Show me a hero I"ll write you a tragedy

Nope. Kate Beckett absolutely didn’t want to break up with Castle. The whole issue between them at the end of season five exists because Andrew Marlowe thought that keeping things interesting meant inane situations where the two of them just didn’t talk. I understand that you need some sort of emotional conflict and drama to keep things interesting, but the way that whole story arc was crafted reeks of desperation because you knew what the season ending cliffhanger would be, but not how to get there.

What happens is that Richard Castle has spent years watching Beckett shy away from life. She’s more of an observer than a doer when it comes to her personal life, always toeing the edge and waiting on the sidelines until she gathers enough courage to jump in. He’s already in above his head, totally in love with her and has probably spent a significant amount of time before they ever get together thinking about how he could marry her and what their kids would look like, but he knows that if he blurts all of that out that she’s gonna get freaked out and run.

And, you know, in the first six or seven months? Beckett would have. She’d have gotten overwhelmed and buried her head in the sand and pushed him away because it was all a bit too much. But I think once they reach Alexis’ kidnapping and Castle coming back from Paris, or maybe even as early as Secret Santa when she gives up her tradition to spend the holiday with him, she’s not as skittish about what the future is for the two of them. Maybe she’s not ready for a diamond ring and a very important question, but the thought of it wouldn’t freak her out like Castle convinces himself that it will.

So he spends the whole season being the easy going, noncommittal type. He lets Beckett define their relationship (giving him a drawer for Valentine’s Day, etc) and rolls with the punches. And that’s fine until Beckett realizes that they aren’t really going anywhere, I don’t necessarily believe that she’s never considered a future together at the point where Eric Vaughn asks about it, but rather that she notices that while she’s ready for a commitment with Castle, he seems to be content with the light-hearted relationship they’ve been involved in up till that point.

What should have happened - what rational adults would do - is broach a conversation where they define what they both want. There would be none of this ridiculous pretending that you don’t know what your girlfriend is hinting at when she asks “where are we going?” or shrugging and saying nothing is wrong when your boyfriend realizes you’re acting kind of weird and something must be up. You would talk about it, define what you both want, and move forward. And the show could have (should have) done that. Eric Vaughn and his come-ons were the perfect launching pad for a discussion in the following episode, a discussion that’s compounded by Beckett suddenly being presented with a job offer and the problem of having to move to a different city, which doesn’t necessarily mesh with her boyfriend’s life.

these

are

the

best

movies

ever

the attraction is purely physical (wanting to bang them =/= romantic compatibility)

you feel pressure to change or hide parts of yourself to get them to like you

aspects of their lifestyle make you uncomfortable (i.e. alcohol/drug use, people they hang out with, etc.)

they invalidate or belittle your identity or your passions (i.e. “Bisexuality means you’re confused!” “Writing can’t be a real career!” etc.)

they never stop talking about their exes

they only talk to you to vent their emotional baggage

they routinely ignore you without explanation

they’re only interested in conversations about themselves

you put effort into getting to know them, but they don’t seem to care about getting to know you

you constantly worry about their approval or pleasing them