'Castle' season 8 release date, plot news: Alexis Castle will be getting a new mentor in Hayley Shipton
Viewers of "Castle" this season might have to learn to adjust to a new Alexis Castle played by Molly Quinn, as she will be transitioning more into a woman. After seven seasons of being treated as Richard Castle's (Nathan Fillion) little girl, the show finally decided to cater to her character's development by giving her a mentor.
According to Enstarz, Alexis will finally have the chance to blossom into a "young woman" with the guidance of the new security specialist Hayley Shipton, played by Toks Olagundoye. TVLine recently interviewed showrunner Terence Paul Winter about how Hayley becomes a part of Alexis' growing up. He reveals, "Hayley is going to help Alexi find herself." He also goes on about how the two have "a different kind of energy" in comparison to when she had interned with Lanie Parish. Winter describes that shooting scenes with the two is "magic."
Alexi Hawley, a new showrunner, already spoke about the mentoring relationship Alexis and Hayley have. "We like the idea of [Hayley] as a mentor to Alexis in a way that Beckett [Stana Katic] has been, but because she's also Castle's wife, ultimately Hayley can play a little bit more of an older sister. This season is really about growing Molly up. She's been playing the child for seven seasons and now she's 21 years old. She's a grown-up. This year, she's going to be more sophisticated. That relationship with her father will change because she's not a little girl anymore."
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Furthermore, it is important to consider that Quinn has already grown alongside her character and that she is now 21 years old. It would only make sense that it's time to emphasize her maturity in the upcoming season.
The season 8 of Castle will premiere on Sept. 21, Monday at 10 p.m. ET/PT on ABC.
