I’m going to grade a few of the season finales we saw in May. These aren’t all the shows I watch (in fact, this is the first episode of The Mentalist I’ve seen all the way through), but it’s the most notable season finales. Looking at this crew it’s become apparent the big four networks (ABC, CBS, NBC, and Fox) need a big ticket serialized show to keep people like me interested in again. Because in the absence of 24 and Lost, cable is just treating us too good to stick around with network TV.
The Event: This entire season (series really, since it got canceled) has been leading up to The Event, and I for one was just ready to finally get to it. There’s been more lame action set pieces filled with characters we know won’t die than I can remember or care to, so for me the season finale was at least forward movement. We didn’t find out every single thing about the mythology of the aliens and the guardians, but we did at least see what the event was: the “aliens” returning to Earth by having their planet transported to orbit ours like a second moon. I have to admit, the last shot (of the alien planet standing between us and our moon) was pretty damn cool. Season finale grade: B-, Season grade: C- [They cancelled it right when it got good. What happens in the season finale was what should have happened in the first episode]
Justified: The only cable show I will be including (to include all the cable shows and their superior quality would be unfair to the networks and their shitty shows) because it was the only one I watch to have a finale in May, but it’s also one of the weakest episodes Justified has ever had. “Villains” that I like more than the hero were killed–man I was mad while watching that ending–but more than that the episode was something Justified rarely is: dumb. From the melodramatic standoff at the end to Raylan escaping death in a very unrealistic and lame fashion, this episode just wasn’t a fitting end to the razor sharp season we had just watched. Season finale grade: C, Season grade: A
The Mentalist: I’ve never been able to watch a full episode of this, but since I have followed Jane’s obsession with serial killer Red John, I felt obligated to tune in to see who Red John was (the episode promised we would finally see Red John). However, I could not have predicted what happened next. We meet Red John in the final scene of the episode (almost by happenstance) after a lugubrious two hour long episode. But we ONLY get one scene as Patrick Jane kills him in that scene. That’s right, the Red John the entire show is based around revealing/killing–that each episode has red in the title of to signal Jane’s single minded obsession–is both revealed and killed in one scene. The episode wastes an hour and 45 minutes, and then crams in the identity of Red John’s mole, Red John himself (a miscast Bradley Whitford, who seems more like a bad standup comic than a truly wizened serial killer capable of staring into men’s souls), and Jane shoots Red John dead. To me it wasn’t fitting at all for a show to spend three seasons with a main plot line and then dump it in one abrupt scene. I don’t know where the show is going now but I’m confident I won’t be watching. Season finale grade: C (I have to admit it was pretty cool that Jane nonchalantly finished his coffee and asked for the check after shooting him, but still…it leaves the show with nowhere to go, nowhere interesting and serialized at least), Season grade: No fucking clue.
The Office, season finale grade: B (the cameos were more star studded than funny, and I’m scared my least favorite will take over the role of office manager), season grade: B+ (The season of a million gimmicks–Holly coming back, Michael leaving, Will Ferrell, Dwight as manager–was pretty good, but my worry is that with that many gimmicks they weren’t able to deliver an A season). Community, season finale grade: A (I love the paintball episodes), season grade: B (For every gimmick on this show I like is one I don’t, often creating an extremely shallow viewing experience). 30 Rock, season finale grade: B (Nothing much happened), season grade: B+ (good but not great). Parks and Recreation, season finale grade: B+ (can’t wait to see who Ron’s first ex wife is), season grade: A- (not as good as season 2, but still loads better than season 1).
Fringe: Finally, finally, finally, an epic season finale like we used to look forward to every May from Lost (which had killer finales, whether you liked the whole show or not). This episode transported us to the future and put Peter’s daddy issues front and center. John Noble is excellent as Peter’s goofy genius “adoptive” dad and his sour, hate filled biological dad. Season finale grade: A-, season grade: B+
the season was woeful. OMG – they should make you head of programming we might get a better experience. Shit. i hope the fall is better!