Review: Castle's final bow will leave you in tears
Posted Tuesday, August 23, 2016 at 4:52 PM Central
Last updated Tuesday, August 23, 2016 at 4:53 PM Central
by John Couture
As an avid fan of a TV show, the last thing you ever want to read is "Final Season." For fans of Castle those words became reality when Castle: The Complete Eighth and Final Season debuted on DVD this week.
My wife and I loved this series and we were quickly turning our young children into diehard fanatics with us, so this one hits a little close to home for my liking. For the uninitiated, the show follows roguishly handsome and charming writer Castle who shadows his local NYPD murder department to get inspiration for a new novel.
He finds his inspiration in Beckett, who is quickly transformed into the ultra sexy Nikki Heat, a thinly veiled literary invention that is never able to quite live up the mystique of her inspiration. The series takes this simple concept and the fact that they were able to sustain it so well for eight complete seasons is no small feat.
Of course, Castle's unique way of looking at the world with a literary bent becomes a fresh new perspective for the 12th Precinct and they are able to shoehorn him into the the NYPD's goings on for way longer than should be logistically possible. There are wonderful supporting characters in the form of Castle's mother and daughter and the pair of bro detectives that seemingly keep the show from coming off the rails at times, but the real secret behind the show's success was the chemistry between stars Nathan Fillion and Stana Katic.
Their love-hate, but mostly love relationship provided all the fireworks and sexual intrigue that one could handle week-to-week. And whether it was the time-traveling episode (my personal favorite) or the escape game episode (found in this collection), one thing is certain. Castle succeeded where other shows failed because of the very real comradery that came through each and every week.
Castle: The Complete Eighth and Final Season also contains what might be the most interesting bonus feature in the history of bonus features. There's a great feature that follows the cast as they attempt to work together to solve a real-life escape room. It's a great watch and all fans of the show will appreciate the teamwork that either helps them to win or not. I'm not going to spoil that nugget here.
Suffice to say, this last feature is the last tear for a wonderful TV series that reminds us why crime procedurals are such an enduring part of American television. All fans of Castle should pick up a copy of this final installment and relive the series' swan song one last time.
