Tag: series finale

Doctor Who – The Big Bang

Lots of stuff happened in part 1 of our 2-part series finale, with lots more left to digest in part 2. Let’s just skip through a quick SPOILER ALERT and get down to it, cause there’s lots to discuss.

We left The Doctor being locked in the Pandorica, which turns out was basically a prison that every other species in the Universe made for him, while lots of other bad things happened simultaneously (TARDIS blowing up, etc). With the fate of the Universe hanging in the balance, the stakes have never been higher than right now. And it’s all up to little Amy Pond to set everything right.

Things I loved about this episode: I loved the opening and slowly seeing what the after effects of last week’s episode were for the rest of the Universe. And I loved all the signs that were left for mini Amy (and having the two Amys meet). I also loved using the complexities of time travel to help solve the problem. And I loved Rory the Robot playing his part in protecting Amy – hell, I loved just having him back in general. And I loved the analogy of “rebooting the Universe” as if it were a computer. Basically I loved everything about this episode. There were moments of fun mixed in with all the tension and pressures of the Big Problem. (example – The fez The Doctor wears for bits of the episode). It was an ending Steven Moffat should be proud of. When River says our solution will make it so The Doctor will never have been born, a part of me was sad and scared (even though I knew there had to be a way to fix it). To be nervous about something even knowing it can’t really be the end, that takes real talent. That is the kind of genius that Steven Moffat has brought to Doctor Who.

Five-star moment of the week – without a doubt it had to be watching The Doctor rewind through his timeline. The moment when we see him talk to Amy from back during The Time of Angels and realize she is the key to keeping him from blinking out of existence for good was possibly one of my top moments in Doctor Who history (and there have been a lot of good moments, you have to admit). Flash to her wedding (which I was really happy to see finally happen) and her remembering The Doctor back into existence and you get one of the best nights with The Doctor ever.

What did you think of the series finale (or the series in general)? Sound off in the comments section below.

Blame It On Rio Bravo, Happy Town

Alright, kids, this is it. Here is my recap of the Happy Town finale. I know what you’re thinking, it was way too short. Eight episodes just isn’t enough time for a show to fully develop. Well tell that to ABC, folks. Actually, don’t waste your breath. I’m sure plenty of you have written letters and even joined the campaign to #SaveHappyTown but it hasn’t done any good. Let’s just enjoy what little time we’ve got left instead of crying over spilt milk. So, without further ado, here is my recap off the series finale of Happy Town – Blame It On Rio Bravo. It goes without saying that there will be huge amounts of SPOILERS, so you should probably stop reading now and watch the episode on ABC before you go any further. You have been warned.

Last week we finally learned what was up with Henley and the mystery hammer – apparently it was used by Peggy Haplin to kill Alice Conroy. (Too bad we’ll never find out why Haplin killed her *grumble* She goes to the police station to try to tell Tommy about this, but he is too busy dealing with Magic Man related things to listen to some crazy girl he’s never met before tell him wild tales of murder and mystery. They have just arrested Dan Farmer as their prime suspect, and Greggy Stiviletto has the whole town outside the police station ready to dispense some homemade justice. Tommy calls for back-up but our friend Mr. Grieves calls pretending to be Conroy and cancels it. You want a mystery that could have been good for a couple of seasons, then look no further than this guy. And while we’re talking mystery – why does Greggy want the Magic Man dead so bad?! Whatever the reason, they have the wrong guy so it really doesn’t matter. Amy Acker, I mean, Rachel takes one look at him and confirms his claim that he is not their man. Back to square one, I guess.

The police may know that Farmer is innocent, but the rest of the town doesn’t. They still want his head on a platter and have taken a hostage to try to persuade the police to cooperate. Said hostage is John Haplin, who probably wishes he were anywhere other than where he is right now. Merritt Grieves works his silver tongue and gets Haplin freed from the angry mob. Seriously, what is up with this guy?! Dude is an enigma wrapped in a puzzle and sprinkled with mystery sauce.

Things are pretty tense inside the police station, with both sides pointing their guns in each other’s faces. Round of applause for Tom Conroy Sr and his fantastic entrance on the scene: guns blazing with proclamations of his left hand working again. Right from the start he was the one who first dragged my attention to this show. Sure he was kinda crazy when we first met him, but that was part of what kept us interested. After all, crazy is totally the middle name of this show.

With the town finally dispersed, we send Farmer off in an ambulance, except it’s all part of an elaborate plan to help him escape. And Merritt Grieves is the one who helps him! I’m usually good at predicting these things but I did not see that one coming. Kudos for keeping me on my toes right up until the end.

With things settling down at the police station, Tommy confronts his father about his mother’s death. Daddy says something about the town being wicked and how things work here in Haplin, which is not the answer Tommy wants to here. Jr drives off to confront Peggy Haplin, while Sr drives off with Henley right on his tale. The tension builds as the Magic Man is about to finally be revealed. Or, it would build if it weren’t for their interesting taste in music on this show. In the final moments it is revealed that the Magic Man is *drumroll please*

Alice?!

Yes, it turns out that Alice has been alive the whole time and is really the Magic Man. Oh, and Tom Conroy knew this and never said anything. All because of some mystery in the town that was never fully explained. Georgia and Andrew were planning on leaving until Peggy told her grandson something about the family that changed his mind. And Henley? We still don’t know what her connection to the Magic Man was. We assume someone she cared about was one of the missing people but don’t know the full story. I’m glad the big mystery surrounding the identity of the Magic Man was revealed, but giving us a peak at what promised to be an interesting town that is oozing with more mysteries to share is just mean. The show had a lot of potential that will never be explored. It’s a shame really but that’s the way the game seems to be played these days.

What were your thoughts on the series finale (or the show in general)? Were you satisfied with what little we got, or is there something else you would liked to have seen before the curtain closed? Sound off in the comments section below.

24: 2-4pm recap

The following was written in real-time (for the most part). Somehow it seemed appropriate. Needless to say, it is chock full of SPOILERS so if you haven’t watched the episode yet then you should probably stop here and fix that IMMEDIATELY. For the rest of you, hope you enjoy this as much as I enjoyed writing it.

This is it folks. The moment we have all been waiting for. No, I don’t mean the series finale of Lost – that was last night. Nope, tonight we say goodbye to Jack Bauer and the rest of Team 24.

Last week ended with the massacre of a lot of Russians by our anti-hero, Jack Bauer. We pick up with CTU getting the report on that and Cole finding the guy Jack had been working with now that he and CTU were no longer on speaking terms.

Things I will miss about 24: Chloe’s snarky remarks to people that obviously have subtext asking “Why are you such an idiot?” to every stupid person she comes across.

Cole gets the intel he needs from Guy-whose-name-I-never-bothered-to-find-out and goes to meet Chloe at the UN to help with security. “We cannot let Jack assassinate the Russian President,” he tells her. No frickin DUH, Cole. Hence the you being there to stop it.

Meanwhile President Taylor is in some pretty hot water now. Like way over her head, boiling her alive type deal. She has figured out that this conspiracy goes all the way to the Russian President. This does not sit well with her. Shoulda thought of that before you worked your deal with the Devil, eh Madam President. As annoyed as I am at her, I realize the Devil in this case is a tricky son-of-a-gun. I’m glad we brought Logan back for the final season. He and his aide are both played by extraordinary actors (Gregory Itzin and Reed Diamond respectively) who have lit up the screen these past few weeks.

Back to the show though – Daughter Hassan passes on the message from Meredith to Mrs. Hassan. Mommy is skeptical but still willing to call her and see what she has to say.

Cheer moment #1 goes to Chloe – when she threatens to send the file with the evidence regarding the Russian’s involvement to every media outlet in the nation. That’ll put President Taylor in her place. And possibly get Chloe arrested. Oh well, that just means Jack can bail her out during the pending movie.

Jack has Jason PIllar held at gunpoint and is using him to get through security at the UN. Pillar notices Jack is bleeding, and is just as doubtful as I was that Jack would actually live long enough to carry out his mission. “Not if you stitch me up first, Jason!” Ha! Proof Reed Diamond is an exceptional actor – he plays a shady politician and yet we still kinda feel sorry for him when he is begging for his life. Give the man a gold star! Apparently Jack felt sorry for him too, because he spares his life and knocks him out instead.

Back at HQ, Mrs Hassan can’t get in touch with Meredith, so she goes in search of answers on her own. Who does she turn to for these answers? Why her trusted colleague President Taylor of course! Go ahead and try to keep a straight face as you pretend you don’t know what she is talking about. Or pretend that the accusations are unfounded. That could work too. If by “work” we mean work to make me hate you more. Mrs Hassan and I are both very disappointed in you. We might never speak to you again as long as we live. Of course with the show ending that won’t really be that hard to do. Cheer moment #2 – Mrs Hassan telling her to shove it and shutting down the peace negotiations now that this evidence has come to light. You go girl! Put her in her place. But *le gasp* is that our President using blackmail to keep her from backing out of the treaty? And we thought Jack had gone round the bend. I was trying to see things from her point of view and say she was stuck between a rock and a hard place thanks to Logan but this is going too far. I really hoped you would come around back to the Good Side Of The Force, but it’s not looking so good at this point.

Speaking of our buddy Jack Bauer, he’s sneaking around like the super spy he is and working his way towards the perfect vantage point for a little duck shooting. I hear Russian duck is especially game this time of year. Chloe has his location though, so he’s not in the all clear yet. She’s even packing some firepower thanks to Cole. Chloe with a gun? Sounds pretty badass to me. Tear moment for the night – Jack making his goodbye video to person we assume is Kim, telling his side of the story for when he can’t do so in person. Awww shucks, Jack. Don’t you know you have to be the star of the film? They sold the movie rights, so you gotta live!

And the awkward sauce award goes to President Taylor and Mrs Hassan greeting the Russian President. They all have to try to paste smiles on their faces and be all diplomatic and stuff, each of them knowing the whole awful truth of the matter. Mrs Hassan should get the Nobel Peace Prize for not ripping off his head right then and there. It was kinda comical the speech on honesty and trust we got right before the signing. Maybe she should also get an award for not laughing during the press conference. I know I was cracking up at that point.

But back to more important and uber tense things – like Chloe with a gun! I don’t know why this got me all nervous and excited, but it did. Jack was one step ahead of her though, and grabbed her inside before she could make a move. She tries to reason with him and show him there is a better way. What she gets for her friendship? Well she gets to live and just be passed out in a corner instead of a bullet to the head. Yay, friendship? Still, I couldn’t help but be excited at the idea he had a sniper rifle pointed at Logan’s head. How can you stay mad at the person who is going to potentially exterminate the biggest snake ever?!

And so the Big American Snake calls the Russian Snake and lures him into Bauer’s trap. Chloe continues to try talking sense to Jack, but he is just not hearing any of it. Time is running out on Jack’s plan though, because Cole has called in his location – and kept the shoot-to-kill order. I applaud Chloe for her continued pleas for Jack to stop and think about what he is doing, but I really had my doubts it would work. Of course pulling out the Renee-wouldn’t-have-wanted-this card, that completely changes things. Guess if anyone was going to talk sense to Jack, it was going to be Chloe. They are the only two remaining from the original series. It is only fitting they work together in the final moments. And if working together entails one shooting the other – well what’s a little gunshot wound between friends? The writers really seemed to work overtime in trying to make us doubt Jack would make it through these last two hours alive. Guess they didn’t want knowledge of the movie to take away from the tension the show was famous for.

Logan calls Pillar and tells him about the data card that implicates them in working with the Russians. As Pillar searches Chloe for said data card, I go back to hating him as a character and loving him as an actor all at the same time. I also love Chloe ten times more for being clever enough to stash it in her phone. Pillar – you got played son. Oh and while we’re at it, Jack would like to chew your ear off for a minute there. That would be cheer moment #I-officially-lost-count. It took a little longer than Lost but I knew it would happen eventually. Cheers are short-lived though, as Chloe is caught before she has a chance to do anything with the data. It was a valiant effort though. I salute you, Chloe.

The recording ends up in Logan’s hands, as he declares to President Taylor that they have won and it is over. He also says Jack Bauer will never let this go, which is what I was thinking when he said this was over. This will never be over as long as Jack is out there to fight them. Logan paints some scary picture to try to convince Taylor they should execute Jack. “Don’t do it!” I yell at her. “Stop him!” Taylor lets him go, but watches the data file and SURPRISE it is the message that I assumed was for Kim. So where is the taped convo we heard from before? Whatever happened, the message seems to have come through loud and clear, because President Taylor can’t go through with the signing. Instead she finally comes clean and puts an end to this farce of a peace treaty. She then jumps into actions in an attempt to warn them that Jack’s life is in danger. Thank God she finally came to her senses, even though it happens way late in the game. Too bad she didn’t have her epiphany moment sooner though, because Jack has already been abducted.

Surprised at Taylor’s sudden moment of enlightenment? Well there are more surprises ahead. Because Logan is not happy that everything has unraveled. You think his response is going to be to take it out on Bauer? Well you would be WRONG. Nope, instead he takes out PIllar and then puts the gun on himself. So if you were taking bets then you got points for Logan getting shot but lost them since Jack wasn’t the one to do the deed. (Although you could argue he blamed Jack for everything and was therefore indirectly responsible, but that would be a really weak argument in my book).

So now the race is on to find Jack before he gets snuffed out for good. And the only people who could have been tortured for info are dead (or at least brain dead). Drat! Just when it looks like Jack should be saying his final prayers, President Taylor somehow gets in contact with the people assigned to do the deed and stop them in literally the final seconds. Don’t you think you were cutting it a little close there, Prez? Taylor has her mea culpa moment on the phone with Jack, and I actually feel a little sorry for her – but only a little. She tells him he has to leave the country because both the Russian and American governments are still looking for him. And so our anti-hero is cast out from the country he has served for untold years. Before vanishing into the night, Jack thanks Chloe for all her help – not just today but since the moment she joined him at CTU. The final clock counted backwards to zero, which I thought was quite fitting.

Overall I was quite satisfied with the series finale 24 gave us. It wasn’t exactly happily-ever-after, but that is rarely the case with this show. The main problem was eliminated with its usual ramifications left behind. That’s as it should be. Jack will presumably go into hiding until whatever threat comes up in the movie flushes him out again. Or maybe the movie will be about the manhunt that will inevitably follow after the days events. Only time will tell.

So, what did you think of the finale? Satisfied? Disappointed? Sound off with your comments below.

Lost – The End

The following was written as the show progressed, in an attempt to make the writer’s life just a little easier. It is chock full of SPOILERS and lots of commentary. You get the honest to goodness first reactions to the events as they happened. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed the process. There are no concluding remarks at the end, as my brain really couldn’t process much more once it was finished. Maybe I’ll write more after a second viewing in a couple days. For now, sit back, relax, and enjoy the ride.

This is it. The moment we have all been waiting for. After 6 years investing our hearts and lives into this show, we have now come to The End of Lost. The finale was quite extensive, but I’m going to try my best to write as coherent a recap as I possibly can.

In Sideways world, Desmond has busted Kate and Sayid out of jail. Sayid has gone with Hurley while Kate has stayed with Desmond, who is going to give her a bit of Enlightenment.

Back on the Island, Jack is fresh from his own brand of Enlightenment, with Jacob passing on the Island torch to him. The stakes: protect the Light or it will be the end for all of them. Hurley says, “I’ve got a bad feeling about this.” Ya think?! After the scene with the submarine blowing up earlier this season I won’t put anything past these writers. Expect the unexpected, is what I say. Boy was I right about that.

Sideways Hurley telling Sayid, “if you stick with me you’ll be happy you did” made me think of our relationship with Lost. We have stuck with this show for 6 years, and now is the time where we get to be happy we did.

On the Island, Smokey and Sawyer are both looking for Desmond at the well, but he has somehow found himself with Rose and Bernard. Oh, and their little dog Vincent too. Looks like we really are bringing everyone back for the big finish. Smokey finds where they are hiding and tells Desmond to come with him or Rose and Bernard will die. He cooperates in exchange for their guaranteed safety.

So Desmond goes with Smokey and Ben to the next phase of “the plan”. When I saw that Ben was still in contact with Miles and hadn’t actually abandoned them I did a little cheer – and then quickly got my head back in the game.

In Sideways world, Miles is heading to the concert that Drive Shaft is supposed to give. I predict all of Sideways world will be at this concert for a huge dose of Enlightenment before we are through. (Was kinda sorta right on this point). Jin and Sun seem to have their moment when Juliet is examining Sun and the baby though. It had to have been incredibly weird for Sun watching she and Jin die in the final flashes of her memory. Still, it was great seeing them suddenly know how to speak English perfectly and using that as a merging of the two worlds.

Back on the Island, the pieces are set up and it is established that everyone is going to the Cave of Wonders for a final showdown. Switching from Island Jack planning on killing Locke to Sideways Jack working to save Locke was quite a transition. They are approaching it from different angles, but both versions are ultimately going to accomplish the same thing. Their versions of Locke are broken in different ways and they are going to fix them. Does that mean merging the two together? Keep reading to find out.

Hooray moment #2 – Frank is still alive! And he is going to fly them all off the island! Hooray!

Back to the main story though – Jack and Smokey face off. Jack looks him dead in the eye and says “I’m gonna kill you. “How are you going to do that?” Smokey asks. “It’s a surprise,” Jack replies. *gets chills* That was almost Cheer Moment #3, but not quite. The real “Hooray” comes when he actually does it. For now it was more of a *gasp*

Sideways world gives us our own *gasp* with Juliet being the mother of Jack’s child. They are all planning on going to the Drive Shaft concert as a little not-quite-perfect family.

Back on the island, I couldn’t help but think the Island brought us to the Light a little too soon. That was until Desmond basically confirmed going into the Light was going to bring them to Sideways world and their own bit of Enlightenment. Then I figured the rest of it had to be the merging of the two worlds. Desmond seems to be the thing connecting the two worlds together. By him going into the Light, it will somehow trigger this merging of the worlds. Or so I thought.

Sideways world gives us back Shannon and Boone, and in that moment also gives Sayid his Enlightenment. Now he can have his second chance. It also brings us one step closer to that merger I just talked about. And back on the Island Desmond is being lowered into the Light to really get this party started.

Speaking of parties, there certainly are a lot of familiar faces at that party/concert that we’ve been gearing up for. Aww shucks moment #I-don’t-even-know-anymore = Charlotte and Dan Faraday meeting in Sideways world. Every couple that meets in this world makes me melt a little more. And it looks like Drive Shaft doesn’t wait till the end to put in their appearance. (Sidebar – damn Faraday is a good piano player). And awww to Charlie and Claire staring at each other when he gets on stage. They were one of my all-time favorite couple on this show. It made Charlie dying even harder.

Island Desmond steps into the Light (literally) and makes Enlightenment look way more painful than the Sideways world had made it seem. Just when you think he will be torn apart, the Light goes out. And then it looks like a lock being opened and I-don’t-even-know-how-to-decribe-it. What the hell did I just witness?! Brain = overloaded. (Maybe that’s how Desmond feels?) Whatever it was just made it so Smokey could bleed – almost like it turned him human. Did Desmond walking into the Light somehow counter Smokey’s powers? Like maybe there is a balance in the universe now? You’ll just have to stay tuned to find out.

Back to Sideways world – Claire’s moment with Charlie seems to have triggered her labour. Everyone say it with me – Of course it has! And how appropriate that Kate is the one there to help her deliver the baby. That doesn’t sound familiar at all? *note the sarcasm* The whole thing makes me believe in fate more than ever – and brings the two a little piece of Enlightenment. And then when Charlie joins the picture – forget about it. No – remember! Everything! Charlie remembers Claire and we all get the moment we’ve wanted since the day Charlie died – the idea they will actually get to be a picture-perfect family and live happily ever after.

Things aren’t nearly as peachy on the island though. As Sideways world gets pieced together, the island starts falling apart. No one said paradise would be easy to reach though, did they? Oh, and hello there Jack and Locke. Them facing off makes my heart stop a little, and I wonder if I will live long enough to post this massive blog I have written. Their fight is purely primal, and sends us back to the early days of man. It is a woman who will save Jack from a knife to the throat though – more specifically Kate. Locke takes a tumble off the cliff and we wave bye-bye.

Sideways world seems to be merging even more, as the cut on Jack’s neck appears in this world as well. And Locke wakes up, knowing that “it worked” – almost as if his two selves had merged as well. And in that moment Locke has his Enlightenment, remembering the first time he walked on the island. Jack starts to remember a little too, even though he tries to fight it. He hurries off quite shaken (which I would be too if the same had happened to me).

Island Jack isn’t doing so good either though. He has quite the stab wound to contend with. Although he claims he’ll be fine, this viewer isn’t convinced.

Moments that make me smile: Frank giving Miles duct tape (!) to fix the plane. Thus proving my theory that duct tape can fix ANYTHING. He and Ben also get the exchange of the night:

Frank: Don’t bother me
Ben: Sounds like they’re making progress.

Love it! “Don’t bother me” is what we all say to our friends when they try to talk to us during Lost. And we always finish each week thinking we are “making progress”.

It is all happening too fast. Ben is saying “If the island is going down, I’m going down with it” and Jack and Kate are proclaiming their love for each other and I am just done at this point. If you thought it was hard following this review before, then you better hold on because we still have a long way to go before this thing comes in for its final landing.

Whew, ok, I think I’ve composed myself enough to continue. It’s hard when Miles gives me lines like this though:

“I don’t believe in a lot of things, but I do believe in duct tape”

Going back to the actually story though, Sawyer seems to be the only one left in Sideways world who is totally and utterly confused here. He is left wandering the hospital in this state of mind when he runs into none other than Juliet. They get their little flash of Enlightenment and Sawyer is no longer the odd-man-out. Again I say it must be weird for these people seeing the death scenes of them and their partners. It is hard to imagine just how that would feel, but the cast all did a great job of conveying it convincingly enough.

The Enlightenment continues when Kate and Jack run into each other at what remains of the party. Jack is still resisting, but Kate is going to help complete the process.

Meanwhile, Island Jack is embracing his destiny by throwing himself down into the Cave to complete his part in protecting the island. Before he goes he passes the job onto Hurley (who, if you remember, had previously said he was glad it wasn’t him when Jack got the job in the first place). They perform the same ritual that has been tradition from the beginning, and with that Hurley is the new Island Guardian.

Cheer Moment #I-stopped-counting-at-this-point goes to Jack’s line to Desmond, “I’ll see you in another life brother.” We are realizing here that while the island has huge implications, at the same time it doesn’t really matter what happens here or who survives – we’ll see them in another life.

And so we end as we began – with a bunch of people on a plane heading for they-don’t-know-what. They fly off just as the island starts breaking up beneath them. They will live together somewhere, while Jack will die alone on the island.While this sounds rather sad, the scene they paint for us is really quite beautiful. Somehow we are left knowing that this is what Jack was meant to do all along. This is how things are supposed to be.

Sideways world ties it all together in the most beautiful way possible. The scene with Locke and Ben – well, words just can’t even describe. Ben apologizing for what he did and explaining himself, and then Locke forgiving him for everything. Nope, words can’t describe how perfect that felt. Just like there are no words for John getting out of the chair and walking into the church where the other Enlightened Losties were.

Island Ben gets some good final moments too. He guides Hurley along in the learning process that is “what-the-hell-do-we-do-now”. Wish we had something like that here in our post-Lost world.

We still have one final piece of the puzzle before we can wrap this up though. Sideways Jack is ever so slowly working his way towards Final Enlightenment. As he touches the casket his father is to be buried in, it all comes rushing back to him. The first person to be introduced to us is the last one to be Island Enlightened. It seems rather fitting. Nothing could have prepared me for the conversation with his father. Dad tells him he is dead and so is everyone else and SURPRISE Sideways world is what we can possibly interpret as heaven, paradise, whatever-you-want-to-call-it. I could never have imagined a more perfect finish to this show. I never would have believed I’d be happy to see an entire cast die, but really everyone dies at some point (as Christian points out to Jack). And despite all the challenges the island presented, they were happiest when they were together. Now they can live happily-ever-after for all eternity. Can I get an Amen? If the island was purgatory, then they have finally reached their final resting place. And as the Light pours throughout the church, encompassing them all, I am left completely satisfied.