'Castle' Season 7 Spoilers: Team Rick Castle, Kate Beckett Breaks Up In Episode 10 Bad Santa [Mid-Season Finale RECAP]

When "Castle" Season 7 returns with episode 11, Kate Beckett and Rick Castle will no longer be working as a team. In "Bad Santa," the episode 10 of "Castle" Season 7, Beckett and Castle are seen investigating the murder of an ER doctor who turns out to be a mob-doctor and related to Castle's mob-friend Dino Scarpella. At the end of the episode, Castle's association with the mob-boss gets him fired from NYPD's 12th Precinct.

Recap of "Castle" Season 7 Episode 10 [Mid-Season Finale] "Bad Santa":

The episode opens with a man running to save his life while a car follows him. Soon, the man is shot. A man, wearing a Santa suit, gets out of the car. At the Castles' house, Beckett finds out about the family's Christmas tradition of writing a poem that rhymes for the Christmas card. She is worried as she cannot write a rhyming poem.

After Beckett and Castle find out that the victim, Dr Eric Mercer, was a mob-doctor, Castle suggests that they take the help of Dino to solve the case. They visit Dino's strip club. The married couple get introduced to two of Dino's men. Dino, however, refuses to help Castle and Beckett. Later, one of Dino's men Christopher is arrested for the murder of Eric, as the Santa suit, with blood on it, was found in Christopher's car. Beckett and her team believe that they have found the culprit and there is no more investigation to be done.

Castle receives a call from Dino. He tells Castle that Christopher did not kill Eric, as he was with him at the time murder. Dino cannot tell that to the cops, as the two were doing some illegal business. Dino wants Castle to solve the case and stamps him with an Omerta blood oath. He tells the best-selling mystery writer that he is blood and family now and he cannot let him down. Beckett objects as the case has been closed but Castle convinces her to continue the investigation.

The investigation uncover a Julius-Caesar kind of love-story between Dino's daughter Jane and Luca Tessario, the son of Dino's rival. At first, it looks like Luca was killed by Jane, as she had accused him of sexually assaulting her. When Castle goes to Dino with the story, he is ready to shoot his writer friend. Jane arrives and reveals the real story that she and Luca were in love. When Luca was shot, she asked Eric to help her. Later, it is revealed that Luca is alive and Eric was helping them escape.

The real culprit turns out to be Detective McBride, the detective from the organised crime unit who was helping Beckett and Castle with the investigation. Dino later visits the precinct and tells Castle that he owes him and when the time comes, he can call him.

Castle's association with the mob-boss lands him in trouble. As he is friends with the mob-family who may be planning to kill Eric's killer, Gates tells Castle that he is fired. In the episode, Castle does not tell Beckett that they will no longer be investigating together. He sports a grim, thoughtful look, as Beckett reads her poem:

"This has been an epic year

Life's been full of joy and tears.

Solving crimes and catching killers,

Just like Castle's famous thrillers.

We share a passion every day,

As partners go we are here to stay."

Also in the episode, it was time to meet the parents for Esposito. Lanie and Esposito pretend that they are engaged in front of Lanie's parents, as she had lied to her parents about that. At the end of the episode, they realise that their love story is not going to get its happy ending, as they are looking for great love like Lanie's parents.