Beckett’s Final Case? Castle Season Finale Preview

Please be aware this report contains mild spoilers for Castle’s Season Finale episode “Watershed” airing Monday May 13 on ABC.

Guys. we’ve seen the Castle season finale and it makes for uncomfortable viewing. Remember when life was simpler, and we were happy just to see Castle and Beckett finally getting it on? Well, if recent episodes are anything to go by (of course they are) the Honeymoon period is definitely over.

The finale “Watershed,” which airs tonight Monday May 13 on ABC, addresses everything that’s wrong with Rick and Kate’s setup and poses a question about whether they really have what it takes to make it to the long run.

Let’s not forget it took Castle over three years to admit his feelings for his partner and another year for him to act on them. And as for Beckett? Well, she’s just so much smarter than Castle and never is this simple fact more obvious than in this particular episode.

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The case of the week starts out very much like a case of the week. A prostitute is found murdered, her body floating in the rooftop water tank of a sleazy and run down apartment block which is in itself home to the dregs of society. But wait, it turns out the young woman has a double identity, and Crystal Skye is actually a Harvard honors student who is supposed to be on a dream European vacation, not turning tricks in the wrong part of town.

The complicated nature of the storyline highlights Becket’s unique abilities in her field, and as the plot thickens, it’s she who works to put those pieces together, while Castle hovers in the wings, ready with a quip, but always a step behind. Despite her methodical and calm outward demeanor, Beckett is harboring a secret – one which prompts her to lie to Castle. Unknown to her colleagues, Beckett has landed the opportunity of a lifetime. A promising interview for a spot on the Federal Task Force has been successful and a new life in DC awaits her – if she’s willing to go.

When Castle discovers an airplane ticket stub in her coat pocket, things soon come to a head and both Rick and Kate are left to ponder where their relationship is headed. As Beckett remarks “I don’t know where we are. We’ve been doing a dance for five years. What happens when the music stops?” She’s been waiting for Castle to eventually step up and steer their ship, while Castle has been hanging back, unsure if Beckett is committed enough for him to do so. It’s a complicated situation in which each character embodies the other’s worst fear, and it’s exacerbated by a job opportunity in which the audience knows Becket would excel. (And part of us really wants her to go.)

With the final pieces of the investigation falling into place (including a wonderful monologue from Stana Katic’s Beckett in an interrogation room) all that’s left is for the couple to have ‘The Talk.’

Will the water tank murder be Beckett’s last case with Rick?

Find out tonight, Monday May 13 10:00-11:00 p.m., ET/PT on ABC.