metaphor

Stana and Molly were photographed filming on location today. No other spoilers except that they were both there. I'm hoping we'll still see some Beckett and Alexis development despite the Caskett split. I recall Molly commenting on a Kate&Alexis fan video at the start of S8 filming and said she wanted to see more (or something to that effect). IIRC, she added #mightbeahint to the tweet. Also, is this the first picture of we've seen with both Stana and Sunkrish (the captain and her confidant)?

This is what I was saying before, though, that I feel like leaving Castle in the face of this threat would mark a regression of sorts for Kate. It seems like an S4 or end-of-S5 Beckett move and not a married-and-all-in Beckett move. Then again, maybe that's human nature, too. I will say I absolutely adore well-written Caskett angst in fic, and I generally like the work of our two showrunners, so count me among the cautiously optimistic for now.

I was initially thinking it wasn't a mutual decision and most likely Beckett's decision. But when you mentioned that they weren't "at odds," I figured it might be mutual after all. Gosh. I go back and forth with all this spec and the many ways the show can go. Thanks for the little tidbits you throw in, anyway, halwideman. They're appreciated!

TVGuide's take on what's coming up has quotes from TPW. We learn a wee bit more about Vikram as well (which kinda makes me wonder what Lanie will be doing).

Another article from the TCAs with a bit of a different angle at EW. We get a bit more detail on Hayley from this one.

Now that we know the return of the nefarious Bracken somehow causes the break-up, what I'm wondering is whether it'll indeed be a tropey fake/forced break-up, or whether one of them does something that the other will find difficult to understand/accept (for now), leading to a real (for now) break-up. If the new set is Castle's PI office and not a new apartment for Beckett, does that mean Captain Beckett will now be sleeping in a temp hotel room, or in her office?

Ditto. I just can't think of any other situation apart from this that would not represent a pretty major regression for one or both of the characters. Maybe Beckett had the tendency to close up and run in the past, but I'd like to believe that Castle and Beckett, where they were when we left them in S7, would prefer to work through things, even face an external threat, together rather than separately. They've vowed to be partners in life, after all and I believed they were both committed to that. Alas, this is precisely what I thought the downside would be of losing MilMar. I truly believed that with them on the writing team, a Caskett break-up was completely off the table. Without them, it's a different ballgame.

Are we really talking about a full on reset here, though, halwideman? I've been trying to keep an open mind about the break up, understanding that even married-and-in-love couples can go through really rough patches sometimes and have to take a step back. But I would have a very tough time swallowing a total reset of the central relationship of the show.

I think it could fit in with Castle working a lot with security specialist Hayley early on in the season. If Beckett is captain, I guess Castle could also work with Ryan and Esposito out in the field from time to time. I would love for the break-up to be a ruse of some kind as well, but maybe the new showrunners are looking for some drama to shake up the show a little. I recognize that pretty much all of my favorite Caskett fics are really quite angsty, so I clearly don't mind drama between Castle and Beckett, but I had kind of been happy to leave it in fanfic land. That said, I'm trying to keep an open mind. I think all anyone is going on right now are the first two scripts. So hopefully this is a temporary split that will be resolved by sweeps. And who knows, maybe the relationship will end up even stronger for it. In any case, I hope the writers are able to pull off something plausible and meaningful. McManda, I wish I were in the same boat as you. I'm not really trusting Ausiello and I don't think the blind item hints necessarily lead directly to Castle, but I don't have a reason to doubt halwideman, either.

I wonder if the break-up will happen within the two-parter or has already happened when S8 opens. Although I really don't want to see a break-up of any kind, I'm just trying to reconcile myself with it since the writers will do what they want. I do think it would be interesting if they went with something like KaveDweller's idea of showing us the same event through Castle's and then Beckett's eyes in this two-parter. I definitely don't believe they'll be killing off Beckett. Nathan most recently said that he thinks what makes Castle successful is that it showcases people who are generally happy (or something to that effect). That kind of tragedy would be greatly at odds with the overall tone of the show.

I agree that Gates wasn't fully realized as a character, but I still enjoyed her back and forth with Castle from time to time, as well as her relationship with Beckett when they managed to right it in. But I think it's more that I'll miss Penny, because I appreciated the enthusiasm for the show and for the fans that she demonstrated via Twitter. That said, I also think it's nice that there seems to be forward motion in the story. It would kind of suck, after all the work they put into setting up Beckett's new career path in the finale, to just pick up right where we left off and keep going as though nothing had happened and consigning progress to the future . I do think it's sad that it seems that we won't even get a goodbye from Captain Gates. I guess they'll be doing a bit of a time jump to address it. I wonder how far into the future the show will leap come S8.

Count me in among those who don't understand what's going on with Matthew Perry. Chandler was my absolute favorite character on Friends and I have watched the other projects he's done since then (I liked Go On; I watched every episode of that one and was disappointed when it was cancelled). I think he's a good actor, with a knack for both comedy and drama. I saw the first episode of this show and thought he seemed off, but I chalked that up to nerves. Tried the second episode, but it didn't really hook me, so I tuned out. I chose to return for this episode because I enjoy Lauren Graham too, and I was surprised and befuddled by Matthew's acting. It's stiff and strained and it feels like playing to the back row. Could it still be nerves this far into the season? I don't really know, but I hope things improve.

Good for Stana for asking for, and presumably getting, an equal paycheck, especially if this is going to be the final season of the show. I guess she's been locked in to a significantly lower one in previous seasons, after all. I do wonder if she asked for the same perks, too, e.g., the four-day workweek. Selfishly, I hope not, because while I enjoy the supporting cast just fine, I really am in this for the two leads. On another note, I hope a good female writer or two comes on board. Am I correct in thinking Christine Roum is the only female left (or who at least hasn't announced her departure) among the current crop of writers?

Well, I don't know if this has actually caused a fuss like last season's. As a Beckett fan, I was wondering if there would be a mention, and kind of winced when I saw the repeated "Beckette"s. Maybe people are right and it means nothing, or maybe he's not feeling particularly charitable toward Stana/Beckett fans right now, with people flooding his mentions asking him about her contract, so he's poking fun. That's his prerogative. FWIW, I think Rob Hanning displays much more sarcasm toward fans on a regular basis. I still follow them both, though, and am mildly amused by their tweets from time to time. I was actually pleasantly surprised by how enthusiastic Nathan seemed about livetweeting this episode. I was on twitter before the episode aired and saw his announcement that he was inviting friends to join in. Then again, it was a good episode and definitely engendered positive reactions and tweets from fans to the cast and the writers. I guess Nathan figured he'd already experienced the worst when he livetweeted FBOW.

Nathan Fillion @NathanFillion · 4h 4 hours ago You tell him, Beckette!! Nathan Fillion @NathanFillion · 4h 4 hours ago Beckette, drop the mic!

Yeah. I thought (hoped, really) that the first one was a typo, but when he did it again soon after...

Agreed about politics; I've seen some well thought out arguments for it, but I'm not on board yet. That said, I thought Beckett's standing up for herself was a great moment, and one that was executed really well. I thought I could potentially see Senator Beckett in her stance and the set of her jaw. I will say Beckett's having to choose "soon" here makes me wonder how the next set of showrunners will deal with this storyline moving forward.

Yes, that did feel like a possible series finale, and I also agree about the tone of it. It was kind of heavy. I think I'd prefer an exit for the show that's a bit more lighthearted, as the lightness was actually what drew me in initially, so I'm glad that's not the end. On the other hand, I recognize that this was written and completed before they knew there would be more, and I appreciate that the episode brought a sense of closure just in case. Will have to rewatch the episode to digest everything, but I guess what stuck out the most to me were Espo and Ryan's doubts about Castle's story, and Castle's calling them out on it. Since the matter wasn't really resolved, I was pretty dubious about that whole "brother in arms" part of his speech. Looking forward to news from tomorrow's Upfronts on what we can expect for S8. Definitely hoping Stana's status will clear up soon so that I can decide if Hollander's Woods will serve as the series finale for me after all.

Dara Creasey has just confirmed that she's gone from the writer's room: @DaraCreasey: Tmrw I'll live tweet both the finale of @CWJaneTheVirgin where I begin work this wk, & of @Castle_ABC, where I wish everyone the best on S8! Chad's staying on, though: @chadgcreasey: Congrats to @DaraCreasey on her new solo gig! I'll miss writing with her, but excited to stay w/ the #Castle family.

Sneak peek for the season finale

Marlowe and Miller talk to US Weekly about Season 8 (vague spoilers for a storyline they might explore) and the possibility of killing Kate Beckett.

Not that there was really any question after they announced Nathan's signing, but this puts away any doubt that ABC will be renewing Castle for an 8th season. The only question left is who will be a part of it. I'm among those who won't be tuning in if season 8 turns out to be a Beckett-free season.

Well, in the previous years, I think the implication was more that the show was cancelled, rather than that she's quit, since she was contracted. So I try to give her the benefit of the doubt and think that maybe she's just being a mix of sentimental and pragmatic when she talks in past tense. That's why I'm trying not to read anything into her latest posts and wait for official word, either way. Interview with Marlowe about 7.20 here. He also talks a bit about the finale in the midst of the uncertainty. "We think we've achieved what we set out to do this season, but I think we all feel like there's a lot of great storytelling ahead of us if the story gods allow it," Marlowe says. "I wouldn't call [the finale] a traditional cliff-hanger, but there are very specific unresolved issues about our characters that will allow us a fascinating springboard into a next season. We have more important stuff to get to if we're allowed to get there. If we don't, I think the characters have arrived at a really interesting point."

A tweet from a Castle crew member: Lance Oyabu @Lance728 · 1 hour ago @AndrewWMarlowe Good luck with all of your future endeavors. You've given me a second family for an amazing seven years. Thank you, Andrew. I wonder whether this means that rumors of Andrew Marlowe's departure from the show are true. I'm no fan of what they did in the S6 finale, but I'm someone who actually wants him and Terri around in some capacity for the final season. It's their vision that made the show and Caskett, after all, and I have faith in their ultimate vision for Castle and Beckett, even if I haven't always agreed with the road they've taken to get there. Then again, who knows whether there will even be a Castle-and-Beckett in Season 8. Still keeping my fingers crossed that Stana's just being sentimental about the end of the season, in the midst of uncertainty, and that her posts don't mean she's pretty much already decided to walk away.

Being that this is the , I doubt it. I'm not that enthused, either.