A priest faking blindness because of humidity... a pathological liar pretending to be Castle’s favorite author... and Martha trying to talk sense to Kate helped to lift some of the darkness that’s been plaguing Castle Season 8.

Below, TV Fanatics Stacy Glanzman, Jim Garner, Robin Harry and Christine Orlando are joined by Erin from A Possibility For Joy a Castle fan forum to debate Captain Beckett vs. Detective Beckett, Ryan’s money woes and if they plan to hang in there for the fall finale after Castle Season 8 Episode 4...

There were lots of twists and turns in this episode. What was your most surprising moment?

Erin: The twist that surprised me the most was Ryan lying to Espo and taking that last open Sergeant's exam spot. It's just not like the Kevin Ryan I know. The resulting "feud" between the duo was interesting and Esposito had a valid point in his argument. I'm glad that Beckett resolved the dispute between the pair by getting them both spots.

Stacy: The whole pathological liar aspect rather than a con man thing was pretty surprising. Can't say I saw that coming. 

Jim: For me, when the blind priest took off at a run and then started dodging people. Finding out he was completely faking it was pretty surprising to me. 

Robin: Most surprising to me was Ryan lying to Esposito about the sergeant's exam. I didn't see that one coming. Neither did Espo. 

Christine: That there wasn’t an “Alexis Castle Eye Roll Worthy Moment” this week. Instead of Alexis Super Spy, she was her normal self offering common sense observations. It’s the first time I’ve liked Alexis all season. I hope it’s a trend. 

What do you think of Captain Beckett vs. Detective Beckett so far?

Erin: I feel that Captain Beckett is a lot different than Detective Beckett. Kate's stuck behind a desk most of the time. Not sure I like that. I preferred Detective Beckett being out in the field a lot more.

Stacy: I was skeptical about how the change was going to work, but so far I like her more than I thought I would. I still prefer Detective Beckett, but I'm glad she's still in the field. Also her new captain wardrobe is gorgeous! 

Jim: I was sold in this episode when she confronted Espo and Ryan with, "Hey Bozos, did you ever think to ask your Captain to pull some strings to get you both in." She's taking care of her people which is what the Captain's role is all about. 

Robin: I like Captain Beckett. It's interesting seeing her work with a different context, and she definitely carries herself like a captain. Except when she was laying on the breakroom couch like she was in her living room. Anyway – I could get used to Captain Beckett.

Christine: Besides the amazing new wardrobe, I find Captain Beckett kind of boring. I always loved watching her and the boys kick in doors and chase down bad guys. I think I’m going to miss our badass detective this season.

It’s episode 4 of the Caskett separation. Are you willing to stick it out until the fall finale?

Erin: I'm open minded so I'm willing to continue to stick it out. Who knows, I might be pleasantly surprised.

Stacy: I was never going to give up on the show and I'm still not, but I actually really enjoyed this episode. I thought it was hilarious, much better than last week's. 

Jim: If they can keep making small steps towards a resolution and not just drag it out for the sake of the drama it creates, I'm willing to ride along a little longer. Though I will say, I think we've all got Rick's plan memorized, I don't think they need to beat us over the head with it anymore.

Robin: The episode itself was a really good one, it was just tainted by this nonsensical separation. Each episode makes me more exasperated with it. For one, I will never be okay with Castle having to win her back. Secondly – if you're going to break them up, at least make it mean something. If they immediately start getting back together and neither of them have changed, what's the point? For goodness sakes, can we please just allow Castle to be angry about it first? If this separation ends with Castle "winning" Beckett back, I may have to be done with this show. 

Christine: If they don’t get back together by the fall finale…well, let’s not even go there. This separation has placed a cloud of sadness over the entire show, no matter how many funny scenes they throw in. Couple that with a conspiracy no one cares about and Beckett’s reasons for the split making so little sense, and being a Castle fan just isn’t a lot of fun right now. . 

Should Castle have offered to pay Ryan to spy for him at the 12th? Should Ryan have accepted?

Erin: In my opinion Castle should not have done that to Ryan. I know Ryan is hurting for funding sources but slipping Castle info on cases is not a very good idea. I can only hope that Beckett or Esposito doesn't find out about this arrangement.

Stacy: No, but it was something I'd expect Castle to do. Of course he'd want to stay in the loop by any means necessary. Should Ryan have accepted? Probably not, but for $500 a week, I don't blame him one bit. 

Jim: Lets face it, Ryan or Espo would probably fill Castle in anyway. Offering Ryan the $500 was really just Castle's way of helping Ryan out without it looking like a hand out. $2000 a month will go along way for Ryan and Jenny's new baby, though Ryan could have been conflicted for at least a moment after Castle gave him the amount he offered. 

Robin: I appreciate the friendship and the intent, but Castle should not have offered, and Ryan should not have taken the offer. That is too unethical to be funny, not to mention illegal. I can suspend reality for a lot of things, but not this one. 

Christine: Ryan would probably have given him the info anyway and this is Castle’s way of helping out his friend. Is it a bit out of character for Ryan? Yes, but stress over money will do that to people. 

Was there anything in “What Lies Beneath” that you found disappointing?

Erin: I think that the thing that disappointed me most was that the wife was revealed to be the killer. Why set up this elaborate set of twists and turns if you are going down that route? 

Stacy: I don't like seeing Ryan lie to Espo. I think if he had told him upfront there was only one spot left, Espo would have told him to take it. I'm glad that Beckett got them both in, though.  

Jim: It was a better story than last week, and the writers actually avoided the horrible tropes coming up with some new ideas, so overall nothing really disappointing other than Rick and Kate being apart.

Robin: Agreed with Jim. I enjoyed the case, and I would have enjoyed the characters, too, if not for that meddling break-up.

Christine: The basic episode was good, it was this horrible story arc that was hard to swallow. How is Beckett protecting Castle if she’s openly working with him? Why isn’t Rick more ticked off that his wife walked out with such vague explanation? They’re ruining good characters with a depressingly bad story.

What was your favorite scene from this episode?

Erin: I would think my favorite scene was Martha visiting Kate in the beginning of the episode. It was clearly a surprise visit and Martha gave Kate some excellent advice. You could see that Kate was truly affected by Martha's words.

Stacy: There were so many great moments and funny lines. I cracked up at Espo throwing the bug and Castle's "you know I can find that, right?" and Beckett's "did you ambulance chase this woman?" I also loved the scene with Martha and Beckett. I love pretty much every scene that involves Martha. 

Jim: I really enjoyed Castle and the hit man. I really enjoy Casey Sander as Bernadette's father on Big Bang Theory, so seeing him as an easy-going hitman was a lot of fun. 

Robin: The priest's admission of guilt at the precinct was hilarious. I loved Tony Plana on Ugly Betty, so it was great to see him again.  Also Martha and Beckett. I liked how she was supportive, but she still called Beckett out on her stringing Castle along.

Christine: Hands down it was Martha talking to Beckett. Martha spoke bluntly while still coming from a place of love and she had some of the best Castle quotes of the episode…

My son is a lot of things. Some of them good, some of them not so good but he is someone you can always count on and that is a rare thing, kiddo.

Martha

• Permalink: My son is a lot of things. Some of them good, some of them not so good but he is someone you...

Check back on Monday for our review of Castle Season 8 Episode 5 and if you need more Caskett, you can watch Castle online here at TV Fanatic. 

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