How often do finales live up to expectations?
Season finale season can be a lot of fun. Our favorite shows can leave us wondering “Who’s Been Hit?” Waiting for the “…dairy!” I get into the hype. Every year, I will watch finales of shows that I wouldn’t normally take the time for (Smallville, I’m looking at you). When it comes to series finales, I’ll tune in even if I’ve never watched the show (thanks, Friends … really).
This season’s Fringe knocked it out of the park. While there was speculation that our Peter may not actually have been born in this reality, seeing the tombstone was still powerful. That scene, however, was NOT what people were talking about at the water cooler the next day. We finally meet William Bell, and the reveal that his office was in the still standing World Trade Center towers was a shocking moment. While some have argued that the scene was insensitive, I thought it was ballsy, powerful, and how a finale should be done.
Scrubs – Love and marriage in the tropics
See, now this two-parter is how you do those special “vacation” episodes long-running sitcoms are famous for. You know you watch them and love them. The girls get into hot bikinis for those sexy beach scenes, and the whole thing is filmed on location in some exotic locale.
The interns were absent, but every one of our principal cast members, along with Ted and Todd as two of our favorite secondary characters, was along for the ride. The basic plot of the Janitor’s scheme to get presents leading to everyone impulsively flying away to paradise with him was so secondary to the relationship stories creator Bill Lawrence wanted to tell that it was barely mentioned. In the end, the episode was about the three major couples on the show: J.D. and Elliot, Turk and Carla, and Perry and Jordan.
Webisode Clack – Scrubs webisodes make me think the show could’ve survived without Zach Braff
Before Bill Lawrence announced this would be the last season of Scrubs, rumors were rampant that the show, if its ratings held up, was going to remain on the ABC schedule. With or without creator Lawrence and star Zach Braff. Heck, even Bill himself said something to that effect when the show premiered in January!
Sure, Zach was the center of the show for its years on NBC, but there are now enough established characters to keep the show going without Braff in the middle of it all. In addition, Lawrence and his crew introduced a whole new set of interns this year. With enough time and pruning, these folks could have carried on the traditions that the show has carefully honed over the years.
The perfect example of this “what could have been” scenario? The current slate of Scrubs:Interns webisodes.
Scrubs – The new Chief of Medicine and Sesame Street?
(Season 8, Episodes 5 & 6 – “My ABC’s” & “My Cookie Pants”)
Fun Fact: Janitor’s grandpa apparently called him Janitor, too.
In the first of our two-part Scrubs hour, we got to see J.D., Elliot and Perry all choose one of the new interns to mentor. J.D. hooked up with Denise/Jo, who’s the go-to “strong woman (cold-hearted psycho).” Perry went with Ed, who’s too manic and cool for his own good and Elliot went with Katie because … well, because they have the same hair. As we learned in earlier episodes, Katie is actually a manipulative, selfish and incredibly driven person.
Ed — I guess — is brilliant, but so brilliant that he’s lazy and absolutely doesn’t apply himself. Not enough yet to make these three worthy of holding a show of their own, but it was nice to get a little bit more face-time with these new … um … faces (*ahem*). Even if they did have to share it with various Muppets from Sesame Street. Was it just me or was it a little odd to see Elmo rubbing up against Denise’s chest like that?
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