8 X 08 EPILOGUE "Mr. and Mrs. Castle"

[nathanfan1]

Well, this one has to tide us over until the new year so let's hope it's full of promise. Please share your reaction after the show.

[motowncf]

Mostly positive movement.

Of course I'm happy that this ridiculous separation is over, but somehow it seemed that it was just too easy. I guess I didn't expect that Castle would push Kate away for any length of time, and maybe he did say everything he needed to say, but somehow it still seemed that it was just too easy.  I think maybe the one thing I would have liked to have seen was Castle really impressing on Kate that she can't keep doing this, that she has to trust him and can't keep having these secrets and shutting hm out.
But I'm not going to quibble; at least now they will be working on the Loksat case together, like they should have been all along.

It was good to see some actual movement on that. For something that was such an integral part of this first part of the season, it sure hadn't been mentioned much until this episode. Now that we are getting some background on it, and Caskett will be investigating together, I might actually get interested in it now. And that twist with the new public defender....didn't see that one coming. Have to give TPTB credit for not letting anything get out on that aspect of this character.

Of course they had to throw in the requisite Titanic reference....and I'm sure there are some people who will love that scene......

I got a kick out of Castle's dance scene. I thought his performance in the dance sequence was actually not too bad.

Overall, I liked this episode. I'm glad the separation is over, and I'm actually looking forward to what we'll see when the show returns, sometime next year.

[glo1196]

I really liked that Castle called her out on everything. He was kept in the dark. I understand her wanting to keep him safe. She said she couldn't live if something happened to him, but he was right. They could have done it together. I also think that Kate has to be wondering why Virkham wanted Castle away. Something is brewing there, I think. Castle said his piece and left. He forced her to make a choice. Forced her to come to him, and made her open her eyes. The Castle we know would never not taken her back, he loves her. How many people would love someone to love them like that? Anyway, we knew he'd take her back. She better not screw it up, and they better watch Virkham.

now that they are together, they better keep them together.

[nathanfan1]

Interesting! As I sit down to share my thoughts, I'm the first one and the show ended nearly an hour ago. Hmmmm, how to interpret that ..........

Well, just as Chrisitne shared after viewing the early release, there were things that I liked and things that just didn't sit well with me. I really have nothing to say about the case other than I understood the reference to Mr. and Mrs. Smith in the scene where they're each trying to hack into the other's search.

I'll start with the negatives. I'm not appreciating Martha's advice for the most part. I think she wants Castle to tiptoe around this and hold his breath, hoping that it all works out in the end. I think it's a lot healthier to confront the problem head on. I have been suspicious of Vikram all along and now, I can truly say that I'm sick of him! It seems that in his mind, he's become Kate's partner and go-to guy and he is determined to keep her away from Castle. I dislike the way the writers had he and Kate so excited to have a new clue and be building theory like she and Castle should be doing. After that ending, I'm wondering if Kate will tell Vikram that she's including Castle now - if, indeed, she is. After all of the deception this season, I can't say I trust Kate in that closing scene. Time will tell. Another thing that strikes me as DUMB is the mechanical house manager. It's supposed to get laughs but I find it very irritating. Lastly, and this is probably the biggest negative, why on earth do we have to have them living apart if they're now working the same case? As we've said sooooooo many times, this LokSat conspiracy group would have no trouble taking out any of them at any time. The whole 'protection' motive is ridiculous and is STILL being used as a way to keep them apart. I'm SICK OF IT!!!!!!!!!!

Thankfully, there were some things I felt good about too! I liked the way Hayley was involved in this episode. She was called in for a specific purpose, using the skills we've already found out that she has. There were 2 or 3 times when the question arose about whether or not Castle wanted her to continue and every time, she left that completely up to him. I very much appreciated the fact that Hayley did not try to control the situation. I liked the investigation time on the ship because Kate truly was treating Castle like her partner again. However, it as still very evident that it was written so that Nathan and Stana didn't have to be in many scenes together. His involvement with the dancers and hers with the 3 Marthas were both funny sidelights.

The highlight for me was seeing Castle confront Kate at the precinct. I support everything he said and I loved the way Nathan delivered it. It was honest and respectful but also to the point and Kate needed to hear it. I loved that Castle walked away when they got interrupted because he left it all in her court, right where it needed to be. As he told her, this is something only she can fix.

I guess I have to put the final scene in a category by itself because I can't say I hated it and I can't say I loved it. I'm sad to say that I'm still suspicious that Kate could be trying to get close to him so she can mislead him and keep him away from the real work she and Vikram are doing. I won't know until we see more episodes but I just can't get that out of the back of my mind. If I take the scene at face value and believe that Kate is truly wanting to go the distance with Castle to bring down the conspiracy, I'm certainly happy that they've taken a giant step forward. They SHOULD also be living together in that case but I've already expressed my feeling about that! I liked that Castle had a bit of hesitation and did let her know that this has really hurt but then he caved in and accepted her back in a hurry. If the episode had run another 10 minutes or so, I would have liked to see them have more of a discussion about just how this is going to go before they headed for the bedroom.


All in all, the positives outweigh the negatives for me. I'm glad that Castle is no longer in the dark and that he had a chance to voice his POV to Kate. I wished with all my heart that this whole mess of an arc would be over but I didn't realistically expect that. Sadly, I won't be missing the show during the holiday break and I'm not seeing a lot of anticipation when it returns. I'll certainly be watching but, more and more, it seems clear to me that the show I loved is gone and we won't be getting the magic back.  

[nathanfan1]

I just read what glo and motown had to say and both of them referred to the separation as being over. I'm wondering if I missed something or misinterpreted something. I thought they left it that they'd do as Castle had mentioned earlier - maintain the separation cover but investigate together. What do people think?

[fantasynovelreader]

There was some things I liked, and some I'm not so sure about. Mostly just glad that Castle finally knows whats going on and had his chance to have his say.

[lindy]

Can someone please shoot Vikram! There's something going on with him. I'll forego all logic as long as Rick and Kate are working together. Also, I think they're going to pretend to be still separated...well see. This episode had good and so-so, but I'll take the good and go with it.

[java]

Didn't like it. Felt forced and contrived. LokSat makes no sense.

Wasn't the original target Vikram? Can somebody explain to me why Vikram is still alive? Furthermore, Kate ran the initial trace to find criminality links to Bracken and according to Vikram the results immediately lead to 5 deaths, the entire AG team, causing Vikram to flee and look for Beckett. When he met up with her, after she was shot, he tossed her phone because anybody she calls would also be killed. So why aren't they dead now that they're both at the 12? If the people behind LokSat are wired into everything, why isn't Castle, Alexis, and Martha dead? Kate and Rick have been exchanging phone calls. Even Hayley should be dead. There's this huge gapping hole in season 8 and the writing is dancing around it like a bad magic trick trying to misdirect and have me look at something else.

Unless Vikram is the partner.

Hayley pushed Rick out of his desk. Doormat. Fist bump between Hayley and Alexis should have been something we saw with Beckett and Alexis.

The confrontation between Rick and Kate in the interrogation room doesn't feel natural. It's not like the season 3 or the season 4 finales. Felt wooden, plastic. Of course the challenge with Rick saying that Kate could have told him initially and they could have faked a separation and worked together behind the scene is that it wouldn't matter. Vikram is the target. Kate and Rick should be collateral damage dead so whatever explanation the show comes up with doesn't work for me until they explain why Vikram is still alive and in plain sight at the 12th.

Kate showing up at the loft and pushing her way back in makes sense because Rick is a doormat. Whatever Beckett says goes. Sure, Rick cried about it at the 12th but ultimately it was still up to Kate. It did sound to me like Kate wants to run with Rick's fake separation idea so we'll have to put up with more separation in this terrible arc until the end of this terrible season.

I did have fun with Ryan and Espo making fun of Perlmutter. May have been a bit over the top because I don't recall those 3 treating each other with anything more than professional courtesy but without Castle at the precinct Perlmutter has no one else to mock. The heroin bag extraction was a bit graphic. I know this may sound silly coming from a guy watching The Walking Dead and Into the Badlands but I'm not use to that level of visual intensity on this show.

Favorite scene was Rick dancing. Nathan was hilarious. The man is truly gifted when it comes to comedic scenes.

How to fix the show: Rick shoots Vikram. He's the tie to Loksat. Kill Vikram and Rick and Kate are free to investigate LokSat. Vikram did say Hayley has the same skillset, right? Gets rid of a character we all hate and gives Hayley a purpose on the show. Brings Rick and Kate together. Sure, they should be dead but the plot holes are too big and numerous so the best I can suggest is this minor leap of faith.

Sigh, what a mess.

[shutterbug5269]

I honestly don't know if Vikram is in with the bad guys, or just really desperate for Kate's protection, because his life wouldn't have been worth a plugged nickel up to this point without her. But I thought it fitting that his one active - though ill-timed - attempt to do what Kate told him she wanted, keeping Castle in the dark is what finally set Castle on the scent.

I would have preferred to have the scenes on the ship be shorter in order to have more time for the scenes that came later and I honestly would have liked the ending better had it been tacked onto the end of a subsequent episode where she actually had work a little harder to earn Castle's trust back after his words in the precinct, but I guess I'll take it for this farce of a separation to be over.

I honestly hope Kate does a bit more fence mending when we come back from the hiatus. What she did to their marriage is not something that can be fixed with a single roll in the hay, no matter what the two of them call it. Not to mention some of that soul searching she lied about doing when she started this whole thing.

But that's just me.

[kman]

So...I just have one question for now...

Was Kate begging Castle to take her back or just to work with her on the case? Is she home or working at a Strip Club?  We all know by now that she can lie with a straight face, so who can trust what she says as the truth. I mean the way she barged in and took that coat off and threw it down, it appeared that she was coming home.  Why would she assume that everything was as it was before?  Lets hope that she doesn't make Page 6...with Vikram. That would be the most unkindest cut of all against Castle. Nice to see Progress, but she annoys me sometimes. I wasn't feeling warm and fuzzy as the credits rolled. I feel bad for Castle. What is the price you pay for happiness?  Are we feeling Castle's pain? This isn't over yet.

SO...IS SHE HOME OR NOT? 

[angie1379]

Well, I have to say I'm more satisfied than I thought I'd be. If you saw my post yesterday, you know I went into this episode expecting some last minute twist that would prolong the misery of the separation. So at the very least, I am just happy the truth is out, Castle had his chance to confront Kate about her approach to this investigation, and they are back together. Perhaps there were a few more points he could have made about how much she hurt him, but honestly, I think she knows that now. The whole point of the episode was to show Kate coming to realize how wrong she was in shutting Castle out. And in the end, she saw that, apologized, and asked for forgiveness from her husband. Would making her suffer, and intentionally inflicting more emotional pain on both of them, really have been better? I don't think so. 

I did not miss the irony (and actually quite appreciated it) that Vikram's grossly inappropriate interference in Kate's anniversary ended up being the tip that brought Castle fully into the fold. Maybe next time Vikram will mind his own damn business. At first, I wasn't as bothered by him as other people seemed to be, but now, yeah, he can go any time. 

Overall, I did enjoy this episode and laughed quite a few times even as the storyline got darker. But ultimately, I'm just so, so thankful the stupid seperation is over. Even if they are still going to maintain the ruse, I can live with that, because at least we know, and they know, they are together and on the same page. It's what we should have had since the start of the season. 

So while I'm quite willing to give Rick and Kate my full support as they move forward, I'm not nearly as forgiving of the executives behind their story. I hope to God they got the message loud and clear that this little charade to inject sexual tension (that was hardly lacking in the first place) back into the show failed miserably. Everything that could have been fun this season fell absolutely flat, and so I will enjoy and appreciate this episode time and again if only because it brought with it the resolution I have been so desperate for.

[geezer2008]

Well put, Angie!! I liked the episode a lot more than I disliked it. It was great to see Rick finally show some backbone and call Kate out for her actions. I've been waiting all year for that. I can live with the fake separation as long as we know they are back and working together. I was glad to see that Vikram bothers other people besides me. Going forward, I finally have hope again and look forward to the rest of this season. I truly hope they can reclaim enough viewers for a ninth season, but only time will tell.

[tycho657]

This reminds me of the wedding screw up. They blew it big time with that so they threw us a bone with the wedding in the fall. Weddings are usually a ratings boost so they tend to have them during sweeps and usually for a season final. They just stuck the wedding in to satisfy the many broken and lost fans. I did like the wedding but many never cared for it. And here we go again with another story ark that they screwed up. Did they sit in the writers room slapping each other on the back thinking this whole story with Kate moving out would really bring back "fun" and the "romantic tension" of the first few years? What are they smoking in that room? Yes I am glad we finally saw Rick go at Kate head on and tell her how her thinking was so wrong. Yes, I will be happy to see them finally work on this new mystery together. But... Did they really plan this or was this their attempt to appease the 90% of the fan base that have been screaming all season? Hopefully they realize that to make this show work we need to see Caskett working and living together as a team to build theory and solve the mystery every week. One of the reasons this show was able to get the extra money from reruns is that most episodes were stand alone stories. Even the casual viewer was turned off when they would maybe tune in this season only to find they were not together anymore..click..change channel. Even my husband said last night "well that makes no sense, why did they even break them up, we just lost 3 months of solving the mystery. As for Vikrim, I have questioned him from the beginning. Her whole team is killed and this guy she didn't even know was on their team is the only survivor? How does she even know if he was really on their "team"? They are all dead! His job it seems is to make sure and keep Caskett apart. The bad guys know together they will figure this out fast. Three months and no progress? Really Kate figure this out and stay with your love and partner in crime and dump this guy you don't know and fast please!
I hope this made some sense? I just ramble on...

[java]

Nov 24, 2015 10:13:25 GMT -5 tycho657 said:

This reminds me of the wedding screw up. They blew it big time with that so they threw us a bone with the wedding in the fall. Weddings are usually a ratings boost so they tend to have them during sweeps and usually for a season final. They just stuck the wedding in to satisfy the many broken and lost fans. I did like the wedding but many never cared for it. And here we go again with another story ark that they screwed up. Did they sit in the writers room slapping each other on the back thinking this whole story with Kate moving out would really bring back "fun" and the "romantic tension" of the first few years? What are they smoking in that room? Yes I am glad we finally saw Rick go at Kate head on and tell her how her thinking was so wrong. Yes, I will be happy to see them finally work on this new mystery together. But... Did they really plan this or was this their attempt to appease the 90% of the fan base that have been screaming all season? Hopefully they realize that to make this show work we need to see Caskett working and living together as a team to build theory and solve the mystery every week. One of the reasons this show was able to get the extra money from reruns is that most episodes were stand alone stories. Even the casual viewer was turned off when they would maybe tune in this season only to find they were not together anymore..click..change channel. Even my husband said last night "well that makes no sense, why did they even break them up, we just lost 3 months of solving the mystery. As for Vikrim, I have questioned him from the beginning. Her whole team is killed and this guy she didn't even know was on their team is the only survivor? How does she even know if he was really on their "team"? They are all dead! His job it seems is to make sure and keep Caskett apart. The bad guys know together they will figure this out fast. Three months and no progress? Really Kate figure this out and stay with your love and partner in crime and dump this guy you don't know and fast please!
I hope this made some sense? I just ramble on...

Makes complete sense. As season 8 unfolded, I kept wondering if anybody behind the scene actually watched season 7? Season 8 has been a mirror of season 7 except it's Kate's turn to disappear. Instead of trying to shake things up, the show should have return to its roots, stabilize the storyline, experiment with a few new ideas that are not season arcs, and wait until season 9 to flesh out any ideas that look promising after judging fan reactions and ratings.

But I think they took their long-time fans for granted, their #1 Monday night rating spot for granted, and got blind sided by Blindspot. Oops. Okay, right. I left out The Blacklist. Maybe TPTB thought the show was safe when Blacklist was moved to another night. I do very much enjoy Blindspot but I doubt it would have been able to take on a season 4 Castle.

[nathanfan1]

I forgot to mention a real LOL moment last night. When we saw Perlmutter sporting a very full beard, I roared!  

Last November, when I attended the Castle Con in LA, I got to have lunch with all of the Castle guests. They took turns rotating to our tables and chatting for 10 minutes or so. When Arye Gross (Perlmutter) chatted with my table, he told us that he HATES to shave. In fact, he had a full beard then and he was lamenting the fact that he'd be filming Castle the following Monday and they'd surely make him shave. It looks like the new show runners are much more accommodating to his preferences.