Castle Round Table: "For Better or Worse"

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It was a tough finale for Castle fans who were anticipating a wonderfully romantic Caskett wedding and got anything but on Castle Season 6 Episode 23

Below, TV Fanatics Chandel Charles, Jim Garner, Robin Harry and Christine Orlando are joined by Lisa from The 12th a Castle Fan Forum to debate who abducted Castle, their most disappointing moments and what they want to see in season 7...

Who do you think abducted Castle?

Chandel: I think that Bracken is behind this somehow. It feels like the only explanation. Not sure how it will play out, though!

Jim: I'm betting on his father. 

Robin: I'm thinking either Bracken's people or his father's people. Not really sure.

Lisa:  I honestly don't have a clue.  There are so many options, from past characters to new ones, and I think that's what's so interesting about the cliffhanger.  We truly have no way of knowing if someone was out to get him or if maybe someone was trying to protect him and the whole crash was staged.  It will definitely be a big way to start season seven.

Christine:  I'm going with 3XK. Remember the song that played at the end of Castle Season 6 Episode 9? "We will meet again. Don't know where, don't know when?" Well, this could be where and when.

Did you buy that Kate has gone 15 years without knowing she was married?

Chandel: I don't know. A lot happened to her during those years, it wouldn't surprise me if she was just looking for an escape and truly forgot/didn't know.

Jim: Seems like it might have come up in her background check to be a cop. Then again, so many parts made me go "really?"

Robin: That required some serious suspension of disbelief just to enjoy the fun of it. The notion that she could work for the NYPD, AND for the AG's office, without a background check revealing a marriage - to someone with a criminal record, no less -  is pretty absurd.

Lisa: Yes, I think enough was stated in the episode to make it clear that she was drunk at the time and hadn't recalled it until it came back to haunt her. I remember my college days, for the most part, and I don't think it's much a stretch to believe that she was experiencing that moment of suddenly having a drunken mistake that she hadn't remembered being flashed through her mind like a horrific nightmare. The memory was there, it just got pushed into her subconscious mind for all of these years until she was starkly reminded of it.

Christine: That bugged the heck out of me. NYPD's background check is very thorough and would have flagged that immediately, not to mention the AG's office. It was such a gaping plot hole that it really distracted me from enjoying the rest of the episode.

What disappointed you in the episode, if anything?

Chandel: That they spent all of it on the case and then dropped that crazy ending.

Jim: Biggest was the lack of wedding. Throughout all of Castle Season 6, we've been waiting and waiting... and they pull a "all the impossible thing happen last minute" episode that didn't actually give us our wedding. 

Robin: The ending both disappointed and annoyed me.  We all know Castle's not dead - it would have been way more interesting if we actually saw him in danger, rather than a flaming car we know he's not in.  Also, would it have been so bad to actually let them get married?

Lisa: I didn't feel disappointed at all, to be perfectly honest. I thought it was hilarious and I loved the premise of having Beckett be the one to get she and Castle in over their heads for a change, totally shifting the typical dynamic between them. But I also thought there were some really great heartfelt moments and, of course, that powerful and stunning cliffhanger that leaves the door open for a new realm of storytelling in the fall.

Christine: Beckett breaking into that truck disappointed me. It seemed so out of character. I know the whole story line was a farce but the fact that she'd let Rogan O'Leary bully her into stealing something and risk her career ruined the fun for me.

What was the most romantic moment?

Chandel: Definitely Kate and Castle on the park bench when she's crying over her dress and Castle reminds her they have to fight for their happy ending.

Jim: Lanie and Espo waiting for the guests.

Robin: I think Lanie and Esposito actually had the most romantic moment, sitting and holding hands as they waited.  

Lisa: I'm torn between two of them; the first was the conversation between Castle and Beckett on the bench where Castle reaffirmed what Beckett told him back in season four, that great love stories are all about beating the odds.  I loved that it set the stage for the cliffhanger while also reminding us that theirs is a story worth telling and it's because of the obstacles they have to go through that makes their victory over it all mean so much more. The second was the phone call they had at the end of the episode, with their love just radiating through the screen and they truly seemed happier than ever.

Christine: I would have loved more romance in the show, but I'll hope for that during the real wedding next season. I thought Castle telling Kate, "You can't give up. That's the deal. We want the happy ending, we can't give up," was the perfect sentiment. It also ended up being a message to Castle fans. 

What was the funniest moment?

Chandel: O' Leary telling Kate the guy she was marrying was a d-bag. Made me burst out laughing.

Jim: I laughed at Castle being asked if his story would still be funny if he were bleeding. 

Robin: I liked the first precinct scene, with Gates managing to insult Castle while congratulating Beckett, and Ryan and Esposito smacking each other back and forth with Beckett's cases. That was fun.

Lisa: I loved the part where Rogan was kidnapped and Beckett just watched the truck speed away before she stopped, totally in disbelief, and said "really?" I always love seeing Beckett in a situation she can't control because it's always so hilarious and this was no exception. But I also loved the bit with Ryan's tux being too small for him as they all played that scene out perfectly.

Christine: Castle telling Rogan, "We just followed the trail of disappointment and deception. It led us right to you."

What was your favorite scene?

Chandel: Seeing Beckett in her dress for the first time. There was something magical about it.

Jim: Martha giving Kate the earrings. It was so touching. 

Robin: Kate's meltdown about the wedding plans going awry, and Castle comforting her. We don't often see Kate get emotional about normal things, and it was a wonderfully human side of her, as opposed to the super-cop she normally is. Castle's calm reassurance was perfect and touching.

Lisa: It's a toss up between the scene on the bench that I mentioned as one of the most romantic moments, just because it really tied everything together for me in terms of what the greater purpose of the finale really was, and the cliffhanger, because that was such a powerful and emotional ending leaving so many questions in the air for us to speculate over for the summer hiatus.  hat's good television.

Christine: Kate and Martha. I loved that scene. Martha thanking Kate for making her son so happy and then giving her the earrings that were a family heirloom. "Only women of substance have worn these gems. They've been waiting, Katherine, for you." Such a beautiful moment between them. And I'm certain Martha never took those earrings out for either Meredith or Gina! 

What are your hopes for Castle season 7?

Chandel: Clearly that Kate and Rick get married and have their happily ever after!

Jim: A wedding?! Maybe seeing Kate take Castle's name and struggle with the change.

Robin: This season really wasn't the greatest in staying true to the characters - Alexis, Lanie and Castle all sort of had issues. I'm hoping next season is a bit better.  Also, A WEDDING!!

Lisa: I thought they did a great job of having the characters grow a lot this season and I'd love to see more of that next season. I love the challenges they face and how it pushes them past their limits to really explore new facets of the characters and make them better appreciate what they have in their lives. But I'd also love to see them get married when the time is right and the story of them getting to that point has been told in its entirety because that just means, to me, that it will have an even greater impact on us and mean even more to us when it happens.

Christine:  I read an interview with show creator Andrew Marlowe where he said the show's budget was "running on fumes" by the end of this season. I'm hoping that the new season 7 budget means the cliffhanger will lead us to a spectacular Caskett wedding. They can skip the 300 guests but I want Kate in her mom's dress and I want to see them and their immediate friends and family back in the Hamptons. Fingers crossed. It's going to be a long summer.

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

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Castle Season 6 Episode 23 Quotes

I'm so happy for you detective, despite of who you're marrying.

Gates

Ryan: Just imagine your wedding guests are murder suspects.
Esposito: In their underwear.

Castle Season 6 Episode 23 Music

  Song Artist
Song All I Could Think About Was You Robert Duncan
Bait n' Pole The Band of Strangers iTunes
Spring Antonio Vivaldi iTunes