| Meredith | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Vital Statistics | |
| Gender | Female |
| Status | Alive |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Spouse(s) | Richard Castle (ex-husband) |
| Children | Alexis Castle |
| Character Information | |
| Appearances | "Always Buy Retail" "Significant Others" |
| Portrayed by | Darby Stanchfield |
Meredith is a character portrayed by Darby Stanchfield in the ABC crime series Castle.
Character[]
Background[]
Meredith is the first ex-wife of Richard Castle and the mother of Alexis, although Castle has sole custody on the grounds that Meredith was too immature and even Castle acknowledges how scary it is that he is the mature one in the relationship.
She is an impulsive, oversexed actress. Meredith and Richard Castle occasionally meet for sexual liaisons despite their divorce, Castle defending the liaisons on the grounds that sex with 'crazy' people is incredible.
At the same time, he has also described her as a "Deep-fried Twinkie", on the grounds that she is good to have occasionally, but regular exposure would kill him.
In return, Meredith described her relationship with Castle as like a "deliciously sweet souffle," romantic and exciting but ultimately unsatisfying because Castle always understood her better than he let her understand him. ("Significant Others")
The circumstances of their divorce were laid out in her first scene with Castle. When Meredith suggested that they get remarried, Castle reminded her that she had an affair, moved to Malibu, and divorced him. She occasionally visits the family to see her daughter, once apparently taking Alexis out of school for the day to go to lunch in Paris, but her flighty nature nevertheless unnerves the more practical Alexis.
Meredith also continually trades thinly-veiled snipes and catty rejoinders with Martha. Both are too similar, professionally and personally, to like or respect one another accept in the difference is Martha is also more mature than her also.
History[]
She only apeared twice in the show. In "Always Buy Retail" she briefly returned to New York to visit her ex-husband and daughter, revealing that she was contemplating returning to New York to try out for some Broadway roles.
Although her retail expertise helped to provide the team with a crucial clue in their investigation, when she identified a purse as a knock-off rather than an original, Alexis and Castle both openly expressed concern about her return to the city, Alexis noting that, while she loved her mother, she didn't want Meredith around all the time. In the end, Meredith returned to Los Angeles after Castle discreetly pulled some strings to get her a prominent movie role.
In "Significant Others" she arrives uninvited at Castle's loft, supposedly to take care of Alexis, who has mononucleosis, but really to get a good look at Castle's new relationship with Kate Beckett. She manipulates Castle into letting her stay by acknowledging her shortfalls as a mother and her desire to spend time with their daughter and expressing admiration for how secure Beckett is in their relationship.
In actuality, Meredith finds Alexis boring because she is always sleeping and Alexis is all too eager for her mother to leave, while Beckett is annoyed with Castle for letting Meredith stay with him. Meredith invites Beckett out to dinner and trades stories with her about Castle, amanging to bond with the detective in the process.
She tells Beckett that her marriage to Castle ended because Castle didn't let her get to know him as well as he knew her, stirring up doubt in Beckett's mind about her own relationship with Castle.
Trivia[]
- According to WriteRCastle Twitter page back in early 2010 as a result of Alexis Family Tree Project, it stated or suggest that Meredith's full name before marrying Castle was Meredith Lee Harper.[1] [2]