Castle Season 5 Finale Time!

Ok so it's that time of the year again. The time most of the tv shows that we have been watching since around September last year have their season finals. This week was the final of Castle. A friend requested that I write a post about the finale. I agreed, but it's going to be a bit more of a season retrospective I think.

---- WARNING: SPOILERS BELOW ---- 

Now, if there is one thing I can say about the season finals for Castle, it's that they are good ones. In particular the final for season three- in which Kate got shot and the final for season four which I wrote about here, where Castle and Kate finally admitted they liked each other and got together.

The past season has been a pretty great one for the show and the characters. Whilst we didn't have any of the tension of the previous season where Kate was hiding her knowledge of Castle's feelings, there was a different kind of tension. Their secret relationship added some great moments to the season.

One of my early favourite episodes ended up being Murder He Wrote (5x03) in which Castle and Beckett went away for the weekend to his house in the Hamptons and ended up having a murder disrupt their weekend. This episode did many fans a great service when the characters gave themselves the shipper name "Caskett", by which they have been known on fan sites since very early on.

Following hot on the heels of that episode a few weeks later we got The Final Frontier(5x05) in which a fan is murdered at a big fan convention. We find out a bit more about Beckett who was apparently a huge fan of a particular sci-fi show as a College student, even going so far as to cosplay one of the characters. As an attendee of conventions and a rather big geek myself I have to say that this was an extremely fun episode.

We also got a little bit more in the case of Beckett's mother's murder. In the first episode of the season Beckett was able to find out who was in charge. It turned out to be a senator. She confronted the senator and threatened that if anything should happen to her then the details of what happened to her mother would be released to the press. Later in the season he became the target of an assassination attempt and she ended up having to protect him which was also an interesting turn of events.

By far the most tense episodes were those of the two parter. In the first half- Target(5x15) we find out that Alexis has been kidnapped, along with another girl they manage to escape briefly and contact Beckett and Castle. They soon find out however that they are no longer in New York, instead they have been taken to Paris.

In the second half- Hunt(5x16), Castle has decided to take matters into his own hands where he makes contact and teams up with a character by the name of Jacques Henri(Christopher Heyerdahl). As a fan of Heyerdahl from previous shows he has starred in I just about hyperventilated when I heard his voice. All I can say is that his voice is just one of the many things I love about his acting. It has the ability to change his character from one incredibly nice one, to one incredibly evil. Heyerdahl aside, this episode introduced the fans as well as Castle himself to his father. It was a great moment and ultimately the two of them managed to rescue Alexis.

Now the creators of the show promised that the relationship between Castle and Beckett wouldn't be all smelling of roses and that they would have their troubles. That finally started to show in some of the final episodes. In one episode, Beckett feels ignored, then because of the case Castle feels threatened by another man (Ioan Gruffudd).

In the following episode she almost dies when she steps on a pressure sensitive bomb linked to a timer and Castle stays to keep her company. The end of that episode was particularly good and something I did not see coming. Captain 'Iron' Gates revealed that she's known all about their relationship but wanted to leave herself with plausible deniability when she tells them to just kiss already.

This all leading into the finale left me curious as to what was going to happen. We had a bit of a break last week with the relationship stuff with a case that had the team being stonewalled by the Attorney General's office. The big moment of the episode I guess, came at the end. Beckett was pulled aside by the man who had been stonewalling them and offered an interview for a position in DC.

So that brings us to the final. At the start of the final, Kate was standing in front of a window looking out over DC. She'd decided to go for the interview. Later on she is running late to the crime scene we find out she hadn't told Castle about the interview or going to DC. Gates has given her a glowing recommendation and a heart to heart with Lanie leaves her thinking hard....

...Then Castle finds her boarding pass stub for the plane after it falls out of her jacket pocket. Cue the discussion/argument over trusting each other and not telling each other things. Beckett says it's just an interview and it doesn't mean anything.

The next day Castle has a heart to heart with his mother which makes him think hard about his relationship and where it is going.

Kate gets a phone call. She got the job in DC. She decides that she is moving up to bigger and better opportunities and that it will be the last case for her. She solves the case with the boys and then tells them there is something she needs to tell them, but that she has to speak to someone else first.

And the final scene. It all comes back to the swings where they had the fateful discussion about brick walls in season four, and where she sat in the rain in the final of season four.

But what happened you ask?

Well I will leave you with this reaction I posted to Facebook last night:

THEY DID NOT JUST END THAT SEASON OF CASTLE LIKE THAT! OMG! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

 

Okay.... so maybe I won't leave you like that really... but if you want to know what happens, you either have to wait a bit longer or watch it yourself. 

Whatever your choice, it won't change the fact that season 6 is going to be VERY interesting. I can't wait to see how it starts and I really don't want to have to wait until September... but if I have to wait, then at least I will have some Rizzoli & Isles to watch when it starts at the end of June!

London Calling....

Hyperactive blog post here we come!

Last weekend I went to London to visit my cousin and see the sights. It was amazing. I have never really put England high on my list of countries I want to visit. I'm not sure why really, maybe because I knew it is full of tourists.

Anyway putting all that behind me I visited last weekend. I arrived late Friday night and flew out early Monday morning.

I hadn't planned to visit a lot of places when I was in London primarily because I know that I like to spend a lot of time in museums. As a result of that the places I ended up going to were Westminster Abbey, and the Tower of London on Saturday.

Westminster Abbey is stunning. While I couldn't take photos inside I did do the self guided audio tour which takes about an hour or so. It has about 20 stops and you listen to a bit of information about each part of the Abbey. I think one of the highlights for me here was seeing the tombs of Elizabeth I and Mary I. All in all it's definitely somewhere I would recommend anyone who loves history, old buildings/Gothic architecture and has any interest in the history of England and the various rulers to visit.

The Tower of London was fantastic. I don't exactly know how old I was when I decided that when I went to London I would NOT be missing out on visiting this place, but I am pretty sure I was still primary school aged. I loved it! It is not anything as I think I had imagined but it was so much better. It fits those kind of fairytale imaginings of what a castle should look like with crenellations and towers. There is such a dark history I guess to the place with the many, many people who were imprisoned here, not to mention the three queens who were beheaded here. One of the most well known prisoners to have been beheaded here was Anne Boleyn who was charged with adultery and being a traitor to the crown. I guess the most controversial story of prisoners here is that of the princes in the tower. The two sons of Kind Edward IV were kept prisoner there and declared illegitimate by their uncle who went on to become King Richard III. The fate of the children however is unknown as they disappeared sometime after arriving and nothing was seen or heard from them again. The most popular belief is that Richard III ordered them killed. The major attraction within the Tower itself is the Crown Jewels which are on display. They are amazing. I guess it's hard to describe anything like that unless you see it up close. They also have other things on display along with the crowns including some of the tableware used at the coronation feast. I honestly have no idea how anyone would be able to lift up the tankards they have, let alone drink from them. They also have a enormous punch bowl which can hold 144 bottles of wine... I want that bowl for my parties!

I also went to something called the London Bridge Experience which is some kind of 'scare' attraction. It was a bit historical and the scare bit was a bit like a haunted house attraction at a carnival. Saturday evening my cousin and I went to watch Phantom of the Opera. It was awesome and I loved it. I had previously seen a recording of the 25th Anniversary Royal Albert Hall stage performance and that was amazing but still nothing can beat seeing a performance live. Definitely something I would be willing to repeat!

On Sunday I went to the British Museum. I think this is one of the few things that could equal the experience of finally seeing the Tower of London for me, if not surpass it. Love is not a strong enough word to describe how much I enjoyed the museum. The two most famous displays within the museum would without a doubt have to be The Rosetta Stone and the Elgin Marbles. As a history geek I have been dying to see these for as long as I have known about them. The first thing I did when I got inside after getting myself a guide was to go visit the Rosetta Stone. As with any display that is as well known as the Rosetta Stone there are always crowds of people around it. Luckily I was able to get through them pretty quickly to see the stone. Thus started the high that lasted until after I had left the museum. One other thing I saw that I hadn't realised was on display was the Lindow Man. If you don't know who or what the Lindow Man is, it is a bog body that was discovered I think about 50 years ago or something. At first the man who discovered it thought it was a recent body but it was quickly realised that it was a lot older than that. I managed to see most of the displays I think but there were still some areas I missed out and I didn't read every little info thing for every display because I wanted to see as much as possible.  As it was I think I spent at least 5 hours there and I am pretty sure I could spend at least that many more.

My advice for people going to the museum:

- If you don't have time to see everything decide what has priority.
- Don't plan to be in and out in an hour or two. You don't do the museum justice by doing that.
- WEAR COMFORTABLE WALKING SHOES. Whilst there are plenty of spots where you can sit down around the different halls you are still going to be spending most of the day on your feet.

Sunday afternoon we ended up doing a bit of a walk around london. We walked to Trafalgar Square where I got a few photos of things then ended up walking past the Tower of London and over the Tower Bridge. I think next time I am in London I will have to plan to do the Tower Bridge experience as part of my trip.

All in all it was an amazing trip. I loved every bit of it and it definitely left me wanting to go back and see more.

Two of the entrances to Westminster Abbey.

Tower of London... Can you tell I'm excited?

The Rosetta Stone!!!

The Tower Bridge.

The Tower of London from the opposite bank of the River Thames.

~~ Random Logic ~~

Out and About in Finland.

This weekend, as I mentioned in my last post, my cousin came to visit Finland from London where she has been living. It was fantastic!

She arrived Saturday and after a picnic lunch next to the river we started the touristy stuff with the Aboa Vetus and Ars Nova Museum which is a museum of history and contemporary art. The history side is the main part that I love and I visited several times when I was last in Finland. It has changed a little since then though. You are able to walk through the streets and remains of buildings of medieval Turku which is all enclosed within the building itself and maintained in the condition in which it was found. In addition they do continuing archaeological excavations on the buildings and area and are actually currently in the process or removing all the built up dirt and soil from within one of the 6 buildings within the museum.

After that we wandered down along the river to Turun Linna (Turku Castle) which is another of my favourite place to visit. It dates back to 1280 when construction started on the castle. It was in use for a long time before it fell into ruins. Since World War Two, it has been fully restored and is now used as a museum.

Dinner yesterday was reindeer steak with a lingonberry-red wine sauce and we followed it with some sampling of cider including a blueberry cider... Om nom nom nom!

Today we went for a drive with one of my friends to the archipelago near Turku. We briefly visited the ruins of a castle on one of the islands first off then we went to a town called Nauvo which is not very big. There are lots of summer cottages in that area and it's pretty tourist oriented feeling but they whole area is gorgeous. It was nice and even the wait for the ferry to get back from the island wasn't any issue.

I think the highlight of today was probably our very Finnish dinner. We had smoked salmon we bought on one of the islands on the way back, as well as makkara(Finnish sausage), potato(can't go without potoato!), and karjalanpiirakka. It was delicious.

So all in all an awesome weekend. I loved seeing my cousin. I loved showing off the country I love and I just had an all around good time.


~~Random Logic~~

Castle Season 4 Finale Time!

So today was the much awaited, highly anticipated, finale of season 4 of Castle. The episode is titled Always and there has been much speculation amongst fans about this episode over the past few weeks.... Maybe even months. And it ends what has proven to be a season that has left many on edge at various stages throughout.

---- WARNING: SPOILERS BELOW ----

Season 4 started with Kate Beckett (Stana Katic) being rushed into surgery after having been shot in the season 3 finale. Richard Castle (Nathan Fillion) had ended that season for us with the three words we had been wanting to hear him say to Beckett forever. He told her he loved her as she lay bleeding on the ground. She later told him she didn't remember anything about being shot and we find out she did indeed know.

Season 4 was full of tension. There were many moments where I, and I'm sure other fans thought that Beckett would reveal her feelings to Castle (4x07: Cops and Robbers) only to be cut off or distracted by something else. But we had to wait, and finally in this finale, we get what we have been waiting for.

This episode had, I think, some of the most brilliant acting I have seen throughout the entire series. Whilst Stana Katic and Nathan Fillion never fail to deliver in any episode, it will be hard to top this most recent one. We have in impassioned declaration by Fillion as Castle openly declares his love for Beckett and begs her not to pursue the current case, a case which has ties back to her own shooting as well as the murder of her mother. His secrets are revealed and she shoots him down. He declares that he is walking away, refusing to watch her let herself be killed. Both had tears in their eyes through this scene, and I must admit so did I.

We also get to see some other brilliant acting from Beckett. The confrontation between herself and the man who shot her (Tamoh Penikett), who we finally have a name and a face for, even if that name- Cole Maddox - is most likely just an alias. That showdown was great, and although his part was just small I'm looking forward to seeing him back in Season 5. The best part of that showdown however, was the end. Beckett hanging by her fingertips from a building and facing her own mortality once again as her shooter gets away. Someone calls her name, she thinks it's Castle coming, turns out it's just Ryan, and some other cops all geared up. Oh, and Captain 'Iron' Gates.

The unsuprising result of this is that Javier Esposito and Kate Beckett get put on administrative leave by the no-nonsense Gates. The suprising thing- Kate resigns.

The episode definitely ends fantastically as well. Alexis is graduating High School and giving her speech at the ceremony, this is intespersed with scenes of Kate as she packs her desk and the chilliness of the bromance gone sour between Esposito and Ryan who were at odds from the moment the case was revealed to be linked to Beckett's shooting.

I think one of my favourite parts of the ending is with Beckett sitting on the swing in the rain. You can just see her processing what has happened and where she wants to be as well as remembering the conversation with Castle in the first episode of the season where she talks about the brick wall she has built up around herself.

But by far my favourite scene and the one we have all been waiting for waiting for was the very final scene between Beckett and Castle. She turns up at his loft, soaked, and with a tear stained face to apologise and tell him she wants him. Fantastic.... and FINALLY!

So what will next season hold? I have no idea!

As things stand at the moment:

• Beckett and Castle are finally together .
• Beckett has resigned.
• Esposito is on administrative leave.
• Ryan is getting the cold shoulder from Esposito for going to Gates.
• The mysterious Mr Smith, one of Montgomery's friends, is facing the end of his blackmail on those who tried to kill Beckett.
• There is most definitely still a hit out on Beckett and she will have to face that again next season.

I do hope we get a bit more on Castle's father next season. This season touched on the fact that he may have been a CIA agent... whether there is truth in this we are yet to see. I also hope to see Beckett's mother's murder finally wrapped up. This finale has shown that while it's definitely still a driving force behind why she does what she does it is no longer the be all and end all for her. I think to drag it on for much longer would be just a little much even if all of the related episodes have been simply brilliant.

So here's to Andrew Marlowe, his brilliant creation and all those who make this show what it is. Let's hope season 5 starts off with a bang!

~~ Random Logic ~~