Warning: Spoilers! Do not read or watch the video if you wish to remain spoiler free!

The “Castle” Season 4 finale might be one of the most highly anticipated finales of the year. It’s been a season of push and pull, hot and cold, lies and half-truths, so fans who were in it for the will they/won’t they aspect alone were schooled in just how complicated one show’s core relationship could be.

In the first part of my chat with boss Andrew Marlowe, which posted before Monday’s zombie episode, Marlowe teased how that episode’s action would bring Castle (Nathan Fillion) and Beckett (Stana Katic) closer again — and it did — but he was also quick to add: “Of course, we knock that on its ass in the finale.” Of course.

Now, here are some of his more promising teases for fans (and a jaw-dropping exclusive sneak peek below). “In the finale, the characters are ready to have this conversation. The characters are ready to talk about how they feel,” Marlowe said. “So we can make that promise to the audience that all the cards are laid on the table in the finale.”

Of course, he wouldn’t say if Castle and Beckett finally get together, but he did acknowledge that he knows the fans have been frustrated, this season and in finales past, and it sounds like that acknowledgment means that’s ground he won’t be treading over again. And for those viewers who only enjoy the promise of a possibility, and not the payoff, Marlowe says there’ll be plenty more story if and when Castle and Beckett do give it a go.

“When it’s the right time to get these guys together and they do get together, there’s plenty of storytelling on the other side,” Marlowe said. “We will be able to continue to see that relationship grow and be challenged, just like with any other relationship or any other great love story.”

Keep reading for more finale scoop, a thoughtful take on the show’s other romantic possibilities and some insight into what’ll happen next season with Castle’s daughter Alexis (Molly Quinn) “away” at college. (Hint: Her decision to go to Columbia doesn’t mean she’ll still be living at home, playing laser tag with dad.)

It feels like at the end of every season, Castle and Beckett go their separate ways for the summer. While I know most fans want them to be romantically together, I think a lot of people would just be happy knowing that they’re not taking a break from working together. Will those people at least be satisfied with this finale’s outcome?
I don’t want to answer that question before the finale — I want people to watch it to see what we do. But I will say this: I will recognize and acknowledge that if I were a fan of the show, and for some reason, it was, “Hey, we’re not going to be together — we’ve broken up as a partnership” and all that sort of stuff that we’ve done in the previous few seasons … I would acknowledge that, if I were a fan, I’d be a little bit angry. So I’ll give you that.

“Castle” fans are very vocal, and it’s obvious that you all listen. Have you had any big course-corrections, this season or any other, based on how fans were reacting to certain stories?
Actually, not much — there is a little bit of tempering that we do, but we’re actually ending this season exactly where I expected to end it a year and a half ago. When we talked about how we were going to end Season 3, this was pretty much how I expected to end Season 4. There are some course-corrections along the way, like, “OK, given where the characters are, if we do this with that character, I think the fans would see it as a huge betrayal.” For instance, in “The Limey” — let’s say the last scene had been Beckett and the British cop going to bed together. That would’ve been too much of a violation, given where Castle and Beckett are. Perfectly understandable, in terms of human nature — she’s mad at him, now she’s going to go out and get some revenge sex — but I think given where the characters were and what they were dealing with, that would be something that a certain segment of our audience would consider unforgivable. So maybe Beckett went out, had a cup of coffee and poured her heart out to the guy, or maybe she went out and got laid — I’ll leave that to the fans’ imaginations.

But I think we’ve been very true to our characters. There were points in the season where our fans have been frustrated, but they were supposed to be frustrated. That frustration is actually an expression of rooting for an outcome; it’s an expression of investment in the show. If you give everybody what they want all the time, it’s not really what they want — what they want is the journey. What they want is the ride. When it’s the right time to get these guys together and they do get together, there’s plenty of storytelling on the other side. We will be able to continue to see that relationship grow and be challenged, just like with any other relationship or any other great love story.

I think this has been a very strong season, but I know there’s been some backlash, especially with these last few episodes, about having Castle and Beckett be so at odds.
Thank you for that, and yes — we realize that it’s been a little more angsty than other seasons … We’ve traded some charm for some angst with the secrets and them not being able to reveal stuff, but we’re hoping to get to a place where we can reintroduce some of the charm.

Having Alexis at the precinct was a really fun way to get her out of the house. We now know that she’s chosen Columbia over Stanford — was it hard to balance the fact that we love her because she’s so strong-willed, but we also want her to stay close to dad?
Knowing what I know and where I want to take the character, no, I don’t think so. I understand the challenge that we are going to face next season — she is not going to have as much legitimate reason to just be around in the loft, so when Castle goes home, what is he going home to? Are we restructuring it so there are more Martha scenes? Or are we bringing Alexis in for Spring Break or for six months working in the ME’s office? Or — and this is me being coy — in keeping her local, will she be coming home to do her laundry? Either way, once you have a kid going to college, there’s a natural separation.

We understand here that we have a challenge in our storytelling to incorporate her in a way that is organic. We think that she’s a really great, really strong character, but we don’t want people to think we’re relying on convenience. I can tell you that if you’re smart and strong-willed, even if you go to a college locally, you’re not necessarily going to want to live with your dad. You’re going to want to hang out with your friends and expand your life experiences.

So “Castle” fans: Are you pumped for the finale? What do you think will happen?

Want more? Don’t miss what is possibly the most amazing “Castle” exclusive sneak peek we’ve ever seen. Ever. One that brings up those three little words, again.

“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.” HOLY WHAT? Yeah, that just happened. But what will Kate’s response be? That’s what will determine how they leave things this season: If she confronts her own feelings and returns the “I love you” to Castle, it’ll be the start of a new adventure. If she doesn’t, it would be the end of their verbal sparring and trusting relationship as we know it.

Now tell us: How would you like to see the rest of that scene play out?

Source: here

A huge thank you to Kelly at joshbowmanfan.com for this scan from this week’s edition of TV Guide covering May 7th through May 20th. Read the article at your own wish, as it talks about the season finale!

Click here to view the full-size scan in our gallery.

Warning: Spoilers for tonight’s episode and possibly more!

This season of “Castle” (Mondays at 10 p.m. ET on ABC) has been a season full of big secrets: Castle (Nathan Fillion) tried to keep information from Beckett about her mother’s murder to keep her safe, and Beckett (Stana Katic) refused to acknowledge those three little words that Castle said to her when she was shot.

Leading up to the Season 4 finale (Mon., May 7), this week’s “Castle” takes a lighter turn with the April 30th episode, “Undead Again,” where a murder case’s prime suspects are zombies. But don’t think that a zombie apocalypse is a gimmick to distract us from what’s been happening between Castle and Beckett, and what needs to happen in the big finale. “Castle” boss Andrew Marlowe says this episode does exactly the opposite.

“We can’t step out of time and space and pretend it’s not going on,” Marlowe told HuffPost TV. “So acknowledging it here gets us to an interesting place for the finale.”

Marlowe teased the action that brings Castle and Beckett closer again, rediscovering what makes them a good team. “That rediscovery gives their relationship a little growth,” he said, adding, “Of course, we knock that on its ass in the finale.”

Keep reading for more scoop on this fun episode from Marlowe, and check back later in the week for more “Castle” Season 4 finale scoop.

Zombies on “Castle” — it’s about time!
It is about time. I mean, I know that the fans have been calling out for zombies since the first season. They were really looking forward to our characters getting together, with zombies — that’s what I’ve been hearing. [Laughs.]

Yes! A hookup is even hotter with flesh-eating, end-of-the-world kind of stuff.
Of course! That’s what people want — I’ve seen the numbers on “The Walking Dead“; I know that that’s what the audience is clamoring for.

[Laughs.] So what can we expect from the episode?
You know, it’s a fun episode that comes in the middle of a really interesting trajectory for Castle and Beckett that we started in “47 Seconds.” We advertise this as our “season of secrets” where Beckett hasn’t revealed that she heard Castle say “I love you,” and Castle hasn’t revealed to her the mysterious goings on in her mother’s murder and that conspiracy case, with him being told, “You can’t look into it — you have to steer her away.” And so, in “47 Seconds” when the bomb went off, we had the metaphoric bomb of Castle discovering that Beckett had been keeping that secret, and we’ve had a couple of episodes where we’ve really put the two of them on the outs. You know, Castle showing up at a crime scene with a date, and then the next episode, he’s out investigating with another cop. Both really fun, interesting shows, but both also showing the cracks in the Castle-Beckett relationship.

Castle clearly is acting out, and is clearly punishing her, whether he realizes it or not. And I think when we start the zombie episode, there’s a little bit of a realization that things aren’t working between the two of them — should things go on between the two of them, or should we just call it a day? But dealing with zombies, there’s just so much fun to be had that, in a way, through that episode, they rediscover each other and rediscover the fun they have on their cases together, and each other’s value. That rediscovery gives their relationship a little growth … of course, we knock that on its ass in the finale when all the secrets that we’ve been keeping eventually come out.

With these two characters, where a lot of their conversations have been in subtext and their feelings have been subterranean, they are forced to — because of the nature of the case, and the nature of where the characters are going — reveal everything. Not only how they feel about one another, but also how they feel about being betrayed by the other one. It puts us in really interesting ground to be able to deal with that.

The zombie episode, as fun as it sounds, gets to a very credible place at the end of it, as we did with the episode where it seemed like the murderer was aliens from outer space — we like, at the end of the episode, to come back to a very credible place. But we do have a lot of fun with the zombie genre and Castle and Beckett start to discover the spark that they’ve been missing for the last several episodes. It’s really fun to watch that — really gratifying.

Source: here

Romance between two lead characters does not have to be a television show’s kiss of death, says Castle star Stana Katic.

In fact, purposefully keeping them apart can do more damage.

“I’ve always been of the opinion that these two characters belong together,” Katic says of her on-screen alter ego, no-nonsense New York police detective Kate Beckett, and playboy mystery novelist Richard Castle (Nathan Fillion), who have teased fans with their will they, won’t they dynamic for almost four seasons.

They’ve locked lips (but only as a decoy on the job) and Castle even confessed he loved her in season three’s dramatic finale, but Beckett – who, admittedly, was bleeding to death from a gunshot wound at the time – pretended she didn’t remember.

It’s a charade that Katic says can only stretch so far.

“You have to be honest about a story and it comes to a point where if you’ve played the chemistry long enough, if they don’t get together, you are just manipulating the audience, and I don’t like that.

“I know [show creator Andrew Marlowe] is worried that when a couple comes together, at least in storytelling, that there is no draw for the audience.”

However, she says one of the influences for Castle came from 1934 detective novel The Thin Man, which featured married couple Nick and Nora Charles who solved murder-mysteries.

The characters, who shared an electric and witty rapport, inspired several stage and screen adaptations (including an upcoming film remake starring Johnny Depp). “It was brilliant to watch,” Katic says of Nick and Nora. “These two people are still opposite enough where they’ll have a strong opinion, and there will be a difference of opinion, and it’s charming. It’s engaging. I love watching cute couples together and I love watching the challenge of them working it out.”

While Beckett’s love life might still be a work in progress, Katic says her character will grow in other ways this season, particularly in the aftermath of the failed attempt on her life. “You’ll see that she’s going to seek out some help. That’s huge for a person who is in charge and at the helm of everything.

“Later on in the series, she realises that all of this thing that she’s fighting for, this justice for her mother’s murder, might actually be leading her into a grave, and is it worth it? Because everything she wanted is standing right in front of her, encapsulated in Castle.

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“She’s risking it all for this sense of justice. She’s defined herself entirely by this experience. And I wonder if that definition is going to hold as much weight as it might have done the first year.”

The tiny, but vivacious Canadian actress, who has Serbian and Croatian parentage, says Beckett will also be challenged by new boss Captain Victoria “Iron” Gates (Penny Johnson Jerald). “Beckett was very loyal to the old captain, Captain Montgomery [Ruben Santiago-Hudson] … who, in many ways, became a father figure for her. She was the A student. She got away with a lot. Iron Gates is not going to let her get away with all of that.”

Katic herself isn’t afraid to challenge her superiors when it comes to Beckett, saying she is very protective of the popular detective. “There’s dialogue back and forth,” with the writers over the character, she says. “And part of the reason she’s opened up over the years is because I said, `You guys, it’s not believable that a woman in a position of power is so … you know, she’s not a robot’.

“Any woman that’s in any kind of success is so many different colours, so many different elements. And if you want to create a real woman that people really fall in love with, that your leading man really would want to be engaged with and is his muse, then let’s paint all of her, you know.”

And, for the most part, Katic believes they’re succeeding.

“I really admire her because she is a woman in a position of authority. She’s imperfect, and in spite of her flaws, she tries to do her best, and she works with intelligence and heart. I love it when I see young women who want to dress up like Kate or want to have certain lifestyle qualities like her or maybe even want to go into law enforcement or law in general.”

Source: here

CASTLE STRUGGLES TO KEEP BECKETT SAFE AS SHE HUNTS DOWN THE MAN WHO SHOT HER, ON THE SEASON FINALE OF ABC’S “CASTLE”

“Always” — When the murder of an Army veteran puts Beckett on the trail of the man who shot her, Castle must decide how much he’s willing to sacrifice to keep her safe. As secrets are revealed and feelings are put on the table, the lives of the detectives at the 12th Precinct may never be the same, on the Season Finale of “Castle,” MONDAY, MAY 7 (10:01-11:00 p.m., ET), on the ABC Television Network.

“Castle” stars Nathan Fillion as Richard Castle, Stana Katic as NYPD Detective Kate Beckett, Susan Sullivan as Martha Rodgers, Molly Quinn as Alexis Castle, Penny Johnson Jerald as NYPD Captain Victoria Gates, Tamala Jones as Medical Examiner Lanie Parish, Jon Huertas as NYPD Detective Javier Esposito, and Seamus Dever as NYPD Detective Kevin Ryan.

Guest Cast: Tahmoh Penikett as Cole Maddox, Judith Scott as Evelyn Montgomery.

“Always” was written by Terri Edda Miller & Andrew Marlowe and directed by Rob Bowman.

Back in February, it was announced that both Stana Katic and Jon Huertas were nominated for their portrayals of detectives Kate Beckett and Javier Esposito in Castle’s November episode “Kill Shot”, which was written by Alexi Hawley.

“Kill Shot” saw Beckett suffering from PTSD in light of a sniper being on the loose in NYC, and only after an encounter with Esposito and the rifle that shot her did she manage to overcome her crippling symptoms and get back into action to solve the case. In the end, Beckett resolves to become more than what her mother’s murder had turned her life into and to claim her life back.

Last month, it was revealed that the castmates won the awards for Performance in a Drama Episode, and tonight, they accepted their PRISM Awards at the ceremony in Beverly Hills, CA. Only, there’s a twist — Stana isn’t even in the United States! She’s abroad in India!

The award was presented to Jon Huertas on stage by fellow Castle actors Susan Sullivan and Seamus Dever, and Jon called Stana with Apple’s Facetime app so that Stana could video chat in her acceptance speech (how sweet is that!)

Check out the video to the left for a brief clip of Stana’s Facetime chat with the audience, and you can also see an interview with Jon backstage after the event. EIC’s Twitter representative informed me that more, complete videos will be released of the event at a later time.

Congratulations to Stana Katic, Jon Huertas, Alexi Hawley and the whole Castle cast and crew for this well-deserved win. Hope you’re enjoying your vacation in India, Stana!

Source: here

Just how easy was it for former Firefly co-stars Adam Baldwin and Nathan Fillion to find their old rhythm while shooting Monday’s episode of Castle?

“It was like putting on an old pair of comfortable boots,” Baldwin tells TVGuide.com with a laugh. “All those old feelings from Firefly and 10 years of working together come rushing back with just a look, wink and a nod.”

Baldwin plays Detective Slaughter, a rough-and-tumble cop from the gang unit who agrees to take Castle (Fillion) under his wing for a new case. “He’s a colorful character,” Baldwin says of Slaughter. “He’s kind of a rogue cop. He takes a few liberties with procedure, which Castle doesn’t necessarily approve of, but he gets results. And he has nice clothes and a big gun and a fast car. He’s kind of a cliché, but it’s a fun opportunity to chew some furniture.”

Slaughter is a welcome distraction for Castle, whose relationship with Beckett (Stana Katic) has been strained ever since he learned that she remembered everything after her shooting in the season finale — including that Castle said, “I love you.” “Castle’s looking to recreate the magic he had with Beckett and he is looking for inspiration, so he decides to follow another cop around,” creator and executive producer Andrew W. Marlowe says. “And it’s kind of: Is the grass is always greener? What kind of lessons does Castle learn when he’s out there running and gunning with Detective Slaughter?”

One thing that’s instantly clear: Castle is in over his head. “Let’s just say that all of the characters have a very strong point of view on who Detective Slaughter is and what Castle is getting himself into,” Marlowe says. “And when Castle tries to impress Slaughter with all of his police connections, he learns pretty quickly that Esposito [Jon Huertas] and Ryan [Seamus Dever] don’t work for him.”

Baldwin says Castle’s political connections play a major part in why Slaughter indulges Castle. But the pair does become closer, and eventually, Castle will open up about his troubled relationship with Beckett. “Does Slaughter have some advice in the lovelorn department? You bet,” Baldwin says, with a huge laugh. “He’s an outspoken guy. He definitely mentions some things in a not-very-diplomatic way.”

So, will Slaughter’s advice inspire Castle to talk things through with Beckett? “Men in general usually don’t confront their feelings,” Marlowe says. “He’s certainly not the type of person to go up to Beckett and say, ‘Hey, you hurt me!’ because that would be exposing himself. He’s expressing his anger with Beckett, and whether he knows it or not, he’s trying to punish her without really putting his cards on the table.”

And for all the Browncoats, Baldwin says there are a few subtle winks to his and Fillion’s Firefly past. “We certainly played around in several takes, and if they made it into the final cut, that’s the producers’ choice,” he says. “We certainly tried.” Adds Marlowe: “We were aware that if we did anything too overt it would take people out of the story. I think we’re looking to take the characters beyond that.”

Warning: Spoilers for Monday’s episode! Do not read if you wish to remain spoiler free!

Rick Castle is about to get Slaughtered.

In this Monday’s episode of Castle (ABC, 10/9c), Nathan Fillion’s novelist will dive head first – for better or for worse – into a storyline with a rough, tough and gruff NYPD detective named Ethan Slaughter and played by Adam Baldwin.

And while the episode obviously offers the geeky thrill of a reunion between the onetime stars of Firefly (where Fillion played Capt. Mal Reynolds to Baldwin’s Jayne Cobb), it will also serve a larger purpose, as the ABC hit closes in on its “very emotional” Season 4 finale (airing May 7).

Still processing the discovery that Kate remembers her shooting and the aftermath, “Castle is trying to figure out how he feels about Beckett,” series creator Andrew W. Marlowe tells TVLine. “He feels likes he’s a bit uninspired by her because of all this stuff that’s going on, but he hasn’t articulated that yet. So when he sees this larger-than-life cop figure on the news, he thinks, ‘Maybe I just need a new muse?’”

And make no mistake, Slaughter as a decidedly different muse will amuse. “He takes Castle on quite the ride,” says Marlowe. “Maybe it’s the most exciting case of his life, or maybe it’s, ‘The grass is always greener.’ That’s the journey he goes on.”

Baldwin tells us that Slaughter’s first assessment of Castle, when the author seeks to shadow him, is, “He’s a bit not up-to-snuff. He’s a bit soft. But he likes him, so he’s going to give him a shot.” And hopefully in doing so put some calluses on this writer’s hands. “He wants to mold him into a better law-fighting man.”

And does Castle indeed emerge from the experience a changed man? “He gets to be in the line of fire,” Baldwin previews. “And that’ll change anybody, getting shot at!”

Baldwin also echoes that which Fillion teased at PaleyFest, that in dipping his toe into Slaughter’s wilder world, “Parts of [Rick's] face will be rearranged.” After chuckling some, Baldwin affirmed, “Yeah, you can expect to see him get a little roughed up.”

But along the way, Baldwin stresses, he and Fillion were sure to weave in some comedic moments between two old friends. “To have that natural chemistry that we had from eight years ago, to look at Nathan’s face and ‘get’ exactly what he’s thinking, was great,” he says.

The reunion was also certainly overdue. “Fans have been prodding us to share some scenes,” Baldwin says, be it on Castle or the since-expired Chuck. (During his run on the NBC spy comedy, Baldwin only enjoyed Firefly alum Summer Glau as a guest star.) “Anytime I get to work with anyone from that universe is a ‘resurrection,’ if you will,” he enthuses.

To date, Castle has planted scarce Easter eggs for Fillion’s Firefly faithful, including cameos by a “catalyzer” as well as Mal’s brown coat itself. In this week’s episode, Baldwin says to keep an eye and/or ear open for “subtle” nods to the sci-fi series, “but nothing overt.” (As Marlowe himself explains, “Just having Adam and Nathan on screen together is a lot!”

Turning from Firefly-class spaceships to relationships, can Castle viewers expect Slaughter to sense that his new “partner” has feelings for Beckett? And if so, does he offer any guidance? Says Baldwin with a chuckle, “He will definitely have a few words of advice, in his own colorful way.”

Before bidding Baldwin adieu – and on the topic of TV romances – I asked if he believed that Chuck‘s John Casey was now enjoying some badass version of “happily ever after” with Gertrude Verbanski (played by The Matrix‘s Carrie-Ann Moss), as teed up in the series finale. “Oh, you bet,” he theorized. Because although Baldwin had lobbied toward the end for Casey to “go out in a blaze of glory” and die a hero’s death (“I couldn’t sell them on that,” he half-grumbles), “I liked that Casey ended up going to be with Verbanski, because she is hot.”

Source: here

Warning: Spoilers! Do not read below, if you wish to remain spoiler free!

meriann29: Hi, any news on Castle?
Very good news indeed! In next week’s episode, Nathan Fillion reunites with fellow Firefly alum Adam Baldwin, who plays Det. Ethan Slaughter, a tough gang-unit cop brought in to help with a gang case. “Slaughter definitely has unorthodox methods for crimesolving,” Baldwin told us, “but when you’re in a gang unit you have to sometimes bend the rules a bit. So this puts a strain certainly on Beckett’s [Stana Katic] judgment of Slaughter’s methods in a way that Castle’s uncomfortable with. He needs to observe but it’s also strangely intoxicating for him too—to come along and see that other darker side.” Now if only Castle could see that other side of Beckett—you know, the one that’s hopelessly smitten with him. Sigh.

Source: here

Warning: Spoilers ahead! Do not read, unless you wish to remain spoiler free!

I know Castle is trying to keep Castle and Beckett apart, but why is he acting like such a brat? — Liz
ADAM: He’s just being a man, creator Andrew W. Marlowe says. “Men in general usually don’t confront their feelings,” he says of Castle’s reaction to learning that Beckett remembers Castle’s declaration of love. “He’s certainly not the type of person to go up to Beckett and say, ‘Hey, you hurt me!’ because that would be exposing himself. He’s expressing his anger with Beckett, and whether he knows it or not, he’s trying to punish her without really putting his cards on the table.” But don’t worry: Beckett will soon figure out what set Castle off, thanks to another revealing chat with her therapist.

Source: here