VinceW

After the two-part premiere uncovers the dark threat which convinces Beckett that Castle is in jeopardy, there will be maybe a 3 episode threshold of angst before Beckett and Castle come back together to resolve the threat over the rest of the season. The threat doesn’t need to end because the separation ends. The show has always been about their partnership which includes a love affair for sure, but that has never been all there is to it. Caskett working on cases together is why viewers watch the show. The writers will not be able to give the separation continuity after more than a few episodes. To drag a separation out over the entire season makes little sense because it will impact the ratings quickly. It is a shame the way it appears the show runners are going to so lightly treat their marriage commitment by using such a weak excuse for a separation after just six months of matrimony. IMO.

When I read the 20 episode comment, I think of something from a page out of "The BlackList" (2x19 “Leonard Caul”) including a secret organization, cabal and CIA involvement. As MaryM47 said, there has to be something compelling for the ‘Castle in jeopardy’ scenario to last that long without tanking the partnership.

It is interesting reading all of the ongoing speculation here about the “breakup”, but it is hard to imagine that kind of storyline would last more than 3 episodes unless it was needed for professional reasons. As soon as the perception of a personal split presents itself out of nowhere which suggests that a divorce might be forthcoming or Beckett no longer resides at the loft, the regular audience who don't read spoilers will leave the show given what happened with viewership at the end of last season. As someone else posted here, there is a huge and unnecessary risk for the new show runners losing goodwill quickly over such a well known ‘Break Up in Order to Keep You Safe’ trope. I expected that TPWinter would come up with something much better for the season. When someone mentions Hawley, all I can think about is "HeadHunters" and what a mess that episode was in season 4. Even Marlowe wouldn’t do something that deliberate to alienate the audience. He would just lie to fans about the direction which might explain why the spoilers are careful to only give out the good news and omit any comments about the future of Caskett given Beckett’s captain promotion. If the blind item is Castle, I think most will agree that TVLine always exaggerates issues related to Castle. Some viewers can appreciate a professional split, but not a split in their personal lives over some kind of safety concern for Castle by itself. Most fans watching this season want to see a home life after waiting all this time for them to get married. IMO

I have been absent from all the Castle forums since the S7 finale, but I have been trying to catch up after reading the recent spoilers from the show runners and the information about the new characters. I was unable to login until today, but I have been reading the comments posted here dated since Sunday. I must have missed the memo about the upcoming breakup. Who is the source for this information about a breakup? Has the split been confirmed by someone from the network or the show? I can’t imagine that the new leaders are choosing to split them up as part of their new storytelling. It doesn’t make much sense. It took 6 ½ years to get married, but only after 6 months Caskett is breaking up? That seems like a sure way to lose viewers quickly. I noticed that Bracken is coming back in the premiere which suggests that he must be involved in some way causing trouble for Caskett, but seriously, Beckett decides to break up with Castle to keep him safe. Let us hope it doesn’t last too long. Until I read the posts here, I expected from the spoilers that the show was taking on a theme from "The Blacklist” series (secret organization, cabal, CIA, etc). As far as Castle working separately as a PI again, that same arc provided some of the lowest season 7 ratings in both the demo and in viewers. If it presents that Caskett will be separated most of the time and there will be no resemblance of a home life, the show will lose viewers quickly which is a sad story for such a successful series. There must be serious BTS issues at work for the network to approve such a change in format at this point in the series. What seems amazing is that the network simply thinks that the audience will accept whatever happens and viewers will keep watching given the significant drop (30%) in viewership from last season.

I would expect them working apart will last for just two episodes. Hopefully, TPWinter was assigned to write 7x13 in order to resolve Castle not working at the precinct any longer. Otherwise, the comedic part of the PI arc risks making the show become the NF comedy hour. Caskett working apart, but on the same cases, can’t realistically last very long because the network surely would not allow the show to go into the sweeps period with the audience thinking Castle and Becket are no longer solving crimes together out of the 12th. IMO.

The upcoming PI arc just seems like a deliberate attempt to keep them apart on screen in order to avoid writing the romantic part of the relationship after the long awaited wedding. For a long time during the summer hiatus, I felt that the network must have been behind the stalled 6x23 wedding because no show producer would put out such a finale mess unless forced by management, but after what has transpired so far this season with the ‘only Castle’ story lines, only AWM is at fault for the season 7 ratings. If NF wanted to start his own slapstick comedy series, he should have waited until Castle had run its course. A grown man in his forties, married to a beautiful, intelligent woman acting like a teenager is just so OVERDONE. If you don’t have respect for yourself, at least show some respect for your wife. Why would a woman like Beckett even want to be married to someone who acts so childish? Castle acting giddy watching yuletide strippers in front of his wife, wearing action hero attire with cut-off sleeves and head band, acting out with small children in a classroom just seems so out of character for Castle at this point in the series. It is amazing that the network would sit back this long and let an arrogant show runner ruin a great series. IMO

This was an easy call; "loyalty" = blood oath. The connection premise is worthwhile if done right and not used to cause Caskett conflict. According to EW: What can you tell us about the Castle midseason finale? — Amy We know from the promos that Castle will have himself “a very mobster Christmas,” but there’s more to that than you’re probably thinking. Not only will Castle find himself dealing with a potential mob war, but thanks to an unexpected blood oath, Castle will soon be considered an “honorary mobster.” I wonder how Beckett will feel about that…

IMO. Castle will be kicked out of the precinct because of his connections to the mob. The early promo mentions some mob characters related to a murder. Castle’s mob “friend” connections should have been discussed long ago. Beckett and Montgomery never asked questions in the past about Castle's history with a certain criminal element connection if it helped solve a case, but it should be something that Castle and Beckett discuss openly now. The angst between Caskett will likely come about over his “loyalty” to a mob “friend” which causes him to withhold information or details about a murder. His “loyalty” has caused issues between them in the past (The Final Nail, Dial ‘M’ for Mayor, etc.). I doubt that the mob premise will help ratings, but the timing of the episode portends to keep romance out of the story line as long as possible.

It seems strange that Amann would openly declare that our couple will be working apart in the near future. That kind of news portends as much more of an impact on the show ratings than any kind of odd mythology. The audience has waited six years for the couple to marry and solve cases together, but after just three episodes, he implies a big changeover (Castle kicked out of precinct?) is coming which will keep them apart for a period. Much the same as the DC job arc, this plan makes little sense. IMO. I hope that his comments are an exaggeration.

Point well taken, but I look forward to your explanation post next Tuesday if the viewership number records at 8 million viewers.

One of the online TV rating sites reported after the premiere that there was a big drop off in viewer numbers after the first 30 minutes. The amnesia component probably was part of it along with the Beckett doubts and mistrust scenario. If viewers didn't stick around for the last 15 minutes, they had to wonder what the hell will happen to the relationship and they might just skip episode 2.

In a Marlowe interview during the hiatus, he misled fans again by using “unsettled” to describe Beckett’s emotional state after the dramatic event that disrupted the wedding ceremony. He implied that something specific from the Castle back story would cause issues. However, the whole premise of the premiere was just the same old remix from the past about Beckett somehow having doubts and not trusting Castle after all this time living together. There is a natural progression to relationships and this one is at that point which is why so many people just want to see them married. There is no reason to wait years and years. If Beckett doesn’t know Castle after all they have gone through together, then Castle should let her go on her way. If you can’t trust after all that, you will probably continue to question everything. If Marlowe intends to keep Beckett on this ongoing path of no final commitment then, why spend an entire season on wedding planning. The story line presented here to viewers was that suddenly Castle got “cold feet” over the wedding which was just crazy and it just insults the viewers. There was no way Castle would leave his family and let them believe he was hurt or killed. At some point, I was hoping for a scene with Alexis and Kate where Alexis just tells Beckett to show some real trust and faith in her father after all this time. I bet a scene like that was filmed, but cut from production to further enhance Kate’s misgivings over the Castle disappearance and to drive the contrived story. During the hiatus, Molly Quinn stated that there was tension between her and Kate, but it was never shown in the episode. If the writers continue further with the level of Caskett tension shown between them at the hospital reunion, it presents that season 7 might be a loss. It is hard to imagine that viewers will continue to watch past episode 3 given this kind of ongoing relationship angst after what was presented to the viewers in the finale that our couple was only 20 minutes away from getting married.

No wonder the screener reports for the premiere were so different and confusing. I did watch it LIVE, but I changed over once to NCIS:LA for a few minutes after the scene with Beckett and the suspect interrogation. Her actions in that scene reminded me of the pilot episode of BLUE BLOODS where Danny and his partner arrive at a suspect apartment looking for a kidnapped little girl and Danny takes the suspect to the bathroom and dunks his head in the toilet several times and bangs his head hard against the bowl in order to force him to give up the location of the little girl in time. Beckett acting like that was so overdone. After that, I was not sure what was coming next from Amann. I expect that the mythology is just mob related given Marlowe writing the next episode “Montreal”. That city is a popular haven for mobsters running criminal operations between the US and Europe. I just think the arc will be a mess. I guess the amnesia was needed so that Castle will be able to recall bits and pieces from his ordeal during the season. I can’t imagine the show holding the audience very long into the season after presenting such a contrived story like that. At the end of the episode, I sat there thinking to myself what are they doing with the Castle series. Much the same as I felt after FBFW.

If Beckett still has real doubts about Castle and she can be convinced so easily instead of focusing on why someone would go to all the trouble to kidnap him on his wedding day, then Castle should be the one “unsettled”. The Espo attitude towards Castle is just tedious as usual. This kind of twist (cold feet;runaway groom) coming from Amann writing the episode is a little surprising. If this scenario takes up a lot of screen time in the premiere, I might switch over to watch the rest of NCIS:LA. However, from my reading of one of the early screener reports, there is NOT another woman involved at all.

Sabotage might be a harsh word, but any long wedding delay could drop viewership numbers to rerun levels after episodes 1-3. In many cases, an ordinary viewer just checks out instead of trying to find reasons to continue watching. They don’t join an online forum, follow them on twitter, or read interviews, etc. A “before the end of the year” wedding could mean anything in Marlowe’s world.

After just getting a chance to read all the confusing and different screener reports from the folks watching the same thing, Marlowe and Amann working together as co-show runners looks kind of scary right now as S7 moves forward (secrets, doubts, angst, unromantic, tedious Espo). Marlowe put that “unsettled” word out there early to get the angst started with the audience which he knows stirs up and frustrates the fans. What kind of EP writes scripts that he knows will lose audience? It presents as a deliberate attempt to sabotage the season for other projects. The viewers being exposed to more of Beckett doubting Castle is just pathetic. Anything from the Castle past that would put Kate or his family at risk should have already been discussed between them before the wedding day. That is just common decency. If there is an issue with your past, take steps to keep your family safe. Any “dark” secrets still held between them now is just unrealistic at this point in the relationship. Even the casual viewers won’t hang around very long waiting for a wedding while Marlowe gets his mythology story on track. They will just tune out for good. IMO

The SK wedding comments on the MP location video seem out of context given that there was no actual wedding in 6x23. It presented for me that Stana didn’t know at the time of the recording of the video that there was no actual wedding scene in the finale. Watching the MP video, you had to wonder why he would be allowed access to the set using that documentary script if no wedding. Seamus said during the last week of filming that the cast did not get the script until the last minute each day. Also, during that last week, there were BTS out there on tumblr showing the MP people making the video and there were comments from many wondering why Marlowe would let him there. It just seems strange to watch a behind the scenes video during the making of a wedding episode, but the wedding was not going to happen and further, the female lead didn’t know the final outcome, but she presented to the audience in the video that she was satisfied with the outcome and then she makes comments in Greece that she was surprised about the finale. Would Marlowe do that to his female lead? Maybe that was why the Amann trip to Italy was needed in order to keep her on board.

"perhaps", "might", "may"....... These kind of vague comments will continue to push viewers away as we get closer to premiere. IMO. What needs to happen is for viewership numbers to drop into the 4-5 million range for 7x1 and 7x2 in order to get attention. TPTB at ABC have taken the Castle audience for granted too long. Such a pathetic response by a so-called show runner! It would be best if he just shut up or give the fans something more definitive. So based on his words, fans may get something they want in season 7? Fans should just wait and maybe MarMann will ‘probably’ give the fans something. In the meantime, please stay, you'll like it. Such BS!

Ditto. Christine Roum does not portray the great Caskett interaction at all in her writings. She came aboard in season 5 during the time when the writing quality began to decline\deteriorate onward. In S5-6, there was a noticeable change in Castle's character (more buffoonish, silly, and childish in several episodes). During seasons 1 - 3, Marlowe was not running the show. ABC made sure people with previous experience acted as show runners (Jose Malina, Renee Echevarria, and Barry Schindel instead of Marlowe). Once those people left, the quality of the show went down. AWM was forced to put Caskett together at the end of season 4, but he continues to stall getting them officially together (wedding) for as long as possible to the point that viewership will be lost. The "new" mythology is just more of the same. IMO

It was made very clear that Beckett viewed the situation as either/or, she didn't believe she could have both and wasn't even going to try. It was also clear she was taking the job which was tantamount to ending the relationship. For all the AWM bluster and the supportive job story quotes from SK, they weren't showing a modern woman, they were showing women of decades ago, when career success meant sacrifices in their personal life. Every compromise they had Castle make only served to make Beckett appear more self-absorbed. Right up to her “I don't know what to do” even after he nearly died she wasn't going to give an inch and Castle was doing all the work keeping the relationship alive. The true modern woman take would have been open discussion about options and a lot of effort on her part to recognize the compromises her partner was making for her career. We got selfish Beckett & doormat Castle.

verdana. Agree. The best example of the Marlowe misuse of subtext was in Watershed. IMO. The episode was so overwritten. If Kate doesn't take the job, then what emerges is that the audience cannot believe anything she actually said in Watershed. None of the deliberate ambiguity she put forth in the interrogation room nor what was spoken by her in other scenes was really subtext, but rather something subject to multiple interpretations- so basically most of what you heard was either untrue or deliberately ambiguous (subtext is when you know what they're saying although characters are not saying it directly- multiple meanings is not subtext at worst or bad subtext at best). The Watershed episode was a real mess with so much ambiguity for the audience. Many viewers have not recovered from it.

It appears from the Paul Lee TCA comments that Marlowe still has a big role in the show and he must have written 7x2 since Paul Lee said that he has read one of his episodes. It presents that Amann has been assigned by ABC as really more of a babysitter in order to watch over the direction of the show. Hopefully, this means no Castle love child will show up in S7 before the wedding or no baby from Beckett's college days that she put up for adoption will come forward after all these years or worse Beckett won't have 3XK's baby in the S7 finale. Amann's job will be to put the kibosh on these kind of stories in order to save S8.

Totally Agree. He is the worse kiss ass right now. Not far behind are Dara and Chad Creasey. So much sugar coming from them in their Castle related tweets about MilMar makes you sick. Any ongoing Marlowe appeasement by the cast might be to save face because maybe ABC did force him out as show runner. AWM lost his “genius” after season 3. He portends now as more of a mad scientist (car fire in a ditch) if you believe what is said "genius is just one step away from madness". Maybe Marlowe has taken a step too far.

I hope that ABC will change from the AWM “vision”, but the fans can't know for sure until something publicly comes out about it. Time will tell once ABC or Amann speak up (which they haven't yet to my knowledge) or until the7x1 premiere airs in September. Any expectations of Marlowe still having control is coming from AWM & TEM themselves. They may be just trying to save face since ABC put the screws to him for the contrived finale. The TVLine article about the changeover said Marlowe was stepping down from the show runner position and David Amann was taking over. There is only one story line director on a show regardless of what others may wish otherwise and that is the person with the title of Show Runner. It makes no sense that Amann would take the job if he was just going to be a mouth piece for Marlowe and accept all the blame for what goes wrong and nothing for what goes right. No one in their right mind would take on such a role. I really hope that Marlowe has stepped down and we no longer see his organic, fun storytelling “vision”. In addition, the audience deserves an apology from Marlowe for those post finale comments.

The visit doesn’t have to be a conspiracy, but it can’t just be a coincidence either. I don’t know how production works, but his visit could be unofficial Castle business. If the Amann show runner changeover is just a ruse, then ABC will pay dearly in viewership numbers. The Castle audience (casual and hard-core viewers) want no more wedding delays for any part of another season. If the Marlowe-Amann combo refuses to write them as a couple, then ABC needs different leaders to direct the writing or risk losing half the audience by the end of episode 3. IMO