Castle Round Table: "Dreamworld"

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Castle fans left hanging after the season premiere "Valkyrie" were finally given some closure with "Dreamworld," but in the end, were we left with just more questions?

Below, TV Fanatics Jim Garner, Chandel Charles, Courtney Morrison and Christine Orlando are joined by Mary Lou and Tefla from the Castle fan forum The 12th to decide if Castle made the right call hiding his condition from his family and whether or not Kate can be satisfied working in the grey area of Washington D.C. Ready to join the fun? Let's do this!

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What was your favorite scene?

Jim: I really liked Castle waking up "Dorothy" style in the hospital. I giggled through the entire scene, especially when Pie (Pi?) popped up at the end of his bed.

Mary Lou: My favorite scene was at the very end when Kate and McCord were talking in the hospital hallway.  Kate is realizing that this job isn't all it's cracked up to be because she'd have to compromise who she is.  It also showed her realizing just how much Castle is her true partner in every sense of the word.

Chandel: Probably the part where Beckett's new partner reassured Castle that Beckett would stop at nothing to make sure he survived. She's seems so hard-nosed that it was nice to see her soften up.

Tefla: My favorite scene of this episode was Castle and Beckett building theory in the car. The reason being is that even though Castle is clearly in declining health he still has the sharp mindset to build this new theory. And even though Beckett is clearly concerned about Castle she doesn’t quash his theory as mere ramblings; she knows that he is on to something.

Courtney: Seeing Kate as a badass. I loved when she showed up at the house ready to take down anyone that stood in the way of saving her fiance.

Christine: Mine was when Castle asked McCord how Kate was doing at the new job.  Even when he thinks he's dying, he's still worried about how Kate will go on without him. I thought it was really sweet.

Should Castle have told Martha and Alexis the truth?

Jim: While I think he should have told the truth that something was wrong, I'm not sure he could for national security reasons.

Mary Lou: No, because there was absolutely nothing they could do about it and he didn't want them to worry.  Yes, so that they could be with him in his last moments and say their good-byes. 

Chandel: The way Rick handled it was probably best. It would have only caused them to freak out from that far away. Then again, they did show up at the hospital at the end, so someone had to have read them in. It's a tough call.

Tefla: I think Castle keeping the fact of being in grave danger from Martha and Alexis was the right call to make. Had Castle been straight with both his mother and daughter it would have created more panic. Although inadvertently in his attempt to keep everything as normal as he could he tipped his hand that something was seriously wrong.

Courtney: Absolutely! If he was really going to die, the least he could have done was told his daughter and mother!

Christine: I can understand why he didn't but I can only imagine how upset Martha and Alexis would have been if he had died and they found out they weren't allowed to be there to say goodbye.

Did you feel Kate showed enough emotion over Castle's predicament?

Jim: For anyone else, she would seem a bit cold, But for Kate, yes she did. Remember she's always been able to keep her "work face" up during a crisis. She allowed a few moments of tenderness to slip in, and for Castle, that was enough.

Mary Lou:  However, I wish that there had been some tender moment between them, especially at the hospital.  A kiss, "I'm so glad you're OK", "I love you", or something like that.

Chandel: I was surprised there wasn't more, because if they'd been back with the NYPD, she would have definitely showed it. Her reaction was a consequence of the new job and the fact she wasn't solving the case directly with him the whole time.

Tefla: This is a tricky question to answer because there are so many possible scenes we didn’t see. At the beginning of the episode Beckett did seem a little distant as if that would help her if the inevitable happened but as the episode progressed more and more emotion leaked through. The hospital scene had tiny glimpses at the level of emotional relief Kate was feeling.

Courtney: For Kate, I think she did. Like Chandel mentioned, if they were back in NYC, it probably would have been different. But Kate softened up when she needed to.

Christine: I would have liked to have seen more, at least in one scene but for Beckett it made sense. She's good at compartmentalizing, especially during times of emotional stress. It's what helps her get the job done and it probably saved Rick's life.

Should Castle have been able to help more with the investigation?

Jim: I'm surprised they let him help as much as he did. Castle certainly is able to charm his way into the hearts of law enforcement.

Mary Lou: Castle's level of involvement in solving the case was appropriate for the situation.  I couldn't help but wonder though, if they knew who his father really was, if they'd have let him help even more.  Even while he's dying, Castle helped solve a federal case.  He really is the perfect partner.

Chandel: No, I think the point is for Kate to figure out who she is as an investigator now and without Castle as her partner. She's grown a lot since the pilot, so she needs the space to she where she's at now.

Tefla: I don’t believe Castle should have helped more with the investigation. Villante was right to place a limit on just how much Castle was able to work on. However that being said, relaxing his edict near the end of the episode I think was Villante realizing that if Castle died Beckett would always hold it against him.

Courtney: No. This isn't the precinct back at home. These are federal agents. And as much as I love Castle, he is an author...not a detective.

Christine: Yes and no. Yes, because I really missed having him and Beckett work in the field, but holding him back made sense story wise given the circumstances. It just wasn't as much fun.

Was Martha right to go to Esposito and Ryan for help?

Jim: Absolutely, wouldn't you go to the next closest friend/co-worker of someone you care about if you thought something was up? I'm surprised she wasn't standing in the room when they called Kate.

Mary Lou: Ryan and Espo really didn't know anything and couldn't really help, but Martha went to the two men who've been the closest thing to brothers that Castle's ever had, the only place where she thought she could find help.

Chandel: I think it was kind of wrong to get them involved since there was very little that they could do, but I can see where she thought it might at least ease her mind a bit and make her feel like she was doing something.

Tefla:   In my opinion Martha was in the right to go to Ryan and Esposito for help. When calling Beckett didn’t yield anything she went to the next likely place to get answers. In those two scenes: calling Beckett and then visiting the precinct; she is a mother gravely worried about her son, especially after their phone call.

Courtney: Yes. Not that they could have done anything but it got them on our screens, if only for a quick second.

Christine: When a mother is worried about her child, nothing will stop her from getting answers. I don't blame Martha a bit for using every contact she had to try and find out what was going on with her son.

Do you think Kate can get used to working in the grey area of Washington D.C.?

Jim: I'm not sure she can. That grey area is really similar to what has allowed her mother's death to go unsolved for so long. She might have let this one go, but she's not going to like doing it all the time.

Mary Lou: Kate is all about getting the bad guy and bringing them to justice.  To not have true closure on cases like the one they just solved would frustrate her.  I don't think she will be able to make peace with the grey areas of working as a fed in DC because that's not who she is.

Chandel: Definitely not. She's suffered enough due to grey area, her mother's murder is proof. If she does attempt to handle it, it will likely blow up in her face.

Tefla:  I don’t think Beckett could get used to working in the grey area of Washington. Being a detective for so long has resulted in Beckett’s world being that of black and white. The selling point on my opinion was with Kate’s facial expression after learning what McCord told her; it looked like she had a hard time digesting that fact.

Courtney: Nope. The grey is what will bring our girl back to NYC!

Christine: I think having to deal with people who have a similar moral compass to Senator Bracken will get to her. Having to sit back and watch them walk away will be too much for Kate Beckett long term. I think it might be what sends her back to the 12th.

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

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Castle Quotes

I need time to stop being mad and you need time to figure out a way to be OK with this.

Alexis

I tried to stay in the car I really did.

Castle