CASTLE Series Finale Review: Castle and Beckett Fight for Always in “Crossfire”

By Geannie Bastian

And so we arrive at the final episode of Castle. Castle and Beckett are locked in a struggle to keep their loved ones safe and take down LokSat. They reach for a chance at their happy ending, their always.

Amid all the BTS drama of the uncertain future, and sudden cancellation, did they succeed? This fan thinks so. But the event left an impact on many, with fans trending the Castle Finale on Twitter for hours after the episode ended.

Here’s how it all went down:

The Twisted Tale of LokSat

When their plan to trace Caleb Brown’s phone fails, Castle and Beckett attempt to work with their new ally in order to catch his boss by having Brown follow the orders given in the brief phone call. In the meantime, they face an ambush at the site, only realizing that they’ve been tricked when Espo calls to say DNA from their latest victim – burned to death in a car fire – matches Brown, who apparently died before someone else sent his reply to their request for help. They are rescued in the nick of time by Mason Wood, GDS leader, doing an apparent favor for Rita.

Vikram lets Ryan and Espo in on the investigation, much to Beckett’s displeasure. But the boys have Beckett’s back, immediately chasing down leads that leave her stuck at the precinct, and separated from Castle who is hiding with the family in the secret room of the PI office. But Castle isn’t too happy about being separated from Beckett, and decides to go to the precinct himself. Which naturally, get him kidnapped by a LokSat henchmen.

Castle is injected with truth serum and forced to give up the fact that everyone he loves knows about LokSat – which turns out to be a code name for the off the books CIA operations of Bracken’s partner – Mason Wood. Wood leaves Castle to be executed and heads for a meeting with Beckett. Beckett however, never trusted Wood and figures out his play. Thanks to the tech in his CIA black site, he gets the drop on her and tells her it doesn’t matter anyway, because Castle already dead.

The boys however have rescued Castle leaving him in turn to rescue Beckett, and together they take down Wood. All seems well, until they arrive home and Castle wonders if Wood had the perfect way to dispose of enemies (a furnace at the black site), why torch Brown in his car?

Just then, Brown appears and shoots Castle, telling him he tried to tell Mason they’d never buy the plan, but the older man wouldn’t listen. So, he has to get rid of them so he can retire in peace. But before he can shoot Castle again, this time for the kill, Beckett comes in and shoots Brown. He hits her as he falls. Castle and Beckett, injured but alive, make their way to each other.

The scene shifts seven years into the future as Castle and Beckett’s exchange from the first episode is heard. We see Castle and Beckett with a little girl and twin boy toddlers. “Every Writer needs inspiration, and I found mine,” says Castle’s voiceover. And then Beckett and Castle in turn, “Always.”

A Tale of Two Endings

After the plot itself had concluded, many questions seemed to remain about how the scene transitioned from mortal peril to happily ever after. Fans got the promised future, but was it all a dying dream? Was Mason “LokSat” or was Caleb Brown? Why leave the shooting in place once the cliffhanger was unnecessary?

As for the identity of the big bad, from Brown’s words that he new the plan would fail, but Wood insisted, it seems clear Brown wasn’t calling the shots. But he was firing them – to cover up his role in things, which he assumed our heroes would figure out.

As to why the sequence stayed, who knows? The alternate ending was always pitched as a tag to show how the cliffhanger ultimately resolved in the event of cancellation. Perhaps there were production reasons, or perhaps we were meant to see them beating the odds one last time.

But are they alive? Oh yes. Take the words of a writer and his muse. Series creator Andrew Marlowe, asked how he would have ended the series said, “In my imagination, it never ends. The characters face new challenges while growing & changing & loving each other.” Added Terri Edda Miller, “Simon Doyle was right!” and “In my mind, Castle and Beckett live on, love on, Always.”

And so, we say goodbye to Castle and Beckett on our Monday nights. But they will live on beyond the closing of this chapter, in our hearts and imaginations, having found their happy ending, their Always.

Until tomorrow, Castle fans.