Chado

It's so bad that I can't even stand to read fanfic that attempts to make sense of it and/or try to make it better

Exactly.

Some emotion? Haha.

The episode was terrible....the show (at least the early years) deserved such a better ending than this. A few things... Castle would be more likely to die from where he got shot than Beckett...at least in terms of realism. Obviously Beckett was the one who was gonna die though.....given what happened with contracts. Them in the kitchen bleeding out was the intended cliffhanger/season end. The empty loft scene was probably going to be used for a potential season 9 opening episode, where they show Castle's time in NY being over as he tries to move on from what happened. It was instead used to transition to the bad 7 year later crap. In saying that....I'm surprised they actually showed Castle and Beckett at the end and not just the kids, small favors I guess. They should have planned better to create a better end to the series, the episode needed completely new scenes from the kitchen onwards. Them still getting shot is just a lack of care/effort to separate a potential season 9 and the end of a 8 year show. This was really bad.

Let's see if the 'thousands' of people who say they only watch for Beckett impact the ratings next season, shall we? ;)

So nothing lolsat related again, I'm amazed at how little they give a shit about the 'big bad' that is probably going to kill Beckett. It's incredible to think how poorly this season has been planned out.

The irony is that I got told off for my post and yet the same people come back with the same crap over and over again ;)

I don't know who this is...but something happening along these lines seems obvious, no? Beckett has to die if the show is to continue without her. You cannot have that attachment to Castle and be free to tell whatever story they want. Them moving it to LA and getting away from the 12th is obvious too...assuming Beckett is gone. I'd be surprised if this many details about season 9 is already in place...but it's not a big surprise if Castle gets a new love interest and there is a new location away from the 12th. This is quite an easy 'guess' to make, it's fairly obvious what will happen in a potential season 9.

It sounds like lolsat is all over the episode

ABC cannot control Stana Katic and her reps (also Tamala) releasing the information before the season ends and creating this environment. ABC cannot control the 'leaks' or the intention behind them. Do you even think about where these leaks are coming from? ABC did not announce this information, they were informed of the story and had to release a statement because it looks even worse if they say nothing. Learn how media works. Nathan has no control over Stana's contract. He can issue his own guidelines (working 2 days a week with her), but he doesn't outrank the people at ABC. ABC has backed him in being able to continue the show without her, that is not Nathan's decision. His desire to continue with or without her is only a reality because ABC want the show to continue on. Nathan was going to get slaughtered whether he said something or didn't say something. Stana was leaving regardless, people are emotional. They are looking to point the finger, she's the one leaving, so she gets protected from the public ire. You can debate the common sense of trying to continue a show without Beckett, you can also debate the relationship between the two co-stars...but keep in mind that it takes 2 people to form (and maintain) a relationship. It takes a network to make decisions on a show. This idea that Nathan is this 'big bad guy' and Stana is some defenceless victim in all of this...is honestly pathetic. ABC is the network, they make the decisions. Television shows end, sometimes not how we want. It's the way of the world.

If your demands are unreasonable but yet you say "I want to come back"....do you really want to come back?....like honestly? I understand people are emotional about this but It's nuanced. Things are more complicated than people make it out to be. Nobody is a victim here lol... ABC have made a few WTF decisions in how they are framing this, because it has nothing to do with money. If we knew where the leak came from, then fingers could be pointed more freely at certain parties and their intentions...but until you know that, this is just people who have already picked a side...just continuing the Stana v Nathan argument that has been going on for years in this fandom.

My guess is that the social media/internet user fan probably isn't a huge slice of the 6~ million audience, the casual fan probably won't realize until Beckett is dead and/or completely gone next season if there is one. My guess is the total viewers drops to 4-4.5 million 2-3 episodes into next season.

I'm impressed how many people on this forum appear to have deep knowledge into the inner-workings of the SF/NK relationship

ABC Television Executive Channing Dungey is a woman. Shonda pretty much runs half the ABC network with her catalogue of shows, also a woman. To reduce Stana's situation down to her sex....is just missing what has actually happened in this situation. There has been heaps of contractual issues and BTS issues that have heavily influenced what has gone on here. Her being 'let go' is a very PC way to explain what's happened here. I'm all for gender equality, but this has nothing to do with sexism.

I have my own information from people about what happened with PJJ and season 8, I have no knowledge about what is happening right now. So yes and no, it's my interpretation as to what has gone on during possible talks about season 9, but I do know the point he is making with PJJ and why it is relevant here.