Castle: My thoughts on the exit of Kate Beckett

Normally I don't chime in on TV show changes, at least not in a sense like this but with the shocking announcement today...here it goes.

I started watching Castle (ABC) just a few short months ago after discovering it on TNT. Almost immediately, I felt a connection to the lead, Kate Beckett. Her independence, her courage, her determination and bravery are all things I came to admire about this fictional character. A big part of the character is the actor who portrays her, Stana Katic.

It was announced today that Katic and costar, Tamala Jones (Lanie Parish) would not be returning if the show would continue on to season 9. ABC allegedly didn't offer them contract renewals. If that is the case, I'm sure ABC had a decent reason in doing this... frankly, I don't care.

The reason I am writing this is to address the exit of Katic and her character, Beckett. The show may be called Castle but you can't have Castle without Beckett. Rick Castle doesn't exist without Kate Beckett. Plain and simple. Can't have one without the other. So how are the writers on this show going to get rid of Beckett if Castle is renewed for a new season?

Here are my thoughts...

1: Divorce.

I'm going to start out with my least favorite one here. Castle writers toyed with a breakup this season and it was AWFUL. Even though it didn't last long, Castle was a MESS without Beckett and was obsessed with winning her back. IT TOOK HIM FOUR YEARS TO GET HER TO ADMIT FEELING FOR HIM IN THE FIRST PLACE! He wouldn't back down without a fight. Plus... a Caskett break-up for real would ruin the fantasy of these two beloved characters.

2: Fast forward:

This goes along the lines of the divorce story. In order for the writers to have them "break up," they couldn't just come back in season 9 and say "hey, Kate and Rick broke up" but no time has passed. They would have to fast forward a few years and give Castle a new life.

3: Background Character:

Castle writers could very well keep Castle and Beckett together and just write her as a background character that we hear about but never see. Castle and the boys could still be fighting crime in the 12th and Beckett could still be the Captain but we would never see her. She would be part of the storyline in a way that the characters would "interact" with her by "bringing" her evidence or "debriefing" her but we would never ACTUALLY see Kate Beckett.

4: Kill her off:

This is probably the most unpopular opinion among Castle fans but hear me out. Last season on Grey's Anatomy (also ABC), front-runner and major character Derek Shepherd was killed off when Patrick Dempsey left the show. The writers on Grey's decided that it was best to kill Derek off. Why? Because Derek loved Meredith and his family so much that there was no way he would leave them. The only logical way to take him out of the show was to have him die. And the way they did it? He died doing what he knew how to do best, saving lives. This opened up many storylines for his onscreen wife and allowed her character to grow. It also allowed fans to mourn along with her. Killing off Beckett in a way that makes sense, like a shooting (which would SUCK), makes more sense than just having her up and leave Castle. After what they went through this season, she wouldn't do that. Plus, it would ruin the magic of these two characters and the love story we have all watched evolve the last 8 seasons. As much as we would all HATE to see Kate die, having her go in a way that honors the character and EVERYTHING she stands for would be more honorable than having her leave Castle.

So there you go. My thoughts on this shocking announcements. What do you say? If Castle would continue with a season 9, how would you like to see Kate leave? Please comment below!

K