ABC's Castle is one of my favorite shows. It was a show that was almost custom-built to appeal to me. It starred Nathan Fillion (like John Cusack, he exudes that "Wouldn't you like to be me" vibe) as a cocky successful writer (more things I'd like to be) who uses his writing skills to solve murders (how cool is that?) with New York's best detective, the stunning Kate Beckett. Nathan Fillion and Stana Katic had an easy chemistry that was addictive to watch. I still want to write something as spot-on and perfect as Kate's line "I like you pulling my pigtails, Castle." He also had a great relationship with his daughter, and a fun-to-watch one with his mother.
And now, as it's ending it's eighth season, the show isn't what it once was. It's become a comfortable sweatshirt, a little ragged and not what it once was, but still comfortable. Rick's no longer the competent speed-reading researcher who could really help the NYPD. They've come up with some dumb reasons to keep the characters apart, and I'm not even going to mention the horror that was Pi. But, even as it's calcified, I still enjoy it.
But now they've announced that Stana Katic won't be returning next year. (Tamala Jones, too, who I'll miss a lot but isn't quite as essential.) Castle without Beckett is like Mad About You without Jamie, like Supernatural without Sammy. It's just not right.
Now, depending on how they get to this point, I'll at least check out the new season. I feel like after eight seasons of enjoying the show, I feel like I owe them the chance to prove the new setup may work. The characters got married and the show didn't really falter, that's impressive.
But I have to admit, I'm not hopeful.
So, in the spirit of Rick's crazy theories of how crimes can be committed, here are my three off-the-wall ideas of how the show could still work:
- Kate gets trapped in the totally-plausible Invisibility Suit from a couple years ago. Hey, the show has also established that you can wipe out memories with clinical precision, so what's an invisibility suit. Rick and his invisible wife then solve crimes for the rest of the season, with Kate's voice being performed by a sound-alike.
- Kate gets injured at the end of this season and is in a coma. But, once they attach the not-quite-Amazon Echo that Rick's been playing with all season to her EEG, they find that Kate can speak through the computer! She helps Rick solve crimes by consulting and searching the web for him.
- Rick and Kate take that bike ride that Kate's always wanted to take across the country. The show then follows the adventures of Alexis Castle, running her dad's detective agency. Occasionally, Nathan Fillion can literally phone in his appearance, always explaining that Kate is still sleeping, taking a shower, or whatever. And then we ease into the Alexis Castle spinoff…
I'd like to see Castle end well. After eight seasons, it kind of deserves to call it's shot and end on it's own terms. Hopefully they'll pull out some great writing, or maybe change their minds and get Stana back. Stranger things have happened.