"Castle" fans FINALLY got to hear wedding bells on Monday's episode "The Time Of Our Lives."
The sixth episode of the seventh season was all about what Castle and Beckett's lives would be like if they'd never met each other. The frightening experience made Castle realize he wanted to marry the love of his life right away. So fans got the wedding they've been waiting 7 seasons and countless murders for.
The day starts like any other, a sleepless Castle and a melon-chopping Beckett are at home talking about what their lives would be like if they'd never met. Both consider they would've been more successful, professionally, sans Caskett. Kate would be captain and Castle would have a Pulitzer. Kate's phone interrupts them, announcing another murder, and the case begins.
Ryan fills Kate and Castle in when they get to the crime scene from which Espo and Lanie are conspicuously absent. Nothing too unusual, a man was killed, the team investigates. The clues quickly lead them to a power plant and this is where things get interesting. In typical Castle fashion he unadvisedly touches a strange but important looking artifact right when a grenade is hurled towards him and Beckett. The explosion knocks them out and this is when everything changes.
Castle rushes back to the precinct after being separated from Beckett only to discover that no one knows who he is.
Alternate universe!
Beckett is now Captain of the 12th, Lanie is pregnant, Martha is a huge star and Alexis is a black-haired badass living in LA. Castle has lost most of his fortune and wrote a very corny "masterpiece" that flopped. Needless to say he's very confused.
He tries to explain to everyone that they're friends, that he's dating Kate. In doing so he reveals a lot of knowledge about the current case, which is the same in both universes, and quickly ends up being a suspect. After various interrogations and conversations with bizarro-universe Kate, Espo and Ryan, he goes home to his and his mother's apartment and starts some sleuthing to try and figure out how he ended up in this alternate universe. He quickly finds a site that describes what happened to him and connects it with the strange artifact he'd touched.
Castle heads back to the precinct, determined to get back on the case. He quickly uses his charm to convince Captain Beckett to let him help. He heads out to the power plant with Espo and Ryan and discovers Ryan isn't married to Jenny due to his busy schedule when Beckett was promoted to captain. At the power plant they arrest Maria Sanchez --after some Castle antics-- and take her down to the station to interrogate her. Castle gets booted from the case for not following orders but decides to do it again and sticks around for the interrogation.
Beckett throws him in lockup but eventually lets him out and confesses they have met before. She was a Derrick Storm fan and once went to a book signing. Castle takes this opportunity to ask her out for a drink, secretly wanting to continue the investigation and get back to his universe. Beckett is mad when learning his true intentions for the drinks but they quickly find the main suspect and all is forgiven, kind of.
This leads to a problem for Castle, the case is closed but he still hasn't found the artifact that will hopefully take him back to his universe. In an attempt to get Beckett to continue the investigation he decides to get her coffee but is taken at knifepoint to a meeting with the scary villains who have the real artifact. Just as things start looking bad for Castle, Beckett swoops in to save the day and everyone starts firing. Castle takes a bullet for Kate and as he lays dying on the floor she asks him why he did that. "Because I love you Kate," he responds while clutching the artifact.
And he's back!
It's like nothing has happened. Castle fills Beckett in on everything that he's been through and realizing he wants to move forward with her he asks her to marry him... again.
Castle: Will you marry me?Beckett: I already said yes.Castle: Will you marry me right now?
So, the last minutes of this episode are the most fabulous. Richard and Kate tie the knot in a beautiful, low-key ceremony that brings tears to all Castle fans' eyes. There is a fabulous green-screen sunset, Kate's pantsuit and hair are perfect and it's just Martha, Alexis and Kate's father in attendance.
After exchanging vows (see below) they dance to the Castle song by excellence "In My Veins" by Andrew Belle. And that's it, we got our wedding.
#CaskettAtLast
The Vows:
Kate: "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."
Richard: "The moment we met my life became extraordinary. You taught me more about myself than I knew there was to learn. You are the joy in my heart. You're the last person I want to see every night when I close my eyes. I love you Katherine Beckett and the mystery of you is the 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."
"Castle" airs on Mondays at 10:00 p.m. EDT on ABC.