8 X 22 EPILOGUE Crossfire

[nathanfan1]

I can't really grasp that this is my last Epilogue thread. We're talking YEARS of doing this on 3 different boards! Thanks to everyone for sharing their thoughts and perspectives along the way. I know I've gained countless insights from you.

So, one last time, if you choose to watch, please join in the discussion afterwards. It's bound to be a memorable one.

[motowncf]

Short version for those who weren't sure they wanted to see this episode....

Just watch the last 30 seconds or so....that's pretty much what got tacked on to wrap up the series.

[motowncf]

I really didn't know exactly what to expect from this episode.

I did expect that Locsat's identity would be revealed (although I would never have suspected the Gerald McRaney character from GDS), and that he would be taken down. Other than that, no idea.

If it wasn't the finale of a pretty terrible season, and our last new Castle episode ever, I might actually have liked it. Similar in tone to many of the Bracken and 3XK episodes, which I have always thought were some of the best episodes.

Fortunately, we did get a happy (if extremely short) ending for Caskett. I have a pretty good idea what that closing scene might have been if there was going to be a season 9. Very thankful it didn't go that way.

But all in all, Hollanders Woods was a much better finale.

[nathanfan1]

I feel like I've been pulled through a knot hole backwards right now. I need a few minutes to gather my thoughts. The emotions are running HIGH!

[xosummershortie7]

I was thinking of my Castle family tonight as I watched the Castle finale. I should be asleep getting ready to teach in the morning, but I knew tonight was a night I needed to revisit my roots It seems like another life with the abc boards (for those who were around for that),the viewing parties and theorizing, but what fun it was!

The show had run its course and it was time, but it was bittersweet watching.
Sucks that a show known for its finale's couldn't have had time to wrap everthing up that wasn't hurried (I know I read they filmed the alternate ending in case it was cancelled), which is what I felt like watching. But it kept me guessing until the end! Which is one of the things I loved about it in the first place.

Not sure what ending I would have preferred, them both dying together or the happy ending...is that terrible of me? Lol. Because when I thought they were going to die together, my words were, "what a shootty (lol it keeps changing the word I want to go here) ending," but then their 5 second clip into the future I was like, "huh?" But it is what it is. I guess I'm glad for the happily ever after, which is what I always wanted

[CastleFanGran]

I am so grateful for the happy ending in the loft, CASKETT, with, as the Time Traveler predicted, three gorgeous children (including the adorable actress, who so resembles Kate and has Rick's brown hair)!!!

Earlier, I watched a lovely interview with Tamala, to which I was delighted to tweet and to post similar sentiments on Facebook:
Thank U, @tamalajones, 4 ur talent,work,sassy strength,grace,generosity&contributions thru ur art&charity-best2U!!!

I was also happy to tweet/write Facebook messages, along with other appreciative fans, Andrew and Terri..., for Stana: ThankU @stana_Katic 4 ur talent,work,strength,grace,generosity&contributions-ur art&charities-best&brightest4U!!!

LAVS ON FACEBOOK: Thank you, Tamala, for your wonderful talent, hard work, sassy strength, kind grace, lovely generosity, and awesome contributions through your art and charity!!! The best future, indeed!!!

Thank you, Stana, Andrew, and Terri, for your talent, work, strength, grace, generosity, and contributions-your art and charities-all the best and brightest for you!!!

TWITTER HASHTAGS: #AlwaysCaskett #AlwaysKateBeckett #CastleFinale

Thank you, @andrewwmarlowe @terriedda @stana_Katic @tamalajones #AlwaysCaskett #AlwaysKateBeckett #CastleFinale!!!

TalentBeautyGraceGenerosity @stana_Katic ActorInspiration #CastleFinale #AlwaysBeckett #CastleFinale HappyEnding!!!

I was pleased to tweet/write my appreciation for the happy ending!!! I was also glad to tweet/write thanks to all main cast, and Sunkrish BALA and Kris POHALA, Rob BOWMAN, Andrew and Terri, and to the many crew and team members for whom I have Twitter "names"--and to read the messages of thanks from some actors, crew, and team!!!

I am so grateful for the happy ending in the loft, CASKETT, happy and devoted, with, as the Time Traveler predicted, three gorgeous children (including the adorable actress, who so resembles Kate and has Rick's brown hair and the adorable, twin boys)!!! I appreciated the end details, like the Teddy Bears/toys/changes in the loft, CASKETT’S daughter eating a donut with sprinkles (I think!?), and Kate and Rick and their daughter and sons toasting one another!!! I’m lucky to have some grandchildren young enough to still enjoy “cheers,” which I get to savor tomorrow even though they are too young to understand that I am celebrating them--and CASKETT and family!!!

I'm sorry for what could have been but am appreciative that 8x22 CROSSFIRE'S ending was not tragic for CASKETT!!!

[glo1196]

I don't think I've ever cried so much at a show finale, well maybe the M.A.S.H. one. Anyway, I did feel it was rushed, but in my head I see them living happily ever after. I wish we had seen Jim at the station too. Never saw Mason as Locksat. Though when he showed up I was instantly weary, only I thought he was just part of the conspiracy not the man himself.

I don't ever want to know what the last few minutes were originally. Right now the last couple of weeks has been swept away by the ending. Everything in my Castle Universe is as it should be, how it was always supposed to be. Now we have plenty of fanfic stories to write and fill in the gaps. If there was a next season, they wouldn't have both died together. The ending would probably have been her funeral. That is something I never ever want to see.

It wasn't quite everything I had always hoped for, but at least we got a happy ending, and that's what Castle and Beckett deserved after everything. So, now I'll go throw out my tissues and try to get some sleep. Monday's will never be the same again.

[kman]

I loved the last 30 seconds....


I loved the last 30 seconds....


I loved the last 30 seconds....

It must have killed Hawley and Winters to make something happy and satisfying.

Yes ... I am bitter ...season 8....so much promise ...so poorly written and managed

But this may have been Nathans finest hour ...he did good... We finally got a glimpse into Ricks mind....he tries to please everyone except himself....and Stana as always was brilliant....she let Rick know how much she loved him...more than all of the 21 previous episodes.

OK episode...great ending...crappy season

[angie1379]

May 16, 2016 22:28:55 GMT -5 nathanfan1 said:

I feel like I've been pulled through a knot hole backwards right now. I need a few minutes to gather my thoughts. The emotions are running HIGH!

Right there with you. I'm all mixed up, and not all of it's good. So I'm just going to try to work through it all as I write, edit, and rewrite.

Initial thoughts: They could have done better. It wasn't terrible, but it was rushed and obviously not meant to be a series finale the way Hollander's Woods seemed to be.

I said this way back at the beginning of the season, and I'm going to say it again: Terri's absence has been felt the most. There was just too much testosterone in that writer's room this whole season, and the finale was no different. With a few very moving, notable exceptions, the love story was trite and cliched, especially compare to the very graphic violence. It almost felt like the love story was thrown in to appease the shippers. And the last scene -- adorable was it was -- is the perfect example of throwing a bone to fans they obviously thought of as raging emotional fangirls (even the millions of guys who watch) who only wanted a tidy, hetero-normative ending to make it all right with the world. Forgive me for going all "feminist theorist," but it was the epitome of the male gaze trying to guess what women wanted without consulting an actual woman. I know not everyone will agree with that, but for someone who studies media and pop culture, it's hard to miss.

I kind of wish it had ended with Mason, instead of pushing that one last twist. I can't begin to imagine how I'd be feeling right now if Beckett had died and we came back to season 9 with Castle picking up the pieces of his life. I just can't even go there.

I also can't help but think this needed desperately to be a two-parter. You could drive a semi though the gaps in the storyline, e.g. the leap from Vikram's "maybe" in answer to Ryan's question about tracing the phone, to everyone showing up at the CIA building. There needed to be a scene there. And why the heck didn't Haley keep Castle on the phone as he drove to the 12th, or have him call when he got there? Or why didn't he call Beckett and have someone from the 12th pick him up? And as someone pointed out during the viewing party, how many suburban residential streets have cameras on them? Really? Also, my limited understanding of truth serum is that it makes you almost loopy and quite willing to say anything. It doesn't force the words from your mouth against your will. As emotional as that scene was, I had a hard time with it. Like most of the episode, it was obvious that everything was written with one goal in mind -- advance the plot and wrap it up in 42 minutes, at any cost.

Finally, I'm honestly not sure what point the last scene of them being shot was supposed to serve. As a cliffhanger to season 9 (with both Stana and Nathan back!!!) it would have worked. But as it stands, I found it so very unnecessary. What was the point: to show them willing to die together? To make us think about their recovery? I'm just not sure. In the end, though, I will be glad we got to see them find happiness at last.

So as for what I loved: Obviously, Castle's admission of why he loves Beckett. That represented everything the show was about. His words were beautiful: worthy of the writer that he is. Likewise with Kate's admission that she doesn't carry the weight of her duty alone. I'm truly glad she finally recognizes that.

No matter their personal feelings, both Stana and Nathan brought their A-games to this episode. Their projection of Castle and Beckett's feelings were real, and everything felt more organic between them than it has in a long time. Throughout the whole episode, they were focused on each other, keeping each other safe, and figuring out what to do next. That's something we haven't seen in too long.

And while, yes, I found the last tag scene more than a little tidy for these two, it was adorable and full of hope. Kate deserved a happy ending, even if I personally believe falling back on domesticity as the only acceptable definition of "happy ending" is a tad overdone. The point is, they lived, and they were happy, and they were them, and they continued on. And the voice-overs reminded us of the best parts of their story. I look very forward to listening to that again.

So yes, my feeling are still mixed, and I imagine I'll have to watch again to process everything more closely. I look forward to readings others' thoughts, particularly those of you who have different impressions. For now, I'm finally off to bed, but I know what will be on my mind all day tomorrow!

[nathanfan1]

Well, at least I've quit trembling! That was one VERY . EMOTIONAL . RIDE . 

I have to say that I'm surprisingly happy with it as a whole. Considering how disjointed and poorly handled the whole LokSat arc was throughout the season, I thought this episode came together as a well told story. It was pretty much what I expected, with a high tension level throughout and plenty of violence but what was there, served the story this time and didn't seem random.

Starting with the proverbial "Previously on Castle ..." really didn't do much because we'd had so little of the story along the way but they jumped right in and picked up with the last clue we'd had, which was Caleb Brown's regular phone contact. The first twist was that it was Caleb Brown who'd been incinerated and that didn't really surprise me, but when Mason Ward showed up saying he'd been sent by Rita, I was definitely surprised. At least they wove characters we'd previously met into this story and it did kind of fit with what Castle had been told in LA also.

I REALLY liked Ryan and Espo throughout the episode. I loved how Espo turned to Kate and told her SHE should have been the one to tell them about all of this and I also loved their insubordination and keeping her safe at the precinct. It was really nice to see both guys be so assertive tonight.

Leave it to Castle to be driven to be by Kate's side and make the bad choice to leave the PI office. However, his capture and subjection to truth serum gave me a scene that I'd rank right up there with the ones from Target and Hunt that I love. First we get his explanation of his commitment to Kate, which had me choking up, but then the tears and tension when he had to put everyone he loved in mortal danger made me lose it totally. That was some mighty fine dramatic acting.

The reveal that Mason Ward was LokSat came as a shock to me and gave me a sense of imminent doom, knowing that Kate was headed right into his hands. Great scene as Ryan and Espo take over the CIA office and save Castle at the last second! I also loved the intensity when Castle put the truth serum into Mr. Flynn to find out where Kate was. The way he squeezed that IV bag a couple of times was a great way to communicate the urgency.

I love that we got the bookend to Castle's declaration of devotion to Kate when she said similar things about him to Mason Ward. I can't wait to go back and listen to that dialogue from both scenes again. The takedown scene in front of the incinerator was an exciting back and forth but I have to say that I sure wished Kate or Castle would have just made darn sure that Ward was dead. I did keep expecting him to pop back up and ruin that emotional hug.

Back at the precinct, it was nice that all of the main characters made an appearance but I really would have liked for all of them to be in the same group instead of Castle and his family on one side and Kate and the guys on the other. I feared that might be the end and was prepared to explode! Thankfully, we return to the loft and I'm expecting the little slice of happily ever after that this alternate ending was supposed to give us, but Castle sees one more thing that just doesn't fit the story. Bring on the last twist! I will admit that I screamed at my TV. "Noooooooo! Not Romeo and Juliet!" I was stunned as the camera panned through the empty loft and as it transitioned to books and children's toys, with the "7 years later" tag below, I expected to see Alexis chasing a child. My emotions were so shot that when they focused on the table scene with Caskett holding hands and the kids there, I really only caught the word, "Always," before the tears took over.


A good story should make you feel something and I felt it all tonight. I liked that all of the characters I've come to care about played a part in it and they were all acting in character tonight. I appreciated the twists in the story telling that kept me at the edge of my seat for the entire hour and I appreciate that we got some straight forward statements from Castle and Beckett about their love for one another. I shall also be forever thankful for the last 30 seconds that left me with my beloved couple living happily ever after.


AMEN. 

[angie1379]

May 16, 2016 23:34:48 GMT -5 nathanfan1 said:

Well, at least I've quit trembling! That was one VERY . EMOTIONAL . RIDE . 

I have to say that I'm surprisingly happy with it as a whole. Considering how disjointed and poorly handled the whole LokSat arc was throughout the season, I thought this episode came together as a well told story. It was pretty much what I expected, with a high tension level throughout and plenty of violence but what was there, served the story this time and didn't seem random.

Starting with the proverbial "Previously on Castle ..." really didn't do much because we'd had so little of the story along the way but they jumped right in and picked up with the last clue we'd had, which was Caleb Brown's regular phone contact. The first twist was that it was Caleb Brown who'd been incinerated and that didn't really surprise me, but when Mason Ward showed up saying he'd been sent by Rita, I was definitely surprised. At least they wove characters we'd previously met into this story and it did kind of fit with what Castle had been told in LA also.

I REALLY liked Ryan and Espo throughout the episode. I loved how Espo turned to Kate and told her SHE should have been the one to tell them about all of this and I also loved their insubordination and keeping her safe at the precinct. It was really nice to see both guys be so assertive tonight.

Leave it to Castle to be driven to be by Kate's side and make the bad choice to leave the PI office. However, his capture and subjection to truth serum gave me a scene that I'd rank right up there with the ones from Target and Hunt that I love. First we get his explanation of his commitment to Kate, which had me choking up, but then the tears and tension when he had to put everyone he loved in mortal danger made me lose it totally. That was some mighty fine dramatic acting.

The reveal that Mason Ward was LokSat came as a shock to me and gave me a sense of imminent doom, knowing that Kate was headed right into his hands. Great scene as Ryan and Espo take over the CIA office and save Castle at the last second! I also loved the intensity when Castle put the truth serum into Mr. Flynn to find out where Kate was. The way he squeezed that IV bag a couple of times was a great way to communicate the urgency.

I love that we got the bookend to Castle's declaration of devotion to Kate when she said similar things about him to Mason Ward. I can't wait to go back and listen to that dialogue from both scenes again. The takedown scene in front of the incinerator was an exciting back and forth but I have to say that I sure wished Kate or Castle would have just made darn sure that Ward was dead. I did keep expecting him to pop back up and ruin that emotional hug.

Back at the precinct, it was nice that all of the main characters made an appearance but I really would have liked for all of them to be in the same group instead of Castle and his family on one side and Kate and the guys on the other. I feared that might be the end and was prepared to explode! Thankfully, we return to the loft and I'm expecting the little slice of happily ever after that this alternate ending was supposed to give us, but Castle sees one more thing that just doesn't fit the story. Bring on the last twist! I will admit that I screamed at my TV. "Noooooooo! Not Romeo and Juliet!" I was stunned as the camera panned through the empty loft and as it transitioned to books and children's toys, with the "7 years later" tag below, I expected to see Alexis chasing a child. My emotions were so shot that when they focused on the table scene with Caskett holding hands and the kids there, I really only caught the word, "Always," before the tears took over.


A good story should make you feel something and I felt it all tonight. I liked that all of the characters I've come to care about played a part in it and they were all acting in character tonight. I appreciated the twists in the story telling that kept me at the edge of my seat for the entire hour and I appreciate that we got some straight forward statements from Castle and Beckett about their love for one another. I shall also be forever thankful for the last 30 seconds that left me with my beloved couple living happily ever after.


AMEN. 

Your recap almost makes me feel guilty about my issues with the episode. I wish I were as able to just let the emotion dictate my assessment, because I can't disagree with you that my emotions were riding high tonight. The transition between those final scenes truly did have me clutching the arm of my chair and then nearly sobbing with relief. I just wish in retrospect, it didn't feel like a deliberately cruel set-up. But thank you for that emotional perspective. I'm going to try to hold on to it tomorrow when I rewatch.

[fantasynovelreader]

I know I most likely will have more to say after I have a chance to actually catch a breath and think. The episode was really high octane and I nearly had a heartache when Castle and Beckett were both shot. And, though rushed I am glad that they gave them their happily ever after. And, I guess that time traveler really was a time traveler, three kids it is, already planning at least one fan fiction around that. 

[marschg]

I need to watch it again today to get my thoughts down briefly, I thought the acting from the entire cast was superb, everyone had there A game. Locsat was a definite surprise, a loved seeing badass Beckett, both Stana and Nathan gave a performance right from the heart, when he cried, I cried, but the ending could have been longer but we got the well deserved happy ending.

[Fjordmom]

I can hardly see my screen through my tears...

[Fjordmom]

May 16, 2016 22:30:44 GMT -5 xosummershortie7 said:

***snip***

Not sure what ending I would have preferred, them both dying together or the happy ending...is that terrible of me? Lol. Because when I thought they were going to die together, my words were, "what a shootty (lol it keeps changing the word I want to go here) ending," but then their 5 second clip into the future I was like, "huh?" But it is what it is. I guess I'm glad for the happily ever after, which is what I always wanted

Hey, XO...good to see your name pop up! And don't forget, we're still going to be here....doing something.

Anyway, got a good chuckle from your last para....but I would choose "huh" over "sh*tty" for the ending this season