The Monday Playlist: Castle, 90210 and Other Finales

Time for some serious soul-searching on the usually glib Castle, so it must be the end of another season. "With any luck, this could be your last case," crows the tone deaf-as-usual Capt. "Sir" Gates as the boss lady celebrates the prospect of Kate Beckett being "headed for bigger things" — or so promises the FBI Deputy Director (guest star Kyle Secor) who recruits the sultry homicide pro for a federal task force based in Washington, D.C. And what would that mean for Beckett's still budding but not quite defined romance with Castle? "I think our plot just thickened," quips the mystery writer-turned-crime solver — though he's talking about the week's murder case, not yet aware of his squeeze's big opportunity. With Castle fuming over trust issues that expose doubts in both parties, Beckett is left at an emotional crossroads: "What happens when the music stops? What if all we were in love with was the dance?" ABC dropped the last minutes of the episode (Monday, 10:01/9:01c) from the advance screener, so it's anyone's guess what their next step will be.

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FINALE FEVER: When the original Beverly Hills, 90210 went off the air a dozen years ago, it seemed the end of an iconic era. Not so much The CW's version, 90210, which signs off after half as many seasons as the original (five to Fox's 10), with Prince Michael Jackson's guest-star appearance the most buzz-worthy element in a two-hour sendoff (8/7c) that includes reminiscences from the stars and producers. ... CBS is promising a cliffhanger in the finale of the next-to-last season of How I Met Your Mother (8/7c), in which the BFFs prepare to go to Robin and Barney's wedding. Guest stars include Casey Wilson of the just-canceled Happy Endings (which may yet live on in cable) and Comedy Central's Keegan-Michael Key as an annoying couple dining near the soon-to-be-newlyweds. ... Later on CBS, those 2 Broke Girls Max and Caroline make a discovery in the diner that could help reboot their cupcake dreams — whatever it is, it probably won't have anything to do with good taste — in the second-season finale (9/8c).

THE MONDAY GUIDE: Things get surreal in the next-to-last episode of Sundance Channel's remarkable Rectify (10/9c) as Daniel embarks on a rural odyssey with a loquacious stranger (W. Earl Brown), becomes entranced by the tire shop's inflatable "dancing man," and has a startling encounter with his stepbrother Ted Jr., who declares, "I don't buy your lost soul act for a minute." Well, the rest of us do. ... With only three singers left on each team, NBC's powerhouse The Voice moves into its final phase of live competition (8/7c), with two contestants eliminated Tuesday. ... With drone strikes threatening the heroes of NBC's Revolution (10:01/9:01c), what better time for romance to bloom between Miles and Nora and youngsters Charlie and Jason. ... Nickelodeon's Nick News With Linda Ellerbee takes a look at sibling rivalries and revelries in the special "If Only I Were An Only Child" (8/7c), with guests including Modern Family's Nolan Gould (whose character's contempt of adopted cousin Lily is one of the show's best running gags) and Saturday Night Live's suddenly news-making Seth Meyers. ... The very topical Oscar-nominated documentary The Invisible War, investigating the alarming crisis of sexual violence and rape in the U.S. military and the cover-ups that often follow, premieres on PBS' Independent Lens (check tvguide.com listings).

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