Overview

There is an episode near the end (E19) that is one of the best of the series…it is funny, it is interesting, it is vintage Season 1 and 4 all together in a big bowl of mystery with comedy sprinkled on top. A complete palate cleanser from all the EPs filled with angst. Yet by the time I got there, the first half of the season was almost making me wonder if I would continue watching. Definitely near the bottom of the seasons.

Episodes That I Liked

There are some pretty good EPs in the second half of the season, with diplomats and spies (E11); an escape room (E12); ESL (E13); the Great Detective Society (E14); Esposito’s ex-girlfriend (E16); a lamp and a genie (E17); and Hayley’s past in Britain (E18). However, there are two EPs that are vintage Castle at its best — the return of Slaughter (E06) is funny throughout, but then E19 brings out the best lines of the series with a victim who won’t stay dead.

Episodes That Were Watchable

At the start of the season, it really looked like the renewal from Season 7 to Season 8 was a “gift”. The vast majority of the first half of the season are watchable, but not memorable, with Beckett disappearing (sound familiar? E01, E02); a prisoner and guard experiment (E03); pathological liars and hermit authors (E04); art theft and murder (E05); an a capella group (E09); Castle as witness in a case, with new information coming forward (E10); murder at the police academy (E15); murder while doing Shakespeare (E20); and avenging angels and murderous demons (E21).

However, the two most disappointing are a sting-style episode (E07), and the series finale (E22), both with promising plots that go nowhere.

Episodes That I Didn’t Like

Episode 8 is entitled Mr. and Mrs. Castle and the whole episode is about the two of them deciding if they want to be together or not. Lies, half-truths, omissions, angst, it was just torturous to watch. I DON’T CARE, just decide something. Anything. And go with it. It felt like a complete repeat of the previous year when Castle had amnesia and was running around not telling Beckett what was going on, except the shoe is on the other foot, and did I mention, I DON’T CARE. Arghhh. Not to mention, it doesn’t GO anywhere. No resolution, no big emotional movement, NOTHING leading to MORE NOTHING.

List of Episodes from Season 8

The Bottom Line

The victim in EP19 might not stay dead, but the series dies by the end

Overview

The season starts off with Beckett working in Washington, and the whole dynamic just doesn’t work. I like the 3XK stuff and a Carrie-like prank. I’ll even accept the wedding episode. But not a great season overall, one of the lower average scores so far.

Episodes That I Liked

They have some good plots for single episodes — Castle might be dying (E01), dead hackers and Daddy (E012), brawling models and wedding planning (E14), and skateboarders (E21). Beckett going undercover as a Russian is better, but not quite there overall (E17). 3XK comes back around with some clones (E09) and the truth is out there on Beckett’s mom’s murder (E22). But there are three EPs that shine…time travel (E05), a Carrie-like prank (E15), and wedding bells (E23).

Episodes That Were Watchable

Despite the ten episodes I like, there are nine that are merely okay…a repeat of D.O.A. (E02, second part of E01 that was better), monks and treasure hunters (E06), diamonds and gorillas (E08), baby whisperers (E10), and teen divas with decoys (E13). Esposito and Ryan get trapped in a burning building for a very special episode (E11), and it should be awesome, but instead is just okay. The boys also take on ninjas (E18) and the 70s (E20), and again, the premises are awesome, but the mysteries are pretty blah. More kitsch than story. And like most seasons, we need an episode for Alexis so we throw her an innocence project (E07). Yawn.

Episodes That I Didn’t Like

But the bigger issue is that there are four episodes that are just uber-blah. Spies (E03), a fan of Castle/Nikki Heat takes hostages (E04), false memories (E16), and a greedy Wall Street trader (E19) all fall well short of the mark.

List of Episodes from Season 6

The Bottom Line

Making time travel seem plausible, even to Beckett

Overview

Building off Season 3, this season really starts to gel in certain areas. Which is odd, because the characters are written so that they are NOT gelling…Castle finished off Season 3 with a big pronouncement, and Beckett says she doesn’t remember it. So they are at odds for most of the season. They have their moments, but then they have large stumbling blocks. While a lot of Seasons 1-3 were about Castle growing up a little, finding something to care about besides being a playboy writer, this season is about Beckett growing as a person, finding something to care about other than her job.

Episodes That I Liked

The season has surprising depth in it, including Beckett adjusting to life after being shot (E01) and dealing with a sniper (E09). And they have some solid fun episodes with superheroes (E02), ghosts (E06), hostages (E07), politics (E12), and eager reporters (E19). But even beyond those 7 episodes, they have another 7 that just rock…Beckett and Castle wake up cuffed together, and there’s a tiger in the room next door? (E10) Awesome! There is a WILD episode just watching some pick-up artists describe their buddy’s operation (E11), plus a two-parter dealing with the CIA (E15, E16). And while every procedural wants to deal with the drug ketamine, this one was different enough to be interesting (E22).

But the two outstanding episodes are one in the middle of the season and the last one. The season ends with Castle and Beckett reaching an impasse — Castle isn’t willing to watch Beckett keep putting herself in danger with no backup, and she’s not willing to yield or bend (E23). Yet the EP that blew me away is the mid-season one (E14, The Blue Butterfly), where an old case is re-imagined with all the regular Castle characters playing parts in the old case, done up Chicago noir-style, very Chandler-esque.

Episodes That Were Watchable

So there are fourteen EPs that are great (above), and then 4 here that are blah — E04 for family intrigue for Romeo and Juliet done gangster-style, E08 that should have been awesome with the boys in Atlantic City, E17 for a bit of the supernatural with vampires, and a romantic interest for Beckett from England (E20).

Episodes That I Didn’t Like

With those other EPs out of the way, there are 5 others that just fail to deliver…some need a better plot (E03 about Cryogenics, E21 with Castle working with Slaughter); another needs a better motive (E05 about a museum murder); and two others try to go topical with reality TV and dog shows (E18 and E13), with the gimmick just not working for either episode as nobody cares who killed who.

List of Episodes from Season 4

The Bottom Line

Time to rename the show Beckett, cuz she ran the season