It finally happened you guys. After seven years of obvious chemistry, trials, starts and stops, Castle and Beckett finally said, “I Do!”

To get there though we have to solve the case of the week which involves a guy handcuffed to a case who gets murdered. Back at the Caskett loft, Kate is making breakfast and apparently getting invited to her ex’s wedding. The two discuss what their lives would have been like had they not fallen for each other. Kate believes she would be Captain of her own precinct and Castle believes he would be on his way to his second Pulitzer.

At the crime scene, Castle uses his skills to find coal dust on the victim’s shirt. Also – Lanie and Esposito are hooking up and running late to the crime scene. While entering the coal plant, Kate says she doesn’t want to watch someone else’s perfect day. UGH. Girl is unintentionally laying it on thick.

They find the case that was cut off of the dead guy’s arm and of course Castle picks up the medallion inside. This triggers an alarm of some kind and the bad guys start shooting. They also throw a flash bomb at them because bullets aren’t enough. The force blows Castle through a door… and into an alternate reality. An alternate reality where he never worked with Kate on the case all those years ago.

The case of the week is honestly very unimportant: the guy who owned the coal building searched for years and years for the medallion. The driver and his partner were trying to take it back for their people. As usual, Castle gets into trouble but also helps the case move forward. He takes Kate to a bar where one of the identified shooters likes to frequent based on a tattoo featuring a teams’ mascot.

The interesting things to take away from this alternate reality are the changes that happened since they never met. Kate did become Captain of the 12th precinct. Castle still thinks her short hair back in the day was adorable. Debatable but love makes you like weird things so we will let it pass. Espo and Lanie dated but broke up and she’s pregnant with someone else’s child. Ryan was dating Jenny but when Kate became Captain and their case load doubled, he didn’t think he had enough time to give her.

On the homefront, Martha is a thriving actress; having starred in some well received revivals and won two Tony Awards. Alexis has black hair, not good with her skin tone, and moved to LA to be with her mom. Why did all of these things happen? After his last Derek Storm novel, Richard attempted to write a great American novel and it failed. Horribly. Plus Martha now co-owns the loft because he spent most of his money on women and gambling. YIKES.

The main takeaway is that Kate is still clearly drawn to Castle. He realizes that the reason he was brought to this world was because he wasn’t sure he was good for her. Obviously he is and it will make everyone’s life better once he gets back. Kate doubts her abilities as a homicide detective, having never been able to solve her mother’s murder. After being told multiple times to back off, he realizes only he can get Kate to realize that she needs him to get back to his Kate and as he heads back to the precinct, with their signature coffees, he is abducted by the other shooter.

Kate, taking what Castle said to heart about her not taking the easy way out earlier, retraced the case’s steps and it led her to the warehouse. She saves Rick and they are having a moment right as ANOTHER shooter appears. Castle saves Kate, while holding the medallion, tells her he loves her and is thankfully transported back to our reality. The case is solved in both realities. Rick tells Kate about the alternate reality. He then asks her to marry him, right now.

This was perfection. Minus Kate’s “dress” but I am extremely biased towards the finale dress.

“From the moment that I met you, my life became extraordinary. You taught me
to be my best self, to look forward to tomorrow’s adventures. And when I was vulnerable, you were strong. I love you, Richard Castle, and I want to live my life in the warmth of your smile and the strength of your embrace. I promise you I will love you. I will be your friend and your partner, in crime and in life, always.”

“From the moment we met, my life became extraordinary. You taught me
more about myself than I knew there was to learn. You’re the joy in my heart, you’re the last person I want to see when I close my eyes. I love you, Katherine Beckett, and the mystery of you is one I want to spend the rest of my life exploring. I promise to love you, to be your friend and your partner in crime, and life, ’til death do us part — and for the time of our lives.”

And now we are all dead with amazing Caskett feels.

Side Notes and Quotes:

– Huge shoutout to Nathan Fillion’s physicality this week. It made getting to the real good stuff worth waiting for.

What did you think of ‘Castle’ season 7, episode 6?

Next week we get to see a twisted version of Kate and Castle’s honeymoon, on a dude ranch! Check back in for more info on Castle later in the week!