It's that time of year again, and the setpieces, surprises and gut-wrenching cliffhangers have all reared their heads once more. Having ended up behind on the TV shows I'd been reviewing after my holiday I had decided to give up on the reviews for the rest of the season, since anything I posted would be weeks out of date anyway. However, with finales popping up everywhere I couldn't resist the opportunity to post some brief thoughts on them, as well as taking a look back at the season as a whole. There will be very big spoilers here I'm afraid, so if you're watching Grey's Anatomy, How I Met Your Mother, 30 Rock, Smash, GCB, Once Upon A Time or Glee and haven't reached the season finale yet, you should probably slowly back away right about now.
Grey's Anatomy
Flight - Season 8 Finale
I love Grey's more than any 25 year old male should, or should admit to at least, and interestingly it was one of the show's now trademark event episodes that initially got me hooked, season 2's memorable 'It's The End Of The World' and 'As We Know It' two-parter. However, it's been the case for a while now that the show has almost been backed into a corner by these event episodes, trying to one-up itself each time. Sometimes it's worked in the show's favour, season 6's shooting finale made for very intense and unpleasant viewing and capped what had been a weak season in gripping fashion. However, sometimes it's been extraordinarily bad. I think we can all agree that the less said about THAT musical episode the better, and this season's alternate universe episode proved equally ridiculous. 'Flight' manages to fall somewhere between the two extremes, it's just unfortunate that given season 8's generally good track record that makes for a pretty lacklustre season finale.
The episode's most glaring downfall is that it's stretched out far too thinly all for the sake of ending on a cliffhanger. Nobody realises that the plane has crashed until the final seconds of the episode, and that leaves us with a frustrating amount of filler as the staff of Seattle Grace who weren't just in a plane crash go about their daily routines. There is some interesting stuff going on here at least, namely Teddy's storyline, which sees her fired from Seattle Grace under interesting circumstances, and is the unexpected source of some of the episode's more emotional moments. This has been Teddy's season in a way, and while that's not always been a good thing for the show, it is about the only thing that sees any closure during this finale. Less interesting are Callie's constant references to the crazy sex we know she won't end up having, and a fancy dinner in honour of the residents. The plane crash half of the episode fares much better, though it is becoming quite difficult to suspend my disbelief at this point. It was nice to have Christina at least acknowledge the fact that she seems to face death on a yearly basis in increasingly bizarre situations, but this particular situation weaves it's way over the line and into 'just plain silly' territory a little too often. Not helping with that feeling of filler is the fact that the episode's much-hyped death comes surprisingly early in the episode. Lexie dies just outside of the episode's first 15 minutes, leaving a lot of sitting around for the rest of the finale. That the show managed to kill off Lexie, one of my favourite characters, without making me feel a thing was surprising given the show's track record for making me cry like a baby. I think this is the big problem with show's hyping up a death to this extent. It unfortunately turns the episode into a guessing game and by the time someone actually dies a lot of the impact is lost.
So, after a lot of sitting in the woods being horribly injured, Hunt finally realises that something is wrong, just in time for the episode to end. Almost everything is still completely up in the air as the credits roll, though I personally feel it's pretty easy to predict how things will go when the show returns. With Derek having gone all '127 Hours' on his hand, it's pretty clear that he won't be moving to wherever he was moving any time soon, and with Teddy fired it looks like Christina will probably be in line to replace her. I have a feeling that Arizona won't be making it very far into season 9, though if she can just use some of the magic words she used on Mark that made him decide to not die after all maybe she'll end up surviving. If she were to die that would open up a spot for Karev to stay at Seattle Grace and the remainder of our original happy family would stay put, which I assume is what the show wants to happen, since losing all of the original cast is rarely a good thing. As Grey's finales go this one frustrates far more than any other has so far, and that's saying something. It has still left me extremely impatient for the next season to roll around, just as it does every year, but this time it's for all the wrong reasons.
How I Met Your Mother
The Magician's Code Part 1 and 2 - Season 7 Finale
I still can't figure out why this was a two-parter. The second half was for the most part enjoyable, and of course it all ended in typical HIMYM fashion, which is to say we got a reveal that is tiny yet huge at the same time, but the first part was really weak, even by this season's already low standards. It didn't even have anything to do with the magician's code part of the story, so how it ended up being part 1 of that storyline is beyond me. The episode opens right where we left off, with Lily going into labour while Marshall is off in Atlantic City getting a little worse for wear. This could've made for a really dramatic episode of the show but someone must've been feeling lazy, because what we get instead is Ted and Robin trying to distract Lily with 'funny' stories. It's completely implausible, and marks the low-point of a less than stellar season that has too often felt disjointed and plain unfunny.
There are just way too many desperate gags in here, and not nearly enough heart. What I love about HIMYM is that when it needs to it can be really dramatic. So, here we have one of our core characters giving birth, while her husband is miles away. I think it's reasonable to expect that this should've been one of the show's more emotional moments, but unfortunately all we get are some really bad running jokes about a mystery door and the baby's middle name. No, 'Wait For It' is not the best middle name ever, so everyone just stop saying that it is already! Basically, we get 20 minutes of filler and then there's suddenly a baby. It's extremely disappointing, and indicative of a season that has often felt lazy and poorly executed. What should've been a high-point for the season is unfortunately one of the worst episodes of the series so far. Fortunately the second part is much more like the HIMYM of old, though it's not without it's problems.
Yes, in typical HIMYM fashion, the second part, and true finale, finally answers the big question that was posed in the opening episode: who is Barney going to marry? Turns out it's Robin, which I suspect we all knew was coming deep down. I actually think it's a shame in a way, I like Quinn a lot, and I'm a little tired of the whole Robin and Barney back and forth thing. It's a well put together episode, with a much better balance between the drama and comedy elements. It's just a shame that once you get over the initial "OMG!" of it all, you realise that this season had practically nothing to do with the titular mother, at least not yet anyway. This show has always frustrated and entertained in equal amounts, that's part of it's charm. The real problem with this finale was that it didn't frustrate at all. There wasn't that tantalising glimpse or hint at the mother. Don't get me wrong, Barney's story was nice enough, and I'm interested to see how it all happens, but it's not the story the show should be telling. Yes, Victoria shows up and stirs things up a bit, but we know she's not the mother, so all that really means is we're going to be distracted from the real questions a little while longer. We're 7 seasons in now, and I can only assume that means the show is gradually creeping up the fictional cancellation list that I just made up. The show definitely needs to start moving it's pieces into place a little more quickly, and maybe that's what this all was, but it certainly didn't feel that way.
30 Rock
What Will Happen To The Gang Next Year? - Season 6 Finale
What will happen indeed! With one final season of just 13 episodes on the way 30 Rock will soon be bowing out for good, and knowing that coming in to this episode meant that I spent most of the 20 minutes just feeling a bit sad. The episode tried valiantly to put a smile on my face, but the realisation that 30 Rock really won't be running forever was just too much. In all seriousness, this episode was a little predictable most of the time, but the humour, as always, shone through. The episode revolves around Jack and Avery's wedding vow renewal, performed by Liz of course, as the couple attempt to prove that they are both completely fine with each other's indiscretions. Their indiscretions, on the other hand, would all like to know whether Liz will be doing the speak now or forever hold your peace part. This includes a triumphant return for Margaret Cho's Kim Jong Il, who is responsible for one of my favourite 30 Rock moments ever ("everything sunny all the time always, good time, beach party, back to you ALOREEB") and is just as brilliant this time around. Just when it seems like everything is going as planned Avery and Jack realise that they're not suited at all and Liz ends up officiating a divorce ceremony. I hope this doesn't mean Avery will be gone completely, after all she and Jack do have a kid together, and Elizabeth Banks basically improves anything she's in, so I'd be sad to see her disappear so close to the end.
The episode's side stories are not the strongest, especially Tracy's, which gets so little screen-time that you'll probably forget that it was even there anyway. Meanwhile Hazel moves in with Kenneth and Jenna... does some stuff. It's a bit too unfocused to be genuinely engaging, but it's very funny. I fell in love with Kristen Schaal after seeing Flight Of The Conchords, so as far as I'm concerned she and her horribly awkward Kenneth-kissing are more than welcome to stick around on 30 Rock. The episode ends on a rather sweet Jack and Liz moment, after Liz and Criss, played by James Marsden, who gets some dazzling Dawson's Creek jokes in this episode, finally start to plan their future together. This show is still as funny as it's always been, and I think there's more life in it than the half a season it's got left. Having said that, ending while you're still ahead doesn't happen enough in TV these days, so maybe it's for the best that it's finishing now. So, while I remain deeply distressed that I will only ever see 13 more new episodes of 30 Rock, it's been quite a ride, and I'm looking forward to seeing where those 13 episodes go. To be honest this episode didn't feel much like a season finale, which is understandable given that the series finale is now so close. It was however a very good episode of 30 Rock.
Smash
Bombshell - Season 1 Finale
Smash is very easily my favourite new series of this season, largely due to lack of competition to be honest, but also because of my love for all things musical. The show has not been without it's flaws, and one of them rears it's extremely irritating Ellis-shaped head yet again in this episode, but for the most part this is one of the best episodes of the series so far, as the musical finally becomes complete before our eyes. With that being said, I can only assume it won't be staying so complete for very long, given that a second season is on the way. For now at least, Karen finally gets to play Marilyn, and does so in spectacular fashion. The episode basically revolves around the mad rush that takes place in preparing Karen for her first performance in just a few short hours, which means we get to hear a few old favourites get belted out again, making for a great episode music-wise. The new ending song, 'Don't Forget Me', which appropriately closes out the episode, is particularly impressive, managing the surprising feat of putting the rest of the show's library of original songs to shame. If you've been enjoying the music of this show as much as I have you'll probably end up bursting into applause at the end along with the audience.
In terms of drama this is one of the shows more restrained episodes, which definitely works in it's favour. One of my biggest complaints with this first season is that the show has often found itself getting too tangled up in it's own convoluted drama. It has on several occasions made the show feel plain silly, but this episode ended up working very well, while still managing to supply enough drama to keep things interesting. Though not without providing one final example of 'so dramatic it's silly', as Ellis confesses to putting the peanuts in Rebecca's smoothie, effectively admitting that he intended to severely injure and/or possibly kill somebody, only for nobody to report the crime. Sure, Eileen has a shout and fires him, but then he just slithers off saying he'll be back, practically twiddling his pantomime villain moustache along the way. I really hate Ellis, and not even in a love to hate way, I just hate him. He's a pointless character, who is purely kept around to stir things up now and again. Now it looks like he's finally going to start claiming the musical was his idea next season, so unfortunately we're not rid of him just yet. Elsewhere things are a little more believable, as Karen finds out that Dev slept with Ivy, along with some vague hints that Julia may be pregnant, while Ivy apparently takes an overdose at the end of the episode.
It seems wrong that what I like least about Smash is it's plot, especially when I actually really love the show. Fortunately this episode was a great send-off for a patchy yet impressive first season. Now I can only hope that the momentum will stick around for the second season, given that we're now unlikely to get any new original songs, and work on the musical is all but complete. It's really hard to know what shape the second season will take for now, but certainly, in the short-term at least, it seems the show will be relying heavily on it's particular over-the-top brand of drama, unless something completely unexpected is on it's way.
GCB
Revelation - Season 1/Series Finale
I guess someone at GCB was really confident that it would end up getting renewed, because this was the least finale-ish finale I've ever seen. So much so that if I didn't know it was the series finale I would've assumed the show had just been cut short and yanked off TV for some unknown reason. I'll start by saying that I'm genuinely saddened that the show has been cancelled. I thought it was a smart and funny show that had some real promise, but I guess the American public weren't really agreeing with me on that. So, I came into this 10th and final episode knowing that it would be the last I'd ever see of these characters, it's just unfortunate that nobody on the show seemed to realise that that was a possibility. It's understandable that at only 10 episodes it would be difficult to provide any kind of real closure on the show, but it's hard not to feel a little frustrated, especially if you stop and think long enough to remember that the previous episode was some barbecue-based filler nonsense. If you were expecting any kind of resolution in this, now the final ever, episode then you're going to end up disappointed. To make it all worse the show even drops a couple of new, and pretty big, bombshells that will now never get explained.
The episode focuses on Carlene's Condos For Christian Living, as she drags everyone down to unincorporated Juarez for an impromptu groundbreaking ceremony, before the girls end up being kidnapped and left to fend for themselves in the desert. It's silly but it's also very funny, and at any other point in the series this would've been a standout episode, but the show's stubborn refusal to admit that it could well be over means it only ends up frustrating. I mean, I know next to nothing about how TV shows are made, but if you're given a 10 episode run you'd work as if that was all you were going to get, right? Instead we discover that Ripp has a daughter living in Juarez, and we get a kiss between Amanda and Pastor Tudor, before we're left with nothing to do but imagine how these new plot threads might have developed for all eternity. Ok, so maybe I'm not really THAT cut up about it, but it is more than a little irritating. Optimism is great and all that, but even I know that virtually nothing is safe when it comes to American TV. It's unfortunate in a way, since a good ending, or any ending at all for that matter, would've easily secured a spot in my collection for this series. However, with no resolution at all it's much harder to justify a purchase, and likewise I wouldn't recommend the series to anyone knowing that it just doesn't end. So, a show that had a lot of potential ends up down the drain, perhaps to be remembered fondly once in a while, but more likely to end up forgotten. It's a sad example of how ruthless American TV can be, but also of how important an ending really is.
Once Upon A Time
A Land Without Magic - Season 1 Finale
Once Upon A Time comes a very close second to Smash for favourite series of the season, and if this finale is anything to go by then I think they'll be switching places fairly soon. As a whole season Once Upon A Time has stumbled a little too often, but the general premise (think Lost with an extra layer of fairytale cheese) is engaging, and the season's opening episode had me hooked immediately. Unfortunately ever since that point the quality of episodes has varied pretty wildly. There is absolutely a fantastic show in here somewhere, but there was a little too much padding throughout this first season for it to be considered truly great. Episodes that give us backstory on Grumpy or Hansel and Gretel, for example, while not awful (though the Grumpy one was really close) also add nothing at all to the story. The show really does have an almost identical structure to Lost, not surprising given that the series was created by two of Lost's writers, in that we get flashbacks in the form of the character's past fairytale lives, and that there's a lot of mystery just waiting to get explained. So, when you get to an episode that does nothing to further any of this, it gets kind of frustrating. Imagine, if you will, an episode of Lost where everyone sits around in a bunker pressing a button. Oh, wait...
For the moment though Once Upon A Time actually looks to be on the right track, thanks in no small part to what was easily my favourite finale of the season. Given the show's previous penchant for padding things out much longer than necessary, I certainly wasn't expecting anything major to change any time soon. Fortunately I was completely wrong on that front, and the show really pulls out the big guns, making for a pretty gripping finale. The exploits in fairytale world follow Prince Charming, who forms a temporary alliance of sorts with Rumpelstiltskin in order to find his way back to Snow White. Any time spent with Rumpelstiltskin is a good thing, and Robert Carlyle is on top form as always, but for once it's in the real world that things really get interesting. After eating Regina's poisoned apple turnover Henry is taken to hospital, and when there is no medical explanation Emma finally has to believe that magic is the cause, and that the curse is real. This one catalysing event snowballs, and by the end of the episode the show has become an entirely different, and much more interesting, beast. Now that Emma believes, she is sent to retrieve Rumpelstiltskin's supply of True Love, the only thing powerful enough to save Henry, from a dragon. Yes, there's a dragon living under the town. and the CGI isn't even as awful as I expected, which is always nice. Of course, Rumpelstiltskin has his own plans for the last of the world's magic, and once the True Love has been retrieved from the belly of the beast he makes off with it, leaving Henry to die.
The show handles this really well, and for a while I was wondering whether Henry really might actually die. of course, children dying is not really the done thing, and true love finds a way, in one final kiss from Emma. Not only does this magic revive Henry, but it also breaks the curse and then in the episode's final five minutes things get really interesting. What I loved most in this episode was seeing Lana Parilla's character change once everybody remembered who they really were and what she had done to them. She's been doing the whole Evil Queen's Icy Glare thing for so long now that it seemed like it was all she could do, so seeing her finally get shaken up was great. Meanwhile Rumpelstiltskin, now reunited with Belle after some meddling from Jefferson, puts his presumably evil plan into motion, pouring the last of his magic into the well in a bid to bring the fairytale world's magic back to Storybrooke. With that the town is engulfed in an ominous purple mist and we're left to wonder what the next season holds. Whatever it is it was enough to put the evil back on Regina's face so it can't be anything good. This was the best kind of season finale, once again in a very similar vein to Lost, with secrets being revealed, more mysteries uncovered and a cliffhanger that's actually enjoyable rather than tacked on or forced ( yes, Grey's, I am still bitter!). This first season of Once Upon A Time was mostly enjoyable if not consistently great, but in one fell swoop this finale had me on the edge of my seat and desperate to know what will happen in the next season. No other finale really managed that this season, not even the shows that I've been watching and loving for years now. I just hope that whatever the second season has in store can live up to the lofty expectations set in this episode.
Glee
Goodbye - Season 3 Finale
And then there's Glee. On the plane journey back from Japan a few weeks ago I ended up watching an old episode of Glee. That episode was 'The Rhodes Not Taken', the fifth episode of the first season and probably my favourite episode ever. It was a pleasant reminder of the way Glee used to be, that unfortunately also shone a spotlight on everything that's wrong with the series now. Season 2 was a disappointment after the show's much hyped and generally beloved first season, but season 3 has been worse still. The season has been dominated by gimmick-y themed episodes that shoehorn the characters into moulds they don't fit for the sake of allowing them to sing certain songs, while any semblance of storytelling is left by the wayside. I also found the series LGBT crusade to be detrimental to the show itself this season. I am a gay man, and I think it's great to see great gay role models on television, but I don't see them on Glee. Except maybe Blaine, when he's not whining about hair gel. It's just very hard not to roll your eyes when Kurt has an 'I'm gay and nobody gets me' diva strop for the umpteenth time, while prancing around the school in the most ridiculous clothing imaginable. The introduction of a transgender character, who it would seem will play a large part in the next season, is kind of the final straw on this front. It's just so obvious, and so in your face that it really distracts from the story, not that there's much of that going on these days anyway. I get that Glee wants to deal with these issues, and that's great, but there are ways of doing it without slapping it around the viewer's faces every five minutes. The domestic violence storyline involving Coach Beiste that arrived late in the season provided a faint glimmer of hope, giving us a story that was delicately handled, well acted and genuinely moving, but it was the only saving grace of a season that has been downright bad on practically every front.
The episode itself is all about goodbyes, as the title implies, though since it's very clear that we'll still be seeing everyone in the next season the whole thing pretty much falls flat on it's face. There are some half-hearted attempts at revisiting some of the shows more memorable early performances in an attempt to stir up some nostalgia, but much like my plane journey dalliance with first season Glee, these just serve as a reminder of how good the show used to be, and how bad it is now. The majority of the episode's plot revolves around Rachel, and while everyone else gets a bit misty-eyed Rachel gets to bust out some of that hardcore sadface that she's so good at. The whole NYADA thing finally comes to it's long overdue conclusion and in a cruel yet entirely predictable twist of fate only Rachel gets accepted, despite failing her audition in spectacular fashion. This leads to a ridiculously over the top sequence in which Rachel leaves for New York, on a train that my flatmate quite rightly pointed out is impossible to catch, before wandering the streets of her new home bawling out some sappy song, much like she always does. The emotion that this finale tries to stir just isn't there unfortunately. We know that everyone will be back, much as I wish some of them weren't, so trying to tug at our heartstrings here just doesn't work, and it makes for a pretty dull finale. It's a shame that Glee got so popular as quickly as it did, I can't help but feel that if it hadn't we'd probably be watching a very different show now, though maybe we wouldn't be watching it at all... then again, even that might be an improvement. Unfortunately, as it stands, Glee has been stripped of practically everything that made it so popular in the first place, now it's not much more than a way of selling singles.
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