"Castle" Commentary - Beating The Odds

‘Castle’ Commentary: Beating the Odds

By Lisa Caputo

2016-05-14

A personal commentary on the cancellation of “Castle” and what it means for the story, the characters, the cast and crew, and the fans

It has been a month no Castle fan could have ever predicted. With filming wrapped and fans gearing up for the final five episodes of this eighth season of the memorable series, there were those who were hopeful the recent return to the classic storytelling and tone of the show would set the stage for a renewal for a ninth and potentially final season. It had been a season of ups and downs, splitting the fandom between those who felt the dramatic separation of the show’s main characters had taken the story down too dark a path and those who embraced a return to the once often-used method of putting the characters through hell and back to see them come back together stronger than ever. Once the Castles were reunited and their attempts to hide their reconciliation were over, it seemed as though the fandom had also somewhat reunited, many now finding enjoyment in the storytelling again as the show returned to its roots and one episode after another seemed to showcase more classic Castle moments, tones, and the chemistry amongst all of the characters that we have known and loved for eight seasons. But all of that was torn apart when news broke ahead of the April 18^th episode, the ironically-titled “Backstabber”, news that revealed that ABC had opted not to renew their contracts with both Stana Katic and Tamala Jones and made it clear they had plans to move ahead with a ninth season without its leading lady and one of its most beloved members of the ensemble cast. It was news that tore the fandom apart once again, yet also united many, prompting fans and media outlets from around the world to take aim at the network with an onslaught of criticism. Even still, amidst all of the campaigns and backlash being thrown at the network, it seemed inevitable that they would be moving forward with a ninth and potentially final season without Katic and Jones, especially as news broke almost daily over the past week or so that contracts had been renewed for many of the other cast members. But this past Thursday, twenty-four days after the news broke that ABC had made the devastating decision to move on without two of the show’s most beloved female stars, including the pivotal better half to the titular character, the network finally made a wise choice; they opted to cancel the show.

So here we are. Eight seasons of incredible storytelling, eight seasons of characters we have invested in and believed in, eight seasons of experiencing the highs and lows that can only be felt by an audience when a show does things right, even if they may ruffle some feathers along the way by not doing what some may want them to do, and it all comes down to one last episode. Fortunately for the fans, the Castle team opted to shoot two possible endings to what will now be the series finale on Monday night (or Sunday night here in Canada). One was meant to provide a satisfying conclusion to the series, something done just in case ABC had opted not to renew the show for another season, while the other would be a traditional cliffhanger ending to propel the story forward into its ninth season if it had been given a renewal instead. But as much as Monday’s finale may find a way to bring the story full-circle and have Castle and Beckett move forward with their lives in the proverbial “happily ever after” way, something many fans feared would be impossible if the network went ahead with a Beckett-less ninth season, this is still far from the ideal situation and far from the type of ending this show, its fans, and the cast and crew deserved to have.

In an age of television where many networks bank on promoting a season as “the final season” in order to draw in viewers who have left along the way and make the most of a final, often shortened season, of a long-running series before taking a chance on a new show in an established timeslot, it still boggles my mind that this was not the case with Castle. Thirteen episodes would have given the writers plenty of time to tie up loose ends, find a way to give all of the characters a proper conclusion to this chapter in their lives, allow the cast and crew to also have the chance for a proper goodbye after working together for seven years, and give the fans a chance to enjoy the final steps along this incredible journey, all to prepare for a finale that would give the story a true sense of closure without feeling rushed or as if opportunities were missed along the way to wrap up the storylines in a satisfactory way. This is perhaps where I find myself feeling most frustrated and angry by the decisions made in the past month. At the end of the day, none of this had to happen the way it did.

Whether this was the network brass making a hasty decision to shave some money off of the show’s budget without the foresight to see what it would lead to, or whether it was more along the lines of what the reported rumours have pointed to, it truly does not matter. If this was a network “business” decision, it was a poor one and there were much better solutions to cutting down the budget to produce a shortened final season that would have had financial benefits, especially when such a season would have had a focus more on the stories of the characters than anything requiring high production values or elaborate sets. They could have gone back to their roots, spending more time at the precinct or the loft than on location, using existing sets to keep costs lower. In other words, stick to more of the proverbial “bottle episodes” that keep costs down but typically also focus more on the characters and their interactions to keep things simple yet effective. At the same time, if this was something that happened because of behind-the-scenes issues amongst the show’s co-stars, a rumour that has been widely reported as the reason for Katic being asked not to return for a ninth season, this also has me confused as to why those involved could not find a better solution here. Truly, the set of a television show is just like any other workplace and not all co-workers are going to get along. The cast and crew are a collection of different people with different personalities, beliefs, approaches to their jobs, interests, and backgrounds. Not everyone is going to get along with everyone else, especially those who are vastly different in many ways to themselves. But, just like in any workplace, there is an expectation to remain professional and do the job you are hired to do. One would think that after seven years of working together and being touted as one of the most pleasant working environments in the industry, something nearly every guest star has commented on along the way, the cast and crew were doing exactly what they should be doing. So why, seemingly quite suddenly, would that all go awry to the point of one co-star supposedly demanding the other not continue on with the show? Why not continue that professionalism, continue doing whatever you had to do to keep the set a positive one, a professional one, and one that kept everyone employed for as long as you all could be? Why let either a personal or professional dislike of one of your co-workers ultimately ruin everything you and your entire cast and crew had worked for over the past seven years? When the alternative would have been sucking it up for just another four months to be able to shoot a shortened final season and end the series on a high note, why not take the higher ground and ensure the legacy of this show would be a positive one rather than one that could have sparked a new “Castle” curse in Hollywood?

Perhaps that may be why I have a hard time believing the rumours as they currently stand. Why would any working actor in such a competitive business do something that would not only put someone else out of work, but also risk themselves being out of work as well? Of course, there is the possibility that they never believed it would come to this, that they honestly felt that they could continue the show without their co-star and carry it themselves, and perhaps they never believed for a second that there was any danger of it all backfiring. But the trouble with these sorts of rumours is that there is never truly a way of knowing the truth until someone spills the full story later on down the line. Sure, there seems to be evidence that would support the rumours, but is that really evidence of the truth or were the rumour created because of that evidence? What came first, the chicken or the egg? It is somewhat like those old 3D puzzles from back in the day, where you would stare at this odd pattern on a page long enough for your eyes to stop focusing on anything specific, something that would ultimately allow you to see the incredible 3D image hidden in the pattern. But sometimes, no matter how hard you tried, you just could not see it. Of course, as soon as someone told you what it was you should be seeing, that simple power of suggestion would immediately spark your brain to find the image your eyes were missing all along. So is it the power of suggestion that allows some to believe that the evidence supports these rumours or is that really the unimaginable truth behind what has happened to this beloved show? The truth will come out, likely sooner than later now that the series is coming to an end, and if the rumours are true, the fallout will be swift and just for those involved. Either way, though, it all comes down to this whole situation being one that could have easily been avoided, one that ultimately led to the series not being given the proper send-off it deserved.

When news broke around this time last season that Castle creator Andrew Marlowe and executive producer and fan-favourite series writer Terri Miller were exiting the show, this was devastating news to me. Not only were these two the heart and soul of the show from the very beginning, the voices behind the love story of Castle and Beckett, but this story had always followed Marlowe’s vision. Often, the worst thing that can happen to a series is to lose its creator and turn the story over to another showrunner. Inevitably, the story is bound to change in some ways as whoever is now taking the reigns opts to put their own vision on the screen instead. But despite the initial separation storyline this season being one that ruffled some fans’ feathers, I supported the direction the new co-showrunners opted to take the story down. It was a return to some more dramatic storytelling, a chance to push these characters beyond their limits to bring them back together in a more powerful way than ever before, and it was an opportunity to dig in to the very essence of both Kate Beckett and Rick Castle and force them to learn some vital life lessons in the process. At no point have I blamed the demise of Castle on them, nor do I believe for a second that either knew going into this season that it would be the last. My belief from all that I have seen and read this season is that the co-showrunners attempted to spark something new in the series, whether they made all of the right choices or not, in an effort to bring back a lot of the old core themes of the series, bring the fans back down that journey all over again with Castle and Beckett, and hopefully earn themselves a renewal for a ninth and potentially final season if all went well. Had they known what was to come and that this would be the final season, there is no doubt in my mind that they would have gone in an entirely different direction than the one they took, one meant to develop some new stories and springboard the characters into another season in the fall.

Alexi Hawley had been on the Castle writing team for years before moving on to write for The Following, eventually becoming the showrunner there for the show’s final season. And despite the fact that some fans claim he destroyed that show, the truth is that he took over as showrunner exclusively in the third season and the damage had long been done to the series during its shaky second season under creator Kevin Williamson. As someone who watched the series from beginning to end, and reviewed it for TV Guide Canada through much of the second season, its fate was inevitably sealed by a highly disappointing second season. If anything, Hawley retuned the show to its roots in the third season, bringing back that truly compelling cat-and-mouse game between its lead characters and digging even deeper into the psychological aspects of those characters. I was more than impressed by the storytelling in that third and final season and I think it was clear going into it that it would be the last season of the series so Hawley did his job to wrap it up in a satisfying way.

And co-showrunner for season eight, Terence Paul Winter, had been on the Castle writing staff since the show’s second season, someone who had written some of the most beloved episodes of the entire series. He was always a champion of the love story between Castle and Beckett and often wrote the episodes that centered a great deal around their relationship, ultimately giving viewers some of the most memorable moments between these two characters while also being the voice behind some of the most powerful episodes as well. There was no doubt that Winter knew the heart and soul of this series and knew exactly how to write for these characters. To me, there is still no doubt about that. Everything that happened this season was meant to challenge Castle and Beckett, to force them to see what they could lose if they were to lose one another, and ultimately push them past their own fears and doubts in themselves to overcome it all and become an even stronger couple for having gone through these harrowing times. And even in their darkest moments during their heartbreaking separation, the focus was still on how much they loved one another and wanted to be together.

Together, Hawley and Winter took us down a new path this season, one that was emotional and powerful and heartbreaking, while also always hopeful as we knew these two would find their way back to being at their best together. And once Castle and Beckett were reunited, both privately and then publically, the season returned to the same tone it had long had, though with a renewed sense that nothing would come between the beloved couple, ultimately the true purpose for the dramatic and difficult separation storyline that had taken place in the first half of the season. Together, they were set on taking down Loksat when the time was right and threw themselves into their other cases along the way, enjoying being partners again and getting the chance to work with their team again. Given that we do know there were things going on behind the scenes that limited the creative team in some ways, things beyond just the rumours and things that we know as factual information, such as Katic taking a couple of weeks off during the shooting season, including the week that the season premiere was being shot, and both she and Fillion having shorter shooting weeks than they once did. When one is working with having these leads away from the set for alternating days within a shooting week, one has to find a way to work around that, something that would have, whether in full or in part, led to the leads not sharing the same amount of time together on-screen. This is a difficult task for any writer to work with, trying to balance the story being told the right way with the limitations put on them by shooting schedules and days off and other such things. It will always be my stance that Hawley and Winter did the best they could do with the circumstances given to them and they seemed to be building the season towards Monday’s finale, one that would see Castle and Beckett take down Loksat for good, or seemingly so, giving them the opportunity to either ride off into the sunset if this was determined to be the series finale, or set the stage for a shocking cliffhanger ending that would leave their lives in jeopardy as they have been so many times in the past, again taking the viewers down another mirror of their journey before jumping into a fresh new story for the ninth and likely final season.

For me, someone who has enjoyed this season for introducing a powerful and emotional new story arc and bringing forth a new mystery and new challenges for Castle and Beckett, all with the expectation of pushing forward towards a final season in the fall, I feel it is an absolutely shame that this season has now become the unexpected final season instead. The thoughts of what could have been had anyone known a year ago that this would be the case, the thoughts of what these talented writers and showrunners could have done with the story instead had they known they were writing the final chapter in the story, and the thoughts that perhaps Marlowe and Miller could have made a return to pen the series finale had this decision been made long before the season had wrapped, all of this leaves me incredibly disappointed and ultimately heartbroken for all of those involved who will have to live with those same thoughts of what could have been.

So this is where we stand now. The series finale is just two days away and we had no idea this is where it would end until a few days ago. This is not how it was meant to end, not with an abrupt ending, not without giving the cast and crew a proper send-off, and certainly not without allowing the fans who have invested over seven years to this show to have the opportunity to enjoy every step along the final journey of this story. Everyone involved deserved better and the fact that all of this could have been done vastly differently, especially if ABC was intent on bringing the show back for a ninth and final season. But it is an example of that horrific domino effect that comes from one poor decision; the decision to try to move forward without one half of the couple at the center of this story. Had those making that decision had any foresight to see that the story would never work without both leads in tact, or that there would be such a backlash from fans and the media alike for these hasty decisions, perhaps they could have found a better solution and not forced all of this to go the way it has. But nothing will change that now, nothing can take that back, and there is no way to go back in time and ensure the proper decisions were made to allow the show to have the ending it deserved.

Even still, the time has come, albeit far too quickly and hastily, to say goodbye to our beloved story and the characters who we have believed in and invested in for eight seasons, as well as to all of the talented cast and crew members who made this show what it was for all of these years. While this may not have been the ending they all deserved, we should still consider ourselves fortunate to have been able to go along this journey with this story and these characters for so many wonderful years. I have been an avid television viewer for ages and I have rarely found a show that has had such a profound impact on me, something many fans around the world would relate to when it comes to Castle. It is actually true that this show changed my life in so many positive ways and the memories I have of my time as a fan, as a reviewer, as an interviewer, and as a part of a very special fandom will live on forever, as will the story that captured my heart for all of these years. Most shows these days never make it past their first season. Those that do rarely make it to the eighth season. And shows like this rarely find success, shows that are written for intelligent audiences, that rely on the story and the characters to prompt people to invest their time watching rather than using sex or violence or action to pull viewers in, and that stay true to the true craft and art of storytelling instead of selling out along the way.

Castle did what few shows of its kind do; it not only survived, it thrived. Marlowe presented viewers with a crime procedural that took a very different approach to any others of its kind on television, showcasing the personal stories and showing a lighter side to the job, pointing out that there is more to detective work than forensics and behavioural science, as well as pointing out that there is more to a human being than the job they perform daily. From the start, it had a tonal range unlike anything on network television, seamlessly combining comedy, drama, romance, suspense, and horror, often shifting through two or more tones in a single episode as well. Often, there were episodes that also touched on powerful and relevant social issues without ever coming across as preachy, and the show often excelled when it also tackled genre-specific material, always filled with clever pop culture references and inside jokes for fans to find woven amongst the stellar storytelling. Its use of subtext, always a specialty of both Marlowe and especially Miller, and its ability to tell the story through its details, sometimes so subtle they could be missed on a first viewing of an episode, all powered by such a talented cast and crew who could pull off these elements perfectly, that is what made itself stand out amongst the other shows on television. Then, at a time when network execs, critics, and viewers all seemed to still believe strongly in the Moonlighting curse, Marlowe stood his ground and opted to tell the story the way he had always envisioned it, bringing Castle and Beckett together as a romantic couple at the end of the show’s fourth season, breaking and then ultimately shattering the curse by continuing to tell a compelling story even after the “will they/won’t they” question had been answered. All of this will forever stand as the legacy of this show, one that crossed the boundaries of network television and set new ones instead, one that defied the norms and succeeded in spite of that. This was a story and a television show that truly did beat the odds.

As the show comes to its end, one that we can hope will leave us with a sense of closure and a satisfying conclusion to this part of the journey these beloved characters have taken us on with them, let us put these horrific few weeks behind us and enjoy the final chapter together in peace. There is no undoing what has been done, no sense in laying blame without proof yet of where that blame rightfully belongs, and nothing to gain by fighting amongst one another or attacking the cast and crew who we owe the last eight seasons to in the first place. We were blessed to have found a show that has made us believe in the possibility of joy, that has taught us that great love stories do still exist, and that has brought fans from around the world together in solidarity despite different languages and beliefs and viewpoints. We were a part of something special and it is time to join together to celebrate just how profound that really is. Nothing else matters now but sitting down on Monday to see how the story ends, our last chance to enjoy the final chapter of this epic love story for the ages.

Until tomorrow.