TV Review: CASTLE – Season 4 – “Always” – Season Finale

By ANNE LOUISE BANNON / Contributing Writer

Posted: May 9th, 2012 / 09:27 AM

Stars: Nathan Fillion, Stana Katic, Susan Sullivan, Molly Quinn, Tamala Jones, Seamus Deaver, Jon Huertas, Penny Johnson Jerald
Writer: Terri Edda Miller & Andrew W. Marlowe
Director: Rob Bowman
Network: ABC, Monday nights, 10 p.m.
Original Telecast: May 7, 2012

It’s not enough, apparently, that the producers of CASTLE spent most of Season Three teasing us with the will they/won’t they relationship between author and dilettante crime fighter Rick Castle (Nathan Fillion) and Det. Kate Beckett. It’s not enough that they spent this entire season doing the same. They had to spend the entire season finale needlessly and ridiculously teasing us with “Always.”

We do get a pay-off, but by the time it happens in the last freaking minute of the episode, you feel so manipulated and aggravated that it’s no fun at all!

It starts with Beckett hanging off a roof top about to fall off – which, means, the episode is told flashback style. This is simply lazy writing and utterly pointless. But when we go back three days, Castle’s daughter Alexis (Molly Quinn) is sweating writing her valedictorian speech for her high school graduation and it’s not coming together probably because it’s finally becoming real to her that this phase of her life is over and that it’s time to move on into adulthood.

Castle encourages her, but gets the call from the cops – a stiff has been found shot in an alley and sure enough, he was breaking into the late Capt. Montgomery’s house – the former boss of the 12 Precinct who was killed in last season’s finale when Beckett got shot. And naturally, he was connected to the murder of Beckett’s mother. Castle has to keep Beckett from investigating to keep her alive and gets the scary phone call to remind him of that. Like that’s going to work.

The crew follow the usual leads, but Ryan (Seamus Deaver) is getting worried and wants to tell the current boss Captain Gates (Penny Johnson Jerald) what Beckett is up to. Esposito (Jon Huertas) and Beckett insist on not telling Gates. There is the usual questioning of suspects and searching of financial records, and boom, Beckett and Esposito find a potential video tape of the bad guy.

It’s in the middle of all this that Castle goes to Beckett and tells her to lay off, that the bad guys have given him one bit of evidence in the murder of her mother as a pledge against her life. If he uses it, she’s dead. Needless to say, Beckett pops a cork – which I can sort of understand that part. But what does Castle do? He declares his love for her, she stays mad, then he says they’re done. What? Like the producers just have to stick it to us one more time.

And maybe the scene wouldn’t have come off as manipulative as it does if the producers hadn’t spent so much freaking time teasing the heck out of this relationship. What has worked beautifully and with incredible charm and delight is when they’ve eased into things, gently but surely breaking down the barriers. But, no. We have to go for the outsized drama and Beckett hanging off a wall.

I will give them some credit – it sounds like Castle is going to come to the rescue at the last second, but when they pull Beckett up, just as her fingers slip off the edge, she’s facing Ryan. Castle is at the graduation, listening to Alexis give her speech. Also, good news (of the sort that will set up next season nicely) Beckett and Esposito are in big, big trouble for going out on their own. Gates suspends them and Beckett resigns.

Meanwhile, Castle is back at home, getting rid of his computer file on Beckett and her mother’s case, when the phone rings and it’s Kate. He turns it off. More teasing. There’s a knock at the door. She’s there and finally, finally, finally. She apologizes, he sort of does and well, there’s plenty of necking before we fade to black. Just in time to have the bad guy set us up with a death threat against Beckett.

See? That works. Why couldn’t they have gone there without all the manipulating and teasing? I am so annoyed.

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