Lost: The End
I say again, BIG FREAKING LOST FINALE SPOILERS.
IF YOU STILL READ THIS, DON'T COMPLAIN TO ME IF I SPOILED IT FOR YOU. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.
After a couple of weeks to mull it over, I can honestly say that I am 100% happy with how Lost ended. I wasn't at first, but as I thought about it a lot since watching it, I think it ended the only way it could've really.
In the end, it wasn't about the island, and the revelation of all the mysteries the show ever had (which is why some people have hated it), but it was all about the characters. Specifically Jack. Ostensibly the main character of the show, that the series ended with him closing his eye, nicely bookending the entire series, the finale was really all about Jack, and his acceptance of his role. The man of science became the man of faith. Which was really the running theme to the whole series.
Jack did what he always wanted to do, save his fellow Lostaways (some of them anyway) and became protector of the island, for a short time at least. He had fulfilled his purpose and could move on.
The one exchange I loved in the whole episode was between Jack and Smoke Monster Locke, when Jack told him that everything original Locke had said was right, and that the Man in Black was disrespecting all of what John Locke was by wearing his face. It's shows a Jack that has had a complete 180 from the first time we met him. And there really is a beautiful symmetry to the whole thing.
And we got a cool fight between them too. Proper Matrix Revolutions one at that. Only, you know, not crap.
The revelation that the flash sideways universe wasn't in fact an alternate one created by the bomb going off, but in fact some sort of purgatory/in limbo place, was a tough one to wrap my head round. But ultimately I think it fits. It might be a little happy clappy for some people, but for me, and I know this is hardly deep analysis, but it just felt right. I can't find any better way to describe it than that. It's just quite comforting and a nice thought that these island folks waited for each other before moving on.
And who didn't get a kick out of seeing all the characters we've come to know and (possibly) love over the 6 years of Lost have their moment of realisation. And I'm man enough to admit, that Claire and Charlie reunion choked me up big time.
And Kate in the short dress didn't hurt either.
And yes, there are mysteries unsolved that'll be annoying for some (like Walt, that's the only one I'm annoyed about) but for me, the finale came back to being all about the characters, and for that Lost will always be in my top 10 TV shows.
24 Day 8 3.00pm-4.00pm
On to 24, which by this stage had gotten so ridiculous, the only reason you tune in is to see what Jack would do this week. However, for the end of one of the biggest shows of this century so far, the finale was somewhat understated. Not in a bad way, just not your usual 24 episode with gun fights, explosions and terrorist plots getting foiled in the nick of time.
The peace deal stuff had become fairly boring in the past few weeks. With President Taylor believing that the deal must be signed, as if a piece of paper would end all the world's problems. It was never a great idea to build a plot around but when the moment came where she decided whetgher or not to sign the treaty, it was rather tense, even though we knew she wouldn't. So kudos to all involved for making that scene what it was.
Again though, this finale comes down to Jack. Getting his revenge on the people who killed Renee was the driving force in the previous 6 or so episodes. The finale was about Jack hanging on to his humanity and not just becoming a killer. Although that point is arguable.
That the last conversation of the show was a heartfelt one between Jack and Chloe really made the ending quite emotional. More so than most episodes of 24. This season won't be remembered as one of the greats, but it was another improvement on season 7 which itself was a great improvement on 6.
The clock counting down to 0 was also a brilliant touch.
See you in the multiplexes Jack.
Supernatural - Swan Song
Sam and Dean. Dean and Sam. While I love Supernatural, I feel that the pacing of this season has been all over the place. I know the show only has a limited budget and can't really show all out Apocalypse week in week out, but something a bit grander and a bit more consistent would have been good. To use Buffy's second season as an example, Spike and Dru were continually hatching schemes over the course of the season but you still knew tehy were the big bad. However, in Supernatural's case, it was the Devil they were dealing with, so maybe he's not so much with the schemes. More of the click fingers, it's all over kind of thing.
Anyway, the finale, despite all my problems with this season as a whole, was great. Sam saying yes to Lucifer allowed for some great mirror image stuff between him and Sam, Bobby's delight at getting his legs back was also fun, as well as Castiel's "Hey, ass-butt!" That the Impala sort of saved the day was a nice touch as well, if a little melodramatic. Incidentally, before the sixth series was comissioned, this was going to be the last ever episode of the show, hence the "Swan Song" title. If it was I reckon I would have been pretty happy. That a sixth series is a go now means that Sam has returned, in some shape or form, and I'm looking forward to seeing what will happen in season 6.
Kudos for this season goes to Mark Pellegrino for his role as Lucifer, as well as Misha Collins for CAstiel, who I hope will return next year for at least a couple of episodes.
Oh, and also...is Chuck capital g, God? Certainly looks that way.
Doctor Who - The Big Bang
And onto the finale of the 11th Doctor's first series, and it was magnificient. Never once stopped for air until the whole thing was over. This new series has been a breath of fresh air in a series that wasn't really in danger of becoming stale, but probably needed a jolt of energy anyway.
Right from the off, when it was Amy revealed to be in the Pandorica, the timey wimey shenanigans were in effect. The scene at the start with the Doctor appearing to Rory were a pure comic delight, and if you ignore the slight paradox it creates (who let the Doctor out in the first place?), a great way of tying up the Doctor's imprisonment at the end of the last ep. And also, time travel stuff like that confuses a lot of people, and I love that. And am always reminded of Bill and Ted whenever someone does that thing that they did to get the screwdriver back ("Put it in Amy's coat pocket").
Another thing I loved was that there was no big bad to defeat in the episode and that it all revolved around saving the universe, not saving the universe and defeating the big bad. Nice refreshing change.
And, and, the thing we all specualted on for a while after the weeping angels episode; the bit where the Doctor comes back to speak to Amy is confirmed, as it's revealed he's crossing his own time stream. Hooray for all us nerds that spotted something was amiss when that episode aired.
Rebooting the universe, brilliant.
Rory as the lone Centurion was another lovely touch I felt. Rory watching over Amy in the Pandorica for 2000 years, and is then revealed to still be alive.
And also, the "Something old..." bit was pure genius, after the lovely conversation 11 had with little Amy as he was contemplating his own erasure from existence.
So much happened in this episode I can't actually remember it all. Just go watch it. However, if you're a Who fan, you've watched it already. Well, watch it again.
I'll be there Christmas Day on the Orient Express, watching our trio battle with an Egyptian goddess. In space. Will you?
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