Rick was abducted by a drug lord, Kate forgot about date night, and the killer lamented how women don’t get a fair shake in Hollywood.

No kidding.

Below, TV Fanatics Jim Garner, Stacy Glanzman and Christine Orlando are joined by Glo1196 from A Possibility of Joy to debate date night plans, Martha’s life coaching advice, and their favorite and not so favorite Firefly guest stars after Castle Season 8 Episode 20. 

Would you see Martha for life coaching?

Jim: Uhhhh maybe for acting lessons but not as a life coach. She and I live very different lives. Do you think Martha ever dug around in her car when she was 21 for loose change to buy a hamburger at 1am after working a 13hr shift?  

Stacy: I love Martha. I would love to spend a day shopping with her or go to a play or happy hour with her, but I think I would pass on hiring her as a life coach. I'm sure she would end up offering some free advice at happy hour anyway. 

Glo1196: I can see Martha doing anything she put her mind too. She's had the kind of life that has prepared her for everything. I sure wouldn't mind paying for a session to see what she had to say. Though, I'm sure I couldn't afford her.

Christine: I don’t know, Jim. I’d expect Martha had some tough times as a single mom. Although her advice can be kind of quirky and I’m not sure I’d always follow it, I’d love to hear what she had to say. 

What should Kate have done for date night?

Jim: Not lied.. Seriously, guys are easy when it comes to date night, feed us, pet us, and climb in to bed with us and we are happy. We are basically your average dog with thumbs.  

Stacy: Castle has always been the over-the-top, detail oriented planner, and he's got it covered for the both of them. All Kate needs to do is keep it simple and romantic, and Castle will be happy.

Glo1196: Kate should have prepared a simple intimate evening. There is no way she could compete with Castle. He has much more time and resources at his disposal. An evening with no interruptions and individual attention would have been appreciated by him.

Christine: I agree with all of the above. She can’t out-do Castle in the extravagance department so don’t even try. I have no doubt that love and her attention is all he really wants out of a date night….although Jim’s description of that really made me laugh.

With only two episodes left in the Caskett story, what’s the one thing you wish we’d seen that we haven’t?

Jim: I think we've covered it all. Except maybe Kate being the one with a wild fantasy and Rick being the one down t earth. That would have been fun to see.  

Stacy: Hmm that's tough. I have never felt the need to see a Caskett baby, so I'm okay they never went there. I think Jim's right, they've covered it all. Now I just want to see them ride off into the sunset together and live happily ever after. I am not holding my breath for that outcome though.

Glo1196: There are so many...the fundraiser, babies, the time travelers predictions, but the one moment I would have loved to have seen her telling him how his books helped her get through her mother's death. How she has read them a ton of times, and how big a fan she actually was when they met. Her telling him how important he was before she ever personally new him. 

Christine: I’m with Glo1196 on this one. That’s been a dangling thread since Castle season 1 and they’ve never really followed up on it in a satisfying way. And I would have loved to have seen Kate try to juggle work while begin pregnant and Castle as the doting daddy-to-be who makes her crazy. That could have been a whole lot of fun and I’m sad we’ll never get to see it. 

Of all of the Firefly guest stars (Jewel Staite, Gina Torres, Adam Baldwin, am I forgetting anyone?) which has been your favorite?

Jim: You forgot Summer Glau (early this season). Out of all of them, I really liked Summer, as she was going head to head with Rick and ended up teaming up with him in the end.

Stacy: I'll give the edge to Adam Baldwin simply because we got to see him twice. I'm disappointed Alan Tudyk never made a guest appearance. 

Glo1196:  Ok, so I found Firefly because of Castle, and I really enjoyed the series, but I really wasn't a fan of any of them in Castle. I know that people will think I'm nuts, but I just didn't. I guess if pressed I'd say Gina Torres episode. As the wife part of the crazy couple faking their lives she cracked me up.

Christine: I love Firefly but I found most of the guest appearances lackluster. Adam Baldwin’s was the best, even though I didn’t love either episode he was in, but none of the other’s were worth the actors’ time or talents. 

Was there anything in “Much Ado About Murder” that disappointed you?

Jim: Nope, this was a pretty good episode. I liked everything about it. 

Stacy: Maybe some Lanie, since we're about to lose her too. 

Glo1196: My disappointment came in the so many moments reminiscent of our beloved Castle. All the moments we waited for and hardly got this season. Everything was overshadowed by the knowledge that the scenes I loved would probably never happen again unless watched in reruns. So, as weird as it sounds it was the all the good moments that disappointed me and cast a dark shadow over the episode

Christine: I won’t say I was disappointed because overall it was a fun episode but Castle’s quote…

But it was a Hollywood promise; not worth a damn.

Castle

• Permalink: But it was a Hollywood promise; not worth a damn.

Given the current show circumstances, that one hurt. 

What was your favorite quote or scene from the episode?

Jim: Its a tie, first was Castle being offered $5 million to write the script for the drug lord. He was hilarious. Second was Ryan helping his daughter remember the flower song. It was so cute watching Javi start dancing along in the background.  

Stacy: I have to go with Ryan and Sarah Grace at the end as well. She looked so cute in her sunflower outfit, and I loved the little fist bump he gave her. The whole thing was just adorable. 

Glo1196: I had a favorite quote and scene! "Typey, typey, typey", was hysterical. My favorite scene though, was Sarah Grace and Ryan singing the flower song together, while Espo danced in the background. Not only was it a great scene showcasing Ryan as a dad, but at how close this team is. It's going to really hurt when the team is broken up.

Christine: Javi dancing as Ryan sang with his daughter just made me smile from ear to ear. I also loved that he calls her SG. Yes, I’m really going to miss the family at the 12th precinct. 

Don’t forget to check back in on Monday for our review of Castle Season 8 Episode 21 and if you want to see more, you can watch Castle online here at TV Fanatic. 

C. Orlando was a TV Fanatic Staff Writer. Follow her on Twitter.