S08.E02: XX (2)

[McManda]

Wait.

 

Wait, wait, wait.

 

I'm bothered by the last shot of the episode. Beckett is in tears in the hallway, she turns around like she wants to go back, but when she turns back to the camera ... the tears are gone. I know this is wishful thinking, but is it really going to be more of a ruse? Lip service to keep whoever was Bracken's partner off their trail? I know hal said no, but there's something about that last shot that feels wrong with where they were going. It feels weird to me because Stana did everything else really well.

 

I'm so confused. (And still upset.)

[KaveDweller]

In that last scene I seriously felt like I was watching an alcoholic fall off the wagon.

 

I hope Stana Katic is getting paid a lot for having to play Beckett blowing up the relationship they'd spent 7 years establishing.

[moodyblue]

Also, while I understand the appeal of those earlier days, it's surely not a sustainable plan --- they can only drag it out for one season at most.

 

A season? I don't even think they have that long.

[tljgator]

Ooh, it's up already? Bedtime might wait ...

 

Actually, I can't seem to find it. :(

I didn't wait for the special email, I just clicked the Castle picture after logging in and from there you could select the nightly poll. I was waiting out my fantasy football team anyway, so I stayed up late to detail all the many ways this episode managed to baffle, sadden, and enrage me.  Twas cathartic, whether TPTB care or not, lol.

[some1105]

To be absolutely, blatantly awful about it, I don't care that Beckett's mom was murdered.  Not in the I'm tired of this storyline way, but in the straight out so what kind of way.  Beckett is choosing to address the destruction of the life of a dead person in a manner that is destroying the lives of living people that she supposedly loves.  To me, that is ridiculously, beyond the pale selfish.  If the people who run this show want to write her that way, fine.  But then they should see it through, and Castle should not take her back.  This marriage and personal relationship should be over, and she should continue to live her life as a single person, without obligations to others that she has no intention of meeting.

[Chado]

I'm bothered by the last shot of the episode. Beckett is in tears in the hallway, she turns around like she wants to go back, but when she turns back to the camera ... the tears are gone. I know this is wishful thinking, but is it really going to be more of a ruse? Lip service to keep whoever was Bracken's partner off their trail? I know hal said no, but there's something about that last shot that feels wrong with where they were going. It feels weird to me because Stana did everything else really well.

I thought it was just showing more emphasis on Beckett's focus being on the case/getting "justice". She was determined/resolved to doing it. I don't think it was anything aside from showing her commitment to her bad decision. I could be wrong of course /shrug

[KaveDweller]

Wait.

 

Wait, wait, wait.

 

I'm bothered by the last shot of the episode. Beckett is in tears in the hallway, she turns around like she wants to go back, but when she turns back to the camera ... the tears are gone. I know this is wishful thinking, but is it really going to be more of a ruse? Lip service to keep whoever was Bracken's partner off their trail? I know hal said no, but there's something about that last shot that feels wrong with where they were going. It feels weird to me because Stana did everything else really well.

 

I'm so confused. (And still upset.)

 

I thought her look at the end was to show she was turning her mind to catching this new big bad.

 

A season? I don't even think they have that long.

 

The longer it lasts, the more damage it does to the relationship.  I could see a reconciliation after a couple episodes working, but I don't get how they could keep them apart long term and expect to just go back to the happy couple thing.

[lion10]

I love Beckett.  She's badass without compromising her femininity and she's funny and smart and driven and beautiful.  That said, she's being a terrible wife to Castle and I feel so bad for him.  She's running off again to chase some lead that may get her killed, thus putting him (and his/their family) in second place again.  I think it's clear that Castle genuinely wants the relationship more than Beckett does at this point and it shows through her actions.  If she loves Castle, then why isn't she there for him?

 

Aside from my frustrations about Caskett, I liked the episode, though Beckett insisting she could trust the guy who faked his identity was very strange to me, especially with Castle and the boys telling her otherwise.  Castle shooting the assassin using the desk gun was awesome and I liked that the writers wrote him as competent! Castle instead of the doofus Castle that was shown last season.

[moodyblue]

Just to be sure I got this right; the new big bad that's bigger than all the other big bads doesn't have anything to do with the murder of Beckett's mom. Did I get that right? He or she is just connected to Bracken, how I don't really remember and don't really care all that much. I just don't have it in me this season to care about a new conspiracy.

[BellyLaughter]

To be absolutely, blatantly awful about it, I don't care that Beckett's mom was murdered.  Not in the I'm tired of this storyline way, but in the straight out so what kind of way.  Beckett is choosing to address the destruction of the life of a dead person in a manner that is destroying the lives of living people that she supposedly loves.  To me, that is ridiculously, beyond the pale selfish.  If the people who run this show want to write her that way, fine.  But then they should see it through, and Castle should not take her back.  This marriage and personal relationship should be over, and she should continue to live her life as a single person, without obligations to others that she has no intention of meeting.

I think they really, really erred in their assumptions that fans would feel sorry for Beckett.  Like REALLY erred.  All they have to do is check out Twitter, Tumblr and various message boards and comments sections of certain entertainment websites.  Burning Beckett at the stake is pretty much par for the course at the moment.  

Just to be sure I got this right; the new big bad that's bigger than all the other big bads doesn't have anything to do with the murder of Beckett's mom. Did I get that right? He or she is just connected to Bracken, how I don't really remember and don't really care all that much. I just don't have it in me this season to care about a new conspiracy.

That was my take away and makes ALL of this 1000% worse.  

[McManda]

I thought it was just showing more emphasis on Beckett's focus being on the case/getting "justice". She was determined/resolved to doing it. I don't think it was anything aside from showing her commitment to her bad decision. I could be wrong of course /shrug

 

You're probably not wrong. I think it was a bad directing choice, though.

 

A season? I don't even think they have that long.

 

They'll get at least their 22 episodes, but other than that ...

... and here's to them not spending the whole 22 episodes apart. I don't even care what happens beyond that.

 

I didn't wait for the special email, I just clicked the Castle picture after logging in and from there you could select the nightly poll.

Oh, I found it. It was shorter than last week's.

[WendyCR72]

Prediction: Beckett will find out she's pregnant and that will be the show's way to extract her from this conspiracy mess.

 

So they get back together because of a baby? Yeah, that's smart. (Sorry, sarcasm not directed at you, but the idea of "Together for the kids" never ends well.)

[FlickerToAFlame]

@ThatsSoAbbyBlog: Was the burning S'morelette a call back to "like a house on fire?" #Castle

[Chado]

You know what really irritates me about all of this. I was lead to believe/assume that Beckett was breaking up with Castle to protect him. Which is/was a complete lie.

 

Her actions are what will bring Castle danger in the future, breaking up with him or not, he wouldn't be at risk to that exposure if it wasn't for her actions. I just don't get how you justify it. The conversation with Rita near the end was the nail in the coffin as far as I'm concerned, it showed how Beckett was given a choice, all along I thought she was choosing the best of a bad situation, but it wasn't like that at all.

 

I know this interview coming up will try to reassure how their relationship is what is important to the show...and how Castle will try to convince her that she was wrong to do it alone...but honestly? I don't want to see that from Castle. I think it's time we see actions from Beckett that are pro-relationship, it shouldn't need to come from Castle.

Edited September 29, 2015 by Chado

[KaveDweller]

Just to be sure I got this right; the new big bad that's bigger than all the other big bads doesn't have anything to do with the murder of Beckett's mom. Did I get that right? He or she is just connected to Bracken, how I don't really remember and don't really care all that much. I just don't have it in me this season to care about a new conspiracy.

 

The new big bad (he needs a nickname) was Bracken's partner and protected him through all his years of bad deeds, but no .  So Braken probably would have been caught earlier if not for this new guy, but new guy didn't kill Joanna.

 

I love Beckett.  She's badass without compromising her femininity and she's funny and smart and driven and beautiful.  That said, she's being a terrible wife to Castle and I feel so bad for him.  She's running off again to chase some lead that may get her killed, thus putting him (and his/their family) in second place again.  I think it's clear that Castle genuinely wants the relationship more than Beckett does at this point and it shows through her actions.  If she loves Castle, then why isn't she there for him?

 

I will say, I think until the end of this episode, Beckett has been a pretty great wife for Castle.  She was supportive when he did his PI thing, she helped him investigate his missing time, and seemed willing to do anything to keep him happy.

 

Which is why her choice here is so frustrating and annoying.  It's out of character and unbelievable to me.

 

I do disagree with the idea that Castle should just turn around and never speak to her again.  One mistake shouldn't end a marriage, provided the person realizes and admits to the mistake.  The writers need to tread very carefully though.

[FlickerToAFlame]

This episode is still leaps and bounds better than 6x23, which was an embarrassment to anyone who works in TV. At least tonight was excellent up until the last minute (which was still acted excellently) whereas FBFW was 42 minutes of cluster.

[some1105]

Burning Beckett at the stake is pretty much par for the course at the moment.

 

I don't even hate Beckett that much.  I'm just completely over her relationship with Castle.  I bought into the 'ship, I let it yank me around for a while, it made me feel crappy, I've emotionally uninvested in it as a result of too much drama, and now I'm over it.  

 

If Beckett's good at her job, she should do that.  She's demonstrably bad at being in a relationship with Castle, and I don't feel like watching it anymore.  I'm not interested in some "tension" over whether Castle will inevitably take her back.  The whole thing is just pathetic and pointless, and any time spent watching this show's version of Caskett angst feels like a waste of my time on Earth.  This show has never provided meaningful material for soul-searching or philosophical insight into interpersonal relationships.  I don't want to spend time in a bad marriage--why would I want spend time in Castle and Beckett's bad marriage?

[Chado]

I do disagree with the idea that Castle should just turn around and never speak to her again.  One mistake shouldn't end a marriage, provided the person realizes and admits to the mistake.  The writers need to tread very carefully though.

Look at it the other way, do you think Castle should have to try and change her mind? win her back? Do you think Castle should just stand with his arms open wide until she decides to put their relationship first again?

 

It works both ways. The two extremes are that Castle turns his back on her and walks away (like you mentioned) or Castle looks like a submissive doormat who isn't equal to Beckett. I know which one I'm expecting (doormat Castle).

 

Agree 100% that the writers need to tread carefully...

[readster]

Just to be sure I got this right; the new big bad that's bigger than all the other big bads doesn't have anything to do with the murder of Beckett's mom. Did I get that right? He or she is just connected to Bracken, how I don't really remember and don't really care all that much. I just don't have it in me this season to care about a new conspiracy.

 

 If you think about it, it does make sense. All these ex-military guys and gals that Bracken used all these years to do his crap. There was no way that Bracken could have gotten that if he was a former SA in New York. There is going to Washington and buying things into the capital but getting all these ex-military didn't make much sense IMO. However, really, this just goes to: "This BIG BAD is the BIGGEST BIG BAD of all." Since now Kate is obsessed with this guy who really never had anything to do with her mother's murder. But of course they shoot up her police precinct and threaten her family so she is going after them. This is going to be another "new mythology" that is going to blow up in the show runners faces. I guarantee it. 

[oberon55]

I would make a list of plot holes but it would be like shooting fish in a barrel. What I will say is that so far this bold new direction sucks with a great hissing sound.

[BellyLaughter]

This is kind of like watching a sink hole open up.  There's nothing anyone can do at this point that's gonna stop it.  

[pennben]

This episode is still leaps and bounds better than 6x23, which was an embarrassment to anyone who works in TV. At least tonight was excellent up until the last minute (which was still acted excellently) whereas FBFW was 42 minutes of cluster.

 

Agreed.  I'm not really sure what they think they are doing splitting the characters up yet again, but I do think these first two episodes have been really good.  So, in that sense, I'm looking forward to watching more this season.  I'm willing to see how it plays out.

[turnitwayup]

I'm going to put $100 on her living with Vikram for the added angst element. A nice cosy 2 bedroom apartment.

 

Haha I was thinking the same thing.

 

I was so rolling my eyes at supercomputergeek!Alexis is basically doing Tory's job at the PI office. Plus that outfit and makeup at the hotel wasn't a good look either. Not like Haley's influence on Alexis. Castle is worried about her do these things like a good dad should and she's basically I'm an adult so I'll do whatever I want attitude. I have a feeling she's gonna be more bratty and know it all more than usual. I would prefer Haley if she was just working on the PI cases and Alexis nowhere near the PI office and having a life offscreen.

 

It was nice to see Martha and I would like to see a meeting between her and Rita. It could be amusing.

 

So it sounds like it's basically Beckett's fault. If she didn't run the 1st search at the AG's office and if Vikrim didn't get that alert and forward to McCord none of these people would be dead. Now she finally should just choose not to go down this rabbit hole, just let it go and be happy at her new job and with Castle, but no she chooses to be selfish. Poor Castle, based on his previous relationships and marriages, he keeps get left for something.

 

On a positive note, Castle saving the day with the gun in the desk was cool tho it did feel like it was TPW make up for kluzy!Castle in Once Upon a Time in the West. The next 2 eps would sounded more fun and interesting if it wasn't for more awkward Caskett interactions that likely won't have the same vibe as last season's PI arc.

 

It'll be interesting to see the ratings tomorrow. Jan eps are usually the lowest during the season and when last week got a 1.2 I can imaging it's gonna be really bad this mid season. They gotta know by winter break how bad they will probably have to fix it if the rating are super terrible. Since ep 14 was wrapped up before the break last season, it would give tptb a little time to get them back together if they still apart and wrap of the conspiracy in the feb sweeps 2 parter if they're planning another one. I notice tvline comments are super pissed and now I'm curious about castletv since they were so positive when I used to read the boards in s6.

[verdana]

God my head hurts after that.

 

Okay that was one hot mess and way to go writers in regressing Beckett's character back (and their relationship) as if the last three years NEVER HAPPENED.

 

Locksat is the new MOMBATROSS.

 

Beckett: "That's ridiculous!" yeah my feelings exactly after watching this pile of horse manure.

 

So let me get this shit straight if I can. Beckett's obsession is back "stronger than ever" (woo hoo!) to investigate a mystery big bad conspiracy that really has nothing to do with her dead mother because...er no idea why really and she's leaving Castle because....er no fucking idea why either. It makes no sense I'm not even going to try and figure this shit out but if someone wants to try please go ahead. 

 

What gets me most is that they had Rita give a speech to her about what she should do and she goes and inexplicably does the EXACT OPPOSITE. Urgh Unbelievably bad writing. They've focused on the worst part of Beckett's character for their main story arc. Poor Castle he loses another wife as Kate walks out the door if this was real life and Rick had any sense he'd call it quits after this because sorry she may love him but she is a lousy wife. I'm not sure I can ship them as a married couple after this, they should stay partners and good friends having sex occasionally nothing more because the writers have shit on so much of their development after this its crazy stupid.  As for having kids forget it!

 

I'm not pissed off at Beckett at all really. I don't hate her one bit. It's the writers because this was just too damn stupid for words, her actions made no sense if you've been watching this show regularly but hey if you like a NEW show then may be you'll love Castle redux! as they trip down memory lane by the looks of the promo with Castle chasing Beckett to "win" the girl having fun and pushing his way back into her life as she eye rolls but secretly loves it. Haven't we seen that before oh yeah. 

 

And that promo when you think about makes no sense either in terms of their ongoing relationship, Kate said at the end there that she hopes in time Castle will find it in his heart to forgive her (of course he will that's ingrained by now) and take her back so what the hell was all that "I'm going to win my wife back" baloney. These writers have totally lost it. They're so desperate to reboot the show they've thrown years of characterisation straight out the window and stuck two fingers up to the fanbase whilst doing it. 

 

Sad but completely predictable.

 

ABC must be happy they've got "buzz" on social media lol. 

 

 

[BellyLaughter]

They're desperately trying to find a new audience - that much is clear.  They can't write the stories (for obvious reasons) that the old audience want to see so they are blowing it up with the hope that they may find a new audience in the wreckage somewhere.  The blind item said it all -- they knew what they were doing would upset people and they don't care.  They can't care I guess - it's find a new audience or look for a new job.  It blows but it's Hollywood!

 

And to rub salt into the wounds - we are supposed to just revert back to fun and goofy Castle pretending to be some college professor, playing beer pong with a bunch of students next week.  I don't think I have ever been this insulted by a tv show before.....even Gilmore Girls S7 wasn't this pathetic.

 

Seeing some of the calmest, most rational Castle fans who occupy Tumblr losing their shit over this should tell TPTB something.....

Edited September 29, 2015 by BellyLaughter

[betsyboo]

 

I don't understand how they go from that to "it's okay, Castle will win her back" in the coming episodes. (Also, where is Beckett going? Not into hiding, clearly.) Fingers crossed they definitely kill this story line at sweeps. I honestly think this is the most disappointed I've been in this show, even though I knew it was coming.

 

 

I again liked the episode overall, but the end makes zero sense if they're still working together at times. Castle can be killed whether she's living in the loft or not. It's so contrived.

 

 

 

What a convoluted mess...I think I might have understood. So there is a bigger bad than the big bad "The dragon has awoken" Bracken? So bad that even though she is told she is safe, Beckett feels the need to drop her happiness and chase after it, but it turns into all fun and hijinks next week when Castle tries to win her back. I'm sure jealous Beckett isn't far behind since that is always so fun to watch too.

 

 

That's what I don't get.  What is she going to be doing to investigate this case?

 

I think Beckett thinks they are being "forced apart" even though she's not, because she's obsessed with this new conspiracy.  But I wouldn't have used the word break up either, since neither of them are thinking it's permanent.

 

 

Oh, I'm so glad the lot of you was so confused by this. As she left (and I was not at all happy with her decision - to be clear), I thought she was headed out into the fog to investigate the shadowy conspiracy and go into double secret probation hiding. Again, while I did not agree with her choice to leave, it at least made sense that she thought she couldn't live at home while she was investigating.(altho, as you point out, the Big Bad can still kill Castle without her living there.) I even wondered to myself how she was reconciling not only giving up her husband and home, but her new promotion.But then the scenes showed her at work...? So.... she left Castle to do what? "save" him? Hunh? And he's going to be in the precinct all the time anyway...? Wtf? #colormebefuddled

[Chado]

Verdana and Betsyboo have both brought it up, I just wish it made sense. I don't get how they can just go "back to normal" in these circumstances. Will TPTB even address it? Probably not.

[verdana]

Some other things:

 

I refer Vikram to Hayley based on this short intro.

 

I see the elite marksmen after her are really crappy shots which is good news for Beckett.

 

Castle's stepmom more tropes. I don't want to hear about Rita's sex life with Jackson Hunt that was one weird conversation in the car.

 

Beckett of course is at the "centre" of this new conspiracy but of COURSE she is, she's also very trusting of Vikram and Rita.

 

Thank God that tie travesty is now ruined due to her gunshot wound.

 

Badass Beckett sews herself up with needle and thread and a swig of alcohol was all kinds of ridiculous.

 

I'm fed up of Locksat already and the word "conspiracy" and "obsession"

 

You have stumbled over something which is so over your head! (yawn)

 

Alexis is really pissing me off, she's an adult now yeah I get it! She's not a kid anymore and dismissing her father constantly for being naturally worried about what's she's doing running around with Hayley, another stupid storyline that makes no sense. I hope she gets into serious shit soon.

 

Why is a hotel security guy letting two people with presumably no official ID check out their videos?

 

Bracken has a secret partner, using CIA resources and are willing to kill to protect their anonymity. I don't care.

 

Rita actually used the word BIG BAD lol.

[turnitwayup]

Thank God that tie travesty is now ruined due to her gunshot wound.

 

Unfortunately it's the new fall fashion so it's possible that Luke could've have more in different colors.

 

One more positive was seeing LT up and about in a sling.

[betsyboo]

Badass Beckett sews herself up with needle and thread and a swig of alcohol was all kinds of ridiculous.

 

 

Yes, thank you - was so flummoxed by the ending I forgot to point out that at no time after she was "deemed safe" (fleeting tho it was), she never sought out medical attention! I just kept thinking - you need some antibiotics and a tetanus shot STAT!

 

One more positive was seeing LT up and about in a sling.

 

yes! and this, too!!!

Edited September 29, 2015 by betsyboo

[pennben]

They're desperately trying to find a new audience - that much is clear. 

 

I can't believe that is true.  Rarely do series this old find new audiences and I can't imagine that all involved don't know that won't happen.  So I really don't see that as a motive here.  Whether they've made a wise choice for this season remains to be seen.

[metaphor]

First post-mortem with Hawley and Winter for this ep -- with Marisa Roffman.

 

“Hard choices are being made, painful choices are being made — with painful repercussions — but what drew them together will continue to draw them together,” Hawley said. “The fight for that relationship will still exist. This season will be about the journey of that relationship. Happiness is not dramatic. At the end of the day, they’ve been through so much together.” 

 

“Between the two of us, we’ve written about 25 episodes, and they’re some of the most shipper-friendly episodes in the history of the show,” Winter pointed out. “I get [any upset feelings]. The show means a lot to us, too. And that’s why we’re going to protect it. And that’s why it’s always going to be about Castle and Beckett and the love story.”

 

“There’s fun,” Hawley said. “I was here in [seasons] 2, 3, 4, before they got together. So the spark of that will they, won’t they, and how clearly they were in love with each other was palpable. That energy was palpable. That’s what this is about. It’s about that energy.” 

 

I think that last part is what some fans are worried about. Hawley may be attached to that WT/WT energy, but they've grown so much since then (or at least I thought they had. Until this episode.) And I really don't know how you snap back to that fun dynamic given how painful it must be to both parties to have to be apart like this. 

 

And then there's this from tvline, which annoyingly put the word divorce in the link of its article. Apparently, this is what the writers were going for:

 

TVLINE | I felt like she was almost speaking to the audience at that point. Like, “Put down the pitchforks, everyone….”
HAWLEY | Look, the most important thing for us is to A) tell a compelling dynamic story, but B) protect these characters. When we first started talking about doing this, the thing at the forefront was: How do we do it in a way that hopefully nobody gets mad at the characters? They can get mad at us, but… Beckett is doing this for the right reasons in her head, which is, “I have this obsession that I don’t know how to deal with yet, but if I go down this road with Castle, he could get killed.” We’ve just seen what happens when these people know you’re looking into [LOCKSAT], so she makes a conscious choice to do it without him, because she knows that no matter what she says to him, if he knows what’s going on he’s going in there with her — and she can’t have that.

Edited September 29, 2015 by metaphor

[verdana]

They're desperately trying to find a new audience - that much is clear.  They can't write the stories (for obvious reasons) that the old audience want to see so they are blowing it up with the hope that they may find a new audience in the wreckage somewhere.  The blind item said it all -- they knew what they were doing would upset people and they don't care.  They can't care I guess - it's find a new audience or look for a new job.  It blows but it's Hollywood!

I think this adds more fuel to the fire about BTS crap forcing the storyline in a direction that the writers aren't necessarily completely on board with, I don't see them making this kind of stupid dumb arse decision on an 8 year old show unless their hands are tied in some way but I'm not getting into that area of discussion any further here.  If you're part of the old audience it's a case of WTF was that I just saw! But if you're a newbie you might like this show with a persistent PI guy chasing the girl of his dreams who happens to be a police captain but this time they're both already in love. Awwwww

 

Pushing the re-set button is such a cliche at this stage. I expect to see less of them together after this I don't care how they spin it.  I fail to see how the latest plot twist will improve the romance or develop them as characters but then I'm not a showrunner. *shrug*

 

And to rub salt into the wounds - we are supposed to just revert back to fun and goofy Castle pretending to be some college professor, playing beer pong with a bunch of students next week.  I don't think I have ever been this insulted by a tv show before.....even Gilmore Girls S7 wasn't this pathetic.

Yeah that's exactly what's going to happen by the looks of that promo. The subsequent "fun" episodes will go back to Castle being goofy whilst Beckett does the "he's not working with me on this case" routine (but of course he will) which we've seen how many times before?  There's no interest in going through this all over again in terms of learning anything about the characters in my view.  I presume in her spare time Kate is meanwhile investigating this big bad conspiracy. Sigh

 

The story will unfold at the pace of the writers choosing but the excuse for their separation is silly. Castle for me has always been about the central pairing of Katic and Fillion and the show lives and dies on it.  Mess around with that too many times and you're in trouble. Fans drifted away after 6.23 and never returned in significant numbers and I can see a similar scenario happening here if this story is dragged out for long.

[threebluestars]

THIS SHOW USED TO BE FUN. It was about a writer investigating crimes with his muse! Now it's a pile of spy novel crap with some soap opera relationship drama that is completely ridiculous.

 

WHERE THE HELL IS THE SHOW I USED TO LOVE?!??!!.

[verdana]

Seems like the guards in the prison Bracken are as tight on security as those at the 12th.

 

Jesus H Christ Alexis is now a computer geek too! Stop it writers. Hayley is suitably in awe, urgh I can't with her any more.

 

She's not running away from the life she fought so hard to create = she's going to do exactly that.

 

"Call this number and say the operator you want your curtains cleaned" Seriously? These actors need extra pay for saying this kind of stuff. I know others disagree and say the dialogue is much better but sorry after two episodes I can't see any massive improvement.

 

Get the FAMILIES together? Holy Shit there are more of them!

 

Castle once again is crack shot that was handy but you know that won't last long. 

 

Beckett's speech, nice - at least she finally made it to work.

 

Haylexis carries on apace, the writers are determined I adore them together playing besties but I will not submit.

 

Rita gives her some good advice to go home to that great hubby of hers and let it go - Beckett ignores this naturally.

 

THE ENDING - Girl packs light! What about the bloody rest of it! I expected an Elizabeth Taylor collection of bags waiting outside the door. That was the biggest shock of the night for me. 

Edited September 29, 2015 by verdana

[oberon55]

Alexis is really pissing me off, she's an adult now yeah I get it! She's not a kid anymore and dismissing her father constantly for being naturally worried about what's she's doing running around with Hayley, another stupid storyline that makes no sense. I hope she gets into serious shit soon..

 

 

I thought it was great mentoring when Alexis basically tells Castle to "suck it" & Hayley says "Good job". I would have a lot more sympathy with independent Alexis if she got her own job & quit riding daddy's coattails.

[Chado]

TVLINE | What does the show Castle look like moving forward? Kate is captain, Rick is off doing the P.I. thing, we now won’t have scenes of them home together…. How different of a show will it feel like? Will it in many ways resemble last season’s P.I. arc?

HAWLEY | The gag that we launch starting in Episode 3 is having Castle figure out different ways to get involved with the cases — because to win her back, he needs to solve cases with her. That’s how they fell in love, so that’s what his plan is. We actually have a lot of fun in figuring out different ways for him to get involved.

 

WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY?, why does Castle have to win her back always?? sighasybdashdsabhdbas it was her decision to leave him, he shouldn't have to do this. This is going to make Castle look so incredibly stupid.

[FlickerToAFlame]

The TV Line interview has another subtle MilMar dig, saying that unlike past seasons there will actually be mentions of the overall season plot line each episode.

Edited September 29, 2015 by FlickerToAFlame

[turnitwayup]

So looking up Ann's age, I noticed she's basically a few yrs older than Castle so I wonder if she's suppose to play Rita much older. I think I would've much preferred Rita as a long lost half sister than step mom. It would kind of be in character for Jackson Hunt to have a few children, but never a family man cause he was always on a mission.

[metaphor]

So looking up Ann's age, I noticed she's basically a few yrs older than Castle so I wonder if she's suppose to play Rita much older. I think I would've much preferred Rita as a long lost half sister than step mom. It would kind of be in character for Jackson Hunt to have a few children, but never a family man cause he was always on a mission.

I thought the discussion about absence and increased libido was supposed to portend the separated Caskett dynamic. So maybe that's partially why they had her be his wife. 

[oberon55]

 

HAWLEY | The gag that we launch starting in Episode 3 is having Castle figure out different ways to get involved with the cases — because to win her back, he needs to solve cases with her. That’s how they fell in love, so that’s what his plan is. We actually have a lot of fun in figuring out different ways for him to get involved.

 

See this is the kind of stuff that boggles my mind sometimes. Do they even remember what they wrote just one episode ago? What about the "I wish you were coming with me" & "What would I do sit outside your door" conversation? So yesterday when they were still married & living together Castle did not want to work with her because he would be stuck in the precinct but tomorrow his cunning plan is that he will see her by working cases with her in the field. The really confusing part is his plan will work.

[verdana]

See this is the kind of stuff that boggles my mind sometimes. Do they even remember what they wrote just one episode ago? What about the "I wish you were coming with me" & "What would I do sit outside your door" conversation? So yesterday when they were still married & living together Castle did not want to work with her because he would be stuck in the precinct but tomorrow his cunning plan is that he will see her by working cases with her in the field. The really confusing part is his plan will work.

 

 

Ah yes but don't let that stand in the way of this story, logic and common sense had gone out the window here. Shut your brain off and don't think about how illogically the characters have to behave in order to make this new show work.  

 

Dipping a toe into the shallow end for a moment as well as the adorable height difference coming back into play (funny how they always emphasize it during their rows) Nathan Fillion always looks insanely hot when he's playing barely contained righteous anger. He does that so much better than when he tries to over emote with lots of crying or attempting to look hot for Beckett lol.

[verdana]

TVLINE | I felt like she was almost speaking to the audience at that point. Like, “Put down the pitchforks, everyone….”

HAWLEY | Look, the most important thing for us is to A) tell a compelling dynamic story, but B) protect these characters. When we first started talking about doing this, the thing at the forefront was: How do we do it in a way that hopefully nobody gets mad at the characters? They can get mad at us, but… Beckett is doing this for the right reasons in her head, which is, “I have this obsession that I don’t know how to deal with yet, but if I go down this road with Castle, he could get killed.” We’ve just seen what happens when these people know you’re looking into [LOCKSAT], so she makes a conscious choice to do it without him, because she knows that no matter what she says to him, if he knows what’s going on he’s going in there with her — and she can’t have that.

But when will it end? They've almost painted Beckett's character into a corner she can never escape from, how long before this big bad conspiracy ends, Castle takes her back then another incident happens and Beckett feels yet a fresh "obsession" to go on a crusade without her husband? How can Castle ever know for certain when this will be over and that he's not going to wake up one morning and find her gone again with her very small bag (lol) packed. It's just so dumb.  Will there come a time when they can convince me that Beckett is finally over her demons and she can ever be a healthy, functioning person in a marital relationship? Because they did have me convinced before this shit happened but I don't think they can do it again and I HATE that they've made me think that about a character I happen to care for - damn them.

 

What I feared would happen did when it came to their leaving scene. There is no sense that Castle has any agency over what's going on, he's just once again a rather passive observor of events and that's a mistake the writers keep making in this relationship. Kate takes a life changing decision that massively affects both of them but this time there is no happy ending. It creates this imbalance. Then to make it worse they're repeating the same tired dynamic of Castle having to chase Kate around (again) which I knew they would. What they have right now isn't a healthy marriage I don't care how many swoon worthy tumblr gifs tweens make out of them lauding their "epic" love story.  

Edited September 29, 2015 by verdana

[pennben]

 

I think this adds more fuel to the fire about BTS crap forcing the storyline in a direction that the writers aren't necessarily completely on board with, I don't see them making this kind of stupid dumb arse decision on an 8 year old show unless their hands are tied in some way but I'm not getting into that area of discussion any further here.

 

Agreed.  However, I do think they made two good episodes despite that, so I'm onboard to continue to watch.

Edited September 29, 2015 by pennben

[verdana]

Erik Altstadt ‏@EAkorn  10m10 minutes ago

What did everyone think of 802 of #Castle? With everything that's happening, where do you see it going? #EriksTeases

 

 

That's a loaded question Erik where do I see things going? Down the toilet and under 1.0 in the demo? 

[VinceW]

TVLINE | What does the show Castle look like moving forward? Kate is captain, Rick is off doing the P.I. thing, we now won’t have scenes of them home together…. How different of a show will it feel like? Will it in many ways resemble last season’s P.I. arc?

HAWLEY | The gag that we launch starting in Episode 3 is having Castle figure out different ways to get involved with the cases — because to win her back, he needs to solve cases with her. That’s how they fell in love, so that’s what his plan is. We actually have a lot of fun in figuring out different ways for him to get involved.

His explanation about what is forthcoming makes no sense at all. Fans wanted to feel some of the vibes from earlier seasons, but they are married now and a rewind is not needed to accomplish that.  It presents that this whole mess is a ruse to avoid showing them with a home life because of BTS issues.

 

Hal told us that her motive for leaving was to protect Castle, but I didn’t get that memo from watching the episode. Killing five federal agents never made sense to me without the affected federal agency executing an all out assault against the criminals. Not Beckett’s job.  I expected a weak excuse for leaving, but getting justice for her old team is just about the worse idea because it is not plausible in the short term. With her decision to suddenly leave him that way, it is hard to imagine a man wanting to have children with a woman so compulsive and obsessed with job loyalty while struggling with recurring emotional issues.

Edited September 29, 2015 by VinceW

[verdana]

Their first wedding anniversary is coming up soon and to all intents and purposes they're now separated , so much for wedded bliss. Castle was right they work better together than apart even if Beckett seems to doubt that and if the writers weren't so complacent and lacking in creativity they could generate the requisite drama they're so desperate to find by allowing them to confront and resolve things together, not creating this sad excuse that a separation must occur because one of them is supposedly trying to keep the other safe - which is another well used trope.

 

There is nothing bold or creative being done here I don't care how much spin is spun and I can't believe the writes expect me to believe it when Hawley seems stuck in the past saying things like "We’re using this to actually put the spark back in…” is so revealing. Is that an admission that they don't know any other way of creating that "spark" between them than going back to those early seasons? Doesn't say much for their writing skills, the characters have grown - or should have - you can't wipe that out and pretend it never happened - but it seems that's exactly what they intend to do. 

[Chado]

She can't be protecting him when it is her obsession with the case that would require Castle to need protection in the first place. This is a selfish response and action by her, one that is hard to defend given what we now know.

 

I assume Hal didn't fully know the conversation between Beckett and Rita near the end of the episode, because it is that confirmation (that Beckett could walk away) that makes her actions not noble at all.

[femmefan1946]

I haven't read any other comments yet, but I am willing to start a book that the superBigBad is .......

 

 

 

 

Spy!Mommy!

 

Hey, she knew where all the hit squads were going to be. She refused to identify herself in any coherent way. She knows who Castle's father is. She set the questions that made Beckett walk out on Castle.

 

The only sensible move made by anyone in this debacle was Castle shining a bright light by promising to go on a TV show-- secrets can't live in sunlight.  Maybe Beckett has become so used to being everybody's special little snowflake, that being reminded that her husband is actually smarter and cooler under pressure than she is put her pretty nose out of joint and she has to go sulk somewhere.

[verdana]

Did Beckett recover real quick from her injury or is that just me and where was her scar was it there?

 

Also on a more pressing matter what do we call the new threat to Beckett's sanity and Caskett? KaveDweller is right we need an appropriate name. Someone suggested Godzilla a while back, there's the SuperBigBad any other suggestions? 

Edited September 29, 2015 by verdana