metaphor

I guess this was supposed to be the S8 cliffhanger, eh.

Ah, the Caskett piano theme. Never gets old.

True. I thought that interrogation scene was well played by Nathan. It and the goodbye to Martha and Alexis have been the only two scenes that have landed for me in this episode thus far.

Yep. I seriously wonder if they decided to make him Loksat when they signed McRaney to guest in 8x14.

Yep. I'm wondering how it would have felt to get a series finale similar to the earlier episodes I fell in love with. COTW and Caskett interactions. I wonder when the writers decided on the identity of Loksat.

Intriguing. I know Scott Patterson and LG didn't get along, but this "people" comment shades it a bit differently. The episode is airing in the Maritimes in Canada now. Sounds action-packed.

I do think it's interesting that she only seemed to have worked with Nathan, and that she said now we'll never know. I'd have thought the season finale ending wouldn't contain any time jump and would just set up Beckett's possible exit. They could easily have done the jump in 9.01 if the show had been renewed without Stana. Then again, maybe the child's appearance would be the cliffhanger in itself? Ah. Who knows. Only ~4 hours left till we know Castle and Beckett's ultimate onscreen fates. Edit: Rainey posted this in reply to a question: @drrvag @CastlePromos @NathanFillion @Castle_ABC @ABCNetwork yes, also had a wonderful time working with @Stana_Katic - she's so lovely!!! I guess we'll see.

Thanks, Nadine.

Great episode! I wasn't sure what to expect after the episode-ending fight last week. The foot massage surprised me a bit, but it led to that speech by Jamie to Claire explaining why he really withdrew from the duel with Black Jack, which was excellent. Really moving. Wonderful job by Sam. The discussion on drawing and quartering was sufficiently creepy, and I enjoyed the scene between Master Raymond and Claire. I thought it was great that Jamie and Claire each came to realize that it was time to tell Murtagh everything. I liked that the brief montage ended with Jamie explaining things to Murtagh in Gaelic. And on a shallower note, Jamie looked quite dashing in the subsequent scene. Good conversation between Claire and Murtagh, ending with him squeezing her hand -- it reminded me of their scene in the cave in 1x14, which I loved then. And those last ten minutes. Despite having a general idea of what happens in the book, my heart was in my throat. The duel scene was so effectively acted and directed, I thought. Can't wait till the next episode, which I think Caitriona has tagged as her favorite of the season.

Maybe they say it again later in the episode? I've seen the promo a few times and the shot shows them saying the words to each other in that outdoor scene. With them getting rid of the cliffhanger, I wonder if all the scenes in the promo will make it to the final version of the episode.

Same here. Definitely relieved I won't have to reconcile the past 8 seasons with a Beckett-less S9. As I mentioned in the latest episode thread, I couldn't even think of a best case scenario for that one. Just bad, worse and worst.

Oh, for what it's worth, I personally don't expect a tragic ending or anything like that. Sorry if it came off that way. But as pointed out above, the showrunners seem to have a different definition of the word "fun" from some viewers (including me). So it remains to be seen whether the ending chosen for this show that's been on top of my must watch list for years will indeed satisfy me as a viewer. Just keeping my expectations somewhat low. I'm curious, too, whether and how they'll wrap up the stories of the other characters. I'd tend to think a series wrap up would require a bit more screen time than a cliffhanger, so I wonder how much editing will have to be done to alter the ending.

Yeah, I'm also a bit wary. All that the showrunners said, I think, is that they crafted something that would bring closure in the event that the series is not renewed. Whether it's the happy ending that fans have been envisioning is anyone's guess. Having said that, given that I could not think of a way they could write Beckett out for good and have Castle move on that would leave me looking back at the series as a whole with fondness, I am glad that the show gets to end with Castle and Beckett. It's always been about both of them, after all.

Well, if you think about it, it makes sense. They plan to start with a clean slate anyway. Whatever happens to Beckett, I don't just see how there can be continuity with a light, happy-go-lucky Castle in a standard procedural next year. So maybe it's best they continue on with new blood, if they're so bent on continuing anyway.

I think a theory that's slowly gaining traction is that she'll go on the run, perhaps faking her death in the process. Sigh. Maybe the writers' hands were tied by BTS circumstances, but I'm just really bummed out. I know that theoretically, if she gets out alive, there is hope, but that scenario still does not constitute a happy ending for this viewer. Especially since Castle presumably moves on somehow in Season 9 (what with the writers' comments about their clean slate agenda).

Heh. I don't think this was intentional foreshadowing, but it definitely made me think of what's coming, for sure. As for best case scenarios, I don't really know if I have one. Just bad, worse, and worst. Agreed with both. I'll miss what this show has been.

It sure felt like ABC was trolling the fans with the 8.22 promo. "Kate Beckett is gonna be dead by the end of the night and there's nothing you can do about it..." Here. Whatever way they choose to write Beckett out, this marks one last episode before I say goodbye to Castle.

And Hawley finally broke his twitter silence to post: Alexi Hawley ‏@AlexiHawley 10 minutes ago Here we go. Scoring session for 822. #Castle https://www.instagram.com/p/BFISlutArRH/ This entire debacle has simply been handled so poorly, IMO.

Deadline attributes the postponement of a renewal decision to the need to finish hammering out actor deals. Seamus Dever will return.

Going by this tweet from the President of the Disney-ABC Television Group, I think we'll find out today. @bensherwood: “If you want a happy ending, that depends, of course, on where you stop your story.” ― Orson Welles #May6th https://twitter.com/bensherwood/status/728593545267916801

As I understand it, no. You need to be one of those households with a Nielsen box to affect those published ratings.

Yes, I thought that scene was off, too. I'm a fan of Stana's acting in general, and I think she's done a great job at the various facets of Beckett over the previous 7 seasons, but I do think she's been somewhat removed from the character this season. At the same time, I feel like the character itself has been marginalized and has played a less central role in S8. So I don't know if that remove is just Stana herself being kind of done, or is a reaction to her minimized role. From this vantage point, there really has been an active winding down of Beckett over the course of the season. Watching the episode last night, I could totally see the strings being pulled, and that made me sad.

Ugh. This TVGuide article is like a splinter to the heart: 10 Reasons We'll Miss Kate Beckett. There's a teeny tiny part of me still hoping ABC will eventually make the right decision about this show and let Castle and Beckett walk off into the sunset together. I guess we'll see. But watching the last couple of episodes (especially the one that aired in Canada last night), I think I'm coming to accept that the show I loved is actually already gone.

I really liked this episode, perhaps my favorite of the season thus far as well. I thought that discussion between Claire and Louise about having the baby and raising him/her with a man that is not the father was lovely, if on the nose. I'm enjoying the development of that relationship, even though I am clueless about how it goes, not having gotten to this part of DiA yet in my reading. Also enjoying the dynamic between Master Raymond and Claire. Finally, I liked the fight between Jamie and Claire and their subsequent reunion. It's great to have them back in sync again. I've missed that in the recent run of episodes. The next episode should be interesting.

I appreciate Hanning's writing, but seeing that I'm not planning to watch Castle after this season without Beckett, I'm not particularly bothered. Just another sign that a new season isn't worth coming back for. Terri Edda Miller tweeted this message to him after he signed out post live tweet: @TerriEdda: Thank you @RobHanning for... Well... You know.