Trivia: Castle's Halloween costume is of Malcolm Reynolds, played by Nathan Fillion in the short-lived TV show "Firefly." Alexis asks him: "Didn't you wear that like five years ago?" Serenity, the film based on Firefly, was released 5 years before this episode aired.
Continuity mistake: When Castle gets back from helping Alexis with her friend and thanks Beckett for taking care of Fagan (Alexis' egg), just after her line, "Yeah well, he was easy. He didn't even fuss when I put him to bed", Ryan and Esposito come in and Ryan is holding a missing persons poster of Elizabeth McGinty. As soon as they walk in, Ryan is holding the poster with the front facing the camera. But two shots later he is holding it with the back facing the camera.
Answer: The networks are now having winter breaks. A mid season end of new episodes, when they come back after the new year, it picks up as if several months have gone by. Beckett suggested Valentine's Day as a "chick flick" to watch as she is moved in. Also some episodes are not scheduled to air in order.