TV finales

Favorite moments and random musings

Rather than write up a top ten list or something I have decided that I will discuss this year’s season finales with a list of favorite moments and a couple of random musings.

Lost
Wasn’t it great when Jack told Smokey that he was going to kill him? It was great. Jack really upped his game in the finale. I loved seeing him find his purpose and go all out to accomplish it.

Juliet and Sawyer at the vending machine was great. I loved seeing the two of them finally recognize each other.

The awesome fight sequence between Jack and Smokey.
The resolution… yeah I know some people didn’t like it, but I thought it was very fitting for the show.

So, how come so many people came away from the finale thinking everyone had died in the original plane crash. That is clearly not what happened. Christian clearly explained that everyone died at different times and everything that happened really happened. Why else would Hurley tell Ben he was a great #2. It didn’t help matters that people thought the stupid end credits were part of the story. They were not. ABC had to come out with a press release saying they and not the producers added the footage of the plane to the end credits…. And my other pet peeve, the ABC4 idiot reporter who clearly did not watch the show telling viewers that everyone died in the plane crash. AAAUGH!

The one thing I will say is that, yes, the show ended with a number of unanswered questions. I do think if you think about it many questions actually were answered… but there were definite questions raised that were not answered ie. What was the deal with Walt, why couldn’t babies be born on the island, etc. But in case you haven’t heard the season 6 DVD will include a new feature that shows some of Ben and Hurley’s time on the island. And apparently it will include answers to some of the more pertinent questions that were not answered like where did the food drops come from, and what was the deal with Walt (apparently he makes an appearance). So I’m excited about that.

Finally, I’d just like to say, despite a few quibbles I think “Lost” was one of the best pieced of entertainment ever produced and I will miss it very much.

Fringe
The final moment of the episode with Olivia behind that door. How cool and creepy was that?

I loved the scene between Walter and William Bell. I could have watched the two of them for much longer.

Peter and Olivia telling each other that they loved each other. I like the two of them together.

The finale was so great. I just loved seeing the alternate world. Everything was just slightly off. Even though I saw the twist at the end coming a mile away… I still think it was great and it will be fun to see it resolved next season. The second half of the season was just perfect. When this show focuses on mythology and characters rather than the monster of the week it fires on all cylinders. That episode featuring the flashback to Walter kidnapping Peter was better and more compelling than most movies.

Smallville
The best moment by far was the opening scene of the finale that was set several years in the future. It was so good. I hope we get to see more of the future before the show ends.

This show can really be hit or miss with me. They need to kill off Tess now. It has been announced that next season will be the final season. They have talked about bringing back Lex for some eps, which would be great. Also Allison Mack is apparently not going to be on the show full-time anymore, so I hope they put Lois in more episodes and really start to build to the future. I hope she doesn’t forget about Clark’s identity. They’ve really played that card too many times to do it again.

Parks and Rec
Finally some good progress on the Andy and April storyline. I love those two. And any scene that showed Ron Swanson excited about the budget cuts. That dude is so hilarious.

Not enough people are watching this show!! Get with it people, this is the funniest show on NBC and that includes “30 Rock” and “The Office.” The first season was a little iffy, but the second season has been firing on all cylinders. PLEASE WATCH! I’m sure the show will be out on DVD soon enough. You won’t regret it.

Modern Family
My other favorite comedy on TV. The finale wasn’t the strongest episode ever, but there were still a number of laugh out loud moments. Phil is the best. I don’t remember a great moment off the top of my head, but I wanted to mention this show since it’s so funny.

Chuck
I loved seeing Scott Bakula, didn’t love seeing his character die. Why TV gods do you do this to me? Anywhoo, I loved seeing Chuck’s sister finally figure out what has been happening for the past few years. I loved the return of Jeffster. I loved that they blew the Buy-More up. I love that they’ve given Casey his own arc featuring his daughter. I think it’s cool that Chuck’s mom is involved even if they totally ripped that twist off of Alias. I thought the episode where Chuck originally shot Shaw was a better episode than the finale (it was originally intended as the finale before NBC ordered more episodes). But either way I’m glad this show was renewed (by the skin of its teeth).

24
I loved the moment when the President faced off with Kapoor’s widow. That was some fine acting going on there.

The moment when Chloe was forced to shoot Jack.

The end moment with Jack Bauer on the monitor.

I felt the finale seemed more like a season finale than a series finale. I mean how many seasons have ended with Jack having to go into hiding? I know they did this because there is supposed to be a 24 movie coming. It better come because I didn’t feel there was enough closure in the finale. I love 24 but am glad its TV run is over. The show should probably have ended at the end of season 5. But there were some good moments this season (Jack has gone too far!) and I will miss the Bauer power.

House
This show has a formula and it usually sticks to it, but whenever it breaks it, it is usually really good. For example, the finale was really good. The best moment came at the end with Cuddy and House. The writers better stick this thing out or I will be really upset.

Flashforward
What a waste of a good premise. Enough said.

Supernatural
I don’t know if anyone who reads this blog actually watches this show, but I thought the finale was good, and probably should have been a series finale. Here’s hoping that the show can continue to be good despite the fact that the showrunner won’t be as involved next season.

Well those are the shows I felt needed to be addressed. It looks like some promising shows may be coming in the fall. Let’s hope they end up being a lot better than the crop of shows that came out last season (except for Modern Family).

Summer movie season

Yeah, I now it’s been a long while since I posted on this blog. But I have been tweeting about different pop culture things for the past few months, so that has to count for something, right? I am here today to say, “What is with the summer movie season so far?” Since May, there has only been one movie I’ve wanted to go the theater to see. It was “Iron Man 2.” I thought “Iron Man 2” was great. I’ve heard various complaints about the movie. But I just didn’t see any problems. I enjoyed it just as much as the first movie. I especially love all hints of the upcoming “Avengers” movie (to be directed by the great Joss Whedon). I can’t wait to see next year’s “Thor” and “Captain America” movies. But since “Iron Man” I haven’t felt the need to go to the theater. “Robin Hood” looks boring, “Prince of Persia” isn’t getting great reviews, and I haven’t seen a Shrek movie since the second one (which I did not like). I read in the paper over the weekend that some movie executive was saying she couldn’t understand why the current crop of movies weren’t making as much money as last year at this time. Uh… maybe it’s because “Up” and “The Hangover” were awesome and “Killers” and “Marmaduke” look like crap.

This week we have “The A-Team” which looks like it might be some good fun. But the fact that it hasn’t been screened for critics yet doesn’t instill much confidence in me. Next week Pixar returns with “Toy Story 3” – So I’m looking forward to that… but “Jonah Hex” also opens and the buzz for that movie isn’t very good… Aren’t summers supposed to be filled with fun action/adventure movies? “Grown Ups” opens the next week.. it doesn’t look good. I like Adam Sandler, but I have not enjoyed one of his movies for many years. And this movie doesn’t even look like it has a semblance of a plot. It looks like an excuse for Adam and his buddies to hang out. “Knight and Day” opens the same day and it looks like it could be fun. I have enjoyed the director’s past movies, so I am optimistic. I don’t have the Tom Cruise hate that some people have. I loved MI3. I hope this will be in the same vein. The last week of June holds the next Twilight movie. Yawn.

On July 2, the live action version of “Avatar: The Last Airbender” opens. I had been looking forward to this one for a while. I loved the cartoon it’s based on. But I’ve read some early reviews and they were not kind. I still have hope that this movie will be great, but I’ve definitely lowered my expectations. I would love for M. Night Shyamalan (who is directing Airbender) to get back on his game. I loved his early movies… even “The Village.” His movies since then, I will not discuss. I’m looking at the rest of July and there are some promising films: “Despicable Me,” “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice,” “Salt,” “Dinner for Schmucks,” and “Inception.” Of those I think “Inception” is the best bet. Christopher Nolan hasn’t let me down yet. I hope he doesn’t start now. The other July movies, I think hold promise, but I will have to see how they do on Rotten Tomatoes before I decide whether I want to drop $8 for them. The last week of July holds “Cats and Dogs: The Revenge of…” and “Charlie St. Cloud.” Really, did anyone tell the studios it was summer and not January (bad movie dumping ground).

As for August, there are only two movies I’m interested in mentioning. “The Other Guys,” with Will Ferrell looks funny. It’s from the same people who brought us “Anchorman” so I hope it’s good. And then there’s “Scott Pilgrim vs The World.” I cannot wait to see this movie. It looks so great. It’s based on a graphic novel series that is awesome. If the movie is able to capture the strange vibe of the books, it will be great. Judging by the trailers I’ve seen so far, they’re on the right track. The movie is directed by the same guy who did “Shawn of the Dead” and “Hot Fuzz.” Both great movies.





So that is my assessment of the summer. I think next summer looks way better. I mentioned “Captain America” and “Thor.” But we also have “Green Lantern,” the last Harry Potter movie, “Cowboys and Aliens,” “Mission Impossible IV,” (directed by the awesome Brad Bird) and a new X Men movie. So I’m looking forward to next year.

One more thing, since it’s summer, all of my TV shows are in reruns. Does anybody have a suggestion for a good show to finally catch up on – on DVD?

Hopefully my next post won’t be five months from now. ADIOS… and don’t forget to catch me on Twitter (yes I know how lame that sounds).