‘Castle’: Always
By Lisa Caputo
2014-11-11
Castle
and Beckett finally tie the knot in a beautiful and intimate wedding ceremony
More
than five and a half years ago, a midseason replacement titled Castle began
airing on ABC. It was the story of a charming mystery writer and a
strong-willed detective, two seemingly polar opposites who were brought
together by fate yet who found something within the other that drew them in and
captivated them beyond reason. In a way, they each represented what the other
was missing in their lives, and while their story was always complicated and
poor timing, bad decisions, or uncontrollable obstacles seemed to keep them
apart in some way, theirs was clearly a love story in the making. Castle and
Beckett were two people fated to be together, no matter what, and even they
could not deny that as the years went on. With all of the hardships and
struggles, as well as the joys and triumphs, Castle and Beckett eventually
discovered that all they ever wanted and needed was each other. Now, partway
through the show’s seventh season, the couple finally reached the milestone
that fans have long been waiting for; Castle and Beckett exchanged their
wedding vows.
Written
by the always incredible Terri Edda Miller and directed by the uber-talented
Paul Holahan, Monday’s aptly-titled “Time Of Our Lives” was everything this
long-awaited episode should have been. It was truly the quintessential Castle
episode, one that so perfectly melded the elements of comedy, drama, romance,
and intrigue while delivering a heartfelt and very meaningful story, one that
brilliantly brought Castle and Beckett together in the ultimate way. Yet it was
also a beautiful tribute to the show itself, to the fans, and to the incredible
journey this series has taken all of us on over the years, bridging the past
and the present with the future. It seemed only fitting that the episode was
written by Miller as she and creator Andrew Marlowe have brought us so many of
these memorable moments from the very beginning, infusing in this episode
everything that the audience has always loved about Castle while celebrating
this new chapter that the beloved Caskett couple are about to embark on.
With
Castle’s recent disappearance on the precipice of the couple’s first attempt at
a wedding still fresh in their minds, it seemed as though Castle and Beckett
were still trying to find their footing before making another run at their
nuptials. But when an accident during one of their cases pushed Castle into an
alternate universe, either simply in his mind while unconscious or perhaps
through the magic an ancient artifact, the mystery writer found himself facing
the very disturbing reality of what his life would have been like had he never
met Beckett all those years ago. The premise itself was an interesting one,
taking the series back to its roots while also diving into an alternate
reality, all the while showing Castle (as well as the audience) how different
everyone’s lives would have been had these two not had fate step in and push
them together when it did. It was certainly interesting to see how Castle and
Beckett’s story was so interwoven with the stories of everyone around them,
with their love having had such a positive impact on their friends and family
as much as it had on themselves.
While
the episode was layered with some of the funniest moments of the entire series,
especially those moments that also played back to the show’s past episodes, it
was also remarkably moving as Castle so desperately fought to get back to his
own reality and not waste another second wondering if he could give Beckett the
life she deserved. Nathan Fillion was absolutely outstanding throughout the
episode, in his hilarious fish-out-of-water reactions to his alternate universe,
his plethora of laugh-out-loud one-liners (“I would never sing “Let It Go” as a
duet!”) and his clever ways of trying to find his way back in with Beckett and
the guys. But as much as the storyline played to Fillion’s strengths in his
comedic acting, it even more so allowed us to see that charm and heartfelt
sincerity that allowed Castle to win the heart of Beckett in the first place.
The revelation that he had been wondering whether or not he was right for
Beckett and that he could give her everything she needed and deserved was a
rare moment of self-doubt for the usually confident Castle, and his desperation
to get back to the love of his life and take that next step in their
relationship was absolutely moving. It again also made this reviewer wonder if
that was why he opted to have his memory of his disappearance wiped away, all
just to go home to Beckett and be able to move on with their life together, a
true sign of the power of love.
Meanwhile,
Stana Katic delivered a wonderful performance opposite Fillion throughout the
hour, with beautifully dropped hints along the way that the same magic that
drew Beckett towards Castle all those years ago was still there, even in their
alternate reality. After all, these two were fated to be together in one way or
another, and had their alternate storyline continued, there is no doubt that
they would have found their way together again. Of course, Castle finding his
way back to their actual reality was a much better ending, bringing us back to
the story we have followed for over six seasons now. It was fitting that Castle
found himself in a familiar situation at the end of the alternate reality
storyline, with a bullet being fired at the love of his life. This time,
however, he was able to get to her in time, jumping in front of her and taking
that bullet in the chest instead of watching it pierce into hers. In a
beautifully mirrored moment, Beckett knelt beside a dying Castle, just as he
knelt beside her when she was shot, with Castle once again telling Beckett for
the very first time that he loved her.
In
that moment, Castle was brought back to his real life, with his fiancé kneeling
beside him and coaxing him back to her. Whether he was truly just dreaming
after being knocked unconscious or whether it really was the magic of that
ancient artifact that caused him to go back and forth between realities, that
mystery was left open-ended for us to decide, just as so many of these types of
storylines are. No matter what, though, the important thing was that Castle had
returned and that he had experienced, in one way or another, what life would
have been like without Beckett. Knowing now that nothing else mattered other
than being together, regardless of what they had been through or could still be
forced to go through because of his disappearance, Castle once again asked
Beckett to marry him. After Beckett hilariously reminded him that she had
already said yes to his proposal, Castle clarified that he was asking her to
marry him right now. Her whimsical and joyous smile was all the answer he
needed.
With
that, the two made their way back to the Hamptons for a second go at their
perfect wedding day. As only Alexis, Martha, and Jim watched over them, Castle
and Beckett shared the most intimate wedding possible. After the formal wedding
that they nearly had in the spring, this quiet and beautifully small ceremony
was the perfect balance, perhaps even suiting Castle and Beckett much more than
the previous one would have. In a way, this ceremony actually illustrated the
brilliance of last spring’s finale and the wedding that never was, perhaps a
stark reminder that there is always a greater purpose when it comes to the
storytelling on this show. It was the perfect balance and the perfect
combination of every possible element for a memorable Caskett wedding, all
without having to push aside the very framework of the show in order to fit an
entire wedding into one episode. After all, the Castle team gave us so many of the
moments we had been waiting for during those pre-wedding scenes in the spring;
Lanie and Beckett sharing a moment between best friends, Martha and Beckett
exchanging a heartfelt mother/daughter scene together, Beckett dressed up in
her mother’s wedding dress, and all of the lavishness we could have asked for
in a formal wedding between Castle and Beckett. Meanwhile, Monday’s episode
gave us the rest; the intimacy of a small and private wedding with just family
(and the audience) to witness the event, Jim walking his daughter down the
aisle and happily giving her away to the love of her life, and, most
importantly, Castle and Beckett exchanging their vows and uniting as one.
Likewise,
Castle and Beckett’s vows themselves were absolutely perfect, capturing the
very essence of their love story and their journey while also touching back to
some of the show’s most vital moments, episodes, and lines with just a few
short sentences that were so loaded with meaning, something that should have
been expected considering who was writing those vows. But there was also
something wonderfully magical about Katic and Fillion delivering those
breathtaking and meaningful words on the screen with all of the chemistry they
have brought to this show and to their characters, something that has always
been one of the biggest keys to the success of the series. After five and a
half years of watching the Caskett love story unfold in front of our eyes,
nothing could have been more rewarding than that very moment.
The
hour concluded with one last nod to both the love story between Castle and
Beckett and to the fans themselves, with Castle pulling out his phone to play
their song as the two shared their first dance as Mr. and Mrs. Castle. As the
couple pulled in closer to one another, swaying to the music as if they were
the only two people in the world, Beckett softly whispered to Castle the simple
yet meaningful words that so beautifully captured this moment in their lives
and in the journey we have watched unfold over all of these years; “it’s
perfect.”
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