castle01-471I love storytelling — the ability to weave characters and situations into a tapestry so intricate that you get lost within it. When looking at television, the storytelling I look for not only gives me resolutions but also propels me expectantly into the unknown realm of the story-to-come. The season 4 finale of Castle did that for me.

(Spoiler warning: the rest of this post will refer to events up to and including that episode as well as also speculating on the future.)

Over on TIB, I wrote a post about the timing aspect of TV romance including Castle/Beckett (link). Here, I want to talk about the story ramifications. It’s hardly a secret that I sometimes get story flashes when a series reaches an exceptionally fertile turning point. After all, I did spend a year of my life following up on just that sort of thing with The Connor Wars. I had one of those, again, after seeing the Castle season ender.

One of the things you learn in storytelling 101 is that a good story will periodically take your characters and spin them out into a new direction. That new course needs to make sense for the story and people in it but is necessary to avoid repetition and forumla — shoals especially dangerous in a well-established series. At the risk of sounding meta, in the very first episode, Castle said that the reason he killed off his long-time hero Derrick Storm was because Rick had reached a place where he knew what was going to happen; there weren’t any surprises. This is what started Castle the series, and it’s this that could possibly fuel new story options in the fifth season and beyond.

I’ve said many times before that the ideal for most TV series is to become an episodic serial having continuing storylines propelled by otherwise standalone episodes. The standalone aspect is important because it makes the series more attractive for syndication. Think of all the Law and Order or NCIS episodes you stumble across while channel surfing and you get the idea. On the other hand, the serial aspect helps viewers take ownership of the show. As they become more invested in it, the roots of their passion often grow deeper. Unfortunately, it also alienates people who weren’t on the train from the beginning as they avoid the burden of having to catch up on the mythology that continuity has built over several seasons.

Castle now has the opportunity to step outside its comfortable formula (something alluded to in Alexis’ valedictory speech). It’s more than just getting Castle and Beckett together romantically. There is a golden opportunity to test new waters while still retaining a lifeline if the seas become too rough. And this enters into the area where I had my little story flash.

The easiest description is to think of Castle and Beckett becoming their own detective agency with themselves as the primary clients. You get Esposito (probably still on suspension) to be their trusted associate. The lifeline? You keep Ryan in the 12th; still scared of Gates and wary of breaking the rules but also wanting to redeem himself to the only people he trusts with his life. He’s now their mole within the department.

From here we have a world of stories that can be explored without being confined by the formulaic dictates of the four walls of the 12th precinct. Javier gets to be a little more like the special forces guy he really wants to be. Castle gets to play with his gadgets. Beckett gets to follow her investigative nose. These three could form a core that leads to many seasons of great stories. If it doesn’t work, we can always retreat back the 12th, but I can’t help thinking that it would seem smaller, somehow.

If I were a writer on Castle or willing to commit another year to writing fanfic for this (I’m not), I’d be giddy with the possibilities before me. I felt this way after the Sarah Connor Chronicles series ender as well…and you remember how that turned out on my end. So, if I say that there is the seed for great storytelling yearning to break out of its shell and stretch its branches to the sky following season 4, you can trust that what I see in my mind is worthy. I just hope the creative team at Castle sees it, too.