Reviewing the Finales

I used to have a nickname among my friends: TV Boy. Guess I earned it by not only watching a lot of TV but by also being fascinated by the process in which it is created. Here's my take on some of the season (and series) finales that have been on this past week. There are spoilers near the end but I warn you before you get to them.

There are three kinds of shows on the air in recent years:

1) Shows that only concern themselves with one-offs. Each episode is largely independent of those around it. This includes many sitcoms and a few of the dramas.

2) Shows that have loose arcs. They plan on getting from here to there over a series of episodes or maybe even a season but the majority of the episodes are one-offs with a few arc-moments thrown in and the occasional arc episode. The X-Files is one of the better examples of this.

3) Shows that are fully written well in advance and every episode is part of the complete story. Babylon 5 is the most complete example as all five seasons were pre-written. The writer, JMS, knew how the series was going to end before he put pen to paper for the first line of (awkward, badly written) dialogue (he became a much better writer as the show progressed).

Buffy is the new, best example of #3. In this case, Joss Whedon doesn[base ']t really know where he is going to go in a few seasons but he does have a clue to a point. This season and the previous one were both written together. He knew where we was going to go with this season as he was writing last season and tonight's finale paid off in spades. Clearly it marks the concise ending of two seasons worth of stories, threads, and plot twists. And he has already set the stage for what is to come.

I consider it some of the best writing on television.

Contrast it sharply with what I thought was a lousy finale to the X-Files. Sure, questions got answered except the most important one: why should we still care? It felt forced, and not a little desperate. And the ending? As is typical with the X-Files, I found myself saying "huh?" without really feeling any closure. Sure, they want to keep the door open for movies but Buffy is going to be back next season and the season afterwards (at least) and they had excellent closure (not counting the wee cliffhanger...) So I think it's more a case of writing ability.

Spoilers ahead for Friends, ER, X-Files, Angel, and Buffy.

I'm serious. I'm going into spioler mode now.

Ok, here goes...

My rundown:

1) Friends: Excellent. A well written, funny and touching finale. They took a much over-used plot device (a birth) and gave it a new and funny twist. The shared room, Janice, and the b plots all contributed to a wonderful episode. The ending was pretty damn predictable but it was still a great ending and sets up some fun for next season. I also have felt much more satisfied with the show this year because they have, for the most part, stopped writing Ross as a complete jerk. He's been more mature, more human, and less of a cariacture. Hopefully this will continue so next season isn't painful to watch. I am even more impressed at how they grew Joey this season into who he has become. All around, an excellent job.

2) ER: Yawnsville. I thought the first half was actually pretty interesting and set up some good, funny moments. The two lawyers were pretty funny. But then it descended into maudlin moments. As a parent, I can tell you that plotlines where children are very sick or die are never fun to watch. They may want to re-check their target demographic. I imagine there are a lot of parents who feel the same way. The episode was gimmicky and ended on a soap opera moment. This whole season has felt like daytime tv moves to nighttime with a bigger budget. What happened to the sharp writing and gripping drama of past seasons? Has the well run dry?

3) X-Files: The trial felt incredibly forced. It was a necessary recapping but the fact that the recapping was even necessary should have been a hint that they'd let the show get way too top heavy. JMS, in writing Babylon 5 had a general rule: never let a major mystery run for more than a season. If you bring it up mid-way through season two, resolve it/answer it/explain it by mid-way season three. It worked. He just kept adding new mysteries so it stayed fresh. The X-Files continued to refuse to answer any questions for so long that it finally got stupid and annoying. I stopped caring a long time ago. That said, the moment when Mulder said "I could smell you coming Clarice" and then "Come here you big, beautiful, bald man" had me in stiches. They needed more of that and less of the same old same old. And smoking man alive? In a anasazi ruin? Yawn. Saw it coming a mile away. It wasn't interesting, it wasn't useful, it wasn't entertaining. And I got no satisfaction watching them make a graphic ending (only so there would be NO debate as to whether he was still alive or not). And what's with the whole "I see dead people" thing?

4) Angel: TV Guide described Angel recently this way: "This show rocks!" and they are dead on. I have been more and more impressed with it as this season has unfolded. Gone is the early season awkwardness. They have turned into a rich ensemble cast with strong characters. Cordelia is not only likable, she's all grown up and a presence on the show. Gone is the fop Wesley was when he was on Buffy. Now he's a dark, strong force on the show. I could easily lose mousy texan girl but let's hope she also grows her character beyond high school giggling fits over her new gosh golly gee boyfriend. I love this show and hope that Lorne isn't leaving. Andy Hallett should be a regular on the show.

5) Buffy. What can I say? The finale I just watched was fantastic. Joss is the only writer I know (yeah, sure, David Fury wrote the second half of the episode but you know Joss was behind the whole thing) who can raise a plot to the apocolyptic level and then DELIVER on it. There's never any letdown. There's never any feeling of his not being able to go there and make it work. He's not Neal Stephenson who writes amazing plots, has incredible ideas, and a great writing style but is utterly incapable of dealing with the situations he creates and, thus, has books that end so badly, so abruptly as to be one of the best and most annoying authors out there. Joss gets it. Did you know he co-wrote the screenplay for Toy Story? Well, he did.

6) 24: There is no six. I completely forgot to set the VCR for this. So, I'll watch it when it repeats Thursday night. Oops.

All that's left now is the West Wing. Aaron Sorkin is another writer who really knows how to craft for television. I have no doubts that it will be a fantastic season finale.