Serious episode of Castle is very, VERY serious! For the love of all that’s holy if you haven’t seen the finale yet, DO NOT CLICK THE LINK because OHMIGOD the spoilers.
ETA 5/18/11 8:59am: Adding in some thoughts about ramifications for next season!
And now, my overall emotional reaction to this episode, in waves:
“Okay, serious episode is serious, I’m ready, hit it…”
“Derek Storm graphic novel art woo oh man Castle’s let down HARD poor kicked puppy look aw.”
“YIKES! Escape! Intense!”
“Oh god, we’re seeing Kate’s father for the first time? Really upping the ante on Castle’s relationship to Kate now, then?”
“YIKES! Most hardcore argument Beckett and Castle have ever had, much? WOO ACKNOWLEDGEMENT! Tension! EEE!”
“HA! Roy totally has Castle’s back. Hee hee hee could have gotten rid of him at any time HA!”
“YIKES! Castle’s drinking! And throwing things! Also, GO MARTHA!”
“OH ROY NO!”
“Oh shit. Touching gold-lit scene with Roy kissing daughters and wife goodbye OH GOD this isn’t good.”
“SHIT SHIT SHIT Roy don’t you do what I think you’re going to do with that gun OH SHIT no wait he’s prepping Important Mail WTF?”
“AUGH Ryan! Esposito! Guys! No fighting! AUGH!” (
solarbird
“OH GOD Kate’s face as she clues in AUGH!”
“YEEK there’s Castle again finally of COURSE Roy called him THANK YOU AUGH carrying Kate off and she’s crying and struggling and AUGH!”
“OH SHIT GUNSHOTS OH SHIT ROY AUGH!”
“AUGH FUNERAL *sniff* oh SHIT flash that’s not good OH SHIT OH SHIT OH SHIT KATE!”
“AUGH CONFESSION OF LOVE FINALLY HURRAY AUGH AUGH AUGH AUGH!”
And really, that’s the best way to sum up. AUGH!
Goddamn, that was intense. And awesome. And AUGH! Everybody, hands down, was awesome, and OH GOD I’m going to miss the Captain AUGH.
ETA:
Which of course leads into wondering what the hell’s going to happen in the precinct for next season. There will have to be a new Captain, and one does hope Beckett won’t be promoted even if she deserves it, just because putting her behind a desk would ruin her ability to actually, y’know, solve murders. Since we have no other contenders for the position in the regular cast, we’ll clearly have to get in a new character. I’m halfway hoping it’ll be somebody hostile to the idea of having Castle around, who can inject a new dynamic of “wtf is this civilian doing in my precinct?” Which could be fun. And Beckett and Ryan and Esposito would have to keep working with Castle on the sly.
And oh god, Castle is SO going to be glued to Beckett’s bedside in the fourth season opener. I’m betting she’ll spend most of the first episode unconscious and probably wake up again at the end of it, and have to spend the next 2-4 episodes recovering. Castle will have to be pried away from her beside with a crowbar, possibly while vociferously failing to give a damn about any imminent deadlines he may have!
And I am TOTALLY betting we’re going to see Boyfriend Josh show up, possibly even as the doctor who has to treat Beckett, possibly after insisting on being the doctor that treats Beckett. Which of course opens the door for Castle Vs. Josh over which of them has a better claim on her.
Much will depend on whether Beckett actually heard that declaration of Castle’s–or possibly how she’ll have reacted to their argument earlier in the episode. It would be interesting enough if she takes to heart his calling her on not actually loving Josh; that by itself might be enough to make her decide to break up with him. What she’d do after would presumably depend on whether she actually heard Castle fess up.
My money’s currently on, she reacts to their argument and breaks up with Josh early in season four, but it remains unclear as to whether she actually heard Castle’s confession. Possibly with a final resolution of yes, she actually DID hear him, but she isn’t ready to acknowledge it yet, or to let him actually know she did, until she’s ready to reciprocate. They could easily milk that for all of season four.
And I fully expect that whatever Roy was putting into those envelopes to be mailed will kick off the next season’s part of the ongoing Beckett’s Mother’s Murder story arc.
