in the back of first class. I should have suspected Debbie from her earlier conversation with Alexis but I didn’t.

This episode had references to Sherlock Holmes, MacGyver, Indiana Jones (I hate snakes!), and Snakes on a Plane. Which was your favorite?

Chandel: Indiana Jones for sure. He's always been a favorite of mine!

Stacy: Definitely the Castle quote...

There's a snake on the mother flying plane!

Rick Castle

• Permalink: There's a snake on the mother flying plane!

Jim: I laughed the most at Castle’s "There's a snake on the mother-flying plane" the most. But the book nerd in me has to pick the Sherlock Holmes discussion at the beginning.  

Robin: MacGyver was my childhood hero, the Indiana Jones trilogy (yes, I said trilogy) is one of my favorite movie series, and Sherlock Holmes is my favorite detective. So naturally, I'm going with Snakes on a Plane. Nathan Fillion's delivery of "There's a snake on the mother-flying plane!" was one of his best lines ever. 

Erin: The answer would be Sherlock Holmes by default. I admit freely that I've not seen any of the other shows that were referenced in this episode.

Christine:  I agree with Robin about the Indiana Jones trilogy, Let’s not even discuss that fourth movie. As an Indiana Jones and MacGyver fan, I loved both of those but Castle’s delivery of the Snakes on a Plane inspired line put that one over the top.

Was there anything about “In Plane Sight” that disappointed you?

Chandel: Not at all. There's only so much that can go down on a plane, and they did a good job of managing that space and still working in the crew on the ground at the 12th Precinct.

Stacy: Not really. It was really well done. 

Jim: Agreed Chandel, they balanced out all the elements nicely, we got to to get Tori into the action too.  

Robin: Not a thing. This was one of the best stand-alone episodes of Castle in a long time, probably since the bank heist with Castle and Martha. It had the perfect balance of humor and gravity, and everyone was on point. I will say though, for people trying to keep the situation quiet, they spent a heck of a lot of time on speaker phone in the cabin. 

Erin: I missed seeing Gates in the precinct scenes but I guess that she wasn't needed as a character this week. I believe that "In Plane Sight" was an alright episode besides that little fact.

Christine: That they kept talking on speaker phone just feet from the passengers while trying to keep the whole thing quiet made me laugh but other than that, I thought it was a wonderfully fun episode.

What was your favorite quote or scene from the episode?

Chandel: I have to say watching Kate as she waited for Oceanic Air Flight 57 to land at Heathrow was pretty intense. You knew everything was fine, but the camera spending time switching between her face and the screen really grabbed my attention. By the way, did anyone else think about Oceanic Flight 815 (Lost) while they were on the plane?

Stacy: I'm with Chandel. I loved the scenes of Kate checking the status of the flight as well as Ryan and Espo's reassurances. 

Jim: I really enjoyed Kate convincing Rick that he could do the interview and showing how much confidence and trust she had in him. Chandel, I did think of Lost, I was looking for any nods to flight 815, but the flight took off at 8:30 and nothing else came close. 

Robin: My favorite scene was Castle's interrogation of the Syrian guy. For a man who doubted he could do this, he found his motivation in his daughter's presence on the plane, and he did it like a pro. I loved it. Also, Chandel, as soon as I saw Oceanic Air I thought Lost! 

Erin: One of my favorite scenes was the episode's ending when Castle grabbed the liquor bottles. I guess he needed a little liquid courage to get through the airplane's descent into London. The second scene I enjoyed was seeing Alexis talk down Debbie during the standoff. I don't know for sure but I am certain that Alexis from Castle season 1 would not have been able to do that. She's really grown as a character for me.

Christine: Kate encouraging Castle to do the interrogation. It was, in essence, her turn to tell him you’ve got this. Also, Kate watching the flight tracker. I’ve been known to do that when loved ones are in the air, thankfully under much less intense circumstances. 

Check back with us on Monday for our review of Castle Season 7 Episode 22 and if you can’t wait to see more, you can watch Castle online any time here at TV Fanatic. 

C. Orlando was a TV Fanatic Staff Writer. Follow her on Twitter.