metaphor

Fans on Twitter have observed that Mr. Smith is back, per the guest cast listed in the press release for 8.03. So does this AG issue tie back to the JB/Bracken story in a significant way?

BTS photo of Stana, taking some downtime while shooting 8.02.

Not sure of the source, but Castle Chronicles notes that 8.07 is written by Hawley and directed by Holahan.

Hmmm. I'm not liking the sound of that. I understand how they could drop the 3XK and JB/Bracken stories for episodes on end, because the characters could believably go back to what they were doing in the meantime. The approach made far less sense with regard to Castle's disappearance, but they made it so that these two curious, questing individuals mutually agreed to sweep two missing months under a rug and mostly pick up where they left off, together. However, if some external force were to separate you from the love of your life just as you were beginning to relax into the slice of happiness you'd carved out for yourselves, I can't see how you could just drop the matter and exist in limbo simply waiting for the thread to be picked up again. If the writers are as intent on servicing this 7-year love story as they proclaim to be, I need to see at least one of them actively doing something to make their way back to each other in every episode. It needs to be a throughline across the entire first half of the season, not something put on the shelf to gather dust in between next week and the fall finale.As people above have already stated, longing looks in between won't cut it. I hope the latter is not their intent.

Another article from the roundtable TPW and AH did on S8.

The official WriteRCastle twitter account has been pretty active with sending out funny/sweet Beckett-related tweets this past month. His latest: @WriteRCastle: Picnic and a screening of When Harry Met Sally with Beckett in the park! What are you doing for your wives today? #WifeAppreciationDay I wonder if/how the tenor will change as the season progresses.

Stana's throwing the first pitch at tonight's Dodgers game. Pretty neat. She also posted about it on her Facebook page. And here's the actual pitch.

Yep. I think that was the first time for sweetie. Seemed like he was trying out honey last season, but I guess it never caught on like Beckett's babe. Heh. Only watched the Caskett sneak myself. I can wait till the episode to see the new PI's office.

I really enjoyed that. Though I've been rewatching previous seasons over the break, it's great to see new Caskett on my screen. And the chemistry is still wonderful, IMO. I think the scene was pretty well written, which is what I expect from TPW, anyway. I like that Beckett's the one who's more reluctant to change their dynamic and wants Castle to still be at the precinct; I think that should play into what will happen at the end of the two-parter. Preview articles have (I think) mostly uniformly mentioned that there's good Caskett, thereby hammering home the whole they really love each other and they don't want to break up/it's all external forces at work scenario. After watching that preview, I kind of wish those two could just stay in that happy, loving bubble forever. But I'm resigned to the writers going in another direction, so I hope they do it well.

GMMR interviews the new showrunners. No real spoilers beyond what can be gleaned from promos/press releases, mostly a discussion on their general approach to the season.

Stana attended the opening night of the LA Opera's 30th anniversary season.

Brief synopsis of 8.02 Beckett in a fight for her life with mercenaries on her tail? Intriguing.

Susan Sullivan previews Season 8 here, and the interview is predictably lovely (I just really like Susan, even moreso as she doles out her unsolicited advice on Twitter). At its heart, though, Sullivan said that Castle is about the love story between Castle and Beckett. “It’s always been a love story about these two people and their progression of commitment and so on. So, that will continue and be explored. What’s more interesting than that? It’s what we’re all struggling with on the planet – trying to connect and feel that unconditional love. And not make it about yourself, but about the other person.”

Per this tweet from Rob Kyker, it seems that Rob Hanning's episode (8.06) will be entitled "The Last Seduction."

Yes, I was pretty much meh on the dedication, too. But I have to admit, the acknowledgments gave me the warm fuzzies. So it all balances out. http://twitter.com/CastleFreak811/status/641370690696839168/photo/1

Rob Hanning is finally back on Twitter. @RobHanning: “@19_Joanne_87: @RobHanning welcome baaaaack, boss! ☺” not really back. But will be. Doing #806 with Terlesky #Valkyriereunion @RobHanning: “@telopidoxfavor: @RobHanning #Caskett anniversary? That one should be yours! ♥” Oh no, is it their anniversary? I didn't realize ;)

http://www.tvguide.com/news/mega-buzz-castle-baby-terence-paul-winter-alexi-hawley/ This article from TVGuide is newly posted... but I feel like I've read everything in it before. Ryan baby, Hayley not a threat, and this: In fact, whatever challenges the couple may face this season, the producers are keen on furthering the core duo's relationship. "It's always been about the Castle-Beckett love story. That's steeped in the DNA of the show, and that's what it will always be," Winter says. "Now, it's about exploring the next evolution of it. How do we deepen that love story? What challenges can we put their way that can put their romance at a much higher, different place?"

Per Rob Kyker's latest tweet, episode 8.05 was written by Nancy Kiu and shall be directed by Bill Roe. Newbie writer again. Still wondering about Hanning.

Would have loved that Castle and Beckett, PI option, but I understand this, too. I wonder how much of the decision to seemingly create two shows within the show (Captain Beckett and her men; Castle and his ladies) is driven by the consideration of wanting either Castle or Beckett onscreen at any given time while providing each of the leads the requisite time off. While not great, I think that would be a bit more palatable to me than having this be a result of actual contractual stipulations on the part of either lead to reduce working time with the other. (Outside of Julianna Margulies, would something like that be formally requested for and granted in the industry?)

Ditto everyone here on hoping for the same hair color for Beckett. Late S2/early S3 hair was my favorite.

I just had to bring back this line of conversation because it appears that Stana is now wearing one on each hand. I don't really know what that's about, but it made me laugh.

Per the writer of the episode, 8.03 is called "What Lies Beneath..." I thought Sunkrish was originally announced as a fractional regular, just like Toks? I really hope the writers know what they're doing. I've mostly reconciled myself to the break-up, to new characters and evolving relationships, but the rumblings of hardly any shared scenes between Stana and Nathan for the first three episodes has me somewhat perturbed. A drastic reduction in quality Caskett time really won't sit well with this viewer.

With the return of Beckett's walls and Detective Slaughter, it's beginning to make sense that the official S8 poster came from the S4 photoshoot. Heh. Nothing against this news, really. I remember Nathan identifying Slaughter first in the list of characters he wanted to return in their last Paley. And I must be one of the very few who actually liked Headhunters and all the Caskett angst therein.

Per tvline, the time jump between the end of S7 and the start of S8 is "only a few months." the Jack Coleman previews Bracken's return.

This made me laugh because I came to the exact same realization a couple of days ago and had to head to his twitter to check. He's been quiet for a while indeed. He's still officially part of the Castle writing staff, though, right? It surprises me that they haven't assigned him an episode right out of the gate, because surely they know he's one of the most well-received writers, but maybe they're saving him for one of the sweeps episodes. As for the risks the new showrunners are taking, I have to say, Caskett IS the show for me, so part of me is really wary of the choice to pull them apart both personally and professionally, but I hope it works out and the payoff will be worth it for both the creative team and the audience.