Season finales: May shockers

May 11, 2005

May is the time of year when television critics get downright giddy. Well, not me, of course, because I would never let fictional TV shows affect my mood.

Not buying it? You’re right. Boone’s death on Lost sent me running for a box of Kleenex. And watching Dr. Cox on Scrubs humorously go off on one of his co-workers puts a little extra spring in my step. So, it’s safe to say that during the month of May, I’m usually in a good mood, because that’s when viewers get to see the year’s most exciting episodes.

Networks save their best work for the sweeps period and then follow that up with the season finales. Usually, the finales try to shock audiences. This year, some shows look like they won’t disappoint. We’re in store for some jaw-dropping finales.

Lost – We may finally get an explanation of Walt’s wacky powers, find out the contents of the secret hatch and discover what kind of monster is roaming the island. (Personally, I haven’t ruled out Vincent the dog as the possible bloodthirsty beast.) More startling, though, are rumors that Boone may not be the only survivor pushing up sand, soon. Do you think it’s too late to send Sawyer a note in a bottle to not get on that deathtrap raft?

Jack and Bobby – Film stars Tim Robbins and Lou Diamond Phillips will guest star. Robbins will be the voice of the future president. And Phillips is apparently the incarcerated father of Jack and Bobby. Rumors abound that we may find out how Jack dies, too. For me and the other three people watching this show, these episodes may be the last we see. The network still hasn’t announced whether it will renew this piece of perfection. While critical praise has been abundant, ratings have not.

The O.C. – I lost interest in the Orange County gang a couple months ago, but I tuned in last week just in time to see Kirsten’s shocking car accident. The finale will deal with Kirsten’s drinking problem. (She’s about as good at hiding her liquor addiction as Julie Cooper-Nichol is at parenting.) And it seems Caleb is working overtime to tick off everyone in Orange County. Trust me, it’s never a good sign to get the entire town mad at you so close to the end of the season. Can you say, “Who shot J.R.?”

Las Vegas –The Montecito Hotel and Casino is up for sale, and Dean Cain returns as Sam’s husband. Will Danny, Mike, Nessa and the gang all get to keep their jobs working for the new owners? Let’s hope. Jon Bon Jovi, John Elway, and Gladys Knight will guest star in the finale. And it appears an explosion may rock the casino on Las Vegas. I don’t think I’m alone in saying, Danny, please take cover.

JAG finale - Due to last week’s timely Mother’s Day column, I didn’t get a chance to dish on the JAG finale. As far as happy endings go, JAG creator Donald Bellisario got it right. Harm proposed. Mac said yes. And millions of viewers breathed a collective sigh of relief. We were even treated to some flashbacks of their decade-long tortured love story. In typical Bellisario fashion, the series ended on a note of uncertainty. The betrothed couple flipped a coin to decide which of them would give up their military careers to follow the other one. I had hoped we’d get to see some familiar faces in the finale, namely Admiral Chegwidden, Tiner, and Sgt. Victor “Gunny” Galindez. But, overall, the final show was a nice salute to loyal viewers.

Originally published 5/11/05 in The Exponent Telegram newspaper.

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