I think you're right Barb.

I first heard that portmanteau so long ago that it doesn't even phase me anymore. Not that I would ever use it.

Oh, and can I just have a moment here for the Boys? They damn near broke me last night, especially with Ryan refusing to back down after Esposito hit him (oh, how I adore that tough little Irish Catholic man) and then with the single tear running down his cheek after Beckett said that no one outside their immediate family ever needed to know what had happened. And that she called them a family.

I was made of flailyhands last night, I swear.

I just watched Castle - oh man it was gut wrenching. Especially after the last episode with the Capt talking about retiring and Beckett calling him the Brett Farve of the precient. And the fight between Esposito and Ryan.

One thing I really liked was the look on Beckett's face when she told the Capt she wanted Castle gone and he said yes. She was startled but trying to cover it, like she didn't know the Capt would ever say yes.

I wonder what the new captain will be like.

Beckett?

Nah, Beckett can't be captain, there's too much paperwork. I think that there will be some fun times with the new captain who doesn't appreciate Castle and then Beckett, Ryan, Esposito and Lainey all have to defend him in various ways.

OHMIGODCASTLEWTF!

Damn.

I was thread spoiled, insofar as, something terribly bad happened, and it was still completely wrenching.

And oh, the fight, so bad. And so understandable. But so awful! My boys!

But even with the redemption, it's such a huge betrayal. All that time. All those years. That whole relationship. I'm glad they pulled him back from the edge some, because I hate late in the game character stuff like this that makes me want to go back and watch the whole series to see if we had clues. But of course we wouldn't have. If this show were Doctor Who, there'd be stuff seeded, but it's not.

When the Captain said he'd taken care of it, I was sure he'd killed his family. So what made him think they were safe, especially after he died? The whole thing was big enough that it was ludicrous to think they'd be safe, or Beckett would be safe. He was very lucky in the number of people he managed to kill, but there was no way going in he could know he would succeed in that way, or that all of the players would come to the hangar.

And Beckett keeping the secret contributes to the danger. I understand the impulse to keep both herself and the family out of the pain of the deconstruct, but it's not the right thing to "keep it in the family." There should have been serious security at that funeral, and keeping the secret meant there wasn't.

He mailed off files to someone, and upthread it was speculated it might be Castle.

But he called Castle to the scene. He had no guarantee that Castle wouldn't be killed in the ensuing firefight either. Mailing files to Castle wouldn't be insurance.

The fight between the boys is what made my eyes start to water. By the time we got to Beckett's anguished cries as Castle carried her out of the hangar the tears were flowing.

One thing I really liked was the look on Beckett's face when she told the Capt she wanted Castle gone and he said yes. She was startled but trying to cover it, like she didn't know the Capt would ever say yes.

It looked like she didn't want him to say yes.

I'm glad they pulled him back from the edge some, because I hate late in the game character stuff like this that makes me want to go back and watch the whole series to see if we had clues.

I think we did. VERY subtle ones, but I do remember wondering what his timeline was with the force when it was revealed that cops were involved.

I totally forgot the files in my FLAILING over Ryan and Esposito fighting and then THEIR FAAAAACES as they come to grips with it. That was a gut-punch (and GREAT TV).