On the Season 5 premiere of "Castle," fans were introduced to the mastermind behind the murders that have plagued Det. Kate Beckett's life. At the same time, the show finally gained a true nemesis for Beckett and this has been something that the show lacked in the first four seasons. Sen. William H. Bracken is the final piece the creators needed to remodel Kate's new personality.
Importance of Season 4 finale
The Season 4 finale marked the end of Kate's former self and her rebirth into a character without walls holding everybody else back. She finally accepted that Rick was the person who could make her complete and that she needed to think about what she needed. In her former life, though, she did not have a definitive target to hunt after. There was one major aspect of character development missing which was keeping her back from being a traditional heroic character.
Enter Sen. Bracken
One of the first discoveries during Kate's new life was what she had longed for. As if her new life caused her stars to finally align, the improved Beckett was able to find out who was leading the charge against her and against the information about why her mother was murdered. Over the previous four seasons, fans watched as the character learned why her mother was killed, but it took to the Season 5 premiere to figure out the "Who?" questions involved.
Importance of a nemesis
Any strong heroic character needs a nemesis to counterbalance the good works of a protagonist. MacGyver was counterbalanced by Murdoch while Dr. Gil Grissom found his counterbalance in Paul Millander. Originally, Captain Gates was added onto "Castle" to work as a protagonist but was quickly relegated to the background and the two main characters of the show were left to be counterbalanced in 40-minute intervals by each week's murderer who posed a challenge to be solved through clues and theories.
A nemesis is created for a character to assist in development. In the case of Sherlock Holmes, Professor Moriarty showed how the sleuth could deal with a challenge from a character that was equally intelligent but made of pure evil. Ernst Stavro Blofeld took James Bond to extremes and showed viewers how dark their favorite character could be. With the threats Kate gave the senator, viewers realize the new character is in place to show what extremes the detective can take.
No longer a victim
Now that Beckett has turned the tables on the pinnacle figure in the conspiracy against her, her transformation is complete. Instead of being scared, she is now able to take complete control for the first time in her life. Of course, fans will worry about what will happen when Sen. Bracken realizes Kate is bluffing but this epiphany should be left for later in the series. Until then, she is the child who was bullied for her entire life finally getting a taste of her own inner strength. Only a nemesis could do that for her.
More from this Contributor:
'Castle': Captain Victoria Gates nothing more than an extra-directional character
'Castle': Stop using Caskett Moniker
If 'Body of Proof' is canceled, will 'Castle' be next?
