Mikes Film Talk

While the jury is out on a season nine verdict, at least at the time of writing this article, Castle’s penultimate episode of season eight ‘Hell to Pay’ is all about ‘The Omen,’  in more ways than one. Harking back to the more “fun” episodes of yesteryear on the series this was a bit of horror hokum fun.

It was also more like the “good old days” where Rick gets spooked and Kate is the steady voice of reason. This would have made a great Halloween episode but last year there was an unexplained gap in the series when that holiday takes place.

The plot has New York plunged into a pretty tame blackout. (In reality when the lights go out this is usually a cue for mayhem on a grand scale.) As Alexis (Molly C. Quinn) and Hayley (Toks Olagundoye) are relaxing in the Castle office, the city is plunged into darkness and an intrude smashes his way into the room with an axe. He then falls dead in front of the two freaked out ladies.

The bearded man, who turns out to be an escaped mental patient, says something in Latin before face planting the floor.

Guest star Rick Cosnett plays Victor Crowne, the Damien Thorn in this “Omen” remix, and he comes over as suitably suspicious and not a little ominous in the show.  A nice touch to this homage to horror was the music. As Javi, Ryan and Rick go to the psychiatric hospital to speak with a member of staff, the soundtrack uses the tinkling of piano keys; a’la Ju-On: The Grudge, to set the atmosphere.

The episode goes on to show the dead man has Latin written all over his body. There is also a safe, with all sorts of religious paraphernalia in it (in Castle’s office). Inside the safe is evidence that the dead man, and an accomplice,  were tracking Crowne’s movements till his 30th birthday.

All in all this was an entertaining episode but it did not feel like it was heading toward a finale that would “wrap up” the LokSat storyline as hinted by the showrunner.  The only thing evident in this penultimate episode was a lack of Kate. Sure she was there but only peripherally.

All the interrogation was done by Ryan and Espo.  (Kate does question the murderer of “axe-man, but her role was more in the background of this episode.) The show was not a total wash in terms of the female members of the cast. Alexis and Hayley were part of the plot, much more than Beckett, and it does really look like these two will be Kate’s replacements for the next season, if it is approved.

Toks Olagundoye and Nathan Fillion have great chemistry. The actress and Quinn have the propensity to be a great double act as well. Looking into my crystal ball, it is all too easy to see a season nine with an emphasis on Rick’s P.I. business. (Possibly renamed to Castle, Castle and Shipton.)  The NYPD would be shoved to the sidelines with Rick’s storyline’s being front and center.

Fans of the show are both disgusted and dismayed at the departure of Stana Katic and Tamala Jones, although Katic was on equal footing with Fillion and Jones was  a series “regular,” albeit a popular one. The mystery of Katic’s decision to leave (or be pushed out) may never be revealed. However, it may boil down to problems with storylines or even salary at the end of the day.

There have been rumors that the show will return for a short ninth season.  With the willful destruction of #TeamCaskett this may give fans a sort of “short” closure.  Next week sees the finale; which has a LokSat storyline and may well see the death of Beckett. The show’s producers have sworn they will not kill off Kate, but, what is to stop them.

It makes a certain amount of sense, super detective Kate Beckett has been a thorn in the side of this uber villain for years.  The show’s writers have had ample time to work out a Beckett-less solution to the season.

‘Castle’ ends season eight next week on 16, May 2016. Tune in and see what the Caskett final solution will be.