[s2e6] Vampire Weekend -

: In the opening scene, Castle tries on a Halloween costume—a brown duster and holster—that is the exact outfit Nathan Fillion wore as Captain Malcolm Reynolds in Firefly .

: The murder is ultimately tied to a cold case from 18 years prior. Crow was a witness to his own mother's murder when he was a toddler. The killer, Janice (Matthew's nanny who later married his father), murdered him and his friend Jonas to keep her past crime a secret. Key Subplots [S2E6] Vampire Weekend

: Upon seeing the staked body, Castle quips that "Buffy's visiting the Big Apple," a nod to Fillion’s role as the villain Caleb in Buffy the Vampire Slayer . : In the opening scene, Castle tries on

: Alexis and her friend Paige are assigned a "parenting project" for school, which involves caring for an egg they name "Fagin". The plot takes a dark turn when Paige "murders" the egg as revenge for Alexis calling her parents after a party. The killer, Janice (Matthew's nanny who later married

This episode is a fan favorite for its "meta" nods to the actors' previous careers:

: The case leads the duo into the world of "vampires" and "werewolves." They discover Crow was working on a graphic novel based on a man named Morgan Lockerby, who believed he was an actual vampire.