3 Moments of Goodness from the Castle Season 4 Finale — “Always” 

I’m still sitting (and typing) in awe right now. Expectations were high for the Castle Season 4 finale, I’m not going to lie. Kara and I have expressed our feelings about how we wanted some serious movement on the Beckett and Castle front before this season was over. I expected something to go down in “Always.” But what happened was so much more…satisfying. Thank you, Andrew Marlowe and everyone involved in the making of this episode. I’m going to say that right now before we go any further.

Right off the bat, things seemed to be back to normal between Beckett and Castle. They even set up a movie date of sorts. It was all very cute. But when this week’s murder investigation included a break-in at the late Captain Roy Montgomery’s house, we knew things were going to get intense in a major way. They tried to throw us off and say this was all tied into one of his old cases that involved gang violence. But, of course, that’s not what it turned out to be. It had to do with Beckett’s shooting and the murder of her mother. And when Beckett started investigating the leads in hardcore fashion, Castle was immediately freakin’ scared out of his mind. But he had to keep those feelings to himself. He found some other ways to channel his support to Kate, which led to our first Moment of Goodness.

Moment of Goodness #1: Castle comforted Beckett at the Precinct

Knowing full well that Castle’s very own “deep throat” was telling him to figure out a way to keep Beckett off the case, there wasn’t much he could do. It had been a year since Kate’s shooting and there’s hadn’t been any leads. She had to do this. And so Rick showed up at the precinct with a cup of coffee for his partner — and some comforting words:

Castle: “Hey, you’re not in this alone. I’m here.”
Beckett: “I know.”

Kate took Rick’s hand in what turned out to be a quick, sweet, very discreet moment between the two. Those few words of support, the hand-holding, and the chemistry-filled looks were enough to make me melt and we were only 15 minutes into the show. There was much more to come.

Moment of Goodness #2: Castle came clean to Beckett

Castle tried to subtly get his partner to back off the investigation, but there was no way that was going to happen. He, ultimately, had to resort to the truth and nothing but the truth. He asked her to stop this investigation and told her about the guy that he’d been in contact with — the one warning him to keep Beckett away from the case, which would insure her safety. Beckett was angry and all bets were off. Castle upped the stakes of this conversation big time:

Beckett: “How the hell could you do this?”
Castle: “Because I love you. But you already know that, don’t you? You’ve known for about a year.”
Beckett: “Are you kidding me? You’re actually bringing this up right now? After you told me that you just betrayed me?”
Castle: “Kate, listen to me…”
Beckett: “Listen to you? Why should I listen to you? How am I supposed to even trust anything that you say?”

That’s when Nathan Fillion just about broke my heart. Complete with unshed tears, Castle went for broke:

Castle: “How are you? Because of everything we’ve been through together! Four years I’ve been right here. Four years just waiting for you to just open your eyes — to see that I’m right here. That I’m more than a partner. Every morning I bring you a cup of coffee just so I can see a smile on your face because I think you are the most…remarkable, maddening, challenging, frustrating person I’ve ever met. And I love you Kate and if that means anything to you. If you care about me at all just don’t do this.”

That monologue right there really got to me. I may have shed some tears, that’s how caught up in the moment I was. Despite the heartfelt words, Kate wasn’t budging. She was pissed off. She was hurt that Castle resorted to these tactics to protect her. She said she was ready for whatever’s coming after her. As for Castle? He told Kate he wasn’t going to stick around to see her throw her life away. He told her this was all over. He was done. Wow. This was possibly one of the best scenes of Castle ever. I love it when Fillion steps up like that. Stana Katic too. The intensity was high and so was the heartbreak.

Moment of Goodness #3: Beckett and Castle and the ultimate Caskett Scene we’ve all been waiting for

After Castle deleted his Beckett file, there was a knock at the door. It was Beckett. She had already faced the big bad and almost died. Iron Gates had placed her (and Espo) on administrative leave for hiding the investigation from her. Kate’s answer was to resign from the NYPD. She was drenched after wandering out in the rain, she tried to call him but he didn’t answer. Then the knock came and Castle opened his door:

Castle: “Beckett, what do you want?”
Beckett: “You.” (she kisses him) “I’m so sorry, Castle. I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry.”
Castle: “What happened?”
Beckett: “He got away and I didn’t care. I almost died and all I could think about was you. I just want you.”

And after four seasons, fans wanting Castle and Beckett together got just that. It was passionate and not over the top. The show didn’t jump the shark. I don’t know where things will pick up next season, but for now I’m utterly and completely ecstatic with this finale. I loved Alexis’ valedictory speech; I loved how there’s a hitch in the bromance that is Espo and Ryan. I think “Always” was the perfect way to end Season 4 (although Ryan & Espo better make up quickly when Season 5 starts. Just saying). Can’t wait to see what happens next. We know there’s more to come with Beckett’s shooting and her mom’s death. And I wonder if Castle might not become a target as well. Now for the painful hiatus also known as the summer break. Can the fall just get here now? Pretty Please?