Popular Culture Review Vol. 28, No. 2, Summer 2017 | Page 63

has Castle? There were four serious episodes involving danger to Kate, Ryan, and Espo. In the remaining fourteen episodes, the couple solved crimes and overcame obstacles to their love. Shippers hated Alexis’ chirpy new boyfriend, Pi, (Myko Oliver). One fan described him as the most irritating character ever appearing on the show (bizkit41). Castle considered a marriage ceremony in space, no doubt to get away from intense wedding preparations. Two episodes featuring babies and weddings were absolute delights for shippers. In “The Good, the Bad, and the Baby” (6.10), Castle and Beckett took care of an infant. Castle asked Beckett, “Wanna have a baby? Come on, it’ll be fun!” (6.10). Fans were giddy at the prospect. One shipper observed in all seriousness, “I really don't see a Caskett baby happening in the show though, that would sort of be the end of it, because how do they explain that at work?” (Castle-Beckett Relationship). A Castle-Beckett wedding meant a bridal gown. In “Dressed to Kill” (6.14) Beckett and Castle investigated the murder of the assistant to the editor of Modern Fashion Magazine. The editor recognized Beckett as a former model and offered her a wedding dress. The dress featured a re-embroidered French silver bullion lace sheath filled out by a silk taffeta and an organza skirt. Austrian crystal highlighted the black bodice. Castle costume designer Luke Rechie created this one-of-a-kind dress. Off-the-rack it would cost over $30,000. Several reviewers asked fans if they liked the dress. In one poll, seventy-two percent loathed it (Barnes). Reviewer/shipper Christine Orlando, of TvFanatic in, “I hate the dress!” fulminated, “when that dress showed up at her home, I found myself hoping that this apartment might blow up too just to get rid of it.” The couple tried to obtain a marriage license in the season finale, “For Better or Worse” (6.24). The clerk discovered Beckett was already married. She confessed to a short-lived college fling. She and Castle embarked on an amusing complicated search to find her husband and persuade him to sign the divorce papers. Once they resolved this crisis the couple prepared for the wedding. Castle was twenty minutes away driving a rented Rolls Royce. Another driver forced him off the road. Castle’s car burst into flames. Beckett arrived at the scene in her wedding gown. She saw the car, fell to the ground, covered her face with her hands, and sobbed. Season 7 The season opened with Beckett crying in front of Castle’s burning car. Water from fire hoses destroyed her expensive gown. Viewers poured cold water on the show’s ratings as well. Nielsen ratings dropped from 10.75 million viewers for the first episode to 8.44 million for the 58