Finale Exam 05-06
**Caution: Spoilers ahead!**
“Thief”
I liked the first season of “Thief”. I think it showed a lot of promise. But the season finale presents a unique dilemma, if you will, for a reviewer not on the inside of the TV business. I’ll explain: the finale wrapped everything up very tidily. That’s fine if there’s no season two (which would be disappointing, because as I said, the potential is still there). If there is a season two, we got no indication of that, or in what direction the season would head, should it indeed happen. If the show is supposed to continue, a hook of some sort would have been nice to at least let us know there’s more to come. We’ve got a couple of team members leaving town, one going to jail (probably for quite a long time), and one that looks like he might even die. So is that the end? The problem is that if it is the end, I could deal with it. I don’t want to be able to deal with it if there’s more to come. Make me want more.
Season: 3 cents
Finale: 3 cents (if the series is over), 2 cents (if it’s not)
“Supernatural”
I really enjoyed this finale. The big confrontation with the demon was expected, but the guys getting broadsided by a semi totally took me by surprise. I think the episode was just kind of cruising until the big ending. That’s what made it so effective. This is another one that could be the end of the season or the end of the series, depending on what the new CW network does with it. Should it end like this, it would be a fitting ending for a show with this theme. Obviously, though, I’m hoping they bring it back, because I was a big fan this year. (Edit: The CW has it on the fall schedule.)
Season: 4 cents
Finale: 4 cents
“Veronica Mars”
A season finale should always be a special episode if you ask me, especially in a drama or mystery series. And as excellent as the first two seasons of “Veronica Mars” have been, the finales have both been exactly what they should be. The big mystery was solved, and while it came completely out of left field, it also made sense. Who would have suspected Beaver? On the other hand, the part with the plane seemed a little forced. I never really got the feeling that Keith was in any danger, and the fact that the plane blew up in full view of Veronica and Cassidy was a little goofy. But other than that one element, everything else was absolutely stellar. And now we’re left wondering what’s so important that Keith would leave Veronica at the airport without going there to tell her what’s up.
Season: 5 cents
Finale: 4.5 cents
“The Office”
This is a unique show. It’s hilarious (the funniest show on television right now), but it also has a coherent plotline, and they play it out better than a lot of dramas do. At the end, when Jim and Pam kissed, it was like two people you know who should totally get together finally do. And with Jim’s pending transfer, there are all sorts of directions the show could take next season.
Season: 5 cents
Finale: 5 cents
“My Name is Earl”
“Earl” is also hilarious, and also has a coherent plotline, but it’s more like a bunch of mini-stories, told within the confines of a big premise (like most sitcoms), whereas “The Office” is one big story where funny things are always happening (the events of previous episodes aren’t forgotten). But anyway, in this situation, you don’t expect much from a season finale (as far as your cliffhangers, major developments, and other finale-type fodder). So for what it was, the finale was very good. We had a potential premise-changing development, some more funny things happened, and the situation got better. Good stuff.
Season: 3.5 cents (it started off slow I thought, but got better)
Finale: 4 cents
“How I Met Your Mother”
Well, at least they killed the possibility of Ted getting together with Robin, since we already know they don’t end up together. Oh wait. They didn’t do that. Well, at least Marshall and Lily’s wedding was nice. What? We’re supposed to think they’re breaking off the engagement? Oh. Well, Barney is always entertaining. (Disclaimer: Yeah, I know this show targets women, but it’s actually pretty funny. No, seriously. It’s worth watching with your wife/girlfriend.)
Season: 3.5 cents
Finale: 2.5 cents
“Prison Break”
If you thought Fox would try to stretch this show into a second season, raise your hand. Okay, now that you’ve all got your hands up, if you thought it would actually work, keep your hand raised. Personally, I didn’t think it would. After seeing the season finale, I’m still not sure that it will, but it’s possible. I just don’t know how they can do it. Once we find out what happens immediately following the events of the finale, where do they go? I can see it lasting a couple episodes, but it’s going to take some good writing to get another season out of this premise. Luckily they can still get some mileage out of the Vice President killing the President. It’ll definitely be interesting to see what happens.
Season: 4 cents
Finale: 4 cents
“Invasion”
This was definitely an up-and-down season. It started out kind of okay, then got pretty good, and it ended up being kind of okay. It felt like everything they did could have been done with one episode fewer than they actually ran. The finale was alright. We had the hybrids getting caught by the military, the fools irrationally going after Tom (with one of them coming to their senses), and Larkin even got shot. So that’s our hook for next season. Did Tom make her a hybrid or didn’t he? And where do we go from here? I think this is another one that could have told its story in one season. So depending on what happens in the first episode of next season, I might be done with this.
Season: 3 cents
Finale: 3 cents
“Law & Order: SVU”
Pretty much a regular episode, which is really all you can expect from this show if none of the characters are leaving. These guys can only get shot for a cliffhanger so many times. So it was fun to get a Tom Cruise “psychiatric drugs are poison” shot in, even though it’s hardly a hot topic right now.
Season: 3.5 cents
Finale: 3.5 cents
“The Unit”
David Mamet’s creation topped off a stellar freshman season with an outstanding finale. We got an ending to the small picture, but the future is wide open for all the members of the unit, and so much so that the show could literally go in any direction. Dennis Haysbert has a thing for ending his seasons being injured, but this time it doesn’t look life-threatening (also, there’s no way in the world that they would kill him off with how valuable he is to the show). And we still don’t really know if any of the wives were shot. I’m really looking forward to the next season..
Season: 5 cents
Finale: 5 cents
“24”
Call me a sucker, but I believed every second of what I watched on “24” this season. At least while I was watching the show. I know that a lot of things are implausible when you think about them, but seriously—why think about them? Sure, he infiltrated a helicopter that was carrying the President. But he didn’t ridiculously rob a convenience store, right? This was the best season since the second one if you ask me (and the fact that Kim didn’t play a major part is no coincidence), and with the premise of the Chinese coming back to get Jack, there’s a lot of promise for season six. You had to know that was coming when the Chinese guy told him that Kim was on the phone, right? That was great stuff.
Season: 5 cents
Finale: 5 cents
“House”
“House” is always solid, but every now and again, the show is capable of extraordinary episodes, and this was one of them. Dr. House is a brilliant, deep character, and that provides a lot of potential for great storylines and development. Delving into that character while also having an “is it or isn’t it real” theme to the episode was fantastic. The whole episode had a surreal type of feel to it, but not to the extent that it would have been a shocking if everything had been real. (The events themselves would have been shocking, of course, but not so much the fact that they were real. Everyone still with me here?) Of course, the big shocker came in the beginning. It’s not a surprise that someone would want to shoot House, but that it actually happened, and in the beginning of the episode at that, was great.
Season: 4 cents
Finale: 5 cents
“Lost”
Maybe I’m in the minority, but I’ve come to terms with the fact that nothing, or at least very little, is going to be resolved on this show until the very end. Developments can happen, just like in this season finale, but where do the resolutions lie? I think it’s in the nature of the island. And if we find that out, that’s the end of the show. So I’m satisfied with Kate, Jack and Sawyer being held by the Others (we’re bound to get some background on the Others now that some main characters are there with them). Finding out more about the hatch was great. So there were some questions answered, and we’ve got a bunch more material for next season. I’m excited for that.
Season: 4.5 cents
Finale: 5 cents
“Conviction”
This turned out to be the series finale on what turned out to be quite a decent show. We got legal’d out with the “Law & Order”s and “CSI”s of the world, but we ended up keeping this one. Anyway, the finale was very good. It was a two-hour affair involving a couple of guys taking a courtroom hostage and the events that unfolded (obviously that’s a simplification). No cliffhangers (thankfully), but there were quite a few interesting character developments and some great action. I won’t be losing sleep or anything about this one being cancelled, but it was a good show.
Season: 3.5 cents
Finale: 4 cents
“Alias”
The series finale was satisfying. I liked how Sloane ended up, and it was fine to see Sidney and Vaughn end up together with kids in some remote location, with Dixon still occasionally coming by to commission them for some special mission. That was all fine. That having been said, the last few seasons were disappointing enough that the series finale was a bit anticlimactic. It’s like I wasn’t expecting much, so I’m just glad that things got resolved, regardless of how.
Season: 3 cents
Finale 3 cents
Series: 4 cents
“Scrubs”
This show never gets boring, just like any good comedy. Every episode is good, and the finale was no exception. But did we really need to get everyone pregnant? It’s fine to have Dr. Cox have another kid, and of course Carla wanted one, but what’s the advantage of making JD’s new girlfriend pregnant? A baby can kill a show, but if anyone can pull it off, it’s these guys. The writers have never given me reason to doubt, so I guess we’ll see what happens next year.
Season: 4 cents
Finale: 4 cents
Not reviewed: SNL, Amazing Race, American Idol, King of Queens, Everybody Hates Chris, Simpsons.
“Thief”
I liked the first season of “Thief”. I think it showed a lot of promise. But the season finale presents a unique dilemma, if you will, for a reviewer not on the inside of the TV business. I’ll explain: the finale wrapped everything up very tidily. That’s fine if there’s no season two (which would be disappointing, because as I said, the potential is still there). If there is a season two, we got no indication of that, or in what direction the season would head, should it indeed happen. If the show is supposed to continue, a hook of some sort would have been nice to at least let us know there’s more to come. We’ve got a couple of team members leaving town, one going to jail (probably for quite a long time), and one that looks like he might even die. So is that the end? The problem is that if it is the end, I could deal with it. I don’t want to be able to deal with it if there’s more to come. Make me want more.
Season: 3 cents
Finale: 3 cents (if the series is over), 2 cents (if it’s not)
“Supernatural”
I really enjoyed this finale. The big confrontation with the demon was expected, but the guys getting broadsided by a semi totally took me by surprise. I think the episode was just kind of cruising until the big ending. That’s what made it so effective. This is another one that could be the end of the season or the end of the series, depending on what the new CW network does with it. Should it end like this, it would be a fitting ending for a show with this theme. Obviously, though, I’m hoping they bring it back, because I was a big fan this year. (Edit: The CW has it on the fall schedule.)
Season: 4 cents
Finale: 4 cents
“Veronica Mars”
A season finale should always be a special episode if you ask me, especially in a drama or mystery series. And as excellent as the first two seasons of “Veronica Mars” have been, the finales have both been exactly what they should be. The big mystery was solved, and while it came completely out of left field, it also made sense. Who would have suspected Beaver? On the other hand, the part with the plane seemed a little forced. I never really got the feeling that Keith was in any danger, and the fact that the plane blew up in full view of Veronica and Cassidy was a little goofy. But other than that one element, everything else was absolutely stellar. And now we’re left wondering what’s so important that Keith would leave Veronica at the airport without going there to tell her what’s up.
Season: 5 cents
Finale: 4.5 cents
“The Office”
This is a unique show. It’s hilarious (the funniest show on television right now), but it also has a coherent plotline, and they play it out better than a lot of dramas do. At the end, when Jim and Pam kissed, it was like two people you know who should totally get together finally do. And with Jim’s pending transfer, there are all sorts of directions the show could take next season.
Season: 5 cents
Finale: 5 cents
“My Name is Earl”
“Earl” is also hilarious, and also has a coherent plotline, but it’s more like a bunch of mini-stories, told within the confines of a big premise (like most sitcoms), whereas “The Office” is one big story where funny things are always happening (the events of previous episodes aren’t forgotten). But anyway, in this situation, you don’t expect much from a season finale (as far as your cliffhangers, major developments, and other finale-type fodder). So for what it was, the finale was very good. We had a potential premise-changing development, some more funny things happened, and the situation got better. Good stuff.
Season: 3.5 cents (it started off slow I thought, but got better)
Finale: 4 cents
“How I Met Your Mother”
Well, at least they killed the possibility of Ted getting together with Robin, since we already know they don’t end up together. Oh wait. They didn’t do that. Well, at least Marshall and Lily’s wedding was nice. What? We’re supposed to think they’re breaking off the engagement? Oh. Well, Barney is always entertaining. (Disclaimer: Yeah, I know this show targets women, but it’s actually pretty funny. No, seriously. It’s worth watching with your wife/girlfriend.)
Season: 3.5 cents
Finale: 2.5 cents
“Prison Break”
If you thought Fox would try to stretch this show into a second season, raise your hand. Okay, now that you’ve all got your hands up, if you thought it would actually work, keep your hand raised. Personally, I didn’t think it would. After seeing the season finale, I’m still not sure that it will, but it’s possible. I just don’t know how they can do it. Once we find out what happens immediately following the events of the finale, where do they go? I can see it lasting a couple episodes, but it’s going to take some good writing to get another season out of this premise. Luckily they can still get some mileage out of the Vice President killing the President. It’ll definitely be interesting to see what happens.
Season: 4 cents
Finale: 4 cents
“Invasion”
This was definitely an up-and-down season. It started out kind of okay, then got pretty good, and it ended up being kind of okay. It felt like everything they did could have been done with one episode fewer than they actually ran. The finale was alright. We had the hybrids getting caught by the military, the fools irrationally going after Tom (with one of them coming to their senses), and Larkin even got shot. So that’s our hook for next season. Did Tom make her a hybrid or didn’t he? And where do we go from here? I think this is another one that could have told its story in one season. So depending on what happens in the first episode of next season, I might be done with this.
Season: 3 cents
Finale: 3 cents
“Law & Order: SVU”
Pretty much a regular episode, which is really all you can expect from this show if none of the characters are leaving. These guys can only get shot for a cliffhanger so many times. So it was fun to get a Tom Cruise “psychiatric drugs are poison” shot in, even though it’s hardly a hot topic right now.
Season: 3.5 cents
Finale: 3.5 cents
“The Unit”
David Mamet’s creation topped off a stellar freshman season with an outstanding finale. We got an ending to the small picture, but the future is wide open for all the members of the unit, and so much so that the show could literally go in any direction. Dennis Haysbert has a thing for ending his seasons being injured, but this time it doesn’t look life-threatening (also, there’s no way in the world that they would kill him off with how valuable he is to the show). And we still don’t really know if any of the wives were shot. I’m really looking forward to the next season..
Season: 5 cents
Finale: 5 cents
“24”
Call me a sucker, but I believed every second of what I watched on “24” this season. At least while I was watching the show. I know that a lot of things are implausible when you think about them, but seriously—why think about them? Sure, he infiltrated a helicopter that was carrying the President. But he didn’t ridiculously rob a convenience store, right? This was the best season since the second one if you ask me (and the fact that Kim didn’t play a major part is no coincidence), and with the premise of the Chinese coming back to get Jack, there’s a lot of promise for season six. You had to know that was coming when the Chinese guy told him that Kim was on the phone, right? That was great stuff.
Season: 5 cents
Finale: 5 cents
“House”
“House” is always solid, but every now and again, the show is capable of extraordinary episodes, and this was one of them. Dr. House is a brilliant, deep character, and that provides a lot of potential for great storylines and development. Delving into that character while also having an “is it or isn’t it real” theme to the episode was fantastic. The whole episode had a surreal type of feel to it, but not to the extent that it would have been a shocking if everything had been real. (The events themselves would have been shocking, of course, but not so much the fact that they were real. Everyone still with me here?) Of course, the big shocker came in the beginning. It’s not a surprise that someone would want to shoot House, but that it actually happened, and in the beginning of the episode at that, was great.
Season: 4 cents
Finale: 5 cents
“Lost”
Maybe I’m in the minority, but I’ve come to terms with the fact that nothing, or at least very little, is going to be resolved on this show until the very end. Developments can happen, just like in this season finale, but where do the resolutions lie? I think it’s in the nature of the island. And if we find that out, that’s the end of the show. So I’m satisfied with Kate, Jack and Sawyer being held by the Others (we’re bound to get some background on the Others now that some main characters are there with them). Finding out more about the hatch was great. So there were some questions answered, and we’ve got a bunch more material for next season. I’m excited for that.
Season: 4.5 cents
Finale: 5 cents
“Conviction”
This turned out to be the series finale on what turned out to be quite a decent show. We got legal’d out with the “Law & Order”s and “CSI”s of the world, but we ended up keeping this one. Anyway, the finale was very good. It was a two-hour affair involving a couple of guys taking a courtroom hostage and the events that unfolded (obviously that’s a simplification). No cliffhangers (thankfully), but there were quite a few interesting character developments and some great action. I won’t be losing sleep or anything about this one being cancelled, but it was a good show.
Season: 3.5 cents
Finale: 4 cents
“Alias”
The series finale was satisfying. I liked how Sloane ended up, and it was fine to see Sidney and Vaughn end up together with kids in some remote location, with Dixon still occasionally coming by to commission them for some special mission. That was all fine. That having been said, the last few seasons were disappointing enough that the series finale was a bit anticlimactic. It’s like I wasn’t expecting much, so I’m just glad that things got resolved, regardless of how.
Season: 3 cents
Finale 3 cents
Series: 4 cents
“Scrubs”
This show never gets boring, just like any good comedy. Every episode is good, and the finale was no exception. But did we really need to get everyone pregnant? It’s fine to have Dr. Cox have another kid, and of course Carla wanted one, but what’s the advantage of making JD’s new girlfriend pregnant? A baby can kill a show, but if anyone can pull it off, it’s these guys. The writers have never given me reason to doubt, so I guess we’ll see what happens next year.
Season: 4 cents
Finale: 4 cents
Not reviewed: SNL, Amazing Race, American Idol, King of Queens, Everybody Hates Chris, Simpsons.
Tha Docta's two cents. | 8:24 AM
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