Spoilers, Speculation & All Things Media!

[verdana]

Okay thanks, since that episode they were in together I guess they've hooked up. 

[turnitwayup]

Alexis is still an undergrad isn't she? In about third year? Wouldn't she want a four year Honours degree before applying to law school? 

 

Yeah Alexis is in her junior yr so it would be the right time to think about grad school. She would be probably applying her senior yr depending on the deadlines for whatever schools she chooses. We still have no idea what her major is. For all we know she could've been majoring in biochem and decided to go to medical school. It's not like money is gonna be a problem so it would make sense for her character to go from undergrad straight into grad school.

[readster]

Yeah Alexis is in her junior yr so it would be the right time to think about grad school. She would be probably applying her senior yr depending on the deadlines for whatever schools she chooses. We still have no idea what her major is. For all we know she could've been majoring in biochem and decided to go to medical school. It's not like money is gonna be a problem so it would make sense for her character to go from undergrad straight into grad school.

 

  I also agree, I actually met Molly Quinn last year and she told me that everything with Pi was dropped because viewers reacted so negatively to it but it was planned for three more episodes. They then rushed it to the conclusion and it threw everything out of whack for what they wanted Alexis to do last season including her full major and degree. The original plan was that Alexis was going to be on her own and while she could come home to dad when she needed to, it was planned for her to truly be on her own. When the story was rushed do to the negativity they decided to drop the plans to work out the rest of the season and that the cliffhanger with the wedding was planned around the time the stories were being reorganized. I kind of see the same this season like last season. They worked with Alexis and Martha reacting to Castle missing and some of the aftermath but as the new "mythology" has been so poorly planned out. They kind of rushed to fix things with the season and now we are getting these story lines coming out of nowhere with Alexis. I think they just don't know what to do with her and Martha now and if next year is the last season. They are trying to set things up to where Alexis is off to her future if they really are planning on baby Castle in the finale. 

[femmefan1946]

A lot of wealthy kids take a gap year between one level of schooling and another. (And much less wealthy ones spend a year or two working to make enough money to go to university.)

I think it's healthy and either way gives the kid some time to grow up.

 

Thank you for the information about the Pi arc.  He was a 'love to hate' character for me. Well meaning but oblivious.

And you gotta love the exchange. "What colour is it?" "Free."

[verdana]

7.23 has a title "Hollander's Woods" according to the scoop from Ausiello at TV Line.

 

Ask Ausiello: Spoilers on Revenge, Castle, Scorpion, Outlander, NCIS, Chicago Fire, Brooklyn and More

 

Question: I won’t ask about Castle‘s renewal chances, but they started shooting the last episode last week, so I hope there is something you can share about it!? —Mandy
Ausiello: Outside of what showrunner David Amann shared with Matt’s Insdie Line, plus this bit of guest casting, all I can add at this point is that the Season 7 finale finally has a title — and it’s… “Hollander’s Woods,” which of course is a reference to the “password” that Not Henry Jenkins used to earn Rick’s trust after his vanishing. BONUS SCOOP: Nathan Fillion and Stana Katic remain in deep negotiations with ABC on another season and I’m told this one could go down to the proverbial wire.

 

 

With luck we might finally discover what happened there, lets hope so as that's the only part of the this mythology I've been remotely interested in. Considering this was a season supposedly focusing on Castle and discovering more about the man, they've done a piss poor job of that to date.   

Edited April 14, 2015 by verdana

[verdana]

Thank you for the information about the Pi arc.  He was a 'love to hate' character for me. Well meaning but oblivious.

 

 

Marlowe described him as just that in an interview if I remember rightly when he was trying to justify Pi's presence, he said that's why fans were reacting in the way they were so vocally to him. But he wasn't a "love to hate" character at all, problem was many fans just hated him pure and simple because he was so badly written and annoying.  I feel sorry for Molly being saddled with the crapfest which was the Pi arc and then she gets screwed over when they try and correct things and they can't even do that properly. 

 

The story in itself should have been interesting having Alexis branch on her own with her boyfriend but they failed to show Alexis and Pi interacting much together so I never got the impression she was that interested in him and when it came to Pi he was such a cardboard character, they wouldn't allow the audience to see anything further beyond his dumbass schtick each week. His only job seemed to be to interrupt Caskett with "Hi Mr C Mrs C!" and act like a brain dead idiot. He really did become a Jar Jar Binks character for the show and for once almost united the fandom which takes some doing. 

Edited April 14, 2015 by verdana

[verdana]

drstanakatic

18 minutes ago

#Castle BTS 15: Getting the Shot

These are my camera guys. I've been with a few of them for the whole 7 season run. I love these guys.

There are too many memories on this one. Can't put it all into a paragraph.

https://instagram.com/p/1eIuf_R4c3/

 

I wish fans would stop bombarding the cast and crew with pleadings and questions about a season 8, it's not helping anything and it must be annoying after a while being bombarded with this kind of thing daily.  I bet they'll all be relieved to finish filming later this week and take a much needed break. 

Edited April 14, 2015 by verdana

[verdana]

The person who tweeted originally last week about where they were shooting was spot on and here's the picture to prove it.

Castle Vital Scenes retweeted
Carolina @CarolinaD423  ·  13m 13 minutes ago
*spoiler*
The swings are being put together at the park.

https://twitter.com/CarolinaD423/status/588113795903520768

 

Carolina looks like she's in for the duration and going to watch and post comments and pictures if she can so I expect twitter to be busy, she can't be the only one hanging around there. 

 

And now they're up!

Edited April 14, 2015 by verdana

[TWP]

I think the show Castle could go on without one or the other of the leads (not both)....because seriously, as viewers where ya gonna go?  It's one of the most entertaining shows on TV (which is not saying a whole lot, but still).  If done right, Stana could definitely leave if they aren't meeting her monetary needs and they would still have a show.

Edited April 14, 2015 by TVWithPity

[WendyCR72]

I think the show Castle could go on without one or the other of the leads (not both)....because seriously, as viewers where ya gonna go?

 

CBS, NBC, Netflix (which has a lot of original programming now), Hulu. The TV game isn't so cut and dried anymore.

 

And I don't want to create a firestorm, but I think the show could survive if Stana Katic left and Nathan Fillion stays, but not vice versa. Because of the eponymous title, for one. And while SK does have many fans, I think NF still holds more mass appeal.

 

With the above said, I'm still thinking the show could be back for a final season with both. If it does go dark for good, I'll be shocked.

[McManda]

I'll disagree and say that I don't think Stana could leave and have the show keep going. I like Ryan and Espo, but if she leaves ... well, the show is pretty much over, despite wanting to maybe squeeze out more.

 

That said, I'll be shocked if there isn't a seasons 8. Anything past that is up in the air, but I still everyone wants to give it a proper end because everyone is still playing ball. I don't put much stock in anything TVLine reports anymore because it seems like they're just looking for drama for clicks, so we'll see. When The Big Bang Theory can delay filming on the new season because contracts weren't signed what does "down to the wire" even mean?

[KaveDweller]

  I also agree, I actually met Molly Quinn last year and she told me that everything with Pi was dropped because viewers reacted so negatively to it but it was planned for three more episodes. They then rushed it to the conclusion and it threw everything out of whack for what they wanted Alexis to do last season including her full major and degree. The original plan was that Alexis was going to be on her own and while she could come home to dad when she needed to, it was planned for her to truly be on her own. When the story was rushed do to the negativity they decided to drop the plans to work out the rest of the season and that the cliffhanger with the wedding was planned around the time the stories were being reorganized. I kind of see the same this season like last season. They worked with Alexis and Martha reacting to Castle missing and some of the aftermath but as the new "mythology" has been so poorly planned out. They kind of rushed to fix things with the season and now we are getting these story lines coming out of nowhere with Alexis. I think they just don't know what to do with her and Martha now and if next year is the last season. They are trying to set things up to where Alexis is off to her future if they really are planning on baby Castle in the finale. 

 

So, that makes it sound like the cliffhanger was definitely not planned from the beginning, it was planned mid-season? Which doesn't seem like it should be dependent on changes they planned for Alexis, but the writers probably don't plan anything that far ahead of time.  

 

I would have rather they do a storyline with Alexis picking her major and getting comfortable being out on her own than have these awkward scenes where they randomly have her run on screen and say something humorous and then run out.  It is the waste of the actress to keep her on when they aren't going to give her a real storyline, and they could have made her actually likable again by planning her future.

[Cyranetta]

The word that gives me a leaden sense of dread are "cliffhanger", which Amann at least has used when referring to 723. Given that 623 was such a stellar example of a cliffhanger generating anything from mild distaste to active nausea, just the idea that series as a whole may end on a similarly sour note is dispiriting.

[verdana]

Mariana ‏@manamitru  4h4 hours ago

Many thanks to @Sandraxf for reminding me to check my mail. Here is the @/TVGuideMagazine article. #Castle #spoiler

https://twitter.com/manamitru/status/588148330871545857

 

 

Article from TV Guide that speaks to Amann about Castle's disappearance and also about 7.21. I burst out laughing where it says it's a story the writers have been "itching to tell" yeah they've been that keen it's taken them until close to the finale to do so.   Amann apparently has known since the end of S6 who took Castle and their prime goal has been to deliver a satisfying answer to the story and they think they've done that. I'll be the judge of that next Monday, I think they're on a hiding to nothing on this one but it's their own fault. When they have a story where the main character is not willing to get interested in his own disappearance and would rather ignore the matter then how they expect the audience to become invested beats me. 

 

As for Alexis and her trip forget all this college talk, he's on a book tour so it sounds like a jolly to go shopping to me. I don't know why they had to have this kind of episode sandwiched in right at the end especially following Castle's mythology, it would have been much better if they want Castle and Alexis to have more focus to have done it earlier on in the season and cut back on one of the filler episodes. What I want to see these last three episodes is the focus to be on Castle and Beckett.  

Edited April 15, 2015 by verdana

[verdana]

So, that makes it sound like the cliffhanger was definitely not planned from the beginning, it was planned mid-season? Which doesn't seem like it should be dependent on changes they planned for Alexis, but the writers probably don't plan anything that far ahead of time.

 

Marlowe said in a GMMR interview that he knew "relatively early on" that they weren't getting married although I guess it doesn't mean he had the story mapped out at that stage as to how it would occur. I'm sure they do try to plan ahead to some extent unless they're completely incompetent but they give the appearance of being more reactive to events than proactive so any planning that is done ahead of time gets easily derailed and they end up getting in a worse mess. 

[turnitwayup]

As for Alexis and her trip forget all this college talk, he's on a book tour so it sounds like a jolly to go shopping to me. I don't know why they had to have this kind of episode sandwiched in right at the end especially following Castle's mythology, it would have been much better if they want Castle and Alexis to have more focus to have done it earlier on in the season and cut back on one of the filler episodes. 

 

Ikr? This ep sound like it should've been one of the March eps so that Alexis was able to go on the trip cause it's spring break for her. So it'll be the 3rd time this season that Alexis can take off to where ever.

[verdana]

I don't hate Alexis but I don't want an episode right now focused on her and Castle with Beckett playing back up on the ground. That's what gets misunderstood when certain fans turn on others saying Alexis gets a ridiculous amount of hate from the fandom for even breathing. It's not about hate but fans being critical (there is a difference) of how they use her and in this case the timing and of course Beckett not joining them.  I wish they had given a better reason for her to be on the plane with dad, it makes Alexis look aimless and gives the character no depth. We know so little about what she's up to that it would have been nice to have something more substantial play out than keeping dad company unless there is more too it of course.  

Edited April 15, 2015 by verdana

[madmaverick]

Article from TV Guide that speaks to Amann about Castle's disappearance and also about 7.21. I burst out laughing where it says it's a story the writers have been "itching to tell" yeah they've been that keen it's taken them until close to the finale to do so.   Amann apparently has known since the end of S6 who took Castle and their prime goal has been to deliver a satisfying answer to the story and they think they've done that.

 

I think everyone was laughing or eye-rolling hard at "itching to tell".   Oh yeah, I remember too how Marlowe said he was so excited and couldn't wait to dive into the new mythology in post finale interviews last season. ;)  Amann and Marlowe both seem to have foot in mouth disease when it comes to interviews about the show. And they always go the PR route of "yeah, we've told a great story, we've told the story we always intended to tell blah blah blah, critical audience reaction be damned".  There's never any admission of missteps or admission that they could have done some things better or differently.  There's never any real response to story arcs which have not been received well at all, like last year's finale or the Pi arc.  So, no, i don't find these showrunner soundbites insightful or satisfying.  Other showrunners do a much better job on this front.

 

Yeah, they knew who dunnit to Castle since the end of last season, so much so they couldn't be bothered to sprinkle any clues over the course of all the S7 episodes. ;)  If they've watched any serialised TV at all, or even any other procedural which handles serialised arcs WAY better than them, they would know the way they've gone about it has been a massive fail.   And yet Amann and Marlowe seem to pride themselves on writing action/conspiracy stuff well (as opposed to the 'sentimental' stuff).

 

The Hollander's Woods bit was the only bit I found remotely intriguing the last time they touched on the mythology so let's hope they actually have cooked up an intriguing answer to the mystery.  But I'm not holding my breath.  As long as it doesn't turn out Castle killed someone in the woods as a kid... ;)  Guesses are he witnessed something horrible and that subconsciously fueled his lifelong interest in the macabre... but how that explains him getting abducted on his wedding day by someone with unlimited resources is beyond me.

 

Swings scene at night speaks to melodrama and angst to me, rather than any happy announcements.  Maybe Castle really has to go on the run or has to share a deep, dark secret (ugh) with Beckett?

 

Thanks for sharing the Pi arc info.  That was interesting.  How they ever thought Pi was great comic relief is a mystery to me.  The way they set it up from the beginning was all wrong to me.  I never understood why they suddenly had to have Alexis all pissed at Castle (least favourite dynamic of their relationship ever).  Same with why Beckett was all pissed at Castle for not calling or whatever at the start of S3.

 

I think Alexis may just be going to London for an exchange program or a project or something.  Not uncommon for uni students to spend time abroad for their courses.  I'm glad to see a reminder of Castle's writing career and that he does have readers around the world.

Edited April 15, 2015 by madmaverick

[madmaverick]

I wish fans would stop bombarding the cast and crew with pleadings and questions about a season 8, it's not helping anything and it must be annoying after a while being bombarded with this kind of thing daily.

 

The things they get bombarded with are enough to test the patience of a saint.  Honestly, I would find the endless ILUs annoying.

 

Penny Johnson Jerald @btwprod  · 

Your tweets are noted. I want Season 8, too!

 

But I don't think that's going to stop the bombardment.

 

I don't think the actors would be negotiating in good faith to this degree if they weren't serious about doing another season at least.  It's just a matter of working out the dollars and cents.

[femmefan1946]

"And I don't want to create a firestorm, but I think the show could survive if Stana Katic left and Nathan Fillion stays, but not vice versa. Because of the eponymous title, for one. And while SK does have many fans, I think NF still holds more mass appeal."

 

I agree, but they'd have to have much much stronger writing and not rely on hopes for romance and sexytimes to carry the fans interest. Stronger cases, and Castle as the outside consultant who 'knows a guy' that the police would find it difficult to approach.

 

But Castle without Castle would be just another police procedural. And not a very well written one at that.

[verdana]

This full size screenshot of that TV Guide article might be an easier read here at blueaerynworld.

 

Thanks readster for recounting your chat with Molly. 

Edited April 15, 2015 by verdana

[verdana]

I agree Fillion has more mass appeal than Katic but I don't see how on earth the show would survive without both stars. That's the only thing it has going for it in my book. Cases? Meh. Secondary cast? Castle is no ensemble they're mostly ignored so there's nothing happening to keep fans invested. The only substance to this show is the relationship both working and personal between Castle and Beckett. Without those two there is very little that makes Castle required viewing. I know I wouldn't be waking up at some ungodly hour every Monday to watch it live if either Katic or Fillion called it a day and I suspect I wouldn't be the only fan who wouldn't bother tuning in no matter how much I liked Fillion. 

 

But if Katic did leave for pastures new which she would be perfectly entitled to do and Fillion chose to carry on that scenario doesn't make sense given the Hollywood gossip that he wanted more time off - that's going to be difficult if your female lead has walked and the network has decided to sell the show solely around you. If anything surely they would expect him to be working even harder and longer hours and Fillion seems like a man who enjoys his time to work and play not just work like a dog.

 

Some fans also underestimate Beckett's popularity and how much weight Katic has taken on, her character has driven so much of the storytelling over the years that have kept fans hooked. Meanwhile the focus on Castle this season as promised by Amann and Marlowe has hardly been a rip roaring success what with the mythology and the delayed wedding that had more serious repercussions than the writers expected.  If I was a network exec I'd be wary of assuming Fillion alone could carry the show despite his obvious appeal. 

[readster]

This full size screenshot of that TV Guide article might be an easier read here at blueaerynworld.

 

Thanks readster for recounting your chat with Molly. 

You  are welcome and Molly was very pleasant and friendly to talk to. I asked her three simple questions and she gave very nice answers. Like with Pi, she never said she hated it or thought it was stupid. Just it didn't go as planned and the stories were reshuffled as a result of ending it earlier than planned. It wasn't like she was giving any spoilers away. She is shorter than I thought in person but I'm 5'11. 

Edited April 15, 2015 by readster

[verdana]

The things they get bombarded with are enough to test the patience of a saint.  Honestly, I would find the endless ILUs annoying.

 

It's highly embarrassing, what makes fans act this way? They come over as hysterical teenagers, may be they are. One tweet I saw reminded Stana and Nathan about their artistic integrity with a manip of Caskett holding a baby saying S8. It's almost bullying behaviour and that's why I can't wait until this is all over with one way or another. But then I guess it won't be over with because they'll still get hit after any announcement with even more OTT outpourings.  I hope to God if they can't reach agreement and ABC pull the plug everyone connected with the show from MilMar down abandons their twitter accounts to preserve their sanity and takes a nice holiday abroad. 

Edited April 15, 2015 by verdana

[oberon55]

Honestly I don't think the show could last much longer than one more season with both of them much less if one leaves. Not with the quality of writing they have had for the last several seasons. I can imagine the season starting with a year or two long time jump. Castle's getting over grieving Beckett's death and is starting to get fascinated with the new female detective on the team. I'm sure it would be just as pathetic as it sounds.

[madmaverick]

Readster, if I may ask, did Molly seem aware of the well, dislike, against Alexis from parts of the fandom due to the Pi arc, and due to the way Alexis was perceived to be treating her Dad disrespectfully?  Did she have any thoughts on how Alexis' dynamic with her Dad has evolved since the beginning?  Did she share any thoughts on working with Nathan and Susan because they really do have a wonderful natural chemistry together?  And why the writers didn't seem interested in nurturing an Alexis/Beckett relationship since she got together with Castle?  (There's been more interaction this season but I do feel S5-6 was pretty much a wash in terms of Alexis/Beckett.)  Does she have anything she wants for Alexis before Castle ends?   Thanks!  Glad you got the chance to meet with her.  I think Molly is quite a talented actress and hope she is able to get some good roles in this young stage of her career, especially as YA film adaptations seem to be all the rage.  But it may be very competitive out there.  She's surely capable of doing more than what Castle allows her to.

[madmaverick]

I can't see the show going on without either of the leads because I can't fathom a Castle universe where Castle or Beckett are dead, and that presumably, would be where the story would have to go.  Castle's always been light-hearted, fluffy, romantic escapist fun at its best, and killing one half of the couple would be too much for this viewer to stomach.  I think the actors would rather end the show too than go on with a new costar.  It's not like Castle's great art or the network is going to offer them gazillions, so it's just not worth it to continue with a whole reinvention in my opinion.

 

It's highly embarrassing, what makes fans act this way? They come over as hysterical teenagers, may be they are.

 

I don't know if they are teenagers but a lot of them certainly don't have any sense or sense of courtesy and boundaries.  The tweets about the actors' personal lives are the worst.  No wonder we never get any public interaction between them anymore.

[readster]

She didn't really go into that. She did say when she was reading the original story, she could see Alexis at her age trying to break away more and be her own person. Which she understood because you suddenly want to be an adult or consider yourself an adult and make decisions you figure people will be happy with the choices you make or won't. She liked that part of the story but said it just didn't go really as planned, there was negative feedback and as she said. The story ended early so they didn't really have much time regroup. They just had to end it and move on. She says she has loved working with the entire cast for a while and even said that Ashley, the former boyfriend she wanted more to go with the story. However, he was split between Castle and Secret Life of a Teenager, they couldn't work out a deal with Brenda Hampton to have him more or deal with other aspects of a serious boyfriend. She even made a joke about if Alexis was still a virgin or not. In the long run, she said its a job and you have to work with it and you have a lot of expectations out of what you want to do in acting or what your part will be about. Since this has been more of a regular series for her for the last several years she was hoping Alexis would do even more in the following season. Of course, we saw how that went now.

 I also asked her about Superman:Brainiac since she did the voice of Supergirl in it. She said it was a lot of fun and would love to do one with Nathan since he does the voice of Green Lantern in the DC animated movies. 

Edited April 15, 2015 by readster

[pepper]

The way I see it, it doesn't matter if Fillion has more mass appeal. The masses who are sci-fi fans or even Fillion fans are not necessarily "Castle" viewers. And the show is arguably past its prime, so a new Castle-centric spin is unlikely to draw droves of replacement fans for the Katic followers who will leave, or people like me who have no interest in continuing to watch if either lead leaves. I'd be surprised if ABC would consider the show viable if either of them chooses to leave.

[madmaverick]

Thanks again for sharing, readster.  Molly sounds like she's got a good head on her shoulders.  Can't be easy being a young actress in Hollywood, and even as a series regular on a show, I imagine you've got to get used to being at the writers' whims, and get used to encountering negative fan feedback both against your character, and even against your person. ;)

 

I take her point about Alexis wanting to grow into her own person and make her own choices.  I think we've all experienced that.  What I had a problem with was the dismissive, disrespectful attitude Alexis seemed to have acquired against her father that I don't recall being a trait in her before.  It made Alexis unlikeable and unenjoyable to watch, especially as she was characterised as not needing to apologise to her father, who was presented as the one who needed to make amends. It didn't feel like she had really learned from her growing pains and mistakes and that was a disservice to the character.  (I don't know why but it feels like Castle's almost always the one apologising to the women in his life even when both parties are at fault, or he's been wronged.)  

 

Lol at whether Alexis is a virgin or not.  Kind of don't want to think about that!  But I hope her future storyline is about Alexis' hopes and aspirations rather than involving any boy drama.  I've had my fill of that after Pi and the whole following in Ashley's footsteps debacle.  I'd like to see Alexis be her own woman. 

Edited April 15, 2015 by madmaverick

[madmaverick]

Promo pics are out for "In Plane Sight" (press 'load more' to see all pics): http://www.disneyabcpress.com/abc/shows/castle/photos/

 

Castle is overdue for a new plaid shirt. ;)  I prefer non plaid but plaid if you will, Luke.  Just get the poor millionaire something new to wear. 

 

Beckett's straight hair reminds me of S4 (?).  And her shirt is so baggy it makes me wonder if she's wearing Castle's shirt while he's away. 

 

Alexis looks really young here.

Edited April 15, 2015 by madmaverick

[verdana]

Baggy shirt you know what that's going to start with some fans - pregnancy rumors heh.

[cappuccino]

 

Question: I won’t ask about Castle‘s renewal chances, but they started shooting the last episode last week, so I hope there is something you can share about it!? —Mandy

Ausiello: Outside of what showrunner David Amann shared with Inside Line, plus this bit of guest casting, all I can add at this point is that the Season 7 finale finally has a title — and it’s… “Hollander’s Woods,” which of course is a reference to the “password” that Not Henry Jenkins used to earn Rick’s trust after his vanishing. BONUS SCOOP: Nathan Fillion and Stana Katic remain in deep negotiations with ABC on another season and I’m told this one could go down to the proverbial wire.

Ask Ausiello

[verdana]

Here's some more of the same ones grouped together on this blog. X  And a good selection of them here at starstrucksarah. 

 

And a good close up of Beckett here. 

Edited April 15, 2015 by verdana

[readster]

I had a feeling the way they were talking that episode 20 was going into episode 23. Leaving two episodes of filler that have nothing to do with what happens in 20. So, we are going to see what Castle's big secret is that he has told no one but "mythology guy."

Edited April 15, 2015 by readster

[Gant]

I think the show Castle could go on without one or the other of the leads (not both)....because seriously, as viewers where ya gonna go? 

The way I see it, none of Castle’s main characters is interesting enough, or whole and real enough, to hold the show together on their own, without the help of chemistry, banter and familiarity of all players in their old places. Even much stronger character-driven shows suffer, and often can’t  fully recover, after losing one of the key players, so with Castle that barely holds on its last legs with everyone intact, as oberon said, what can we expect? While RC seemed like a charming and promising character with a potential to become a really strong and complicated one in the first seasons, he has been shedding layers and substance for many seasons now to the point that now he is just a functional mechanism for delivering jokes and OT behavior. But all that has already been discussed to death here and on TwoP. KB started out similarly promising, and then encountered an opposite problem of “substance abuse”. She has so much of it now, and of such different variety, that literally any facet of her multidimensional character with a capital M can be called out to serve a plot point, and no one would be surprised IMO. Last year she’s even added the “dumb” feature lol, which is a direction I personally would have never believed possible for the show to venture in. 

 

It’s telling that after proclaiming “the season of Castle” (after a false start in season 5 I believe, when AM also promised the Castle focus) writers found themselves unable to think up anything remotely deep, complicated and interesting about Castle’s psyche, work, past, present or future. Guess going with no development of the title character for 6 seasons, kind of backfires huh? Who could’ve known.  Castle with just Castle, and with the quality of writing we have now, would be a very boring show that would seem (on paper) destined to survive on one-liners and fun, yet it hasn’t been able to deliver a worthy one-liner in a couple of seasons now (can’t recall one, honestly), and I don’t see this situation changing after losing Beckett. What mad maverick said about ruining the lightheartedness of the character and show by killing off his “true love”, or even just giving them marriage troubles and making her a guest part, is also true of course. It would kill any leftover integrity Castle still has as a character.

 

If the Castle show would be inhumanly boring, the thought of a Beckett show makes me shudder. I imagine all clichés that’s been accumulated on TV about “silent strong suffering types” and “badass mysterious strong women cops with hidden depths types” being literally poured into this show by grateful writers who seem to really adore this stuff. ItBotB for 23 episodes a year with an occasional Colin Hunt or Vaughn thrown in, with ungodly amounts of mary-sueing and waterboarding, that’s the only possibility I can conjure for  the KB show, and it’s just about the least favorite kind of narrative for me.

 

So even if one of the leads really is reluctant to continue (doesn’t seem likely as negotiations are still on) and the network for some reason thinks about going forward with only one of them, I don’t see how they could go about it without completely rebooting the show — in its 8th year, with declining ratings and no critical success. New writers, new team, new characters, new arcs. It seems like too much trouble and too much money with at the very least dubious chance to succeed (no chance IMO). Better risk it with a new show, at least start with a clean slate and new hope.

Edited April 15, 2015 by Gant

[verdana]

Beckett's straight hair reminds me of S4 (?).  And her shirt is so baggy it makes me wonder if she's wearing Castle's shirt while he's away. 

 

That shirt doesn't look particularly flattering but they do say that married couples up end dressing alike so may be this is the start of her mirroring Castle's look of old fashioned, ill fitting rather shapeless clothing.  Her hair looks great so glad they've got rid of that lank look with the horrible side parting. 

 

Alexis looks really young here.

 

Yeah she does, lets hope it's matched by her younger persona when she was far more relatable to me and charming, please no talking down to dad and treating him like an idiot that she needs to boss around. I want the "old" Alexis back who was usually sensible, respectful and smart. I adore the shot where she has arms around her dad and he's looking all serious aaawwwww protective daddy I love that aspect of his character.  Luke usually does a good job with Molly picking a good colour palette for her (must be a pain she's so fair skinned and that red hair) and I like the necklace she's wearing where it looks like three strands. 

 

Great post Gant.

Edited April 15, 2015 by verdana

[verdana]

Castle ‏@Castle_ABC  6 hrs6 hours ago

What could have made #Castle miss his wedding with Beckett? The truth will be revealed Monday on ABC.

https://amp.twimg.com/v/d7cbf470-7bd9-4289-acd4-e4f84da66ae5 …

 

Yeah what could have made him do that writers? It had better be worth it, that botched wedding cast a long shadow. 

[KaveDweller]

It's highly embarrassing, what makes fans act this way? They come over as hysterical teenagers, may be they are. One tweet I saw reminded Stana and Nathan about their artistic integrity with a manip of Caskett holding a baby saying S8. It's almost bullying behaviour and that's why I can't wait until this is all over with one way or another. But then I guess it won't be over with because they'll still get hit after any announcement with even more OTT outpourings.  I hope to God if they can't reach agreement and ABC pull the plug everyone connected with the show from MilMar down abandons their twitter accounts to preserve their sanity and takes a nice holiday abroad. 

 

Wait, people are harassing Stana and Nathan on Twitter about how they should renew their contracts? Really? That seems like a way to encourage them to run away.

 

The way I see it, it doesn't matter if Fillion has more mass appeal. The masses who are sci-fi fans or even Fillion fans are not necessarily "Castle" viewers. And the show is arguably past its prime, so a new Castle-centric spin is unlikely to draw droves of replacement fans for the Katic followers who will leave, or people like me who have no interest in continuing to watch if either lead leaves. I'd be surprised if ABC would consider the show viable if either of them chooses to leave.

 

I really don't see the show lasting without either Stana or Nathan.  It is about the two characters, and how they come alive when together. The star power of the actors doesn't natter if the characters aren't being interesting.

[turnitwayup]

CleverDever: How I'm spending my day...shooting episode 723

#Jennyisback #Castle http://t.co/wlRe2iOHBQ

Juliana continues to make her annual appearance since s2. Now I'm wondering why Jenny would be in an ep that probably has to do with Castle's "mythology". Tho the tvline scorecard had job promotion listed so someone could be celebrating that. Maybe Jenny is pregnant again?

Edited April 15, 2015 by turnitwayup

[verdana]

Juliana Dever ‏@CleverDever

  1m1 minute ago

How I'm spending my day...shooting episode 723

#Jennyisback #

Castle

 

Jenny is back!  They must be celebrating something as a group if she's making an appearance.

 

ETA Sorry this belonged more in the spoiler thread. 

Edited April 16, 2015 by verdana

[KaveDweller]

I wish they had given a better reason for her to be on the plane with dad, it makes Alexis look aimless and gives the character no depth. We know so little about what she's up to that it would have been nice to have something more substantial play out than keeping dad company unless there is more too it of course.  .

 

It does make her seem kind of aimless. I hope they talk about her doing something interesting while she's there and not just talk about shopping like they did in the 2-parter.  Not that there's anything wrong with shopping, but who flies all the way to Europe every couple months? Or is that a rich people thing?

 

But obviously the writers just came up with the idea for murder on a plane and worked backwards to explain them being on one with Beckett in the precinct to support them.  It will probably be a throwaway line about how she's going as company because Beckett still doesn't have vacation days (even though it's been almost a year since Castle went missing so they must refill soon.

 

I think everyone was laughing or eye-rolling hard at "itching to tell"

 

It always make me laugh when they talk about what they wish they could do.  They write it they have control of what happens on the show.  I know the network has some say, but still.  I don't think ABC would tell them not to do interesting storylines.

[verdana]

Wait, people are harassing Stana and Nathan on Twitter about how they should renew their contracts? Really? That seems like a way to encourage them to run away.

 

I'm sure fans think it does no harm showing how passionately they care but it's not fair. I've seen quite a few messages advising people to stop tweeting the cast and crew with endless pleadings because it could end up doing more harm than good.

 

I'm not sure when the earliest announcement might be made about the show's future? Would it be the upfronts in early May?  But I suppose it could drag on longer than that, goodness knows how some fans will be behaving by that stage they'll be frantic. 

Edited April 16, 2015 by verdana

[KaveDweller]

I'm sure fans think it does no harm showing how passionately they care but it's not fair. I've seen quite a few messages advising people to stop tweeting the cast and crew with endless pleadings because it could end up doing more harm than good.

 

I'm not sure when the earliest announcement might be made about the show's future? Would it be the upfronts in early May?.  But I suppose it could drag on longer than that, goodness knows how some fans will be behaving by that stage they'll be frantic. 

 

Several networks have already announced renewals, so it could be anytime.  But for the past couple years ABC has waited until right before the upfronts.  The only announcement they've sort of made this year was about How to Get Away With Murder being renewed, and that wasn't even an official announcement, it was a promo.

[turnitwayup]

btwprod: What do we have in common? Maryland representing! http://t.co/SFTsYfnbYa

Ooh Lance Reddick. So maybe he's playing a politician or working for one. Possible higher up at 1PP since he has played a few cops. I wouldn't mind that he's Gates's husband either.

Between the pic & Juliana's it's likely they're celebrating. Guessing someone is getting promoted or an award.

[KaveDweller]

Ooh Lance Reddick. So maybe he's playing a politician or working for one. Possible higher up at 1PP since he has played a few cops. I wouldn't mind that he's Gates's husband either.

Between the pic & Juliana's it's likely they're celebrating. Guessing someone is getting promoted or an award.

 

Celebration doesn't really fit with the Hollander's Woods title though, does it?

[tljgator]

From TV|Line:

 

Perhaps the Castle finale takes place in an alt-universe?

Fringe vet Lance Reddick will guest-star in the ABC drama’s hush-hush Season 7 closer, an ABC rep confirms to TVLine. Details on his character — and the episode’s overall storyline — are being kept under wraps.Castle co-star Penny Johnson Jerald unintentionally broke the Reddick casting news Wednesday when she tweeted a photo of the actor on set.  Previously, showrunner David Amann told TVLine that the finale will “focus on compelling, high-stakes story-telling surrounding Castle and Beckett mythology,” and that it’d offer a “satisfying end to the season‎.” (Reminder: Castle has not yet been renewed for an eighth season.)  As TVLine previously scooped, the Castle finale will also feature a guest turn by CSI vet Wallace Langham.

[McManda]

I'm not sure when the earliest announcement might be made about the show's future? Would it be the upfronts in early May?.  But I suppose it could drag on longer than that, goodness knows how some fans will be behaving by that stage they'll be frantic.

 

Like KaveDweller said, they won't announce anything officially until either right before upfronts, but more likely that day of a few days after when they do a whole network renewal announcement. There could be a scenario where ABC renews the show and contract negotiations are still ongoning and that's best case scenario (besides a positive resolution), because that means everyone is still open to those negotiations. Worst case scenario is that it might reach a point where ABC just decides that they're not going to reach a deal and cancels the show (which is basically what happened with Gilmore Girls), but that would happen before or at renewal announcement time. I feel like the first hurdle, right now, would be getting an official announcement of a renewal from ABC because that indicates that ABC is willing to negotiate more. Then we'd be in a situation like The Big Bang Theory was a few years ago, where the show was renewed but the cast was still hammering out new contracts. It would be a much more secure feeling than this feeling of just not knowing.

[WendyCR72]

But BBT's renewal was never in doubt: It was renewed LAST season for TWO (or three?) more seasons, so that wasn't a factor. Probably also because BBT still is a big hit.

 

And I have never recalled ABC announcing any renewals until the network was sure shows were locked in with contracts, etc.

[FlickerToAFlame]

@Connellybooks: On the set of @Castle_ABC. I finally met Beckett. http://t.co/C6zLQQ4dG5