‘Castle’
: Always
By
Lisa Caputo
2016-05-17
Castle
and Beckett embark on one final battle to take down Loksat before finding their
own “happily ever after” ending
A little over seven years ago, Castle
began its journey. It was a new take on a crime procedural, the brilliant
vision of creator Andrew Marlowe that introduced us to the world of Rick
Castle, Kate Beckett, and a wonderful collection of their friends and family.
It was a story about fate, about friendship, about partnership, and above all
else, about love. What began as one of network television’s most unique new shows,
cleverly combining all forms of storytelling into one compelling and intriguing
tale, soon became a series that would captivate viewers and pull us in for an
epic love story for the ages. At its core, the story has always been about
Castle and Beckett, a writer and his muse, and a couple destined to find their
way together no matter how hard they tried to fight their feelings. Fate
brought them together, obstacles kept them apart, but ultimately love brought
them back, time after time. In one another, they found what they had always
been missing in their lives and in their hearts, constantly challenging one
another and forcing each other out of their comfort zones. This was the story
of true love, of soul mates, the power of the bonds that would forever bind
these two together, and their journey towards finding their happily ever after.
On Monday night, that journey came to an end.
Penned by co-showrunners for season
eight, Alexi Hawley and Terence Paul Winter, and directed by the legendary Rob
Bowman, who also directed the very first episode of the series seven years ago,
Monday’s “Crossfire” was never meant to be the series finale. But after an
unexpected series of events over the past month, events that sparked a
rollercoaster of emotions and reactions, this season finale ultimately became
the series finale. Fortunately, with the possibility of cancelation always
being a consideration at this point in the run of the series, Hawley and Winter
opted to shoot two versions of the ending, one that would serve as the season
finale ending and propel the show into its ninth and potentially final season
if they had received a renewal, and one that would give the viewers a
satisfying end to the series should the network elect not to move forward with
a new season. Had they not had that foresight, we perhaps would have never been
given a proper ending to the story.
The hour was very much like a classic
Castle season finale, filled with dramatic emotion, heart-pounding
suspense, and plenty of twists and turns within the story, all meant to build
towards a guard-dropping moment of peace before the final shocking twist would serve
to launch the story into an epic cliffhanger ending. Even still, it had more
than enough within the details of the story to pay homage to the run of the
series, the love story between Castle and Beckett, and the relationships
amongst the rest of the characters, all giving a sense that the Castle
team had prepared for the worst and wanted to ensure this episode could serve,
if needed, as the final chapter for the series.
What was interesting about the case
of the week was that it allowed the NYPD investigation to intersect perfectly
with Castle and Beckett’s investigation into Loksat, essentially leading Ryan
and Esposito into the Loksat mystery to aide their friends in their hunt for
justice. As the hour progressed, it became clear that nothing was ever as it
first appeared, something that perhaps should have been a warning sign for what
was to come. From Castle and Beckett’s sting that went awry, turning out to be
nothing more than a trap, to Mason saving them only to earn their trust so he
could find out who else knew about Loksat, to the many twists and turns both
Castle and Beckett faced as they attempted to escape their own separate
captures to find their way back to one another, to the final shocking ending
that revealed that Caleb was the true man behind Loksat, attempting to kill
Castle and Beckett so as not to continue being hunted by them again when they
eventually figured out the truth, there was certainly never a dull moment
throughout the hour.
But there was much more to the
episode than the twists and turns or the shocking revelations. At its core, it
was a fitting ending to the story, one that focused on family and protecting
the ones you love. Beckett tried to protect Ryan and Esposito by withholding
the truth from them until Vikram spilled their secret to enlist their
much-needed help. And not long after, it was Ryan and Esposito who took their
turn protecting their Captain, selflessly putting themselves in the line of
fire to keep Beckett safe and allow her to honour her promise to Castle that
she would stay at the precinct and out of harm’s way, at least for the time
being. Meanwhile, Castle enlisted Hayley’s help to protect Martha and Alexis
while he opted to return to the precinct to be by his wife’s side and keep his
promise to help her take down Loksat for good.
Despite the clear separation of
Castle and Beckett through much of the episode, their scenes both together and
apart were often focused on their relationship, the power of their everlasting
love, and the lengths they would go to in order to find their happy ending. In
fact, some of the highlights of the episode were while these two were apart, both
describing their love with such moving words, first while Castle was being interrogated
by the chilling sociopath, Mr. Flynn, and then while Beckett was seemingly
being lured into danger by Mason Wood. Unable to filter his honesty, Castle
poured his heart out to Flynn about his wife, telling him, “I fell in love with
her. I had never met anyone like her. Beckett makes me laugh, she challenges
me. I became a better man.” And when asked if he would go back and change his
path to never have met her, all to avoid facing the certain doom in front of
him at this point, he strongly told Flynn, “No, I wouldn’t.” Meanwhile, Beckett
expressed her love for Castle when Mason questioned her about it, telling him, “I’m
crazy for him. He’s the love of my life and he understands the sacrifices that
I have to make to do this job.” And when Mason attempted to get into her head,
expressing how sorry he was for her having to carry around the weight of trying
to find justice for others, Beckett simply told him, “I don’t carry it alone.”
In a fitting way, this final hour of
the series was one that allowed Stana Katic and Nathan Fillion to shine, both in
their scenes together and their individual performances apart as well. Their
on-screen chemistry has long been at the center of the success of Castle,
but so often that chemistry has not been dampened when the two are not on
screen together. The love between these two characters has shone through even
in the darkest times and even when they were apart, something that is a true
testament to the actors as well as to the writers and directors who helped shape
this story. Fillion’s performance when Castle attempted to fight the truth
serum in order to not reveal who else knew about Loksat was heartbreaking
beyond words. The pain of knowing that he was helpless to protect his family
and friends, unable to prevent the truth from coming out of his own mouth that
would put a target on each and every one of them, that pain was evident in
every fight to restrain himself, every unintentional confirmation that he
fought so hard to hold in, and every tear that streamed down his face when he
had failed to protect his loved ones as he had always done so selflessly in the
past. Meanwhile, Katic’s performance showcased her ability to evoke such power
and meaning in the simple details, from the frustration Beckett displayed when
they had lost their Right Hand Man lead, frustration that masked the desperation
and absolute fear within her that we have so rarely seen, to the strength
within her to go after Mason on her own and play his game long enough to wait
for him to drop his guard and make her move, to her moments of pain as she
wondered if Mason was telling the truth about Castle’s demise, having only
seconds to process if she believed him or not before having to face her adversary
again and fight for her life as well. But, as always, it was within their
scenes together that Katic and Fillion shone the brightest, portraying one of
television’s most iconic couples in a way that only they could. What these two
brought to this series was something every showrunner hopes to find and few
rarely do; pure magic.
In the end, it was Castle and Beckett’s
love that gave both the strength to fight this fight and finally take Loksat
down, bringing the final mystery of the series to a close. And back at the
precinct in one of the last scenes of the episode, the viewers were given their
chance to say goodbye to each of the ensemble characters who have shaped this
show in their own profound ways. As much as the story has always been about
Castle and Beckett’s love, it has also been about their friendships, partnerships,
and family bonds with all of these other incredible characters. Amidst the
sweeping emotion of Robert Duncan’s powerful musical score and the brilliantly
warm and welcoming lighting from cinematographer Dave Perkal and director Rob
Bowman, each group of characters were given a chance to have their final
farewell. As Castle reunited with Martha and Alexis, a proud Hayley stood back
and smiled, knowing her place as part of the family, though very much their willing
guardian as well. Ryan and Esposito shared a moment with their Captain and
friend before warmly inviting Vikram to join them for a celebration together at
the bar. Beckett and Lanie shared their final scene together, the best friends
exchanging a loving hug before Lanie headed off to join the guys. And Beckett
smiled as she looked back at Castle, Martha, and Alexis, letting them have
their moment together while knowing she would always be very much a part of
that family forever. It was an emotional and fitting farewell to the ensemble
cast who we will always remember for their incredible work on Castle;
Susan Sullivan, Molly Quinn, Tamala Jones, Seamus Dever, Jon Huertas, and
season eight newcomers Toks Olagundoye and Sunkrish Bala.
The peace was soon to be broken,
though, as the episode neared its close with Castle and Beckett returning home
together to the loft. The two separated to different rooms as the hopeful
musical score began to fade into an ominous silence, signalling the shocking
twist just seconds before it was upon us. Castle got a sudden spark of curiosity,
one that came to him in classic Castle fashion by the simple action of
turning on the burner on the stove, prompting him to point out to Beckett that
it seemed odd that Mason would not have used his incinerator to dispose of
Caleb’s body, choosing instead to burn him so publicly and with evidence left
behind. It was a realization that came minutes too late as Caleb himself
emerged from the shadows, the true man behind Loksat, and fired a bullet into
Castle’s chest. As Beckett rushed out from their bedroom, gun drawn and her
voice filled with that same desperate fear again, not knowing if Castle was
alive or dead, she showed no hesitation in engaging in a harrowing gun battle
with Caleb. Trading bullets back and forth, Kate stood her ground and continued
towards him, despite the danger to her own life, finally firing a fatal shot
into her enemy and ending Loksat’s reign of terror once and for all. But when
the shock and adrenaline wore off and the blood began to seep down her shirt
into view from under her jacket, Beckett fell to the ground herself, clearly
shot and deeply wounded just as her husband was.
Using every ounce of strength left
within them, Castle and Beckett slid across the kitchen floor towards each
other until they were able to lay side-by-side and clutch their hands together.
If these were their final moments on this earth, they wanted more than anything
to spend them together. It seemed as though Mr. Flynn’s prophecy had come true;
“Everything ends in tragedy, even an epic love story like yours.” It really is
true, everything eventually ends in tragedy. Death itself will always be a
tragedy and one day Castle and Beckett’s story will come to an end when death
parts them, giving a tragic end to their epic love story. But that day had not
yet come.
Instead, Simon Doyle’s prophecy was
shown to be the true future for Castle and Beckett, their epic love story
continuing just as fate had always had in store for them and a respectful
homage to the path Andrew Marlowe and Terri Miller had envisioned for this
couple through Doyle’s words in that episode years ago. As a moving voiceover
played of Castle and Beckett’s infamous exchange from the very beginning of
their story, an exchange that made Castle fans everywhere first fall in
love with this story and these characters, we were transported through the
walls of first an empty loft and then a home filled with photos, toys, and
books. After going back seven years to hear those infamous words from Castle
and Beckett just at the beginning of their story, we jumped ahead seven years
into the future instead, seeing a trio of children who were once little Castle
babies, children Kate and Rick now chased after and hugged and laughed with,
the family they were once told by Doyle they would have. We may not know how
they survived their shooting, who saved them, or what happened immediately
after that. We may not know if this was the event that finally showed Beckett
the truth her father had once asked Castle to help her see; that her life was
worth more than her mother’s death, prompting her to put down her badge and
embrace the boring life she had once dreaded but now seemed to long for. All
that matters, though, is that they got their happily ever after. They beat the
odds. They found a way to have their promise of “always” come true.
So here we are, at the end of the
journey. “It would have been great.” “You have no idea.” As captivated as we
were by those words at the time they were first spoken, they stand even truer
today; we had no idea. No idea that this story would capture our hearts in a
way that will forever stay with us, no idea how powerful “just a television
show” could truly be, and no idea that we would have had eight seasons of
memories that we will never forget. This was a great love story for the ages,
one that will continue to live on in our hearts, our minds, and our souls.
Always.
