Warehouse 13 – Artie was holding The Phoenix
I asked the question before about what it was about Warehouse 13 that drew people in. For the most part, for me, it’s been a show that didn’t require a whole lot of brainpower to get into, which can sometimes be a good thing. Tonight’s season finale had a lot less of that “I’ll throw this on while I do something else at the same time” feel to it, giving us a deeper look into Artie and MacPherson’s relationship and what we can expect to see in subsequent seasons of Warehouse 13.
Things That Didn’t Suck This Week – Season finales
Since this column is dedicated to highlighting my favorite moments on television from the past week, why not bring it out of hiatus when everything is ending? Sounds like an awesome idea, right? In any case, this really was a great week in television. I found myself being blown away time and time again by season finales. Just Thursday night alone, with 30 Rock, The Office and Parks and Recreation could pretty much be a column onto itself. So let’s get started.
House is not okay on House
Maybe it’s because I missed the last couple of episodes leading up to the season finale, but wow. I did not see this ending coming. Sure, I thought it was a little weird that the love of a good woman was all it took to get House off of Vicodin, but what do I know about addiction? I pretty much spent the last five minutes of this episode with my jaw on the floor.
Ratings Clack – Finale bonanza
The 2008-2009 television season is quickly coming to a close. Last week saw some 30 season/series finales hitting our screens. The resulting numbers were all over the place. Some shows took advantage of the situation, pulling out all the stops and hitting numbers they hadn’t seen in some time. Others held steady. And a few signed in with troubling drops.
I’ve mentioned before that these final numbers could hold sway as the networks prepare to release the fall schedules this week. That does still apply, although, after all the shenanigans over the weekend, with Dollhouse and Better Off Ted being renewed, just how much sway becomes a little more cloudy. Read the rest of this entry »
Survivor – How did they pull this one off?
It is a valid question. How did three outnumbered tribesmen manage to eliminate a rival tribe of six players to be the last team standing … and Erinn? The trick was keeping an eye on the big picture. While Timbira got distracted by their own internal power struggles and feuds, the Jalapao three were able to carefully orchestrate their elimination one by one.
Going into tonight, I was feeling pretty confident that JT had wrapped this thing up. I even said so in Thursday’s review of Survivor. I’ve watched all but one season of Survivor, and I’ll probably go back and watch “The Amazon” just so I can stop having to asterisk my devotion to the show.
Generally, I’ve developed a pretty good feel for how things are going to play out, which is why I should probably be on the show. There comes a point where everyone is just going to act and react a certain way based on what’s been going down, leaving the only real wild card as the Immunity Challenges. With the social game direction established, it’s just in controlling those Challenges. So did JT do that?
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.
And I was expecting a wedding on The Office
Okay, not really. Maybe earlier in the season, but it became pretty clear that wasn’t going to happen. What we did get was a reunion of Michael and Holly which reaffirmed that there aren’t two people on the planet more suited for one another. Certainly no fully sane person would be able to be completely happy with either of them.
Well, maybe Holly because she seems a bit more grounded, but who else is there for Michael? The picnic was a fun diversion, as it showed us how petty and immature Charles Miner could be (I knew it), how clueless Michael remains capable of being (I knew it) and that Pam and Jim are ready for what’s next (that one I didn’t know).
The Fringe world just got a lot bigger
Well, if Fringe hadn’t already been renewed for a second season, that would go down as one of the most annoying season finales in history. I figured out Walter’s secret from Peter about halfway through, but it’s still a great development for both characters. As for Olivia, I have a lot of questions about how she wound up where she was and what William Bell is capable of, but those can wait until the fall.
I like how they closed the chapter on the Jones threat of Season One while at the same time busting wide open the future potential of the series. We didn’t get any further information as to what the “threat” is that William and Walter were trying to prepare for by experimenting on the kids, but I think we’re in for some fun come round two.
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