ANALYZING THE ARC
I’ve long been a fan of the television industry, a medium in which storytelling is perhaps at its best and most effective simply due to the fact that a television show, unlike a film or a novel or a piece of art, has the ability to take us into the story each and every week for years on end. We unknowingly and undoubtedly become more attached to these stories and characters than we would in any other type of storytelling, something that perhaps stems from the fact that we get to live through their continuing story for as long as a show is on the air. There’s something remarkable and special about television for that reason and it’s why I’ve always been more taken by this medium than any other because I enjoy getting caught up in the lives and stories of the characters I’m most captivated by and when I first embarked into the Castle world, it was truly like I had found the epitome of what television should and could be about. A wonderfully written show with so much more depth than what I ever would have expected from a dramedy/procedural as it was always described to be. Under the surface, it was a clever, deep, and powerful love story being told, all while being surrounded by witty comedy, smart dialogue, and more intelligent subtext and meaning behind every word and action that anything I had previously seen on television. For me, none of that has changed.
I know fans are split, as they often are, and I find myself wondering often why that is with this particular storyline. I have a dear friend who has not enjoyed the current storyline but understands why it’s happened the way it has and understands why Kate made the decision she made. For her, it’s just a personal preference that she would rather see the joy and happiness in the Castles’ marriage than the conflict and longing of their past struggles. I can appreciate that.
But I’ve also seen a lot written by online fans who seem to dislike the storyline because they feel it’s out of character for Kate or because it lacks logic and that’s where I find myself struggling to grasp why there’s such a different take on it than the one that I have. Maybe part of it is that I don’t understand the lack of faith in showrunners who, as longtime writers on the show themselves, gave us moments like the best handshake ever, hair-twirling nervousness, the “don’t worry, Castle, I’d get you out” promise coming to fruition, “you’re not so bad yourself” and the great LA hotel scenes, dealing with the pain of PTSD in a stunning way, a classic 40s gumshoe story, the honeymoon, and Beckett finally slapping cuffs on Bracken. Honestly, writers like this don’t go from brilliance like the above-mentioned stories to being “bad writers” as some may put it (and often with much stronger wording than that). Have we not learned that through these difficult situations always comes not only some great emotional drama but also a plethora of great joy afterward? There has always been a greater purpose, even if we haven’t been able to see it until hindsight gives us the ability to look back and understand why the story had to take the path it did at any given time. These are the professionals, the people who dedicate their life’s work to bringing us a story and characters we can invest in. But this isn’t a Choose Your Own Adventure novel so we don’t get to decide how the story is told, nor should we. Just like with most things in life, that is best left to the professionals.
I’m left wondering if the discord amongst some facets of the online fandom is a case of people’s own personal expectations, ideas they have in their own minds about how the story should be told or who the characters are, or if it’s simply a case of some fans focusing on a vastly different intention or a vastly different rationale for the current storyline than others. Like I said, I understand those who don’t like the storyline because they prefer lighter, happier episodes, or because they just don’t like seeing Castle and Beckett apart, but there are some other opinions I’ve read that I can’t wrap my head around and I think it could be merely that there is a different element of the initial lead-in to the separation that some fans are focused on rather than what I’ve focused on instead. There’s no right or wrong answer, merely the one each of us as members of the audience take out of what we see and hear. Part of the reason why I no longer participate in certain facets of the online fandom is because I used to enjoy the way fans would analyze the greater purpose for a storyline or dissect the motivations of the characters as a means of finding a deeper understanding for what we were seeing week to week and that’s not something I see much of anymore, outside of some one-on-one discussions I’ve had with fans, comments left for me here or on Twitter, or weekly episode discussions on STR’s podcast, and it’s turned me off of being a participant in arenas where more time is spent criticizing rather than analyzing and understanding.
So I wanted to take some time to dissect the current storyline and share my thoughts on something that I believe may be the root of the different ways of seeing this arc. But before those who disagree decide to light up the comment section with dismissive or insulting comments, please know that this is just my way of looking at the storyline and in no way is it meant to be promoted as the right way to look at it, merely what I believe is my own truth in the story as it stands today.
Looking back at those final scenes in “XX”, I do wonder if part of why fans see this situation so differently could be a matter of which portion of Rita’s conversation with Beckett we are focused on more as the motivation for the decision she made immediately after that. I’ve read comments that make me think that perhaps some have put the focus on what Rita said about her own relationship with Jackson Hunt, that they’ve had to live most of their lives together completely separate because their relationship and each other in general could be used as leverage against them while they spend their lives challenging and crossing the most evil criminals in the world. While I do believe that was an important part of their conversation, I also think that was meant to be more of a warning to Kate that living her life constantly chasing down bad guys or on the run from them could eventually lead to she and Castle being in that same situation.
But the part of their conversation that I believe motivated Kate the most to make the decision she made was the end of the conversation, the words that Kate was left with to ponder over as she and Rita parted ways. Rita told her, “Dive down that rabbit hole if you must. But think twice about who you bring with you. Because unlike McCord and her team, anybody who dies now, that blood is on you.” To me, these words seem to align more so with the decision Kate made to leave Castle and move out of the loft, all while reassuring him that she loved him and would do whatever she had to do to find her way back to him afterward if he would still be willing to take her back. Kate knew she couldn’t leave this mystery unsolved. After all, five of her previous team members were murdered to cover up something that she unknowingly uncovered while using her newfound fed resources to find a way to take Bracken down before she eventually did just that. How could she turn her back on finding justice for them, especially with that sense of guilt that she clearly felt at that point? But she knew that going back down that rabbit hole would be a dangerous mission, one that she couldn’t turn away from but also one that Castle certainly wouldn’t let her go on alone. So was Rita’s warning that she needed to be careful who she took down that rabbit hole with her get deep enough in her mind to convince her that the only way to protect Castle from getting involved and putting his life on the line and risking his blood being on her hands was to push him away and separate herself from him?
For me, I don’t think this really has anything to do with her trying to hide that Castle is someone she loves, someone important to her, and someone who could be used as leverage against her. If that was the case, she would have had to go further with her plan, perhaps file for divorce or put something out there publicly that they were splitting up, and push him away in a much stronger way than just moving out of the loft. If not, anyone keeping an eye on her would clearly know that they were still married, still in love, still working together from time to time, and still very much a part of each other’s lives despite their living apart. If her plan was to pretend that he wasn’t someone important to her, I think she would have gone to extremes to do that, not just get her stuff and move out of the loft. And she would have likely been more prone to going into hiding altogether, leaving her job, her family, and her friends behind so nobody she was tied to could be used as leverage against her.
The way I see it, Rita was right about the fact that by putting the conspiracy out there publicly, it forced those involved in this Loksat cover-up to pull back, make Allison Hyde take the fall while also silencing her, and then go back into hiding to keep anyone from investigating this further. Keeping themselves a secret and keeping whatever Loksat is a secret was their prime focus. So they wouldn’t be actively hunting down Kate Beckett anymore provided she seemed to believe that the mystery was solved and that Hyde really was the one behind this all and that her death would put it all to rest for good. The only reason for them to go after her at this point, knowing that it would only put them back in the spotlight and have other law enforcement back on their trail, would be if she was actively chasing after them. So there was no need for Kate to go into hiding, no need for her to worry about separating herself from anyone who they could go after to get to her, and no need for her to do anything other than continue on with her life as if nothing had changed.
Of course, she knew that Castle would never let her investigate this without him and that he would insist on getting involved. He had already reminded her of what a great team they were together, how she should never take things on like this without him, and how they shouldn’t have secrets between one another. So how was she supposed to investigate this and tell him what she was doing but ask him to stay out of it? And even if she wanted to, she knew he would never go for that. What choice did she have if she was intent on investigating this while also making sure that he didn’t get himself involved and put his life at risk to help her? If she was willing to go down that rabbit hole again, that was her choice, but she knew she couldn’t let him go down there with her because she couldn’t live with herself if anything happened to him. Like Rita said, his blood would be on her hands and how could she ever forgive herself for that?
The way I see it, Kate had no option but to separate herself from him, at least temporarily. This investigation was something she would have to hide from everyone and while she knew she could hide it at work or from others in her life, how could she hide it from her husband who she worked with during the day and then spent her nights with afterward? The shady phone calls taken in the other room, the secret escapes from the loft at all times of the day or night with no reasonable explanation, the fact that she would have to lie to him daily rather than just not tell him the whole truth as she’s able to do by separating from him instead, perhaps all of that seemed to be something she needed to avoid if she ever did want to save her marriage after all of this was over. So, right or wrong, she decided what she decided. And she did make it clear, abundantly in fact, that this had nothing to do with her feelings for him. She told him repeatedly that she loved him and wanted to be with him and did share the partial truth that she just had to deal with something and figure something out before she could return home to him. Aside from telling him the whole truth, which would defeat the purpose of her separating herself from him in the first place, there was really nothing more she could say or do to reassure him and give him hope while also keeping him protected by ensuring he wouldn’t find out what she was getting herself involved in.
Castle’s not a foolish man and I’m sure he knew enough to piece together than the timing of this, the recent events, and the fact that he had seen her act this way before would suggest that this had everything to do with her continuing to investigate this mystery, even if he didn’t fully understand why she felt she had to do that on her own. She asked for time and space to get this done and while he tried to talk her out of it, I think he ultimately showed a lot of trust in her to step back and let her go. If she felt she needed to do this alone, he knew he couldn’t really stop her. And fighting her on it would only make it worse, especially when she was clear on her intentions. Perhaps his “I will win her back” routine was partially for the benefit of his family or for her benefit as well, a means of showing her that he would do anything he could to have her back in his life and to keep his family from believing that something more was wrong than what they saw themselves. At the same time, his finding ways to continue working with her could have also been a means of trying to convince her that they really are such a perfect team that she should reconsider keeping him in the dark about whatever it was that she was investigating. And maybe, deep down, Castle’s previous failed marriages played a part in it as well, the fact that he had ultimately pushed away both of his other wives and suspected that maybe while Kate did love him, there was a part of her that was questioning those same things that ended up forcing Gina and Meredith away. Getting that reinforcement in the last episode that Kate truly did love him and meant what she said about coming home to him whenever she was done doing what she needed to do was likely exactly what he needed to remind him that she really was different from his past wives and that their relationship, their love, was the real deal. I wouldn’t be surprised if this is what pushes Castle past that initial stage of blaming himself and trying to right whatever he thought he could have done wrong to push her away and focus instead on following his instincts that have been telling him all along that Kate’s getting into something she doesn’t want him involved in and starts to investigate this for himself, ultimately getting himself involved in the end.
And I guess that takes us back to the beginning again, asking ourselves why Kate made this decision in the first place. I’ve heard people say it’s out of character for her but is it really? Isn’t it actually exactly in her character to do this? This is someone who has dedicated her entire adult life to seeking justice for those who couldn’t fight for it themselves. So when five of her former team members at the AG’s office were murdered, five innocent people who did nothing wrong, all because of her own personal actions and her quest to find justice for her mother, how could she not feel a sense of responsibility and guilt and feel like she needed to fight for them now as well? Sure, she thought she had put her mother’s murder behind her but now her drive to do exactly that brought forth even more questions, even more evil, and even more death. And while Rita did her best to convince her that their blood was not on her hands, it was clear that Kate couldn’t let it go. Isn’t that really the Kate we all know? Isn’t that who she is at her very core? And really, isn’t that part of why Castle fell in love with her, why he thought she was extraordinary in the first place? So let’s not ask ourselves why he’s so accepting of what she’s doing right now and instead ask ourselves if he would really expect any less or, in actuality, want her to be any less than who she is, who he fell in love with?
Kate had to make the ultimate sacrifice to do what she felt was right, to avenge McCord and her team, to wash their blood off of her hands and not have them die in vain. These were also people who sacrificed their lives to save others, just as Kate does, so what more fitting way would there be for them to leave this earth than doing it in a way that would cause justice to be served and a dangerous person or organization taken out of this world to make it that much safer for everyone else? But to do this, to honour their memory and to find justice for them, and to take down someone who is clearly much more dangerous than even Bracken was, Kate would have to walk away from her marriage to protect her husband and her newfound family. Not because she thinks her not living there will keep him from being a target, rather just because she can’t let him follow her down that rabbit hole and she can’t lie to him every day and sneak around behind his back to try to keep the truth from him. Separating herself was the more sensible solution and she did everything she could to reassure him that she was only leaving him because she had to take care of something on her own and not because she didn’t love him anymore or didn’t want to be with him anymore.
The truth is that Kate would be more than just content to be Rick’s wife if her job, her life’s work, and her dedication to justice would allow that. Most days, it does. On this particular day, it didn’t. But imagine having to make that decision, having to hurt the man you love only to keep him safe from harm, to walk into the fire alone even though you know you’re better off walking through it with him than apart from him, and having to put your own life on the line never knowing if you’ll have the chance to return home to that life at all. And all the while, Kate has played the villain. She’s allowed her friends and family to look at her as the bad guy, the one who walked out on her husband with no explanation to any of them as to why, and she hasn’t looked back even though we’ve seen moments where it’s killed her to do that, all because she believes she’s doing what’s best for everyone involved, especially Castle. And imagine having to see the pain in his eyes, the longing to get their marriage back again, and the desperation to go to such extremes for her, knowing you’re the cause of all of that pain but also knowing that you can’t let him know what the truth is or he’ll put his life on the line to protect you instead.
For me, this storyline has opened the door to such powerful emotions, moments that have left me as speechless and choked up as ever before. I don’t see it as a contrived attempt to create unnecessary conflict or a misguided effort to regain the spark of longing from the past seasons. I see it more so as an exploration into those old demons that we think we’ve rid ourselves of but are always stirring just under the surface, both for Kate and for Rick. It’s a way to have the married version of Castle and Beckett be challenged by something they can’t necessarily tackle together, at least not at this current moment, and a way to delve into the emotional conflicts that they used to feel with that push and pull between them, only heightened more so now because they are a married couple and there is much more on the line now than ever. But more than anything, I see it as an obstacle they need to and will overcome together when all is said and done, one that has and will continue to bring out those great and powerful emotions that this creative team have always been so stellar at delving into. And when the dust settles and we’ve moved on from the current arc, this couple that have made it through tougher times than this will be stronger and more dedicated than ever to marching on ahead and finding that joy and happiness in their lives again. At least until the next obstacle comes their way that they’ll tackle together. After all, isn’t that was great love stories are about? Beating the odds.
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