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The Most Awesome Thing I Saw Last Week: Season Finales (May 21-27)

Written by spunkybean staff

Wednesday, 27 May 2009 04:15

Almost all of our favorite shows wrapped up for the season over the last couple of weeks. And, it should go without saying, most of those finales were pretty awesome. Really, it’s hard to pick the most awesome. So we’re going to break from our usual format and share what we loved about the recent season finales.

Lost – I’m not sure I can say much more on this subject that I’ve said over the last couple of weeks. Frankly, this was a fantastic end to the season. The first scene opened up a whole new level to the Island’s mythology, with our first actual glimpse of the much-discussed Jacob and his unnamed nemesis who may or may not also be Smokey. (And yes, this was yet another appearance by a Deadwood cast member on Lost. They don’t need to work nearly so hard to make me happy, but I’m glad they do.) We also got the much-anticipated return of Rose, Bernard, and Vincent, which causes squeals of glee throughout the community. In 1977, Jack and friends tried to change history with a hydrogen bomb, while the modern day Locke and Benry set out to kill Jacob. Physics, philosophy, and some truly exciting action sequences all came together in an episode that changed everything. Sure, I’m not happy that the real Locke is seemingly still dead, but there are hints in the episode that his journey isn’t over just yet. In fact, the episode was full of heartbreak (Juliet!), and left us with a lot of questions, but it was one of the most interesting and complex hours of TV all year. (ej)

I defer to EJ on all things Lost, so ya know, what he said. I'm completely fascinated by the whole Jacob situation, and I personally don't think he'll end up being dead, pushed into the fire or not. I also don't think Juliet is dead, but that means she needed to be successful in setting off that hydrogen bomb and re-set time in some way. Rose and Bernard as the greek chorus were a great break from all the action, and it's nice to see they haven't eaten poor Vincent to survive. I kind of suspected Locke wasn't Locke, especially back when he came out of the woods in Dharmaville and surprised Ben. I can't wait for the new level of awesome that is sure to be the final season of this revolutionary show. (mw)

24 – After a lackluster sixth season and a two-year break, 24 made a great comeback this season. Granted, there were some rough moments and some suspension of disbelief, but we’ve learned to expect that. What really made the finale special was the last few scenes. See, Jack Bauer was exposed to a deadly nerve agent that left him with hours to live. It was interesting to see the normally invincible Jack reduced to a shadow of his former self, but more astounding was the end of the episode, where Jack asks a Muslim cleric for absolution. The scene was well played and amazingly effective. For a show that’s often (unfairly) characterized as race-baiting propaganda, this was a moment of simple beauty. (ej)

30 Rock – If somebody were to ask me how 30 Rock could be even better, my only suggestion would be to add some Elvis Costello. Miraculously, that’s what happened in the finale. Music luminaries from Costello to Steve Earle, from the Beastie Boys to Cyndi Lauper and Clay Aiken, all came together to perform “Kidney Now”. That’s right, a charity project to find a kidney for Jack’s newly-discovered birth father. Plus, we got another Chris Parnell as the incompetent Dr. Spaceman, and Alan Alda making a screamingly funny MASH reference (“A grown man crying about a baby and a chicken? I thought this was supposed to be a comedy show!”). It’s like Liz Lemon said, we had a pretty great year.

I loved that Clay Aiken was supposed to be Kenneth's cousin! That was inspired! And what kind of doctor is Dr. Spaceman anyway? He is my absolute favorite character, and is perfect in small doses. Alda as Jack's dad is a perfect choice to me. He's another person they can bring in every so often, as they do with Elaine Stritch, and not overdo it. In fact, I hope they come back together next season. Liz's storyline about becoming a relationship expert off the "That's a Dealbreaker, Ladies!" catch phrase is not my favorite for her, but the talk show sequence was funny. Overall, a great year and growing ratings 30 Rock make it a winner. (mw)

House – For the season finale, House delivered an absolutely classic episode. It was going to be hard to top Kuttner’s suicide only a few weeks ago, but with the finale, Dr. House himself actually had to question the nature of his reality. House spent the episode actually believing that he’d kicked his Vicodin addiction and slept with Cuddy, and it was only at the end that he realized that was all in his head. He was actually high as a kite and drove Cuddy away with some truly hurtful remarks. It was a clever puzzle, with clues that were only obvious in retrospect, but seeing House’s realization that he could no longer trust his own mind was shattering. It’s not often you see a season end with the lead character checking himself into a home for the mentally ill, but that’s what House gave us. Probably the darkest finale of the season, but totally worth it. (ej)

The Office – See, Myndi is probably going to talk about how awesome the final scene was, and how John Krasinski absolutely nailed his performance. And she’ll probably mention the glorious awkwardness of Holly and Michael’s skit at the company picnic. But I feel that this episode can be entered into the Hall of Awesome for another reason entirely. This week, we met Dwight’s new best friend, Rolf. And yes, Rolf was exactly as hilarious as you’d expect from a friend of Dwight. But even better, Rolf was played by James Urbaniak, who you may know as Dr. Thaddeus “Rusty” Venture. That’s right, Doc Venture and Dwight Schrute, together at last! That, seriously, is everything I could ask for from television. (ej)

Krasinski managed to communicate about four different emotions strictly through his facial expressions, which is the mark of a good actor. I can't wait to see how Jim and Pam handle their impending bundle. I assume a wedding will happen quickly now, since I can't see those characters wanting a baby born out of wedlock. I love the Michael and Holly story, as it adds such a wonderful dimension to Michael's character. Steve Carrell so nails this as well, and reminds us of why we love Michael. He's a moron, but he's our moron. Holly gets him and let's face it, she's about the only one. "SlumDunder Mifflinaire" was a trainwreck, but it's par for the course with these people and this show. And don't forget great character moments from Stanley ("I don't usually like the theater, but this is delightful!"), Dwight & Angela (when he stood up for her with Rolf), Meredith, Phyllis and Andy, trying to hit on Erin, the new receptionist. A great wrap up to an uneven season that sets the show on the right track for the fall. (mw)

How I Met Your Mother - Well, first of all, I'm just glad this season of Claire Huxtable-ing both Allyson Hannigan's and Cobie Smulders's ever expanding bellies is over! The finale moved along both the titular story--Ted is now a professor of architecture, and The Mother is apparently in the class--and in the story of Barney and Robin. In the latter, Robin overhears Barney tell Ted he's in love with Robin and seeks the advice of Lily and Marshall. They suggest a "Mosby"; in other words, do what Ted did on their first date in the pilot, and profess her love. She does and it works; Barney is over her instantly, until he learns the truth. Their tete a tete in Ted's hospital room (we finally found out the deal with the goat! And it kicked Ted's ass!) was so fun to watch. These two have a ton of chemistry, and I love how things are being developed. Here's hoping we meet Mom next season. (mw)

Big Bang Theory - This wasn't an exciting finale, really, but a solid outing for one of my favorite shows. The guys headed to the Arctic as Sheldon's team for whatever science project he's working on, somwhat against their will. Leonard was almost hoping Penny would ask him not to go after she bought him a Snuggie for the trip (hee!), but she didn't. Of course, once the door was closed she said she'd miss him, setting up next season's arc. The best thing is that this is simply one part of the show, and the whole ensemble is an absolute joy to watch. This show consistently entertains me, and Jim Parsons (Sheldon) needs to get an Emmy nomination for his work. (mw)

Survivor - The first unanimous Survivor winner, ever. Someday your grandkids will ask you where you were when J.T. won Survivor by unanimous vote, and you'll have to tell them, "oh, dear Timmy, I stopped watching that show after about the 8th season. Frankly, I can't believe it was on the air for as long as it was. Every week, every year ...same thing, and the same drama." You'll break little Timmy's heart, but I wouldn't, because I'm one of the few dozen people still watching (and loving) this show. The season will be remembered as "the-Season-of-Coach", in which we saw a man without an actual name live out some movie character fantasy on, well ...a game show. His stories, his delusional self image, and his social unawareness were riveting all season long. The beauty of the show, for me, will always be the gamesmanship and the fact, for as long as this show's been on the air, people still seem mystified and stunned when they eventually are lied to and voted out. Seems to me, from the moment the cameras started rolling, a person (contestant) would pretty much think every word they hear has a potential to be a lie, and the game is in gambling on the real lies, versus the half-truths, and then telling your own lies at just the right time. Every year, some dope is proud of the integrity with which they played the game, and that person is sitting on the jury. Coach was "that guy" this season. Dear CBS ...please run another Survivor All-Stars, soon, and bring back Coach.

Those were the shows that matterred to us, and we are only clinging to the final two episodes of Breaking Bad and Greek (yes, one of us watches Greek). Look for a fleeting, minimally detailed recap of each shows finale on a blog near you, soon (both finales air next week).