Each season of ABC’s hit detective drama “Castle” seems to be better than the last. Every year, the average number of viewers and viewer rank increases, and with good reason. The show is witty, emotional and fascinating, so it is no wonder that ABC recently renewed it for a seventh season. With the threat of possible cancellation firmly out of the way, viewers could relax and take in the season finale, which aired on Monday, May 12.
Season six started out predictably, where season five left off: Richard Castle’s (Nathan Fillion, “Firefly”) proposal to Kate Beckett (Stana Katic, “Quantum of Solace”). Luckily, the cliffhanger from season five is resolved quickly and with a resounding yes. Fast forward through the season to last Monday’s episode: the wedding episode. With the big baddie of the series, Senator Bracken, caught and arrested, Beckett has fulfilled her goal of finding the man who killed her mother, giving her the peace of mind she needs to settle down and get married. The decision not to do a standard and often cliché wedding episode similar to that seen in the similar show, “Bones,” helped make the episode stand out and kept viewers on the edge of their seats.
In another “Bones”-like twist, Castle and Beckett discover that Kate is, surprise, married and has been for 15 years. She had long ago eloped, drunkenly, in Vegas with her then-boyfriend Rogan O’Leary (Eddie McClintock, “Warehouse 13”). With the goal of the episode now focused on finding O’Leary and getting him to sign divorce papers, it seems that the loose thread has been pulled and the whole wedding begins to unravel. Before her husband will sign the papers, he asks her for a favor; one that is not so easily fulfilled.
The episode is classic “Castle,” containing a little bit of everything that fans have come to love about the show. The mystery, tragedy and romance of the past six seasons are all bound together by Castle’s hilarious quips. The wedding mishaps come fast and thick, as Detective Kevin Ryan’s (Seamus Dever, “Hollywoodland”) tux is decidedly too small, Rogan gets kidnapped and, due to his record, the local police are too reluctant to devote resources to finding him, the wedding venue is closed and Beckett’s dress is ruined. The whole wedding seems to be a disaster.
Never fear though, as Castle’s mother Martha (Susan Sullivan, “Dharma & Greg”) and daughter (Molly Quinn, “Winx Club”) save the day. With the original venue out of the question, they decide to move the entire event to Castle’s house in the Hamptons and proceed to organize all the relocation details. Beckett decides to use her mother’s wedding dress, and Ryan finds a tux that actually fits. Everything is back on track, pending O’Leary signing the divorce papers.
With the rest of the episode dedicated to finding O’Leary, Castle and Beckett follow up on lead after lead, from a biker gang for hire to a blackmailed priest, eventually tracking down her nuisance of a husband, complete with one of Castle’s amusing girlish screams. With the husband found and the divorce papers signed, Castle and Beckett’s wedding is finally back on track.
It wouldn’t be a “Castle” season finale without one final cliffhanger. And this one is big. With Beckett in her dress and the guests at the wedding, only the groom is missing. Castle, driving to the wedding, is run off the road by a mysterious black SUV. The episode ends with a cliffhanger which could change the direction of the rest of the series.
No need to fret too much, however. As previously mentioned, season seven has been picked up, and Fillion has signed on for the whole thing. The cliffhanger is not so much whether Castle is alive but rather how he survived, and who ran him off the road in the first place. For that, however, we will all have to wait until the season seven premiere in September, as will, presumably, the wedding. Contrary to most shows, the writing and acting has gotten better over the years, and next season does not seem set to break that trend. Make sure to put next the next season of “Castle” on your must-see list.
