It’s been two weeks since Castle aired its season six finale, “For Better or Worse,” and yet for many Castle fans being angry, upset, and sad about the episode isn’t getting better. Last weekend had me complementing why shows with couples tend to have this problem. This weekend I decided to move on and mull over what might be a satisfying way to fix things for Castle season seven.
Don’t Mess With Caskett!
(From Castle 6×15, “Smells Like Teen Spirit”)
Not every viewer had a problem with the Castle season six finale. This article is not pretending to be the only viewpoint out there. I do think it’s fair to say that a majority of viewers weren’t happy with it, and out of that group there are a lot of furious people. My own thoughts about “For Better or Worse” can be read at www.gossipandgab.com/castle-season-6-review. Here’s the short version: I felt a few great moments couldn’t make up for the overall problems.
The Problem With the Finale
For those who don’t get why some viewers are upset here’s the crux of those viewers problem: story credibility. In his various interviews after the season four finale “Always,” Castle creator and showrunner, Andrew Marlowe said that once writer Richard Castle (Nathan Fillion) said I love you to the bleeding out detective Kate Beckett (Stana Katic) during the season three finale the two had to get together by the end of season four. Why? Because storywise once those words were said he could only keep them apart for a season before the story would seem forced and ridiculous. (Check out www.zap2it.com & www.givememyremote.com if you want some of Marlowe’s specific quotes.)
As for the choice of having Castle not saying those words, given what had gone on for three seasons, it would have rang false. Not that the option wasn’t considered. An article over at www.buddytv.com has Castle executive producer Laurie Zaks saying that in terms of those words being said there was much discussion, “with the network and the studio and with ABC” before it could actually happen. (There’s a lot that goes into how these critical turns get made, but I’ve discussed that in a different article – www.gossipandgab.com – so I won’t dwell more on it here.)
Looking at the season five finale and the season six premiere, it appears that Marlowe used a similar rationale as what was used for the “I love you” in season three. Castle’s marriage proposal and Beckett’s acceptance needed to happen. The story was in a place where a break up would have looked like the entire out of nowhere federal agent job issue was done for the sole purpose of creating a reason to stall the relationship. It’s a different situation from what happened at the end of season two. As painful as that ending was, the heartbreaking case of missed signals and crossed wires was understandable. You can do things like that in a season two finale (which for Castle was really closer to season one-and-half in terms of actual episodes) because there’s much less character history and thus much more room for misunderstandings.
I would say that up until now, Castle has been “organic” in telling the Caskett story. There’s been a level of logic to the big relationship events. Issues didn’t really pop up out of nowhere. Then came this season six finale. For whatever reason, the show did not think the same need for story credibility and sustainability applied to the issue of the Caskett wedding. Looking at the show’s story history it seems strange that it didn’t occur to anyone that once that proposal happened the amount of time the audience would buy that Castle and Beckett weren’t married would be similar to that of the other relationship milestones.
You might argue that people can have long engagements. This is true. If Marlowe hadn’t made every single episode of season six reference the engagement and/or wedding planning he could have probably pushed the wedding to November sweeps in season seven – possibly even to the season seven finale. He did something similar with the first kiss between Castle and Beckett. Because the kiss wasn’t openly discussed for many episodes the expectation of the next move happening was pushed back. Spacing out the references to the wedding would have set the viewers’ expectations further away. Another upside of that choice would have been the season six car-crash ending would have still been possible. A wedding scenario is unnecessary to make that end work. Picture this:
A mysterious car appears as Castle is driving and appears to be trying to force him off the road. Beckett, expecting him for an anniversary dinner, is wondering why Castle is late and gets a phone call. Cut to: Beckett see the car Castle was driving has crashed and is on fire.
It’s still a dramatic, heartbreaking and mysterious ending – without destroying a season’s worth of promises and Beckett’s one and done wedding. Plus we’d get the new mythology buzz going because, just like when Beckett was shot, everyone knows Castle isn’t dead. People would feel badly for Beckett, but they’d be much more focused on who ran Castle off the road and what happens next.
However, Castle season six was all about the wedding, and it did set up that a wedding was set to occur. The finale ending makes it appear that the show is jerking the audience around and stalling for time, especially with the events being so contrived and there being so many strange out of character moments. Story credibility has been lost with this finale. Viewers are now focused on the writer’s hand that’s broken through the story’s fourth wall.
Periodically I’ve heard various showrunners state you can’t give the audience what they want or expect and have a successful show. There’s obviously some truth to that, but punching a hole in a storyline to stop the action, change the direction or make a U-turn is still never a good idea. In order for a plot twist to be good it needs to be one that in hindsight makes sense. Take the death of Captain Roy Montgomery (Ruben Santiago-Hudson) in the Castle season three finale. Few viewers saw it coming, but looking back at the series it all adds up. Three seasons later viewers still miss Montgomery, but they understand why he died. Blindsiding the audience is great when they can look back and have 20/20 vision as to how a writer got to where they are. However, a show that drops an out of nowhere plot device into a story disconnects the audience from the storyline. When that happens fans get angry, lose interest and the show registers a ratings drop.
A Season Seven Solution:
There are a number of theories floating around about what should happen on Castle for season seven. While there is always the Dallas option of making the whole thing a dream, from my viewpoint the only way to patch the hole that’s been made in this story is to have this wedding happen. Yes, I mean, the one started in the finale. I’m certainly not the first viewer to think along these lines, but here’s what I’m hoping the show has planned for the season seven premiere. Castle is either seen crawling out of the dirt with a ripped and dirty tux, cuts and bruises, etc – or, if Castle was somehow taken, he is very quickly found. Throughout the episode Marlowe lays down whatever seeds of information are needed for his new mythology (hopeful there’s one seed where we find out she really was never married). In keeping with the craziness of the finale, events during the premiere hit a point where Castle tells Beckett he’ll be damned if he’s going to let something like a little car accident keep him from marrying Beckett. Cue a rush to get Castle cleaned up and they go have a beautiful sunset wedding.
Is this idea even a remotely plausible scenario for what might be planned for season seven? I think it is…remotely possibly. One of the things that went on during season six were discussions of when the wedding would take place. Originally they were thinking about September, but in the episode featuring the first wedding dress, they decided they wanted it in the spring. This premiere layout would have the wedding happening in the spring and in September – which does sound like the kind of wacky thing the show would try pulling off. It would end up being similar to the way the proposal was done: a split between a season finale and a season premiere. (Just not done as well!)
If something like this does occur in the season seven premiere the story would be brought back into alignment. Marlowe would no longer have a, “he’s totally screwed the fans over and destroyed their wedding, so now I don’t watch” problem – which is what I’ve been seeing online. Viewers will forgive a lousy finale if the premiere makes good on the wedding setup and moves on. Ideally, to really do justice to Castle and Beckett tying the knot, the show would spends at least at third of the premiere on the wedding. Granted, this fix won’t change the, “that was an awful cliff-hanger & completely contrived finale” tag. There’s no getting rid of that, but, following through on the wedding would restore viewer trust.
Trust is a big issue for Castle right now, and it’s why doing a later second wedding isn’t a good idea. A new wedding won’t redeem the loss of the one the show set the audience up for. While some viewers will stick around, there’s a good chance a solid chunk won’t. Most people are trusting until they’re given a reason not too. Among regular viewers the finale has really hurt that “In Marlowe we trust” slogan fans used to bandy about the internet. The show needs to win that trust back fast. Especially given that Castle is now in a super-competitive time-slot against NCIS: LA.
NCIS: LA has its own hot will they/won’t they couple – the shipper name is “Densi” and from I read about it they’re moving pretty close to being having their own “Always” moment. The show has been airing on Tuesday nights but will move to Mondays at 10pm in September. While the NCIS: LA average ratings in the 18-49 demo is only about two-tenths of a points above the ratings Castle pull on Mondays, with NCIS as its lead-in, the viewership for NCIS: LA ranks as the fourth most watched show in prime time with 16.29 million viewers – Castle is ranked 13th, with 12.63 (www.deadline.com). With the two shows going head to head on Mondays come fall, it really is not a good time for Castle to have its hardcore fanbase upset and feeling betrayed. Unlike NBC’s The Black List there’s a good possibility that these two shows have some overlap in their fanbases.
Having the wedding in the premiere would also help Castle get back into its good storytelling groove. In his season six finale interviews one idea Marlowe brings up is also discussed in the finale itself. It happens when Beckett is upset about her ruined wedding dress: Castle tells her that all fairytales have obstacles before the happily ever after.
The first problem I see with this is how the fairytale analogy is being used. It makes the Caskett marriage the end of the story, which Marlowe has said countless times isn’t the case. There is a larger issue though. This reasoning leaves out the fact that even fairytales know when enough is enough.
A fairytale tends to put obstacles in groups of threes – with the third time being the charm (hence that saying). Think about Little Red Ridding Hood, The Three Little Pigs, Cinderella. Everything happens in threes. How many obstacles are we at now in Castle? Potentially four. Getting Caskett together had three: Castle getting kicked out of the precinct, their significant others, and the fallout from Beckett’s shooting – which resolves to give us “Always.” That starts the next cycle of three – the goal being them getting married. First there’s Beckett’s new job issue which gets resolved in episode four. Things seem to be moving along, but then the Senator Bracken issue comes back. Finally, just when we think all is well, the anvil drops and we find out Beckett’s been married before and needs to obtain a divorce so she can marry Castle. The story’s natural rhythm would be that when she finally manages to get the divorce she and Castle get married – which would then set off a new set of obstacles to their happiness.
If the wedding happens in the season seven premiere it’s possible to stretch the car explosion into part of the getting a divorce journey, but if it stops the wedding, then the new mythology becomes obstacle number four. Right now the explosion looks like a fourth obstacle. It throws off the story’s rhythm, which is one reason the finale ending feels so forced.
I am all for more bad guys giving Castle and Beckett problems, and I love the idea of a new mythology. However, I think if the show want to see the ratings go up and not down, the first thing they need to do is make this wedding still work. Being married won’t make 3XK, Dr. Neiman, enemies of Castle’s dad or some stalker of Castle’s (or of Beckett’s – I haven’t forgotten that creepy song) – any less threatening or worrisome. Look at ABC’s Once Upon a Time. One of that show’s hottest couples is the very married Snow White and Prince Charming – and they take on all comers together. Once married the show can move forward with its new mythology. Maybe Castle and Beckett even get followed on their honeymoon! Bring on the big baddie on the private island – so long as we get some hot and sexy honeymoon time first!
So, what are you Castle fans thinking? Would this scenario work for you? Do you love it, hate it, or have a different spin? Let me know in the comments!
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The post Caskett Problems? There is a Solution: Thoughts on Castle Season 7 appeared first on Gossip and Gab.
