Castle season 8
Castle Season 8 finale titled Crossfire will see the exit of one of the lead characters Kate Beckett. ABC

As season 8 of American crime drama Castle prepares for its final episode – the tragic exit of Kate Beckett from the show – the show-runners have teased the mysterious case of LokSat and the testing period for Castle and Beckett. The finale, which is slated to air on ABC on 16 May is titled Crossfire and happens to be an hour-long episode of exciting storytelling.

Warning: Potential spoilers ahead

According to a report in Entertainment Weekly, episode 22 – the season finale – will unravel all the series-long mysteries including the infamous LokSat case as the show prepares for a clean slate in the ninth season.

Executive Producer Terence Paul Winter told the magazine about the big season finale: "It's an incredibly dynamic, big, large episode where Castle and Beckett are really tested." He further underlines the presence of other characters during the season-finale. "They have to call on all their friends — be it Espo, Ryan and Hayley — to help them take down the mysterious LokSat," Winter revealed.

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There are two major reasons why season 8 finale will bring a sense of closure for the fans of the show. Firstly, the episode titled Crossfire will see a successful resolution of the focal point of the season, the LokSat mystery, which according to the show-runners will be solved by the detectives.

Secondly, one of the important characters, Kate Beckett will be written off this season due to budgetary considerations. Over time, the 12 Precinct's chief had evolved both as a cop and with respect to her relationship with the titular character of Rick Castle to become a favourite of the show-watchers. It would be exciting to see how the Castle creators bid the final goodbye to Stana Katic's character Beckett.

Considering the developments in the episode preceding the season finale, it seems Castle will return in the next season with a completely different structure and tone. Meanwhile, episode 20 of the eighth season of Castle titled Much Ado About Murder airs on 2 May on ABC at 10 pm EST. The official synopsis of the episode 20 reads:

Click here to watch the episode via live stream on ABC, or watch it online on ABC's official website in the US.