Season finales

by Jennifer Squires Biller

The beginning of summer is upon us and that means one thing: less TV viewing, more bar-be-cuing! No worries. The fire department is on speed dial at Tube Talk Girl’s house.

As the rest of our favorite shows wrap up this week, it’s time to reflect on what was one of the best television seasons in a long time, even without a Joss Whedon show on the air. We said goodbye to Will & Grace and Charmed. (I haven’t watched Charmed since Cole left, but I understand the Halliwell gals got a happy ending.) And Will and Grace did, too, despite a few rocky years and a visual of bald Will that I will never forget. (Not. Pretty.) We watched Veronica Mars solve the bus-crash mystery and score a kiss with her “epic” love. Lex Luthor went full-on bad, after Zod invaded his body, yet still managed to have a thing for Lana Lang. The Orange County gang graduated, including fast-talker, pot-smoking Seth Cohen. And McDreamy cheated on his wife, finally admitting his feelings for Meredith on Grey’s Anatomy. Frankly, I’m exhausted, Tubers.

Here’s a look at some of your favorite season finales:

The O.C.
They killed Marissa! I reported a few weeks ago that Mischa Barton was leaving The O.C., but I never thought she’d leave in a body bag. I thought Sandy Cohen would be the one wearing the toe tag. Apparently, I’m the only person in America who didn’t see the Access Hollywood interview where Barton spilled the beans that her character would die. (I’m sure that didn’t go over well at FOX! Ouch.) I was hesitant to do the happy dance for her demise, though, for fear that it would all be a dream or that she’d come back as an evil twin. But after reading all the finale press, it seems Coop is really dead. Adios Marissa. It was about time. I thought the booze and drugs would be your Waterloo, but apparently it was the crazy-obsessed boyfriend that got you in the end. (Take a note Lana Lang.) Now, bring on Taylor Townsend, Theresa and mini-Coop.

Desperate Housewives
Mike Delfino, I hope you have insurance. I haven’t seen a character get mowed down so violently by a vehicle since Felicity’s childhood boyfriend walked into the path of a speeding bus. Ouch. I don’t think the show honchos would dare kill Mike Delfino. He’s too hunky and important to the plot, isn’t he? Then again, the title of the show is Desperate Housewives, not “The men who love them desperately.” (Rest in peace, Rex.) I think Mike will live to see another day. However, I’m not so sure about Carlos. Hell hath no fury like Gaby scorned. It was great to see Mary Alice tell the story of how she met each of the characters. (Ladies, even Teri Hatcher can’t pull off a short-frizzy perm. Yee-gads!) I loved seeing Rex and John again, too. As for next season, I hope we’re done with the Applewhites, and that Bree can make up with that spiteful son of hers. Oh, and give us more Karl, please. He’s deliciously delightful when he’s desperate.

Will & Grace
Admittedly, I can count on one hand the number of episodes of Will &Grace I’ve watched: The Kevin Bacon episode, the Matt Damon episode, and a few of the ones featuring my music-crush Harry Contic Jr. I did check out the finale, and kudos to the show honchos for giving fans the hour retrospective featuring clips and bloopers. (No, I’m not bitter, West Wing.) The Will &Grace finale was a little disappointing, though. The fact that Will and Grace spent so many years out of one another’s lives was a hard pill to swallow, even though their children fatefully reunited them. In the end, Grace got Leo, and Will also found love. As for Jack and Karen, well, I’m not sure how to describe that ending, other than “Cheers!”

Scrubs
Let’s hope Sacred Heart has daycare, considering that all three main characters ended the season with the little stick turning blue, or pink as it may be for some of the Scrubs’ couples. J.D., Dr. Cox and Turk are all about to become fathers, or so it seems. That is one crazy plot twist. Introducing a baby to a successful show is usually dangerous territory, but introducing three is unprecedented. If it were any other show, I’d be worried. But this is Scrubs, so I’m eagerly anticipating the next generation of Scrubbies. I’m not really buying that J.D. is the father of his girlfriend’s baby. I mean, can we really see J.D. as a dad at this point? He lacks even the somewhat-limited maturity of Turk and Dr. Cox. Still, I hope J.D. can make a go of it with his new gal. Love her. She’s a keeper.

Grey’s Anatomy
Don’t hate me, but I’m glad Denny died. (Ducking for cover.) I never really understood how Izzie could fall madly in love with the guy in only four episodes. Besides, we know she was just rebounding from Alex. Those two have major sizzle and the ending scene when he held her on his lap in Denny’s room was lump-in-the-throat sentimental. As for McDreamy, well, I’m not sure what to make of this development. My girl Addison needs to wake up and smell the adultery. McDreamy is leading on his wife and messing with his ex-lover. It was an interesting plot point to have the male lead give in to his weakness rather than making the correct moral choice. That’s what I love about Grey’s. All of these characters are flawed, complex and unpredictable. I don’t think Derek and Meredith will be able to hide their secret for long. Callie knows, and that can’t be good. And I just know those black panties are going to turn up somewhere unexpected. The prom scenes were fantastic. I couldn’t help but laugh when Addison reminisced about her days as a band geek. Note to Addison: you’ve come a long way baby. Kick that cheating husband to the curb. Jackie from Veronica Mars did an amazing job as the chief’s niece. And one final observation. Is it just me, or do Meredith and McVet look alike?

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