‘Castle’
: The End Is Just The Beginning
By
Lisa Caputo
2015-05-11
Castle
reveals the chilling truth about why he became a mystery writer while Beckett
faces a possible new future in the season finale of ‘Castle’
With the show’s future still uncertain up
until this past Friday’s renewal announcement, the Castle team had a remarkable
challenge on their hands when approaching Monday’s season finale; not only did
they have to wrap up the season while presenting fresh new storylines to
explore if they were to return in the fall, but they also had to give the audience
a sense of closure should this prove to be the end of the series after all.
This is no easy task for any show and very few have done well to wrap up a
series this late into a season, but the Castle team proved once again that they
were up to the challenge, presenting the audience with a satisfying possible
conclusion to the story while also allowing for it to be a stepping stone into
a new chapter in the lives of their characters. In the midst of it all, they
also tackled one of the greatest mysteries of the series as a whole and pushed
Castle and Beckett into a new realm as individuals and as a couple. As such,
Monday’s season finale was the perfect ending and yet the perfect new beginning
as well.
Penned by the extraordinary writing team of
series creator Andrew W. Marlowe and longtime Castle writer and executive
producer Terri Edda Miller, and directed by the always incredible Paul Holahan,
Monday’s “Hollander’s Woods” found Castle facing the ghosts of his past when a
case hit a little too close to home for the mystery writer, while Beckett found
herself facing a potential new future in the most surprising of ways. It was an
hour that took the viewers into the core of who Castle and Beckett are
individually and as a couple, exploring their roots as well as their future
together, and taking us on a journey into discovery just as they began to
discover more about one another as well. Above it all, it was an exploration
into how far these two characters have come in their relationship over the
seven seasons of the series, eventually building towards what served as both a
remarkable way to say goodbye to them and a perfect way to thrust them into the
next phase of their journey together.
While much of the episode was executed in
wonderfully dramatic and cinematic style, from the eerie flashbacks of Castle’s
past to Beckett’s stirring battle through her supposed performance review, it
never lost its focus on the heart and soul of the story, something the Castle team
has always done well to keep front and center. It was a beautifully written
episode that was delivered perfectly from everyone in the cast, most notably
leads Stana Katic and Nathan Fillion, and every artistic and technical element
served to heighten all of that to a level we have come to expect from a season
finale on Castle. And while the uncertain fate of the series may have made it
necessary not to have a shocking cliffhanger ending, something this reviewer
certainly missed, the episode served its greater purpose and was not diminished
in any way by this.
The question surrounding Castle’s origin
story and what drove him to become a mystery writer has long been one of the
greatest mysteries of the series and Monday’s episode presented that story in a
way that was not only perfectly in line with his character but also provided a
great amount of emotion and depth to the episode. His experience with death at
such a young age back in Hollander’s Woods was something he wrestled with his
entire life, never knowing if it was a product of his imagination or something
that truly happened. And the fascination that came from never knowing what had
motivated this masked killer to do what he did was what prompted his drive to
find the story in everything and everyone, something that ultimately shaped his
entire life from there on out. It was an extremely intriguing origin story, one
that Fillion portrayed brilliantly as Castle struggled with their latest case
that opened the door to finally finding this masked killer and proving that
what he experienced was never a figment of his imagination.
Just as Castle stood by Beckett’s side to
help her find her mother’s killer, so too did Beckett stand by Castle as he
fought to discover the truth and finally put his childhood nightmare to rest
for good. It was beautiful to see their roles reversed in this way, with
Beckett weighing her concerns for him with her need to support him no matter
what and even showing that moment of doubt that he was perhaps seeing what he
wanted to see, just as he had experienced that doubt in her as well in the past
when solving her mother’s murder had overtaken her. In fact, the episode felt
very much in line with last season’s “Veritas”, giving Castle the closure he
needed to move on from his past and escape his own ghosts, just as Beckett did
in that episode when she finally brought Bracken to justice and was able to honour
her mother’s memory. It was this level of unconditional love, belief, trust,
and commitment to one another that was the perfect display of the depths of
this great love story of theirs that has been told over the past seven seasons.
Castle and Beckett are whole with one another as they give each other strength
in their weakest moments, confidence when they doubt themselves, and protection
when they need it most. That is the truest display of love and commitment
possible, far beyond any physical displays of affection, and that is what has
always made their story feel so much more like a classic love story than
anything else on television.
Meanwhile, Castle was not the only one facing
the demons of his past while taking stock of his future, as Beckett herself
faced a surprising and critical juncture in her professional life, one that
would certainly impact her personal life as well. Halfway through the hour,
Beckett took a break from the case to attend what was seemingly an early
performance review from her superiors and, perhaps, linked to her recently
taking her captain’s exam. While neither Gates nor Castle could help her
determine what to expect from this impromptu review of her work, nothing could
have prepared Beckett for what she was about to face. Guest star Lance Reddick
turned in a powerful performance as one of Beckett’s superiors, grilling the
detective and raking her over the coals for anything and everything she had
done in past that could be called into question as she broke rules, veered away
from protocol, and used her resources as a detective to investigate personal
matters that were well out of her own jurisdiction. It was an absolutely
heartbreaking scene at first with even Beckett’s relationship with Castle being
called into question as something that seemed to have interfered with her work
and sullied her reputation as a respectable detective.
But just as Beckett seemed to be resigned to
accept the moral and ethical pounding she had received, the stoic and strong
woman fans have loved and respected for seven seasons rose from the ashes and
took control, turning this scene into a brilliant display of her sense of
pride, self-worth, empowerment, courage, and depth of heart. Katic has always
portrayed Kate Beckett as one of the strongest and most admirable female
characters in recent history and if there was ever a scene that captured it
all, this would be the one. With every ounce of her strength and conviction,
Beckett faced her naysayers and stood her ground, giving them one of the most
stirring speeches ever written on Castle - and there have been many to choose
from, including a number of exceptional ones in this episode alone. It was a
riveting and powerful moment, one that was also perfectly poignant as it
displayed exactly who Beckett has become and how confident, proud, and at peace
she is both in regards to herself and also in regards to her husband, someone
she defended as strongly as she did herself in her speech.
As it turned out, her naysayers were nothing
of the sort. Rather, they were hoping she would fight back with such a powerful
and passionate response, proving to them that they were correct in their
assessment of her ability to defend herself and her actions. Being that she
passed their test with flying colours, they revealed to her that they wanted
her to run for the senate, seeing her as the perfect candidate that the people
of their city could depend on and someone who could make a difference without
being corrupted by the political system. While Beckett herself seemed unsure
whether or not she would embark on that path, Castle showed his support to his
wife, and the two shared a beautiful moment together on their infamous swings
at the park.
In the end, Castle finally exorcised the
demons of his past by catching the masked killer he had encountered some thirty
years ago in Hollander’s Woods, putting an end to the nightmare while also
forcing him to question whether his life would have been entirely different had
he not experienced what he did. It was rather meaningful to hear Beckett
reaffirm for him that they found each other not because of the ghosts of their
past but rather because of who they always were and always would be; two people
searching to bring justice to the world. With the theme of fate being such an
underlying element of this story from the very beginning, and Castle typically
being the one trying to convince Beckett that they were meant to be, it was rather
interesting to see Beckett being the one to convince him of that very same
thing, truly showing us how much they have grown and how much they have influenced
each other over the years.
As the episode concluded, the entire Castle family,
including the writing team who provided a fantastic cameo in the final few
minutes of the episode, gathered to witness Castle accepting his Poe’s Pen
Career Achievement Award for his writing, perhaps the greatest possible way to
bring the story full circle had this truly been the end of the series. After
all, as Castle himself said in his own very stirring and emotional speech,
“Kate, seven years ago, I thought I would never write again. And then you
walked through the door and my whole world changed. You were right, you said I
had no idea, but now I do. This is because of you. Because of us. Always.”
While the Castle family concluded the episode
with a bittersweet toast and one last call from the precinct interrupting their
moment of togetherness, something that would have provided a wonderful and
satisfying ending to the series had this been the end of the line, we now
happily know that their story will continue for at least one more season. And
even though there was no true cliffhanger ending, there are, of course, still
many questions to ponder over the summer hiatus, mainly whether or not Beckett
will pursue this opportunity for a career in politics and what that would mean
for Castle and the rest of the team at The 12th. With plenty of
fresh storylines to delve into for season eight, a few mysteries that may not
be completely solved yet, and Castle and Beckett stronger together than ever
before, we are left with a great deal of promise for what may come when the
series returns again in September.
See you in the fall.
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