Rick Castle believed he was marked for death by the antiChrist in Castle Season 8 Episode 22.

Our TV Fanatics Stacy Glanzman and Christine Orlando are joined by Tycho and Jennifer from A Possibility For Joy a Castle fan forum to debate the timing of this spooky installment, Hayley and Alexis’ future and why Castle didn’t open that safe on “Hell to Pay.”

Should this have been the Halloween episode or did it work well for you in May?

Stacy: That never occurred to me. I don't see any reason why this episode would only work for Halloween. I feel like demons/devil story lines are pretty common year round.

Tycho: I was thinking the same thing , why wasn't this the October episode? They even did a special Castle bridge logo for this episode. I think that was the only special one they did this season?

Jennifer: I would say that this episode would have worked better as a Halloween episode.

Christine: I think it would have played better at Halloween, although I found it odd that Castle, a man who doesn’t appear to be the least bit religious was suddenly terrified of the antiChrist.

Can you picture Hayley and Alexis as a couple in the future?

Stacy: I really like their relationship as friends. This is the first real friend we've seen Alexis have, and I think their relationship works as is. If the show continued and they eventually got together, it wouldn't shock me, but I haven't really gotten that vibe from them.

Tycho: Oh please no. I won't be watching but that would totally not be something I would want to see.

Jennifer: They seem to be in some ways trying to set it up for that but, can I actually see that happening; the jury is still out.

Christine: They did have kind of a couple vibe in this episode. Under different circumstance I wouldn’t be against such a thing but as I won’t be watching a possible season 9, it really doesn’t matter.

Does Rick Castle not opening a safe in his own office make sense?

Stacy: No, I didn't really buy his explanation of Schrodinger's cat. Castle is inquisitive by nature, and he would have needed to know what was in there.

Tycho: Not the Castle we have know for 7 seasons for sure. He has always been the guy who had to solve the puzzle. There is no way he would let a mystery like an unopened old safe sit there unopened for this long. He would have done research to learn how to open it up. And Beckett would have been at his side when he did open it up. This was SO out of character.

Jennifer: I would say no. This is the guy who has to know, I don't think he would have just left it for imagination's sake.

Christine: Absolutely not. Castle is a man with such innate curiosity that opening that safe would have been his mission the moment he became aware of it. But characters acting out of character has been par for the course in Castle season 8.

Castle Season Finale Promo: Is This the End of Caskett?

Was there anything about “Hell to Pay” that disappointed you?

Stacy: Just that we're one episode closer to the end of Caskett, and I'm really going to miss watching this show each week.

Tycho: It just felt flat. The characters were just reading lines. I didn't feel any Caskett connection. I was actually checking my watch to see if it was over soon. My husband fell asleep.

Jennifer: Yes, though its hard to point to one concrete reason. I usually love the more humorous episodes but, this one felt clouded. And, whether that cloud is born from last month's news, the episode itself, or a combination of both I really can't say.

Christine: Yeah, the magic is gone. It felt like Castle and Beckett were just reading line and there was no heart in it. Somehow I think the writing team mistakes the mention of naked games for romance and it just doesn’t work.

What was your favorite quote or scene from this episode?

Stacy: I loved Beckett scaring Castle at the loft and then the two of them messing with Hayley and Alexis at the end. As for my favorite quote, it's between Hayley's "please don't tell me you're Googling the antichrist right now," and Castle's "you guys have guns."

Tycho: The last scene when Beckett and Castle pranked Alexis and Haley in the PI office.

Jennifer: I really don't have a favorite scene this time, so I'll go with the quote that brought a momentary smile on my face Ryan's "Well I will be sure to cross reference Shaw's visitor against the list of fallen angles."

Christine: Ryan and Espo were the only thing that remotely saved this episode for me but like I said, the magic that kept me glued to my TV for living viewings on Monday nights appears to be long over.

Check back on Monday for our review of Castle Season 8 Episode 23. Will it be a season or a series finale?

And if you want to see some classic Caskett, you can always watch Castle online here at TV Fanatic.