Castle Season Seven Premiere is Full of Twists

I have been ready for the seventh season of Castle to begin for a while now.  Really since the disappointing season six finale because I was immediately read for the story to get past what was set up then with the disappearance of Rick.  I have read different things about what would be coming in the premiere, and some of what I read did make me a little nervous.  In the past, I have had more faith in Castle than really any other show I watch.  The season six finale shook that faith a bit.  I did briefly consider waiting and watching the episode from my DVR later, but that didn’t happen.  I am mostly all right with what happened in the episode, though there are some things that I didn’t care for. 

I will be discussing events from the season seven premiere of Castle and possible some things from the finale of season six as well.  There will definitely be spoilers for people who haven’t seen the episodes yet.  You have been warned.  Read at your own risk.

Season six ended with the cliffhanger of Rick’s car in flames along the side of the road.  He had been on his way to his and Kate’s wedding at his home in the Hamptons when he disappeared.  The last the audience saw, a black SUV came up beside his car.  Then it jumps to Kate getting a phone call and her arriving at the crash site in her wedding dress.  I was much less than pleased with that episode and that ending in particular.

The premiere picks up immediately after that, with Kate running down to the car and trying to get to it.  Once the fire is out, she is able to see that no one is in the car.  A search is quickly started and Ryan and Esposito each find evidence that Rick was forced off the road and then taken from the car.  In no time, Kate and the guys follow a lead, seeming to get there too late.  Kate goes a bit extreme when questioning someone.  The FBI gets involved and the idea that it could be someone that Rick and Kate put away behind it is brought up.  New evidence seems to indicate that Rick was actually actively involved in his disappearance, a development that I absolutely do not like.  Esposito is quick to jump on that and decide that Rick was behind it all.  The FBI is willing to go with that theory and indicate that their involvement will soon be over, so Kate vows that she will find Rick.

Two months pass with no sign of Rick and Kate doing everything she can to find him.  Then Rick is found unconscious in a dingy by the coast guard.  He remains that way for a while, even once he is in the hospital.  His return does offer a new lead or two that once again points back to Rick voluntarily being gone.  This time even Ryan and Kate buy into it.  When Rick wakes up, the reunion isn’t overly happy since Kate is wanting answers.  Rick doesn’t remember anything about the time he was missing and is shocked to hear he was gone two months.  Kate believes that he is lying about not remembering and only changes her mind after it is learned that a witness turned out to be fake.  Rick is back home by the end of the episode, but there are a lot of things unanswered.  Kate is with him, though it seems like she still has at least a few doubts.

I just do not like all the doubts raised about Rick and how almost everyone lost faith in him.  Esposito was the first, which didn’t really surprise me given some of his actions in the past, but I still didn’t like it.  Then Ryan and Kate after some DNA evidence is discovered.  Ryan and Kate never once consider that the DNA could have been staged, much like it was back in season five when 3XK framed Rick for murder.  I don’t like that Kate didn’t believe Rick.  I don’t mind that not everything was answered by this episode, but it would have been better if more was done to erase the lingering doubt about Rick that some of the characters seem to still have.  Hopefully at least that point will be cleared up sooner rather than later.  The acting by everyone was very well done, especially Stana Katic as Kate.  I was very happy that there was no Alexis drama or fit.  There was enough of that to last ages last season,  though I think the possibility for it is still there.  I won't be a bit surprised if Alexis has a fit in a later episode, throwing up how Kate questioned what was going on.

I didn’t hate the episode, but it is far from a favorite.  I’m just not liking this story that much, at least right now.  I’m fine with the writers wanting to explore Rick more and do this new mythology thing tied to him.  I just don’t like the way the writers decided to set everything up.  I was a bit aggravated at times when watching the premiere, but I did feel better by the time it ended even though I was less than happy with certain aspects of it.  I haven’t forgotten the season six finale and I still don’t like it, but I’m not as annoyed and irritated as I was after that one was over.  From the short preview after the end of the episode, it sounds like they may be something else shared or figured out in next week’s episode.