by Jennifer Squires Biller
That’s how you end a season finale. Wow! I haven’t been this excited about a cliffhanger since someone shot J.R.
It’s as if the Las Vegas writers came down with Attention Deficit Disorder and couldn’t decide who to put in danger, so they gave every character a dilemma or an impending death sentence.
That’s overkill, you say? Not in Las Vegas. Here, among the fast-paced, fast-talking casino cohorts, a kidnapping, an explosion, and a shooting seem perfectly plausible.
Those of you who missed it, Danny was headed back to Iraq, to take the place of a marine, facing a third tour of duty, who had saved his life. But before Danny went off to war, he grabbed a gun and went after Mary’s pedophile father, who Mary was intent on killing with her own six-shooter. Ed, facing divorce papers from Jillian, discovered that Danny and Mary both went after sicko Daddy, and showed up at the guy’s usual watering hole. All three took aim, shots were fired, and Daddy hit the pavement. Meanwhile, at The Montecito, Sam was kidnapped, by her creepy whale, and smuggled out of the hotel in a trunk, just as gunmen shot up the vault and made a bid to rob the casino. Then, Delinda, desperate to tell Danny about her pregnancy, tried to befriend the emotional marine, only to discover that he had wired a bomb to blow himself up, inside the hotel. Cut to The Montecito exploding — yes, again.
See what I mean about A.D.D.? Las Vegas Executive Producer Gary Scott Thompson said he wanted to write as many cliff-hanging mysteries as possible, so that NBC would be forced to renew the show for next season. Mission accomplished, Mr. Thompson. This one was a winner.
After the show, I asked Thompson who really shot Mary’s daddy. This was his response:
Regarding who shot Mary's father, the online poll suggests Ed. Yet, Danny and Mary had reasons to shoot him. Danny said he would kill him if he ever came close to Mary, again. But, hey, we will see how the voting continues; I might change my mind on who really did it.
Thompson is referring to a poll at the NBC Las Vegas Web page. (And for the record, Mary got my vote.) Also at the NBC site, Las Vegas fans can read a chat transcript that Thompson and actress Molly Sims did with fans after the finale.
Another interesting tidbit about the finale is that Vanessa Marcil (Sam) got carpet burns during her trunk-escape scene. Sims spilled that tidbit during an interview last week. Apparently, Marcil is quite the trooper when it comes to doing her own stunts. And you thought she was just another pretty face.
As this season of Las Vegas comes to a close, let’s take a minute to give props to Mike, now affectionately known as “Peanut Head.” The dude never gets any respect, despite that he’s instrumental every week in solving the big mystery. Now, it appears Mike is going to save Sam. Hopefully, he won’t get blamed for the robbery and explosion. I’d hate for him to have to go back to singing backup for his “Aunt Gladys” Knight. Because, frankly, “It’s hard out here for a pip.”
New episodes of Las Vegas begin next season. Stay tuned to Tube Talk for the premiere date.
UPDATED: January 11 with photos from the event. 
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Tom Selleck fans, are you sitting down? Selleck is in negotiations for the role of the new owner of the Montecito Resort & Casino on Las Vegas, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
