Castle S8 Ep22 – Crossfire

Well folks, this is it: the last-ever episode of Castle. Are you ready?

We open with the attempt to track down Loksat via the phone that Caleb Brown gave Beckett last time we saw him. Of course the trace Vikram runs doesn’t work – but they have received Caleb’s instructions to make a drop, so they decide they’ll just go themselves! I’m sure that’ll work, with no problems at all! After all, it’s a series finale, so no need for any real drama. Heh.

Goodbye, you two. Much love, always. (Photo credit: Castle Facebook page.)

Only a whole team of mercenaries tries to kill Beckett & Castle at the drop site. If it weren’t for the timely arrival of Mason, the head of the Greatest Detective Society who says he was summoned there by Castle’s stepmom, they might not have made it out – even with Hayley on backup sniper duty. So now our duo know Loksat is onto them, and won’t stop until they’re dead. They agree that Castle has to get his family to the safe room at the PI office.

Meanwhile, the murder case is that of a guy found burned to death in the trunk of a stolen car. The dead guy, whom DNA reveals to be Caleb, left a clue pointing to Loksat’s right-hand man. That’s Vikram’s idea, anyway, as he goes ahead and brings Ryan & Espo in on the conspiracy. Beckett’s not pleased when she finds out, but our boys tell her they’re in now, no matter what she says.

And then Castle gets kidnapped by the same creepy dude (played by Jed Rees of Galaxy Quest fame) who burned up Caleb in the trunk. Creepy Dude interrogates Castle via an advanced CIA truth serum – first to learn about the love he has for Beckett and his family, because the guy is a sociopath I guess. And then Loksat himself arrives. It’s Mason! Oh no! Mason asks Castle who all knows about Loksat. In a moment of truly powerful acting by Nathan Fillion, Castle cries as he is forced to name his friends and family members.

Meanwhile Beckett has been contacted by Mason/Loksat, who says he might have information for her. They arrange a meetup, even though Beckett promised Castle she’d stay at the precinct for safety’s sake. Ryan & Espo are now even more motivated to track down Creepy Dude. And they do, with the help of Vikram’s tech wizardry.

The NYPD team arrives just in time to stop Creepy Dude from giving Castle a lethal injection. But then they’re pinned down and unable to get to the basement, which is where Creepy Dude has told Castle that Mason will take Beckett to kill her. So Castle breaks a hole in the wall and uses elevator cables (?) to get down to the basement himself. He and Beckett manage to take down Mason together, and it all seems kind of anticlimactic.

Which is why I was nervous when Beckett & Castle get back to the loft, preparing for a quiet breakfast together. Caleb bursts in, evil and still very much alive. He shoots Castle, then shoots Beckett even as she returns fire, killing him. And the two crawl toward each other, and…

…And then we cut to seven years later, where the Castle family is happy and alive. Castle and Beckett have three adorable children, and she’s still his muse.

Yes, it’s cheesy and tacked-on. It made me happy, anyway.

Okay. Well, while that ‘Seven Years Later’ cut couldn’t have felt more tacked-on if there were actual tacks involved, it was sweet and genuinely happy. I’ll take it. Goodbye, show. You were reliably fun, clever, and entertaining for seven and a half seasons, and even the eighth season didn’t ruin that record entirely. I’ll miss this cast and these characters.

What did you think of the finale? Was it worth sticking around for? Let us know in the comments!