Top 8 season finales

With the regular TV season coming to a close, I find myself silently celebrating a break from the barrage of all the new episodes that May brings each year. Keeping up is trying, as self-inflicted as it may be. Sometimes, however, there’s nothing better than a completely satisfying season finale.

A season finale can be as important as the ending of a book. I have a hard time letting go of shows in which I’ve invested time (even just a season), but if a season finale does nothing to 1) pull at my heartstrings, 2) make me laugh (out loud), 3) shock me, well then, it may in danger of being shelved. I’m not sure it works the opposite way; if an entire season has been a letdown but the season finale is amazing, I don’t guarantee a coveted spot on my DVR next season. However, it is more likely I’ll get sucked back into that vacuum. I mean, hell, after the sixth season finale of Grey’s, in which a man wanders around the hospital shooting everyone in sight on his path to revenge, I’ve now watched another two seasons. Bring the drama and I’ll apparently be back.

My favorite season finales of the regular TV season are a mixed bag, really. I can’t seem to decide my absolute favorite, so here are my contenders, in no particular order. Or read into the order what you will. Maybe number one is really number one. And by the way: SPOILER ALERT, which should by now be quite unnecessary.

1. New Girl: How satisfying was this finale? From the very first thrown hippie chocolate cookie to the solo dance parties at the end, I was completely in love. The mix of comedy and emotion was spot on. By season’s end, there was no couple I was pulling for more than Jess and Nick. This episode was the perfect balance of all the relationships; none really outshone the others for me. Each character was perfect in their imperfect ways I’ve come to absolutely adore. The ending: perfection. It could not have been better. And I’ve never wanted to revisit all my 90s mix tapes more.

2. The Vampire Diaries: No other finale better hit the “reset” button. After three entirely entertaining seasons of gasps and tear, what on Earth could possibly come next? Do you think the showrunner just woke up one day and said: today’s the day, let’s turn Elena into a vampire, effectively starting over? The season had effectively (and entirely) switched my allegiance to the Team Damon of it all, so the only somewhat dissatisfying moment was Elena’s (inevitable) choice to return to Stefan. Here’s hoping that ending casts a little doubt. The episode was really a perfect close to that chapter of Elena’s life. She came full circle: bridge dive to bridge dive. And my gosh, the goodbye between Alaric and Jeremy. (Nikita gets a nod for also hitting “reset” in a big way.)

3. Bones: This finale was polarizing, I can imagine. I thought it was the best episode of the season, hands down. I’ve watched every episode of Bones and when the cases become personal, the characters come alive; the show is at its best. The return of creepy Christopher Pelant was always how the season would end. The threat he poses is undefinable; there seems no limit to the damage he can do. And frankly, he creeps the hell out of me. Watching Booth frantically try to prove Brennan had nothing to do with her friend’s murder and Brennan try to deal logically with what was happening to her (and her family) was heartbreaking. And watching Booth run after her and Christine as they drove away to stay out of Pelant’s reach is all the incentive I need to wish it was September already.

4. Criminal Minds: This was by far my favorite episode of the season. I haven’t decided whether I’ll be watching next year. This was going to be it for me. This season hasn’t kept my interest, partially because I watch so many shows some of them sort of run together at this point. This episode had me from the beginning though. It was a departure from the standard formula. Bank robbers as serial killers proved perfectly suspenseful. Rarely do we get to see much of the personal in CM, but they went all out in this finale. No episode comes close the 100^th (or ever will, I suspect), but JJ and Will provide something to root for in this one. When he walks into the bank and JJ struggles to follow him, bring him back, you want her to get to him. The first hour was the best for me, but that’s not to discount the second’s attempt to keep the drama flowing. It succeeded, but the bank scenes were more powerful. I did greatly love the surprise wedding. It was a perfect ending. Whether I come back for more next year is still yet to be seen.

5. Awake: Why on Earth was no one watching this show?! It was creative, smart, and entertaining as hell. Kyle Killen may have made it past episode two with this one (RIP Lone Star), but it really should have made it past season one. Reading where season two would have gone had the show been picked up is fascinating. This was really a drama itching to get out of its procedural skin and it sounds like season two would have allowed that. The finale brought on a whole new realm of possibility: dreaming within a dream, multi-fractured realities, a subconscious desperately trying to escape the knowledge that either wife or son had been killed. If the finale had to be it, I’m glad Britten created his perfect version of reality. Who’s to say real life is better than dreams? I’m going to miss this show.

6. Castle: For four seasons this show has led to one thing: Castle and Beckett. There was no finale I was looking forward to more than this one and it in no way disappointed me. It was high on drama from the very beginning. I am still fully invested in Beckett’s mother’s murder investigation and logically, finding the man who shot Beckett in last year’s finale is an important step. Beckett went back to the “dark place” but managed to come out of it when it counted. Hanging from the ledge of a building was enough to make her sure: she was ready for that relationship with Castle. He was always going to forgive her for going off the deep end. I’m very much looking forward to seeing what the team dynamics are next year. There were some big changes that probably can’t be magically fixed during the hiatus.

7. Once Upon a Time: The race to save Henry proved to be a lot more than I even imagined. I hoped for Emma to become a believer by episode’s end; that came almost immediately. In no way did I think the curse would be broken at the end of season one. This was the long-term goal, I thought. I am in no way complaining. Ending the season with the curse broken was bold. Charming and Snow crossing the street and calling out each others’ names was perfect. I was worried that with the fairytale identities returning, the Storybrooke persona might be gone, but I have since read that they will remember who they were in Storybrooke and what they’ve been through. Whew. I didn’t want to have invested in these characters just to have them disappear. I’m excited to see what’s next, how this changes things for each of the characters. How will magic being “back” affect them in this reality? There are so many interesting places this show can go.

8. Scandal: Love this show. LOVE it. The finale was amazing. It left me with questions to ponder during the hiatus while answering enough to be satisfying. Fitz and Olivia’s story took a number of turns, all of which had me wishing for the “normal” life they wanted, but he couldn’t resign. The POTUS isn’t allowed to quit for love, at least not yet. The episode’s focus on the Amanda Tanner story was flawlessly done; it forced all characters to go to extremes for one reason or another. Olivia’s team proved their loyalty by supporting Quinn and ending the episode with the big question (Who is Quinn Perkins?) was the perfect cliffhanger. One of the best new shows all year.  

Top 6 new Fall TV characters

After a fall season of new episodes, TV shows seem to be settled into their respective rhythms. While sometimes it seems like I try, I couldn’t possibly watch every show. Not even every new show. So from the list of new shows I do watch, here are my favorite new characters:

1. The characters of Once Upon a Time. Can I pick the whole cast of Once Upon a Time? No? I did anyway. Now that this show has premiered, it is absolutely my favorite new series. Snow White, Prince Charming, Emma Swan, the evil Queen, etc. All have me transfixed every week. I grew up on fairy tales and have been called a dreamer more times than I can count, so inevitably this show was going to seem tailor made just for me. The characters are interesting and finding out more about them in Storybrooke and the fairy tale world will keep me tuning in week after week.

2. John Reese - Person of Interest: Kicks ass and has the whole mysterious thing going for him. If you haven’t seen the episode Cura Te Ipsum, watch it now. The end is exactly what I mean when I say he can be entirely captivating and terrifying at the same time. In a given moment, he could give you his hand or his fist.

3. Emily Thorne/Amanda Clarke - Revenge: I love Emily VanCamp. She’s perfect for the role. The character is entirely bent on ruining lives. The scheming that girl can conjure provides for some really good entertainment. When Emily drops back into Amanda-mode, even for just a second, you can see there is more to her than revenge.

4. Jack Porter - Revenge: Let’s just lay out the facts: 1) He takes care of Sammy, Amanda’s childhood dog; 2) He named his boat Amanda; 3) He looks pretty damn good with the scruff; 4) He’s genuinely a good guy, at least so far, taking care of his brother and his dad’s bar; 5) Roswell - anyone?? For the first few weeks, I admit I called him dog-guy, but I finally took the time to learn the character’s name and am now fully Team Jack.

5. Nick - New Girl: Charming, funny-guy. Has not once had to put a dollar in the douche-bag jar. He’s the somewhat level one. Jess is a bit too over the top at times, but also a great new character.

6. Henry Butler - Ringer: Kristoffer Polaha + Novelist character = Love. I loved Henry even when we were supposed to think he killed his wife. I will admit that an adulterous husband and father that would see anything in the real Siobhan (she’s horrible) is not that great, but he writes books and is true to love (I guess). I miss you, Baze.

Honorable Mention. Klaus - Vampire Diaries: I was really hesitant about this season of TVD, but with the addition of Klaus (and evil Stephen) the show feels completely fresh in its third year. It’s also made all the more dramatic with Klaus’ storylines. While the character seems entirely hellbent on playing with people’s lives, there’s more to his story and more roles for him to play than puppet-master.

Disclaimer: Happy Endings is NOT a new show. If it was, Penny would be here, too.