Story time:
Once upon a time, Castle was my favorite show. I discovered it two years ago, and I loved everything about it. The writing. The characters. Castle and Beckett's dynamic. The way they balanced comedy and drama. It was perfect: well-acted, surprising, charming, funny, but also dark and intense when it needed to be. It was everything you could possibly want from a TV series. People say that when two main characters get together, it ruins the show because apparently established relationships are not interesting to the viewers. But in Castle and Beckett's case, it worked. It really did.
Until they decided to make Castle disappear on his wedding day in season 6 finale. That was the first time I was genuinely disappointed with the show, but I kept watching because I still loved it.
Season 7 was noticeably more forgettable than the previous ones, but it had enough good moments for me to feel somewhat satisfied. We got the wedding, they tied up the 3XK storyline (which, in hindsight, were the last two truly good episodes of Castle ever). Although Andrew Marlowe wasn't the showrunner anymore, he stuck around as a writer, and it was obvious that as long as he was there, he kept the show from going completely downhill.
And then the new showrunners took over in season 8 and destroyed everything that Castle had once been.
Season 8 was an insult to the audience. There's no other way to put it. The writing was mediocre at best and straight-up awful most of the time. Separating Castle and Beckett was unbelievably stupid. None of the new characters were likeable. Stana Katic had too little screen time, and Castle's PI business became the focus of the show. I wish I had something nice to say about this season, but there's nothing. All I feel is bitterness, and I can't imagine how people who have been watching the show since 2009 must feel. I stopped watching this trainwreck when I heard that they'd fired Stana, but I came back for the finale after they announced the cancellation. I was relieved. I hoped the show would end with some dignity. Which it didn't, but at least Beckett's alive, so I'll take it. If they'd got rid of the last shooting and made the epilogue longer, it would've been fine. But they very clearly wanted to show that they intended to kill Beckett before the series got cancelled. It was like one last slap from the writers to the audience.
I don't know if the rumors about Stana and Nathan hating each other are true. All I know is that those two seem like really nice people if their interviews and panels are anything to go by. Especially Stana has always struck me as a classy, lovely person. They appeared to be thick as thieves during their PaleyFest panel in 2012, and then, at the same event in 2013, they weren't even sitting next to each other. I can't imagine what happened between them, and we'll probably never know. But one way or another, their relationship off-screen didn't have anything to do with Castle's long-overdue cancellation. Low ratings and backlash from fans after the showrunners tried to make Beckett-less season 9 happen did.
If I decide to rewatch the show in the future (and I probably will because seasons 1-6 really were excellent, and season 7 still had some of that flair left), I'll be sure to skip the abomination that was season 8 entirely. The ending of season 7 was a better and more satisfying series finale anyway.
Goodbye, Castle. I won't miss you in the fall, and I'm sad that it had to end like this, but you were incredible once. And that's how I want to remember you.
We're finally out of the Framework! It was a very well-written alternate reality, but the whole thing where you try to convince people that it's all fake and they don't believe you gets tiring after a while. I'm glad it's over. Now we can focus on fixing things in the real world.
Just to kick things off, May calling Jemma "little pop tart" is the most adorable thing in the history of everything and I want to get it tattoed.
I loved Daisy and Trip's interactions so much! They are so cute together. But I feel sad, too. When Trip asked Daisy if they dated in the real world... They almost did. You could see just a hint of longing in Daisy's eyes. For a second she imagined all the things that could've happened between them, but never did, all the possibilities that are now lost. And then she had to say goodbye to him for the second time. I may have teared up little bit.
(Who am I kidding? I definitely teared up. And that was only the beginning of the heartbreak.)
I knew Mack would decide to stay with Hope. I freaking knew it. To be honest, I'd probably do the same if I were ever in that position, but it was devastating nonetheless. Yo-Yo looked absolutely crushed. And Daisy crying and telling Mack that she doesn't want to lose him... I just want to hug her so badly! Chloe was so good in this episode. She channeled all the emotions perfectly.
Coulson and May had some nice moments too. Framework May saving Coulson and then trusting him and taking the leap of faith was great. And her little smile when she woke up and he was there! Try to watch that scene and not go "Awww", I dare you.
Poor Fitz! Iain de Caestecker strikes again and blows me away with his performance. He was so horrified by what he had done. And he genuinely thinks that he's a bad person now. I felt like screaming when he called Aida "Ophelia". I can't really blame him though, anyone would be confused after being brainwashed and manipulated by a batshit crazy android. I know he can fight it. I believe in him.
Apparently Aida has some weird teleportation powers? Where the hell did she take Fitz? Bitch, Simmons is coming for you. If we don't get a fight between the two of them, I'll be so bitter.
And Jemma, baby! The look on her face when Fitz put the gun to her head destroyed me. It was like she had accepted her fate and was ready to die at the hands of the love of her life. I can't believe I'm saying this, but thank the heavens for Radcliffe. He did the right thing in the end.
