Cable Drama: Still Waiting for the Cable Guy to Show Up with the Thread Name...
To be determined... (but it's definitely [NAFDA])
SoA: I didn't get the Palinism sumi, but I did like the finale a lot. It set up the dynamic I was hoping for, just with a surprising cohort. Piney has been such a minor character, but I can see him becoming the oxygen sucking Gandolf of the new order.
Jax's outburst with Tara was the most backhanded and weirdly romantic thing I've seen in the entire series. Then again, gettin' it on 3 feet away from the psycho you just co-murdered was pretty bizarre too.
As much as I love Gemma as a character, her motivations have really bothered me and this episode went a long way to highlight the paralyzing vulnerability that causes her to behave so hard as nails. Nice work by Katie Segal.
I'm looking forward to the new eps, whenever they may be hulued.
As much as I loved "Call of the Wild" and "Not Fade Away," I think Newhart had the best series finale ever.
It was a classic.
bonnyfides - I was glad that they didn't start the all out civil war in this episode. (Even though the promos all hinted at it.) It's going to make next season interesting.
bonnyfides - I was glad that they didn't start the all out civil war in this episode. (Even though the promos all hinted at it.) It's going to make next season interesting.
Oh gosh, me too. There was so MUCH emotion flying around, I'm not sure I could have borne anybody else getting killed.
The one note I'm still mulling over vis a vis believability was the ATF Hag telling Bobby the truth about Donna's death. Still, I guess it is characteristically cruel and narcissistic. He's trapped and has to listen, plus he's powerless to do anything about it but eat his own guts out.
Okay, never mind, it was realistic.
Unser broke my heart. That character defines the rock and hard place.
Portia di Rossi didn't have much to do this episode but just that one look at the funeral was worth a pound of dialog.
Good stuff all around.
Which is kind of what I took away from that final scene. There he is all crushed puppy, 'man, this didn't turn out like I expected, woe is me' and then, the suicide fake of slowly taking the pistol out...and then there it was, the schemer's smile. Yeah. Vic's got a new plan and one thing is certain, nobody but Vic will like it. Scene!
Yes, perfect. I think this ending was beautifully tailored to the message of the whole series. Bad guys may prosper, but they have to do bad things to do so, and they suffer losses along the way. Vic had to betray Ronnie, lose Shane, and lose the wife, kids and his job.
I thought it was interesting in the scene one episode earlier where he's about to confess to everything. He has this incredibly long pause. Like confessing would reopen the old Vic that he's been trying to suppress for the last several seasons. Then mid-confession, you can see the old sneer coming back, and when he's done, that last line responding to memfault's "Do you have any idea what you've done to me?" He says, "I've done worse." Scene.
So new Vic and old Vic are the same Vic. We've been rooting for him now as a good guy for awhile, he even tries to call off the Shane/Armenian hit, but deep down he's still old Vic too.
Shane's ending felt rushed, but right, and chilling. I was okay with not knowing Rita's ending, because that's part of the show too. Things don't always get wrapped up at the end of the episode. Dutch is probably right, anyway. And woohoo for Dutch with even Danny seeing the boy's got game.
Definitely A+ series finale. One of the best ever.
Shane's ending felt rushed, but right, and chilling.
Oh man. I can't get the angle and lighting out of my mind as he calls out 'family meeting.' That phrase has never been more chilling. Phew.
So new Vic and old Vic are the same Vic.
Sing it. Sort of feels like the Oz ethic where, no matter how hard you try to assume the better in some people, it just ain't really there. Like that neurological phenomenon that makes eye-witnesses so unreliable. We WILL fill in the blanks to make ourselves feel safe...even when the SOB we are looking at is essentially hollow.
Then mid-confession, you can see the old sneer coming back,
That was a great reading on Chiklis' part. No rush of the relieved, no breast beating of the repentant, no resistance of the truly, truly crazy. Matter of fact evil. Perhaps the very worst kind.
Yeah. I just assumed Dutch was right about Rita and that creepoid kid was diabolical enough to ensure that he'd never actually get caught. In a way, Dutch may have helped him become an efficient serial killer by sharing his observations. Poor Dutch. He don't get no love. Not even from Claudine!
The one note I'm still mulling over vis a vis believability was the ATF Hag telling Bobby the truth about Donna's death.
I was sure she was trying to get Bobby to confess to everything, in exchange for Opie getting a walk. But they didn't end up going that way.
Loved Unser too. And I think you meant Drea De Matteo. Fantastic actress, and it's the first time I've gotten to see her play really subdued. Maybe because of her previous work, I see this hint that her character could blow up at any second. That might be fun.
Oh, oh: SoA: Okay did anyone else think that with Gemma's outfit for the funeral they gave her that high-necked jacket for a Palinesque effect?
Not really? It didn't ping me at all, just made sense that Gemma, though she loves the low-cut shirts, would go all proper for a funeral. It's the correct attire, you see. And Gemma's alllll about the correct public appearance. (I love her so much.)
Jax's outburst with Tara was the most backhanded and weirdly romantic thing I've seen in the entire series. Then again, gettin' it on 3 feet away from the psycho you just co-murdered was pretty bizarre too.
OMG yes.
ATF Hag telling Bobby the truth about Donna's death. Still, I guess it is characteristically cruel and narcissistic.
And again, yes. ATF Hag is All About Her and will do anything to further her ends (which made her a nice foil for Gemma).
I was SO MAD at Jax for not shutting Wendy down, but I could see his two-fold reasons for it: a) not wanting to trigger a relapse, and b) safety net. Always a safety net.
At the funeral, Tara helping him on with the cut and then the kiss was a thing of beauty.
Piney Piney Piney Piney. Man. Him being a jackass with the Niners, and then Jax just exploding at him.
I finally saw the finale on Saturday, and I spent the next 3 minutes pounding the cushions and yelling "I LOVE THIS SHOW!!" Good gods, I love this show.
SOA really did improve as it got rolling. It'll help fill The Shield void in a way Rescue Me never could.
