Stana on Location and the Changing of the Castle Guard

Europe looks good on Stana! Hiatus has taken our dear Ms. Katic to both Italy and Greece. She has been busy filming "The Tourist" with fellow ABC star Brett Dalton (Agents of SHIELD). In the film, Stana plays an American expatriate, trying to help her Italian family connect with their roots. 

Stana Katic Photo Credits - Tsilos Akis photoshoot, Greece

 Italian Stanatics have been flooding social media with their fan encounter photos and stories! And as much as I love almost any opportunity for Stana updates, I am going to use this platform as a reminder that as public as celebrities are, there is a time and a place. Please respect the boundaries that you would appreciate if someone were to approach you in public. This includes, not becoming "stalkerazzi", being respectful and not publishing the locations of where they are staying. So unfortunately because Stana is so amazingly gracious, and these pictures are impossible to sort from the respectful fan pictures I won't be publishing anyone's fan encounters from Italy or Greece. This is a personal stance and it is echoed in the stance of this blog.

"Our blog does NOT condone paparazzi photos and will not post any. We do not condone the invasion of privacy of anyone. We are proud to say we are paparazzi free!"

On a much lighter note, Stana was interviewed by several professional outlets including PeopleGreece, which gave us the opportunity for an ever rare summer interview! She revealed that she herself is still reeling from the direction that the finale took and is looking forward to finding out what they are cooking up in the writer's room! 

And with that we transition to the newest piece of news from the Castle writer's room. Creator and Showrunner, Andrew Marlowe has stepped down, or more appropriately passed the Castle Showrunner's Crown to longtime co-writer and show producer David Amann. As sorry as I am to see Marlowe step down, I would like to thank him for the 6 long and arduous years that he has given us and I look forward to seeing what he is going to come up with for season 7 as he remains an active part of the Castle writing staff. I am personally excited to see what new experiences that Amann will be offering us next season!

For anyone worried that Marlowe would be "uninvolved" with Season 7....
they sure know how to troll a fandom.

Just for reference and because I think it helps put it in perspective, here is the list of Amann written episodes and he's been a producer or co-produced 82 episodes for Castle!

Castle (TV Series) (written by - 10 episodes, 2011 - 2014) (writer - 1 episode, 2010) 

• - That '70s Show (2014) ... (written by)

• - In the Belly of the Beast (2014) ... (written by)

• - Under Fire (2014) ... (written by)

• - Disciple (2013) ... (written by)

• - The Human Factor (2013) ... (written by)

• - Target (2013) ... (written by)

• - After the Storm (2012) ... (written by)

• - Pandora (2012) ... (written by)

• - Heroes and Villains (2011) ... (written by)

• - Setup (2011) ... (written by)

• - 3XK (2010) ... (writer)

With Amann taking the lead on most of the 3XK episodes, I have a strong leaning that the "We'll Meet Again" foreshadowing is what resulted in Castle's car crash. Can't say he didn't warn them! 

I would also like to welcome the newest Castle staff writer! Amanda Johns has joined the ranks for season 7 and from the banter I've seen on Twitter she is fitting in perfectly! Head on over to her Twitter and welcome her to the team!  

The actors head back to begin filming in mid July, so be on the lookout for more updates about season 7!

I am going to leave you with a picture of the Captain of the Castle, looking mighty fine and rocking the scruff (yes please!?) from his appearance this weekend at Philadelphia Comic Con.

Connect with us this summer!

• Keep up the Castle conversation here in the comments
• We're on tumblr! FANdemonium and drinkingcastleskoolaid
• On Twitter: @FANdemoniumNet and @CamiFaith_FN
• On Beamly: Castle TV Room

Cami

Nathan Fillion at PhoenixComicon Part 2

I decided the biggest problem with this panel was I totally lost my ability to multi-task. I forgot to take pictures because I was totally engrossed in Nathan and the random bits of silliness.

There was some Firefly reminiscing and a lot of longing for a reboot. Nathan reminded everyone it’s been twelve years – hard to believe it's been that long. My favorite story was the pants splitting. Evidently, Captain Tightpants had a penchant for ripping his trousers during Firefly. Not that he needed to be doing anything in particular at the time just because he has a “Bootah!” his word, not mine.

Castle questions also peppered the hour. One was in regards to his favorite “Caskett” moment. It appears Nathan prefers some conflict to take place. He really liked when Demming was in play and Castle was both angry and frustrated with Beckett and the entire situation. Then the fan mentioned that hers was from “Still” when Gates told Beckett to just kiss the man. Nathan replied, “Oh that’s my favorite now too.”

Courtesy of ABC Studios

There were some questions about what he'd like to see on Castle, production questions and how he handles romantic scenes with Beckett. He reminded the audience that even though he plays the title character, he doesn’t run the show. (Another side note here since year seven is often tied to contracts, give the leads producer credit like Mark Harmon has on NCIS. Just saying.)

Nathan had some funny ideas about incorporating Alan Tudyk on a guest appearance as a cheap knock off of Castle and Beckett. I think that would be hysterical if Alan was a romance writer using a female nom de plume and he teamed up with Slaughter.

The most interesting aspects of the panel to me were Nathan’s personal stories. These gave the audience a little more insight into the man not just who he plays on TV. It made me like Nathan Fillion a lot more because honestly, the guy I know is Castle.

One fan asked him about if he had a need for speed and his reply was very wise. He likes his life a lot and considers it one in a million so to do something reckless and lay his bike down would be dumb. You get the feeling he knows exactly where he is and what he wants to do and now he has the power and the fan base to do it.

I wish I would’ve gotten to the Arizona State University presentation he did that night because when Nathan talks about gadgets and science he lights up like a kid. He would love it if the world ran on solar and wind power and I have to agree – cleaner product and renewable source. He only drives electric vehicles which brought up another a very cool item that circulated Twitter last week. Go check this out at Solar Roadways.

It’s fantastic and the funny part was these solar tiles will heat up and melt icy roadways. No more need of snow plows. After a pause Nathan looked carefully at us and had explain to Arizona natives what snow was – hysterical!

It was a great event and an awesome weekend and I really, really, really hope he comes back next year!

Castle Season 6 DVD Release Details and Cast/Crew Updates

We now have the third announcement that we wait all hiatus for. The content and release details of season 6 of Castle!

Who Deserves to Win William Shatner’s Epically Cool Contest?

The short answer would be: Me. 

And I will give reasons for that in a minute that hopefully strum a few heart strings and land me a place at Mr. Shatner’s Vegas gig this summer.

But if I don’t win, then you should! Because Priceline.com and Mr. Shatner are giving the winner a 3 night stay in Vegas and VIP tickets to Shatner’s World. Follow Mr. Shatner on Twitter @William Shatner and come up with something tricky because I’m going to be hard to beat.

If you have never seen William Shatner live, one word can’t describe him. He is funny, energetic, articulate and dynamic which is everything you expect from a man with legendary cool. From someone who listened to his audio recordings over and over and then had the opportunity to see him at a convention it is clear he knows how to kick live performances into the stratosphere.

Courtesy of Billboard.com

By far one of best things he’s done for followers on Twitter is he watches and tweets about all our shows: Castle, Once Upon a Time, and The Vampire Diaries to name a few. But the best part is he is asking the show runners, writers and stars the questions we all have – except Mr. Shatner gets ANSWERS! Seriously, if that isn’t a reason to follow the man on Twitter, well stop reading and I win the contest by default.

Getting passed the rules portion of the contest is easy, I qualify. I have lived in Las Vegas and went to high school there so it would be so sweet to visit this summer and brag about my win.

So here’s the thing, the real reason why I should win. I’ve been a fan since I was a kid and anyone can tell you that when I’m a fan, I’m all in – even through TJ Hooker.

My first image of Star Trek when I was kid was sneaking out of bed at night to see what all the adults were watching on TV only to run screaming back to bed when I saw my first alien. Scared me to death, had nightmares but I was back peering around the corner to watch it again, and again. As a performer, William Shatner inspired me to me explore new things and believe all things are possible. It made me want to write and so here I am writing, doing what I love and best of all winning.

Nathan Fillion at Dallas Comic Con

Photo Credit: thenerdfu.com

After cancelling last year due to health reasons, the Lonestar State and it's Dallas Comic Con were just the latest stop on Nathan's Con tour this spring! With hiatus starting for the actors in mid April, Nathan has made  and scheduled several Wizard and Comic Con appearances this spring and summer, culminating in San Deigo's Comic Con in July. (Fingers crossed for a Castle panel this year!!)

In addition to his Firefly panel, Nathan also did a panel on his own, which opened the floor for several questions about Castle. Video is long, but well worth it! 

                                           

Nathan's Convention Schedule
Atlanta Comic Con
May 30 - June 1, 2014 (Saturday only)
Georgia World Congress Center
Atlanta, Georgia, USA

Photo Credit: thenerdfu.com 

www.wizardworld.com

Phoenix Comicon
June 5-8, 2014 (Saturday and Sunday only)
Phoenix Convention Center
Phoenix, Arizona, USA
www.phoenixcomicon.com 

Philadelphia Comic Con
June 19-22, 2014 (Saturday only)
Pennsylvania Convention Center
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
www.wizardworld.com

Fan Expo Canada

Aug. 28-31, 2014

Metro Toronto Convention Centre

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

www.fanexpocanada.com

If any of our readers plan to attend any of these conventions, we would love to hear about your experience! 

Hiatus Cast Updates

Stana begins filming her newest movie role June 9th in Italy

The Devers were last seen gallivanting around Europe after attending Eurovison 2014

Congratulations to Jon Huertas and his new wife Nicole on their recent nuptials. (Everyone made it there safely... here's looking at you Rick....) 

Molly is working on "Welcome to Happiness" an independent project 

Susan can be seen in "A Delicate Balance" at the Odyssey Theatre in LA. It is running til June 15th.

The writers and producers will return to work in early June, so updates on season 7 should be making their way here shortly! 

I will be announcing the Castle rewatch schedule early next week! 

Connect with us this summer!

• Keep up the Castle conversation here in the comments
• We're on tumblr! FANdemonium and drinkingcastleskoolaid
• On Twitter: @FANdemoniumNet and @CamiFaith
• On Beamly: Castle TV Room

Wishing everyone a safe and happy Memorial Day and Memorial Day weekend! No amount of gratitude seems enough to say thank you to those who've made the ultimate sacrifice to ensure our enduring freedoms. 

Cami

"For Better or For Worse" 06.23 - Castle

Wow. It has taken me a few days to wrap my head and heart around the reality of what happened Monday night.

As far as finale purposes, "For Better or For Worse" achieved exactly what it's intended purpose was. It was entertaining, emotional, and divisive, and it most certainly has whetted my appetite for Season 7. 

HOWEVER
This is the significantly abbreviated version  of this

Gif Credit to tumblr user ginalways

I have taken issue with the premises of this episode, especially coupled with the comments made by show runner, Andrew Marlowe. The "Kate being married" story line, went against the character's own well established back story. Now I am not saying that Kate being married before makes her "damaged goods", but it does break down the "one and done" philosophy that Kate has been seemingly espoused to. I know that their is a huge difference between a wedding and a marriage, but this deviation in character was a disheartening wrench that was thrown in just to create controversy. In addition to this, it made Kate seem dumb. Kate has been proven time and time again as the furthest thing from dumb. The fact that the daughter of brilliant lawyers, and an impressive mind in her own right never thought to question if in fact the wedding was legally binding is not canon I can wrap my head around. If even a doofus like O'Leary knew he's had a coma wife this entire time, Kate would have had to question it at some point. Which brings me to another lovely facet of this plothole. Kate works for the NYPD and previously for the AG's office, if a simple check at the county clerk can bring up Rogan, how is it that a husband who has impersonated a Federal Officer has never made a system hit? She's been in danger enough times to make contacting her next of kin commonplace. Marlowe has been quoted saying he did it to "level the moral playing field", not sure that intentionally trying to cause damage to a beautifully flawed character was the best idea. Kate has concealed the truth, gone on personal vendettas, outright lied, lost herself in a bottle, used her past as a weapon against her future, denied, fought, and came back from PTSD, and Marlowe still needs to bring her down a notch? To add to this list, if Kate and Rick were a couple that "kept score" then they have no reason to be getting married in the first place.  


But onto the rest of the episode, Rogan was the affable roguish character that I love to hate! I loved the addition of him to her backstory minus the wedding. We've been offered the little glimpses into the world of "RebelBex" but this episode really explored just how rebellious Kate was, and how much losing her mom affected her into becoming the person that she is. The mob tie in was also a predictable, but laughable addition to the chaos that ensued from Kate and Rick just trying to have a quiet and calm wedding. 



As much as the last scene felt like a physical punch in the gut, it plays into the cliffhangers we have always gotten out of Marlowe for season enders. I've seen several theories about what exactly happened to Castle, because we know he's not dead. These have ranged from mob hit, to his dad being involved, to 3xk and I for one am really excited to see who has had it right all along!

As much as I didn't like this episode there were some definite highlights. 

The scoring, as always Robert Duncan did an amazing job of drawing us into the story. His accompaniment works with the scene exactly as intended, with the ability to make you feel what is happening on such a deeper level. 

Alexis and Martha were such lifesavers and amazing characters! From Alexis to the rescue to Kate's moment with Martha, Susan and Molly definitely were my favorites this episode! The earrings; what a touching exchange with Kate, and I loved the visual throwback to having a mother in the mirror sharing in this with her. Martha has been Kate's stand in mother for long before she was a potential MiL. So glad to see it!

 And now we wait. Marlowe has said that there will be no time jump for 07.01, so we will pick back up from the crash scene this September! 

Our Giveaway winner has been announce and contacted! I cannot wait for Joyce to get her very own "Beckett" mug! Thank you to everyone who entered! Be on the look out this summer for more events!! 

I am planning a rewatch this summer and more details will be posted soon! I am also pleased to announce that I've accepted a new position with BeamlyUS as the host of their Castle TV Room. So the rewatch will be a conjoined site experience! The Beamly app is available for Apple and Android devices! 

I'd love to hear your thoughts and theories about the episode! Hit me up here in the comments or tumblr and Twitter are always an excellent options!! 

Congratulations to all of my readers who have or are graduating this spring!! Your North Stars are proud. Always. 

Can't wait for my first summer rewatching Castle with you!! 

Cami

Enter our Exclusive #Castle Giveaway!

Our Castle Blogger Cami is hosting our Castle giveaway! She wants YOU to have your very own 'Detective Beckett' Blue mug! It's easy to enter, just fill out the rafflecoper below. The more you enter the better your chances of winning. Winner will be picked randomly.

Giveaway is limited to US & Canadian residents only. 

Contest runs from April 27 12:00 pm est through May 13 midnight.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

And exhale... the relief is literally palpable in the fandom tonight! Castle has been officially been confirmed as "picked up" for season 7!! 

Gif credit to Synorama

We can now go into Monday's episode with open arms!! Bring on the cliffhanger! Thank you ABC! Congratulations Andrew and Terri and to the rest of the cast a crew!

Sincerely, (One relieved fangirl)
Cami

"Veritas" 06.22 -Castle

"You know, Castle, my mom had a saying...vincit omnia veritas. Truth conquers all.”

Last night's episode of Castle was without a doubt, one of my most fulfilling experiences in this fandom. "Veritas" the team's penultimate episode of the sixth season was set up with the highest of expectations, and proceeded to shatter every single one of them.

I would like to take pause before my recap and further opinions and say, that from the writing, showrunning, acting, lighting, cinematography and scoring, anyone involved in the making of this episode not only brought their 'A' game, but they were playing on an entirely new level. 

Photo Credit Twitter @Castle_ABC

And with that,.... away we go. 

"Law and Boarder" 06.21 - Castle

Sorry for the late post, on a personal note, gravity and laptops do not mix well, gravity will inevitably win! With that being said, let's talk about "Law and Boarder"!

I'm going to take the opportunity to explain dispute some comments I've seen on various social media sites. As the season is winding down, (this thought physically pains me) we've gotten a couple of what are called "filler" episodes. Last week's throwback to the 70's and this week's adventures with sk8tr boys are text book examples. Full of cute moments, and classic dialogue, but no real character progression or story arc movement. That does not mean that they are fantastic episodes! They are usually episodes that can stand alone with no loose ends. And since we have enough loose ends, (Bracken, 3XK, and while we're at it Anderson Cross/Jackson Hunt) these episodes are a refreshing call back to the chemistry that can get lost in the story! 

Photo Credit: ABC Studio via @Castle_ABC 

Our murder this week is focused on the world of extreme sports, with our victim fleeing on his skateboard from our masked motocross biker. I will go on the record to say that the next scene makes my extensive list of top moments this season. I've personally felt that the interaction between Alexis and Beckett could have been better used this season, so anytime we get any, I'm ecstatic. Just as the relationship between Castle/Alexis was something that endeared Kate to Rick, it goes a long way to make the audience at large accept Alexis as Kate's step-daughter and vice-versa. Something that was noted that stuck out to me was, Alexis saying, "Oh my gosh, did you really beat Dad at Scrabble?" instead of "my Dad" shows how much her attitude has changed since the beginning of the season. And that fist bump!! I also loved the reemergence of competitive Castle! Thanks to the new writer Jim Adler, this episode was full of things to mark off of the "Things We Want to See" checklist!

Side Note Castle could have used his letters to make: HOLY off the Y in MYRIAD (double word score would give him 20pts. besting Kate), TOIL off the T in TARN, VOID off the D in MYRIAD...... this list could go on forever.... I might be a nerd.

Photo Credit: Jim Adler via Twitter

And away we go to a crime scene, after getting the specifics of the scene from Ryan and Espo, and putting in the orders for the case, the next scene is something I couldn't have conceived 2 seasons ago! We find out that Kate has asked Lanie to be her MoH and they proceed to fangirl about the gorgeous dress right then and there! Going to leave Season 1 Beckett at a crime scene and Season 6 Beckett at a crime scene right here.....

Which plays a hand in developing one of my favorite B storylines of Season 6; Ryan and Espo: And the Quest for Best Man. The onscreen and off-screen "Bromance" that Seamus and Jon have lent to their characters is literally my BrOTP. So I loved the competition for Castle's affection in this ep. And if it were going to be either of them, Ryan had it in the bag. We don't call him "Castle Jr." for nothing! But ultimately, (and I called it long ago) Castle has asked Alexis as his Best "Man" It was also nice for Castle to admit that Beckett now, rightfully supersedes his mother on the "People who mean the most to me" list. 

In pursuit of Logan's killer, Castle and Beckett are in for a ride of false leads that are full of dead ends. From ties to the Albanian Mob to professional grudges that run deep and a checkered past, the team is getting seemingly nowhere on the case.

Back in the loft for a scrabble rematch, if only Castle had taken Kate's suggestion for a change in activity! Kate trying to throw the game brings back the episode "Ghosts" from season 1 when they both threw poker hands to save a little face with each other! And while we're talking poker... All awards go to Stana Katic, Nathan Fillion, Jim Adler, Dara Creasey, and Terri Edda Miller, for the conception and execution of the final strip poker scene. If there has or ever will be a scene taken straight from fanfiction, THIS. WAS. IT. And I cannot say enough about Nathan in that red button down!

With a major plot twist, we find out that our victim Logan, might not have been the hoodlum that he was made out to be, but only avenging the death of his friend Jay Dickson. In fact every connection to the world of extreme sports and New York is all about finding Jay's murderer and getting justice for his friend. And even though our now double murderer has done everything in his power to conceal the truth, the team finally uncovers that Ross DeKoening is the guilty party. 

And with that we wait for the last two episodes of the season, which are most certainly going to leave me reblogging and blogging from the grave. 

Be sure to catch "Veritas" Monday, May 5th and see if you can spot my girl Ayanna Bershire as a journalist near the end of the episode!

Friendly Reminder: Don't forget to get in all your entries for our #Castle and FANdemonium Network exclusive giveaway! I'd love to be sending a mug and goodies to one of my readers! Giveaway is open to Canadian and U.S. residents and runs til May 13th, the drawing will be the day after the epic finale!

Feel free to join in the conversation in the comments or follow along with me on Tumblr or Twitter! 
Always,
Cami

"That 70's Show" - 06.20 Castle

Long time no post!! Congratulations on making it through the Castle mini hiatus! I can only imagine what the summer hiatus will bring! I delved into several "hiatus projects' to keep myself sane. I also have some surprises and some FANdemonium Network exclusives planned for everyone! Now onto last night's episode and a little Monday Night Fever!!

Photo Credit: ABC Studios Via @Castle_ABC

"That 70's Show" was a trip down memory lane for some, and a throwback to times gone by for the rest of us! I went into the episode with an open mind after seeing some less than stellar reviews from some of the screeners. I honestly didn't care that the episode seemed like filler, I am just glad to have new Castle back on my TV! I was so pleased by the episode, it was a 43 minute laugh session for me! It also had it's share of some of the most touching moments, the "Last Dance" in particular.

To kick off the ep, we have a construction crew demolishing a building that was built in 1978 and finding our 'body"! We are swiftly whisked into the loft, where our my favorite couple is just starting out their day. Only to be ambushed by Martha and her over the top wedding ideas. The Beckett "wife claw" moment was such an inspired moment, the unspoken dialogue of, "You deal with your mother before I deal with her!" I will say again and not for the last time, Rick and Kate wear their domesticity well. 

And away we go to the crime scene, after vowing to find something productive for Martha to do so she feels included, Ryan, Espo, and Lanie all bring Beckett and Castle up to date on the details of the crime scene. When Castle catches the biggest break of them all and is able to identify our victim. Who is none other than Vince Bianchi of the Bianchi crime family. I love that with Gates gone, Kate is the ranking officer, leaving her to run the precinct. A little foreshadowing perhaps?? Kate brings in the detective that was once assigned to the Bianchi case to get new leads on the case. Which leads us to Harold, who, because of Vince's disappearance suffers from 'pathological grieving'. Introducing us to our first taste of the 70's fun to come!

To get the information that they need from Harold, Castle employs the help of his over dramatic and ever so eager to help mother, to transform not only the team, but also the morgue and precinct back to the 70's glory days! After an attempted mob hit, the team is in a rush to get the coveted info from Harold before it is too late! Everything is going along according to "Captain" Castle's plan, that is until Gates returns from her terrorism seminar early. Uh oh... Cupcake's in trouble!! 

 Harold finally makes all the connections between the clues that are provided and figures out when and where Vince was killed, but we also find a deeper connection between Vince and Harold. Vince had plans to merge his crime family with another, by marrying into the "family" but ultimately couldn't go through with it, out of his love for Harold. In the end the spurned bride to be, Maria, took him out with two shots. No one suspected her, that is until the gunman she hired to shoot up the 12th rolled on her to save himself.

In fitting tribute to Vince, Harold and the team from the precinct head to Glitterati to dance the night away. Beckett, Stana looked amazing on the arm of Castle, and Ryan sure showed his dance moves! But the Gates stole the scene, looking absolutely stunning! I've read some very hilarious headcanon about what happened over the course of the night, and if you're interested, I'm sure there is plenty more to be found on tumblr! In a touching end to the episode, Kate and Rick look on, as Harold gives Vince, their "Last Dance" before whirling Captain Gates into his arms. 

All the key players were back for this episode, much like they were for season 4's "The Blue Butterfly". The costumes, as with any episode of this type, seemed to be a character all their own, much in part to the fabulous costuming and designing done by Luke Reichle. I like that they played Harold and Vince's relationship with such serious undertones, the lines, "It is the year I need it to be!" and "You and Vince were in love." were delivered with such authentic emotion by both Jon Polito and Nathan Fillion. 

All in all, it was a fun and entertaining episode and I loved it! Next week's "Law and Boarder" looks to be quite entertaining as well. We're on the very last downhill slide of this season and I am already emotionally preparing for "Veritas" and "For Better or For Worse". I'm really excited to hopefully sharing my surprises and exclusives soon!

 To keep up with daily updates, feel free to follow along with me on tumblr! I'd love to hear from you guys!! I've missed updating this past month! I'm planning a re-watch for the summer for any of you that would like to join in. 

~CamiFaith

"The Greater Good" 06.19 Castle

Sorry for the late posting! I think I am in hiatus denial!

Well we are on a downhill roll to the end of season six. With only four episodes left to to go, "The Greater Good" came out to me as a more character centric rather than case centric episode. I loved getting to see and find out more of Gates' backstory. It really drove home why her character is as by the book as she has been since her introduction. It was also nice getting to see her interact with her sister on a personal level. But my favorite Gates moment of the night came when Kate gave her all the props for being a fantastic Captain. It felt like her initiation into "this immediate family".

Photo Credit: ABC Studios via @Castle_ABC

As we are introduced to our case, we find ourselves in a disheveled apartment, that has been worked over pretty well. Our first glimpses of our vic are sidelined by the mysterious photographer in black, leaving us, as always with more questions than answers.

And on to Caskett and their blissful domesticity!! The wedding planning continues with talks of needing a new venue. Castle's suggestion about Coney Island, harkens a conversation with Beckett about the day that she and her dad went there after her mom's funeral. It is really amazing the depth of continuity that the writers go to. It was in that conversation that we got the quote, "...Even on the worst days, there's a possibility for joy." But the suggestion is swiftly shot down by Ms. Beckett due to lack of seating. Which brings them to face their next problem, the guest list. Both of them have declared that they want the ceremony to be small and intimate, to really focus on the coming together of two people that are dedicated and in love. But with a projected guest list of 500+, that might not be in the cards for our love birds!

Sadly, the insider trading and government espionage side of the case melted into the background for me. Instead, the interaction between Gates and her sister, bore the brunt of my attention. Gates' sister is involved because the U.S. Attorneys' office has been using our victim to find out information. The episode title is used a little to liberally from all the wrong people, and while everything that is done for "The Greater Good" its best to remember that the wrong thing for the right reasons, is still the wrong thing. (Dropping some knowledge on y'all) Gates has to weigh destroying her sister's rapidly crumbling case with finding out why Canderro was killed. Which in the end, garners her the respect and admiration from her sister that would have been there all along, if she wasn't holding such a grudge. To see both of them let down their walls, that they have been building and reinforcing since 1998 was refreshing!

Who do we need at the wedding to be happy?

This episode was so delightfully personal. We had all the key players, minus Alexis, present and accounted for, which is always a high point for me! And the final scene of planning banter, was in a word adorable! But now we play the long game of waiting. Welcome to Castle hiatus number 2 of season 6, new episodes will not air again until April 21st.  All I can say is scroll tumblr, read fanfic, and talk with us on Twitter, because those will be my coping mechanisms for this and the summer hiatus! With a Bowman and Winter ep followed by the MilMar finale, I think that the fandom should get prepared for a wild ride!

The bright side of posting today, (a little happy accident) is that I can officially say, Happy Birthday to our 'Rick Castle' Nathan Fillion! 

If you haven't checked out Nathan's birthday project with Charity Water, I highly encourage you to. To this point we have surpassed his original goal of $15,000 and have donated $20,000+ to fund clean water projects across the globe. 

"The Way of the Ninja" - 06.18 Castle

This week's episode was such a refreshing reminder of all the reasons that I've fallen head over heels for Castle! I will admit, and not be the first actually to concede that this episode blew away all of my expectations. I personally don't watch the promos that get released on Monday, I want to leave a couple of surprise moments, and this tactic did not let me down! The episode originally looked like a fluff episode with an unlikely villain, far fetched Castle theories, and Beckett dealing with Castle's "alternative" interrogation techniques. However, the underlying depth and relationship moments of this episode were incredible testaments to the writers, cast, and crew!  And in a request that is years old.... Nathan Fillion finally got his ninja assassins!!            

                                  “Castle is, right now, very into ninja assassins.” 

                                               — Nathan Fillion (Paleyfest 2012)

Photo Credit: @ABC_Castle (Twitter)

Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow

Courtesy of RyanSeacrest.com

There is just something about the fantasy that wraps around you when you consider running your fingers through Ichabod Crane’s silky blond hair that just kind of evaporates when you discover that actor Tom Mison is wearing a wig for the part.  Now, don’t get me wrong, Tom is a hottie but Ichabod is well, beautiful.

I sparked a bit of a debate this week about Tom’s hair on Twitter after commenting that I was shocked when I found it he really had short hair so I began to examine the origins of my hair trauma and unraveled my own mystery.

For me, it’s about the fantasy of the shows these actors are in and the roles they play. In “Sleepy Hollow,” Ichabod’s hair is long. When I saw a picture of Tom Mison recently it just kind of ripped my fantasy away – not that it is a bad thing. It just made it quite clear where the lines in the sand are when it comes to our favorite shows.

Courtesy of Contact Music

I was stunned when Stana Katic from “Castle” cut her hair last summer and not because the cut isn’t cute and she isn’t gorgeous and uber talented but more along the lines of “How could you just cut it all away?”

I think I’m okay if I know upfront the actor wears wigs like in the cases of the beautiful and talented ladies Lana Parrilla and Ginnifer Goodwin from “Once Upon a Time.” Hair lengths switch back and forth and I can maintain my hair composure because I still have that little conditioner of fantasy to fall back on. Maybe a chat with my stylist will calm my issues but until then I will have to accept hair today that might be gone tomorrow!