Rick Castle took on the case of a cheating husband for an old friend and then she ended up witnessing her murder/// or so he thought.

Below, TV Fanatics Jim Garner, Robin Harry, Stacy Glanzman, Chandel Charles and Christine Orlando are joined by Mary Lou from The 12th a Castle Fan Forum to discuss Rick’s bad luck with old friends and the crazy twists and turn from Castle Season 7 Episode 13...

Did you think Castle had actually witnessed Eva's murder?

Jim: I actually said "I'm betting this is like Vertigo" after they went to house and weren't finding any blood. From that point I was pretty sure he hadn't witnessed a murder. 

Robin: I thought he had, I just thought he was misdirected to think her husband did it. This case had more twists and turns than I anticipated. Which was great!

Stacy: I'm with Jim. I definitely felt the Vertigo vibe and I didn't think he'd witnessed the murder. 

Chandel: I am with Jim on this one. I was pretty sure this read like a Hitchcock film, which was weird to me, because they actually did a Rear Window adaptation for their 100th episode. Oddly enough, I did get an inkling that Eva might have staged the whole thing because of her pre-nup, thinking that might have some bearing on things. We saw how that went.....

Mary Lou:  I definitely thought that Castle had witnessed Eva's murder. With all the twists and turns, the case kept me guessing the whole episode.

Christine:  Like Robin, I thought Eva was dead but perhaps her husband wasn’t the killer. I loved the Hitchcock type twists that went into this episode. It was a lot of fun.

Rick has had bad luck with old friends. Damien Westlake, Sophia Turner, and now Eva. Who has been the worst?

Jim: My vote is on Eva, as he took her death the hardest. Even after all was said and done he still felt responsible for two people dying. 

Robin: You know, until you brought it up, Christine, that never even occurred to me. I think Westlake was the worst, because he meant the most to Castle growing up, and it really hurt him to realize he was a murderer.  Requesting an episode where Castle has a old friend that's not a complete jerk, please. 

Stacy: I think Sophia was the worst. Castle dated her and even based a character on her. Her betrayal hit him pretty hard. Not to mention she almost killed him and Beckett. 

Chandel: I feel like Westlake was a sucker punch for Castle. Castle looked up to him in his youth--idolized him, even--and then he turned out to be a murderer.

Mary Lou:  Damien Westlake believed in Castle and encouraged him. As Castle said, "Without him, I'm not me." Everything Castle believed about Damien, who had been such a vital part of his young life, turned out to be a lie. That was a deep wound.

Christine:  Sophia did try to kill him but I agree that Damien’s betrayal probably hurt the most because of how much he meant to Castle. He defended Damien right up until the end.

On a scale of 1 to 10, how wrong were Jenny and Ryan for setting up a Match.com profile for Espo?

Jim: Zero, as I met my wife online after her room-mate made her a profile (years ago), I'm a support of the "techno-setup". Though they _should_ have mentioned it before he went on the first date so he wouldn't be caught off guard. 

Robin:  Five.  They were so wrong for doing it AND sending him on the date without telling him, but it was so funny! It seemed like he needed a nudge. 

Stacy: 8. I have nothing against online dating but it should be the person's choice to create a profile. I would be pissed if someone went behind my back and posted stuff online about me without my permission. I'm only giving it and 8 instead of a 10 because it was Ryan, someone super close to Espo who had his best interests at heart, even if I still think it was wrong of him. I did wonder how Espo got the password for his profile though.

Chandel: I am pretty sure that's around a 9. I can see their motive, but it had less to do with Espo's well being and more to do with their reservation. I would not want to be pushed, either.

Mary Lou: Definitely a 10. It was over-reaching and an invasion of Espo's privacy. They should have just approached him with their concerns about the weekend instead of trying to do something of which he's perfectly capable.

Christine:  At least an 8. I’d be furious if someone did that to me but I kind of liked how it backfired on Ryan and Jenny. I only wish we could see them spending the weekend with Javi canoodling with the poet/exotic dancer. 

Is Rick Castle cut out to be a P.I.?

Jim: I noticed a distinct lack of "hard boiled" monologuing with this episode, so I'm guessing the "shine" has worn off and he is realizing it's not like the books at all. The result of which is going to be him not enjoying it very much.   

Robin: Interesting question. He's absolutely cut out to be a detective, because he has the mind that loves unravelling and reconstructing a story. What he's not cut out for is the investigative part, and the solitary nature of being a P.I. 

Stacy: Castle has the brains and the determination to take on a case and see it through, but he lets his emotions and wild theories get the best of him sometimes. There's a reason he and Beckett make the perfect team. He needs her to keep him in check and she needs him to help her think outside the box.

Chandel: He's starting to look a little tired. You heard him tell Kate he didn't want to take the case at the beginning, and it read to me like the novelty could be wearing out. I think he's cut out for it because of all his experience with the NYPD, but the question is, does he like going-it-alone? It's looking less and less like that's appealing.

Mary Lou:  Castle's got the drive, the brains, and the adventuresome spirit needed to be a P.I. But, something's missing and it's Kate. He's only half as good without her.

Christine:  Can he do it? Absolutely! Does he want to? Being a writer is so solitary. I think he needs a partner in his other ventures and investigating is only fun when he does it with Kate.

Castle compared his situation to the movie Vertigo? Do you have a favorite Alfred Hitchcock move?

Jim: I will almost always stop and watch Dial M for Murder when I catch it on, so outside the classics like Psycho and The Birds, it is one of my favorites. 

Robin: This is where I admit I have not watched any Alfred Hitchcock movies in their entirety. I always start and chicken out - they get under my skin!  I can handle gore, monsters, all of that stuff - but I cannot bring myself to watch the bathroom scene in Psycho.

Stacy: I have seen several Hitchcock movies but the one that I found to be the scariest was The Birds so I think I would have to pick it for my favorite. It's also the first one of his I saw. 

Chandel: I have seen a lot of Hitchcock's most popular films, and I think both Vertigo and Rear Window are my personal favorites. Perhaps it's because I had a slight crush on Jimmy Stewart. The jury is still out on that one....

Mary Lou:  My favorite movie actor is Jimmy Stewart, who starred in quite a few Hitchcock films. My favorite is Rear Window. He and Grace Kelly had chemistry like Nathan and Stana do.

Christine: I loved Notorious. Cary Grant and Ingrid Bergman creatively share a two and a half minute kiss at a time (1946) when the censors would only allow their lips to touch for three seconds at a time. The movie is an intriguing espionage case and a romance all in one. 

Was there anything in “I, Witness” that disappointed you?

Jim: It was a fairly well rounded episode. Sure, I missed Kate and Rick's banter over his outlandish ideas at the murder board (or living room lately). But, it wouldn't have really fit with the feel of the episode, so it is a minor disappointment. 

Robin: I really, really wanted to see the girl that Javier was going to bring on the ski date with Jenny and Kevin. 

Stacy: I really enjoyed the case this week, but I just wasn't feeling the Esposito/dating subplot. 

Chandel: I'm with Robin, after all the hubbub about Javier needing to meet someone you would think it common courtesy to at least introduce us to her!

Mary Lou:  No, there was nothing that disappointed me. It was good to see the team back together helping Castle out.

Christine:  I really enjoyed it but I’m ready for Castle to get back to the 12th and work with the team. 

What was your favorite quote or scene from Castle Season 7 Episode 13?

Jim: I loved Kate telling Espo and Ryan that Rick had been right too many time to just discount his wild notion. It showed such an evolution in their relationship that even though she had doubts, she was willing to explore his idea to the end without any hesitation. 

Robin: I loved the opening scene, when Castle got the call and Kate cheered him on. I was surprised how enthusiastic Kate was about him going to work, and I loved how supportive she is of his endeavor.

Stacy: When Kate walked into Castle's office and saw him staring at the murder board with the color coded timelines. I laughed when she commented that he clearly did not need any more coffee. It was kind of a role reversal as it's usually Kate who becomes obsessed and loses sleep staring at her murder board.  

Chandel: I really liked seeing Kate and Rick in their PJ's in the living room talking about the case. It's probably the first time it truly hit me that these two are married now. Even though it was just a moment where Kate was backing Rick up and agreed to go talk to the mistress, I was keenly aware of how things between them are the same, but also different, after saying, "I do."

Mary Lou:  My favorite scenes were the first and last one. I love to see them as a married couple, flirting with each other and keeping the romance alive. The nap quotes were great.

Christine:  I loved how Kate backed up Castle from beginning to end. It really showed how far these two have come. 

Don't miss any of the twists or turns, watch Castle online now at TV Fanatic.

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