Castle
Finale Grade: D+
I love this show. It's equally fun, funny, dramatic, and action-packed. And it features one of my favorite performers: Nathan Fillion. But this finale was weak.
What worked:
1) The cast. Everyone played their characters admirably and believably.
2) I also liked that we got a little more info about the identity of Kate's mother's killer and the motive for the killing.
What didn't work:
1) The killing of one of the main characters AFTER sullying their reputation by making them part of the team that killed Kate's mom. Not cool. Not cool at all. Since this person was a friend of Kate's (which is to say, if the writers didn't pull this plot twist out of their hindparts), they should have come clean to Kate a lot sooner.
2) The cliffhanger ending (surprise, surprise). Honestly, do they really expect us to believe that the lead actress in the series WON'T be coming back next season?
Chuck
Finale Grade: C
He loses the intersect again?!!! They need to make up their mind on this show. Either he has it, or he doesn't. Stop being all wishy-washy.
What worked:
1) The resolution of the Volkoff storyline. It felt like the story had been dragged out longer than it needed to be (despite featuring Timothy Dalton), but they gave viewers some good closure.
2) The set up for next season with Chuck, Sarah, Casey, & Morgan becoming spies for hire looks like it'll be a lot of fun. Especially with Morgan having an intersect now.
What didn't work:
1) Clyde Decker (a CIA bigwig). He shows up for the first time in this episode and apparently knows more about Chuck's life, his parents lives, and the intersect than anyone else. As an audience member, I was left scratching my head and asking where the heck did this guy come from? And he was such a big part of the finale, that it would have made sense for the producers of the show to introduce him sooner (even if it was just in the shadows).
Cougar Town
Finale Grade: A+
What worked:
1) Just about everything. It picked up from the previous episodes, but they explained what had been happening early on so that any casual or new viewer wouldn't be lost. The jokes were hilarious and the drama that each of the characters had to deal with didn't feel forced or rushed (when the solved the problems). And I thoroughly enjoyed the cameo of Ted from "Scrubs" (Cougartown creator Bill Lawrence's previous show).
What didn't work:
Aside from the season being over and having to wait a while until the next one begins, nothing.
Hawaii Five-O
Finale grade: F
Really CBS? You actually aired this piece of fecal matter and expect me to come back next season?
What worked:
1) Chin-ho finally got back in good standing with the Hawaii Police Department. Yay.
What didn't work:
1) Everything else. You kill off a character we've seen once before and expect us to care about her. Then you reveal that the Five-O team's benefactor is in cahoots with the villains? What the #%&@?! Then you have her killed too? On top of that, you have half the team arrested, while the only real remaining member of the team might be leaving for the U.S. mainland? Seriously? Nevermind that the villain got away and went into hiding. I understand that most shows like to do a cliffhanger at the end of each season in hopes of luring fans back the next season, but this was a clear case of over-egging the pudding. I've honestly lost all interest in this show since the P. Diddy episode, and this finale didn't help renew my faith. So long, gang, I won't be watching this series anymore!
Justified
Finale Grade: A
What worked:
1) The resolution of the Bennett/Givens feud. After the way things were in the episodes leading up to the finale, I didn't think it would be resolved, but they wrapped it up in a tragic, yet fitting conclusion that brought the season full-circle.
2) I also enjoyed Boyd coming to Raylan's rescue. Every scene between Walton Goggins (who I still remember from Major League 3) and Timothy Olyphant, is brilliant! They have such great chemistry on screen as former enemies who used to be friends (if that sounds complicated, believe me it is), that I love to watch them work.
3) Another important element that I liked was the way this show set up cliffhangers. Unlike most series that tell a story and then end with a cliffhanger, this one gave you a few cliffhangers in the middle and then ended with the main story's conclusion. Additionally, their placement in the middle of the episode still helped to further the story, instead of detracting from the main story.
What didn't work:
Honestly, I don't think there was anything that didn't work for this one. The cast and crew all brought their A-game and gave viewers a great finale. The only downside is that we probably have to wait about a year until the next season starts.
NCIS
Finale Grade: B+
What worked:
1) The Port to Port killer storyline was concluded quite nicely. Not only did we get some explanation of why he was after EJ & her team, it was finally revealed why she had been getting promoted over Gibbs for the past few weeks (hint: Nepotism).
2) The funeral for the Gibbs' mentor and friend was nice and the reveal of what he had been working on in his basement for the past couple months was touching.
What didn't work:
1) The cliffhanger. Most of you who read this web log know that I'm not a big fan of cliffhangers. However, this one was just kind of a let-down. I knew it was coming, because every season of NCIS has had a cliffhanger finale. But this one was just "meh". How am I supposed to be concerned when we don't even know who Tony is supposed to be shadowing in his new undercover mission. I would have been more invested in the cliffhanger if they had ended with the reveal of his target.
NCIS: Los Angeles
Finale Grade: D+
This season, the show just wasn't as good as it was in the first season. Heck, it's not even as good as it was in the 2-part backdoor pilot episodes of NCIS!
What worked:
1) Hetty stepping out of her administrator role and into that of an awesome agent of espionage.
What didn't work:
1) Callan, Sam, Kensi, & Deeks all resigning and going rogue in an effort to bring Hetty back.
2) Also, the new hint of Callan's identity is annoying. I know that they're probably gonna stretch the mystery of what the "G" stands for and who he is for the length of the series, but it's just annoying. Even Bellisario didn't keep Ari alive past season three of NICS, because he knew that audiences want resolution. Shane Brennan should take a page from that aspect of Bellisario's playbook.
And with that, I wrap up my first ever season finale report. I hope you all enjoyed it. See you next time!
