I’ve added brand new promotional photos of season four of Castle to the photo gallery, featuring Stana and Nathan. A huge thank you to Meghan for being so sweet to get these for me! ♥

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Castle‘s season finale last week left fans who’d been eager to see dynamic duo Castle and Beckett take their relationship to the next level satisfied and excited to see what’s to come.

Stana Katic couldn’t help but tease to us with the “what’s to come” part, but she did share her mutual excitement for the pair’s big step. She took us behind the scenes of the finale by breaking down Esposito’s decision to back Beckett while searching out her mother’s killer, and talk about her big rooftop fight!

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: This season finale felt perfect for the journey we’ve been through this season. Did you see it kind of the same way?

STANA KATIC: Yeah, I loved it. I felt like if we waited any longer it would be untrue to the characters. They’ve gone through a lot together, a lot of really great moments and a lot of really scary journeys together. I think waiting any longer would have been unfair and dishonest. So I think [creator Andrew Marlowe] did a really great job bringing those two characters finally to a point of complete honesty with each other.

Did you have a favorite moment? Hint, hint.
[Laughs] It was very special to me to work with the core team on this episode. Everyone was invested in making it special. And everyone brought a level of performance that I think we haven’t seen up to that point. That added to the story. So there were a lot of moments.

I think that Castle confessing his love over a conscious Beckett was really cool. Really sweet scene. And the boys were amazing; both of them: Seamus Dever and John Huertas. Just stunning. Captain Gates (Penny Johnson Jerald) brought a level of strength that I thought was imperative to that story. It was quite nice throughout. I can’t quite choose one.

Did you like seeing Esposito side with Beckett?
Yeah, John and I have talked about that in the past. We feel that there is probably a back story that signals that the two of them have known each other and been good friends for a while. There’s a certain kind of renegade quality that Beckett has that Esposito also has. Their rules aren’t always as by-the-book as they might seem. They have a certain sense of honor and integrity that is sometimes against the rules, and might not be the safest kind of path. I thought it was really cool to see the two of them have each other’s back in that way. I thought that was a real sweet moment of friendship. We saw a hint of it in “Kill Shot” where Esposito saved her life. And was a real source of friendship there. It was nice to kind of explore. So there were some break-ups and there were some getting together at the end of the season. And one of the break-ups was the bromance, right? So that’ll be a journey that we’ll see next year — we’ll see what happens with Ryan and Esposito. That’s a nice kind of thing to throw into the mix for storytelling next season.

When you saw that Beckett was going to quit, what went through your head?
‘Badass.’ Because everything that she served [and] everything that she has fought for doesn’t have the same meaning at that point. She gave her all to that job, and to be put into question in that way, I feel like a character in that moment, they have a moment of clarity and perspective that difficult to see, like ‘This is what is really important in life.’ In that moment, it was Castle. That’s the only thing that’s important. Even her job as a detective didn’t matter. Finding justice for her mom’s murder didn’t matter. It’s finally just about living life and enjoying the gift that it is.

On to the fight scene — tell me about some of the work that went into that.
It was fun! [Laughs] [The fight coordinator] really wanted Beckett to be a non-issue for that guy. So many times you see her as a tough, motivated action person, and she’s actually owning the space. And in that fight, she’s completely incapable against that man, and I think that’s true to form. She’s gonna fight, she’s gonna give it everything she’s got, she’ll risk her life, but she’s incapable, really, against the forces that she’s facing in that case. And I think that was a really nice showcase for that point.

Now that you say that, I think that’s what scared me during the scene. I was scared FOR her!
Good! Because that’s really what she’s facing. She’s not facing an easy win. If she goes after these people, she is going to die, and that showcased the reality of it. That guy whipped her around like he was a bear and she was a little kitty cat. And that’s a really neat image to show exactly what she was up against in the big scheme of that storyline, in the big scheme of that kind of part of Castle.

So now we have to talk about everything that’s gone on with Castle and Beckett, where do you see it going?
I don’t know what they’re going to do. I know that Andrew is always felt that the show has that kind of His Girl Friday feel. And I feel in any relationship there are these wonderfully charming, complicated moments of adjustment and getting to know each other in a relationship that are quite charming and compelling to watch. So I think if anything they’ll probably explore a lot of that. Andrew has a lot of humor and a wonderful wit about him, and he’s got a big heart in the end. So I think we’ll have that color in anything he writes.

Source: here

There were a few different Castle related questions asked during this edition of TV Guide’s “Ask Matt.” While none of them really reveal anything new about the show, there is significant praise for the show. Just thought I would share, in case anyone else wanted to read it.

Question: This is my first time writing in, but I read your column every week. You’ve turned me on to some amazing shows! Notably, Fringe. But I wanted to ask you about Bones and Castle. I’ve watched Bones since the beginning, and I couldn’t peg my recent discontent with it, but after watching the Castle finale, I did. Booth and Bones getting together (AFTER 8 EXCRUCIATING SEASONS!!!) felt like going from appetizers straight to dessert, and skipping the main course. I just felt so “meh” about the relationship after having waited so long, only to get so little payoff. I mean, I find it so hard to believe that one night of off-screen shenanigans would lead them to being a couple when literally nothing else has! I know, I complained about how long it took to get there, but now it feels rushed and really inorganic. If there is any Moonlighting curse, it’s in forcing your main couple together inorganically. I still watch, but it’s not Must See TV for me like it used to be.

Now Castle on the other hand, I just kept saying “OMG. YES! FINALLY! YES! YES! YES!” after watching the finale. I felt it was executed perfectly. We’ve only had to wait four seasons, and we actually see growth on Beckett’s part, which enabled her to finally accept Castle’s love, baggage and all. I guess, in sum, I feel like there was no growth with Bones. It feels like they were forced together due to her pregnancy, without her recognizing that she is capable of being in a loving relationship. She is still the same person she’s always been, just now a mother. Thoughts? — Alexis

Matt Roush: I prefer to stay out of the Bones-vs-Castle fan battle as best I can, while noting that I’m not the least surprised that Castle‘s finale, with the passionate Beckett-Castle clinch, was more satisfying for fans than the way so many Bones fans reacted to the similar situation a year ago, and how those consequences continue to play out on that show. (Now if Beckett becomes instantly pregnant, all bets are off.) These shows operate within the same genre — light mystery with romantic subtext — but the characters are so different. Bones is such a bizarre creation, almost as divorced from human connection as The Big Bang Theory’s Sheldon Cooper, while Beckett may be damaged by her past but is much more part of the real world around her. I don’t expect Bones, even after motherhood, to change any more than I’ve expected Dr. House or Sheldon to have sudden character-altering epiphanies, whereas Beckett’s emotional journey is much more relatable. If they were both telling the same story the same way, I’d probably be fielding charges of plagiarism. There’s no pleasing all constituencies here, but I don’t think these game-changers will harm either show in the long run. For what it’s worth, I thought Castle‘s finale was a model example of how to do it right.

Question: I’ve been a Castle fan since Day 1. I get that this show is essentially a love story wrapped around a TV crime procedural premise; however, I think most people are missing the nuances that the show-runners have infused into their storytelling. Although the pace of the romance has been unrealistically slowed down for TV, I believe the Castle/Beckett dynamic — with apologies to Booth/Brennan, Tony/Ziva, and House/Cuddy — is the most adult depiction of the will-they-or-won’t-they couple I’ve seen since Remington Steele. Because of that, I’ve been able to suspend my disbelief that people who want to be together would behave this way for four years, because I’m invested in all of the characters and having fun watching them get to where we know they’re headed. This is my way of complimenting the superb acting by Nathan Fillion and Stana Katic, particularly this season. They consistently display deft, natural subtlety in their non-verbal expressions, and I’m stunned that the Emmy voters haven’t yet noticed. OK, so Fillion received a People’s Choice award, as did the show. That’s fine. Being popular with fans is one thing; being recognized for your craft by peers is another. What’s your take on this? — Brian

Matt Roush: They’re both very appealing, but this is not the sort of show (rightly or wrongly) that’s likely ever to factor into the Emmy race — not when there are so many powerful dramas out there, especially on cable, which are taken so much more seriously. Dramedies like these tend to suffer when it comes to awards recognition. They’ll just have to settle for popular success.

Question: Great Castle season finale, but will this ruin the series? Why don’t they have Kate quit the force, become Mrs. Castle and together they can be this generation’s Nick and Nora/Hart to Hart? They will have to get an Asta or Freeway. (Maybe you can put a bug in someone’s ear — we certainly have enough cop shows!) — Joanne

Matt Roush: For the real skinny on where Castle is heading after the game-changing finale, check out Adam Bryant’s interview with the show’s creator. But I like your idea a lot. Especially the dog part.

Source: here

It finally happened! Castle has been officially renewed for season five! Thank you television gods and ABC for making all of us Castle fans extremely happy! I can’t wait to see what Marlowe and the crew have in store for us next season!

ABC just made its “no-brainer” renewals, picking up its strongest scripted series. That includes freshmen Once Upon A Time, Suburgatory and Revenge, comedies Modern Family and The Middle and dramas Grey’s Anatomy and Castle. (The renewal for Grey’s comes after the main cast signed new deals.) Surprisingly not on the list is sophomore comedy Happy Endings, but I hear that deal is closing, so the show will be back. Also expected to return are two freshman comedy series that didn’t make the first cut, Last Man Standing and Don’t Trust The B—-. Looking good is Shonda Rhimes’ midseason drama Scandal. Talks are still ongoing on a potential 13-episode pickup of Grey’s spinoff Private Practice, which logged underwhelming ratings this week after a promising start on Tuesday. The future of GCB and Body of Proof is unclear, with both having a shot depending on ABC’s new drama series choices. And of course, fellow bubble ABC series Cougar Town just found a new home at TBS. ABC is yet to make its unscripted renewals, which will likely come tomorrow, with Dancing With The Stars, The Bachelor/Bachelorette and Shark Tank certain to get the nod.

Source: here

Now that Castle (Nathan Fillion) and Beckett (Stana Katic) have finally done the deed, where will we find the two characters when “Castle” resumes for Season 5 in the fall? Creator Andrew Marlowe tells Zap2it that there won’t be any major time jumps, and the show will pick up soon after Castle and Beckett went to bed together.

“I haven’t quite nailed it down, but I do think everybody is going to want to see what the aftermath looks like,” Marlowe says. “They are going to want to see what it looks like when they wake up in the morning. And I think that’s a promise that we have to honor.”

Season 4 got a little dark and stressful with Castle and Beckett too wrapped up in secrets to have as much of their usual banter, but Marlowe promises Season 5 will have that trademark “Castle” playfulness.

“[Season 4] we feel has been very creatively successful, but it’s also been a little angsty for our characters. [We're excited] to be able to get on the other side of that angst and to open that up into a little bit more of the fun that we had in [Seasons] 1 through 3,” he says. “We’re looking forward to getting to that and dealing with the two characters in a relationship, what that relationship is going to look like and the challenges that they’re going to have.”

Things won’t go smoothly just because the characters finally gave into their feelings for each other. “Castle’s not going to stop being Castle once they’re in a relationship, and Beckett is not going to stop being Beckett. Out of a relationship or in a relationship, they’re still going to drive each other crazy. There’s still a lot of fun to be had.”

Source: here

Warning: Do not read unless you’ve seen the season finale!

Castle creator and executive producer Andrew Marlowe knew that last night’s big moment would have fans buzzing. How could it not? After four seasons of ups, downs, and shameless flirting from both Castle and Beckett, the season 4 finale gave fans what they’d been hoping for: a chance to see the pair finally get together!

Bold? You bet. But not as bold as the alternative, says Marlowe. “Not doing it would have been even ballsier because I think the audience is near its breaking point,” he says. “And it’s 2012, people fall into and out of bed together all the time. If it had gone on any longer, we would have been bad storytellers.”

And this new path, which will find Castle and Beckett entering a relationship together in season 5? It’s full with opportunity, he says. “It was important to open up the storytelling. We had done as much storytelling as we thought we could do credibly with not having them together. So the characters either had to go their separate ways or get together,” he says. “We thought there was a lot of fun to be had mining their relationship once they were together because no relationship goes smoothly, and they’re fundamentally different people.”

Marlowe points to classic romances — like those featured in The Thin Man (1934), The Philadelphia Story, and Adam’s Rib (1949) — as his inspiration and the best reference point for the “romantic-comedy fun” that’s to come. “We think these guys can support and sustain that for a long time as we continue to evolve their relationship and both of them as characters,” he says. “We are absolutely convinced we’re going to have a lot of fun in the next several years with these guys as we see what that relationship looks like, because it ain’t necessarily going to be smooth sailing. I think the bumps that come along the way are going to be really fun and funny.”

In fact, he adds, that’s one of the main reasons the show decided to take the plunge now: fun. After a season that has had more than its fair share of angst and dark moments, he wanted a chance to “recommit” to the fundamentals of the show. “What we’re hoping is that getting over this hump of will-they-won’t-they will help us get back to some of the fun stuff we were able to do in the first couple of seasons — her grabbing his nose or grabbing his ear — and the back and forth. Them getting together will allow for that,” he says. “But the sexual tension of the relationship, I don’t know if that goes away when they’re together as long as you handle it well.”

But what of the rest of the story? Beckett’s resignation from the force? Esposito and Ryan’s falling out? And the big threat that we now know looms over Kate? “We’ll put the pieces back together in an interesting way,” he promises. “It gives us a natural launch point for next season — with both relationship stuff and [other] stakes that we’re going to enjoy playing with at the beginning of next year before we pick up all the pieces.”

Above all, he says, “We felt like it was time to get the characters together.” And we have to agree.

Source: here

Warning: Spoilers for the season finale! Do not read if you wish to remain spoiler free!

Are you still with us Castle fans?

After four seasons of will-they-won’t-they romantic tension, the ABC drama’s Season 4 finale seemingly brought mystery writer Rick Castle (Nathan Fillion) together with his muse, Detective Kate Beckett (Stana Katic). But getting there was no easy task.

After a murder investigation put Beckett on the trail of Cole Maddox (Tahmoh Penikett), the man who shot her in last year’s season-ender, Castle had to reveal the secret he’s been keeping all season: He’s been investigating Beckett’s mother’s murder covertly in order to keep her away from the case and therefore keep her alive. The betrayal hits Beckett hard, and it seems the duo’s partnership is finished.

But after Beckett nearly dies during another run-in with Maddox — and after her recklessness causes her to resign from the police force — Beckett runs to Castle for a passionate make-out session before ultimately leading him to the bedroom.

So, did Castle and Beckett actually get it on? And what does this mean for their future? We took all our questions to creator Andrew W. Marlowe, who assures us, this is only the beginning.

So, you finally put Castle and Beckett together. Why was now the time?
Andrew W. Marlowe: Ultimately, you get to a fork in the road. If we kept them apart any longer, say another season — after what Castle had put on the table at the end of last season — in my mind, that would have been the death of the series. Then, we would have just been being artificial. They would have become brother and sister, and then we’re just ignoring everything that had happened. There comes a point where you have to confront it. … We wanted to get the point where we resolved it and made a promise for next season that these two are going to have to be dealing with their feelings for one another.

Of course, we didn’t see whatever was about to happen in that bedroom. Are you planning to pull a fast one next season?
Marlowe: I have no intention of pulling the rug out from the audience. I think that when that scene ends, everybody is clear on what’s about to happen. We don’t need to see it, but we know it’s going to happen.

So to be clear, there won’t be an urgent phone call that Castle’s mom has been in an accident or something like that?
Marlowe: No. I think we need to get to the other side of the storytelling. I think we’ve played the interruptions as much as we possibly can. And I think we’re really interested to see what’s going to happen with these two. What does that relationship look like? This is going to allow us to reembrace some of the fun, because relationships are tricky things and they don’t always go the way you want them to.

Are you saying this season didn’t have as much “fun” as you would like?
Marlowe:  Yeah a little bit. We had a lot of fun this season, but Castle and Beckett were each keeping secrets from one another and weren’t dealing with each other completely honestly. I think some of the angst of this season — we paid for some of that with some element of fun. That by no means is me saying the fun left the show, but we had to spend a little bit of that capital in a different place. Getting to the other side of this allows us to bring … [back] the back-and-forth between them and the physical comedy. It allows us to recommit to the fundamental values of what the show is.

So you want to see them in a more playful place with one another?
Marlowe:  [Seeing them] figuring out their rhythms with one another is going to be fun for the audience to watch. In no way do we think this is going to end the fun and the tension between Castle and Beckett because the question is now going to become: Where does this relationship go and how does it affect their ability to work together?

Would you call them a couple at this point or is it not that defined?
Marlowe: I think those are all the questions the characters are going to be asking themselves, and that’s going to be part of the fun. When they wake up the next morning, are both of them still in the same place? And Beckett’s actually resigned from the force. So, what is she going to do with her life now? There’s all sorts of stuff to jump into next season.

Why does Beckett resign in that moment?
Marlowe:  It’s a reflection on what she’s been doing with her life and how she’s defined herself. This echoes back to a conversation she had with her therapist in “Kill Shot” where she says, “I want to move past this.” [Does] letting go of her mother’s murder allow her to choose something else in life, where she’s not as driven to be a cop? Or will things happen that will force her to recommit to it?

You mean like the fact that Cole Maddox is still vowing to put her in the ground for good? Will that bring her back to the force perhaps?
Marlowe:  We’ll hopefully make it more interesting than that. That’s a little conventional. There’s going to be some of that, but we’re also talking about some other things that are really interesting to us. … But yes, unbeknownst to Beckett, her life is still very much in danger, and that’s something we’re going to be picking up the thread on when we come back next season.

Have you already planned the resolution of that cliff-hanger?
Marlowe: Yeah, we have. I don’t want to go into in too much detail because we still have some moving pieces on the board on that one, and I’m not going to commit myself to anything one way or another. But it is something we plan to pick up on when we get back, but it’s not somewhere we’re looking for the series to dwell. We’re looking to get Beckett beyond some of that stuff to the point where she can rediscover who she is and [she and Castle] can deal with this decision they have made.

Gates was able to bring her claws out again. Will that continue?
Marlowe: Inevitably, we have to see more of that side. Beckett and Esposito [Jon Huertas] have crossed a line. So, what does that mean for them as cops? Gates [Penny Johnson Jerald] ends up being much more of a significant obstacle in the first couple of episodes next season.

And Esposito doesn’t look too pleased with Ryan (Seamus Dever)…
Marlowe: [With] Beckett and Castle getting together, we felt it was time to challenge some of the other relationships so we’d have somewhere to go with the storytelling. Ryan has to make a choice that ends up with Esposito feeling like he’s been betrayed. The two of them are definitely on the outs.

For all the ‘shippers this finale will make happy, we’re sure there’s some who fear this development will hurt the show. What’s your message to that group of fans?
Marlowe:  Just because these characters have decided to take the next step in the relationship, it doesn’t make the relationship that much different. This is just a natural progression in a much longer story about these two characters. When two people have traits that are fundamentally challenging to the other, the comedy doesn’t go away. [We] have to deliver great fun shows where the characters are challenged in the relationship the same way they were before they slept together.

So it’s safe to assume the relationship won’t be completely smooth sailing?
Marlowe: We do put the relationship under threat right away with Maddox’s threat at the end of the episode. [Beyond that,] I have a good ballpark sense of where we’re going. And I’m not going to advertise it too much because that’s the fun of the ride. You don’t want to show everybody exactly what the rises and falls of the roller coaster are when they get on it. You want them to be surprised at the twists and turns. Sleeping together is a great hallmark, but to get to the promised land of a happy ending, there’s a long way for these guys to go.

Have you heard for sure that the show has been renewed?
Marlowe: No official word. [ABC is] very supportive of us, but ultimately I don’t want to tempt the TV gods. Fingers crossed we’ll hear good news soon. … It would surprise me if we didn’t come back, but that being said, I’m sure people have been surprised before.

So, when’s the wedding?
Marlowe: [Laughs] Maybe in Season 8 if we’re lucky?

What did you think of the Castle finale?

Source: here

I have added screencaptures from tonight’s episode of Castle, 4×23: Always, to the photo gallery. I hope that everyone enjoyed the season finale! I thought it was one of the best episodes of Castle so far. If you haven’t seen it yet, be sure to watch it when you get the chance. Next week, we’ll know for sure if Castle has been renewed for season five. I have high hopes and good feelings that it will definitely be renewed! We’ll keep you posted, so keep checking back!

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