About a month & a half ago, Television Without Pity, that website I love to hate, had a blurb on the best and worst season endings this year.  They gave four different ratings:

• Best
• More good than bad
• More bad than good
• Worst

The article inspired me to write my own reviews, but I waited since a few of the shows I watch hadn’t finished their seasons yet.  Now that Merlin has ended, here’s what I think.  (TWoP’s ratings are in parentheses).

• Supernatural:  (More good than bad) Agreed.  Not the best season ending they’ve ever done , but then no season finale has been among my all-time favorites.  While TWoP poo-pooed the idea that Metallicar saved the day, I think it was fitting.  After all, for 3 years the car was the 3rd character.  (It was replaced by an increasingly useless trench coat-wearing angel in the last 2 seasons.)
• FlashForward:  (More good than bad, I think.  It might have been More bad than good.)  I didn’t watch the series consistently enough to get too be engrossed in it.  But it did get better as the season progressed.  As for the final episode, I didn’t hate or love it.  It felt rushed.  Everyone’s flash forward had to be resolved, and the cast is way too large.  Nonetheless, I would have preferred FlashForward getting renewed over V.   (As a side note, I did not recognize Annabeth Gish.  She’s come a long way since her  Mystic Pizza and Shag days.)
• V:  (Don’t remember this one, either)  Hated, hated it!   Ryan turned (or did he?) and Joshua (whom I totally loved) was killed only to be brought back to life.  Probably to be tortured next season.  I’ll probably watch next season for the same reason it’s hard to look away from a wreck.  I doubt it gets a 3rd season.
• Modern Family:  (More good than bad, I think)  I agree with TWoP here.  It wasn’t bad, but I’ve come to expect better of this show.  The episode with Benjamin Bratt is still one of the best from this season.
• Cougar Town:  (Best)  Absolutely agree!  Remember when I said I thought it sucked?  Once they changed the focus of the show (from being about a 40-something woman bedding 20-something dudes) to the wacky family and friends, it got good.  The cast, for the most part, is superb.  And the season finale has  many great moments:  Travis learning to deal with a raging girlfriend by becoming the “yes man” (Dan Byrd is delightful!), the Cheeto shaped like Bruce Willis, the “Relationship” remix tape, and “An Ewok!  He wants to make love to an Ewok!”
• Parks and Recreation: (More good than bad)  Again, I agree.  While maybe not as funny as “The Possum” (my favorite of the episodes I’ve seen—I didn’t start watching until about 2/3 of the season had passed), it was funny enough that I kept it on my DVR to rewatch.  The addition of Ben as a possible love interest for Leslie (or so I’ve heard), is definitely working.  Amy Poehler and Adam Scott work very well off each other.
• Community:  (I think TWoP said it was “more good than bad.”)  I give it an F.  (Ok, maybe a D).  I so wish they hadn’t gone to Britta being in love with Jeff.  About mid-season, I thought they’d abandoned the idea because there wasn’t much chemistry between the actors.  But they did go there.  I figured Jeff would end up with Annie, especially after their debate team kiss.
• Legend of the Seeker:  I don’t if TWoP even rated this show.)  Much like the entire 2nd season, it was forgettable.  So much so, I almost forgot to include it here.
• Stargate: Universe:  (The season hadn’t yet ended when TWoP did their thing.)  I give it a D.  I hate cliffhangers.  Not only was the season finale one, so were the previous two episodes.  I was going to say it was overkill, but that was the season ender—literally.  It’s like the writers couldn’t come up with a good ending, so they left everyone’s life in the balance.
• Merlin:  (Same as SGU)  I loved it!  A+!  Easily the best episode of the season.  I have so much love for this episode, I think it deserves its own post.

Leverage has started its new season, Warehouse 13 starts this week, and several others next week.  So much for waiting for all “my” shows to end.

Your thoughts?

"Swan Song" featured Dean's eyelashes and Sam's furrowed brow.

When you have a show as consistently good as Supernatural, and the ending of a 5-year saga of two young men caught in the middle of a battle between heaven and hell (not to mention destiny vs. free will), anticipation is bound to run high.  And the odds of falling short of expectations are great.

I can’t say that “Swan Song” disappointed, but then I didn’t have grand expectations either.  In the past couple months, my passion for the show has been waning.  Perhaps it’s because I was growing tired of the apocalypse and just wanted it over.  Or perhaps it’s because I know Eric Kripke’s involvement with the show is ending and I worry the show may have outlived its time.  Or it may be that my real life is interfering.

I’ve watched the episode three times now.  While I wasn’t necessarily moved to tears, I was moved.  I nearly jumped out of my skin when Castiel exploded and Bobby’s neck snapped.   And watching Dean become part of a family, knowing Sam was gone forever, was incredibly sorrowful.  In that respect, I could see Sandy’s desire to completely rid herself of her attachment to the series.

Suzanne loved the episode.  Well, loved it from the standpoint that it pulled her in, hugged her tight, and ripped her heart out.  I’ll be eagerly awaiting her write-up at Damsel Undistressed.  (Although I see she’s a couple episodes behind the curve.  That’s ok.  I understand.  It’s not like I’m timely or anything.)

Natalie, too, loved the episode.  I first “met” Natalie when she loved an episode I didn’t care for.  “Heart” I believe.  (Well, that and the adorable kitty in her LJ user pic.)  One of the things that pleases me greatly about this show is how happy I am when I find people who loved an episode I didn’t care for.  Not that I “didn’t care for” this episode.  I did like it.  It just probably won’t be rank up there with my favorites.

Like just about everyone, I loved how the Impala, and the boys’ emotional connection with her, framed the episode.  She is, after all, the third character.  (Yes, even above Castiel, in my book.)

So, how do I interpret the ending, with Sam watching Dean in his new life with Lisa and Ben?  Is it Sam?  Is it Lucifer?  If it’s only Sam, why did the streetlight explode?  I can answer all these questions.  It is Sam.  Because if God could put Castiel back together (again), and via Cass, heal Dean’s broken face and Bobby’s broken neck (not to mention keep him out of the wheelchair), why couldn’t he extract Sam from Lucifer’s cage?  All it would cost is one exploding streetlight.

I really enjoyed this episode, but then I’m a sucker for love.  I knew I’d seen “Amanda Perry” before but couldn’t place her.  Then I saw the actress was Kathleen Munroe.  She played the desperate mother of a changeling in the Supernatural episode “The Kids Are Alright” and was superb.  I’ll get to her storyline in a moment.  First let me digress…

I love Camile and Sharon.  I like that the show has a lesbian couple, but it’s not a big deal.  While it’s part of Camile’s character, it’s never an issue and almost never discussed until Camile returns home. Of course, this time ’round, it was all the more poignant with Camille being in the body of a quadriplegic.

Poor Lt. James.  Lots of fans have been wishing she had a bigger role, and this episode gave it to her.  Too bad her freak-out was what caused the sabotage.  But in her defense, she did come forward and own up to it.  Time will tell if they make her a constant bumbler, or give her more character.  I think she has had a couple of good moments, recommending to Rush on planet to split up the teams (although I don’t remember what for), and the attempted rescue of the “3 stooges” plus Greer.

Of course, the star of the episode was Amanda Perry and her attraction to Rush.  Her delight at her mobility—feeding herself, running with the crew—was so wonderful it sparkled.  And the scene where she wanted to take advantage of her body to love Rush, and in the end simply giving him the hug she couldn’t when his wife died.  Yep, that was the tear point.  Like I said, I’m a sucker for love.

The immediate change in Rush’s personality when Camile returned was telling.  They’ve pointed to the complexity of his character before, but this gave us a direct comparison and it was fascinating.

The door is open for Amanda to return again, and I hope she does.  Kathleen Munroe is so good, and the possible story-lines are just too great to pass up.

• Stargate: Universe—I’ve never watched any of the other SG shows, except for an occasional SG-1 episode, so I don’t really have anything to compare it to.  It’s one of those shows I watch on the DVR, so I can fast-forward through the stuff I don’t like, like the “3 stooges” (I didn’t think up this term, but it’s so appropriate!) who are currently lost from Destiny because they didn’t stay in one place.  What I do like is the juxtaposition of the military vs. the civilian scientists.  I’ll get into my thoughts on that in a later post.
• Merlin—I’ve always been a fan of the Arthurian legend, so I’m glad I found this show.  I don’t know why I never found it on NBC.  And I’m ok with the changes in the mythology.  After all, we already know the outcome of the legend, so something new and original is always welcome.
• FlashForward—yep, I’m still watching it, but only via DVR.  I do think it’s gotten better since its hiatus, and last week’s episode with Janis’s back-story was great.  I don’t think I hit the fast-forward button at all.  (I knew Janis  had to be a double-agent! )   But I still think it might be uneven.  I say this from a cursory look at this week’s episode.  It doesn’t look as compelling to me.  But I could be wrong.
• V—another series that warrants viewing by DVR only, although I do think it, too, is getting better.  I’m particularly enjoying all the double & triple lying going on, particularly with Lisa, whom I never thought I’d like.  I missed the introduction of Hobbs, again failing to realize the show had come back from hiatus.  So he’s still an enigma.  But my favorite character is Joshua.  He really needs to be made a regular.  Perhaps he can replace Chad the reporter.  (Don’t like him, don’t trust him.)
• Legend of the Seeker—I’ve already written about my mild enthusiasm for it this year.   And I got a comment that said my love life must suck because I criticized the show.  Hee!  I deleted the comment rather than post it because it violated not one, but two of my comment policies.  It was a personal attack (which actually made me laugh rather than bothered) and used “u” instead of “you.”  I still have access to it in my trash.  Perhaps I’ll pull it out one of these days to use as an example.
• Warehouse 13—ok, it hasn’t started its second season yet, but I’ll be there when it does!
• True Blood—the jury’s still out on whether I’ll watch the 2nd season or not.  I want to support Raelle Tucker, but I’m just not that into the series.

So, what shows are you watching?  Caprica?  Something else I’ve missed?  I’d love to know.

The Supernatural March Madness tournament is finally over.  It ran awfully long this year due to my crazy-awful busy work schedule.  But most folks stuck with it to the end.  For the third year in a row, the winner was “In My Time of Dying.” And since the tournament has run for only 3 years, it’s the only champion we’ve ever had.  Interestingly, it’s been up against a different episode every year, and yet it prevails.  Although last year “Lazarus Rising” gave it a run—even more so than this year’s “What Is and What Should Never Be.”  “In My Time of Dying” should be showing on TNT in the next couple weeks.  If you’ve never seen it, you should check it out.  It was directed by the late, great Kim Manners, and is damn near perfect.

Now, on to the 100th episode.  TV Guide had a write-up about the episode last week—but creator Eric Kripke was never mentioned! That is all kinds of wrong! Instead, the interviews went to Sera Gamble (whom I understand is taking the helm in season 6.  (More on that some other time.)

As for the episode itself, it’s gotten mixed reviews.  I suppose it helps if you forgot (like I did) that it was a “special” episode.  Truthfully, in recent weeks, the show has been so heavy on the overarching story that the show has been incredibly depressing.  (But then, we are talking about the apocalypse!)  While I haven’t “dreaded” watching new episodes, I haven’t been overly enthusiastic either.  Last Thursday was no exception.

My thoughts really didn’t change as the story unfolded;  although it was nice to see some recurring characters and the surprise (for me) return of the Winchesters’ dead half-brother.  But there was some delightful goodness, most notably “nerd-angel” Castiel’s beat-down of Dean Winchester.  (Not to mention giving us the term of “nerd-angel.”)   The episode alluded to “Wincest” (once again), saying the Winchester brothers were, among other things, “erotically” dependent on each other.  (I’m not even sure what that means.)  And there was a nod to the Dean/Castiel community.  (If there is a term for that pairing, I don’t know what it is.)   There was homage to many who sacrificed their lives (although my favorite, Pamela Barnes [played by the beautiful Traci Dinwiddie] was not mentioned).  And the smarmy, angel you love-to-hate, Zachariah, met his demise  At Dean’s hand, no less.

But even with all that goodness, the episode still would have been just “ok” if not for the ending.  Dean, who had lost all hope and faith, looked into the eyes of his younger brother, and realized what he would have been throwing away.  It was a surprise ending, and it totally warmed my heart and gave me hope.

Thank you Supernatural writers, for serving up the unexpected.  You do that so often, I shouldn’t be surprised any more.  But I always am.

This is it!  Here are the two episodes you voted into the final game!

The game for all the marbles!

View This Poll

Yes, we’re coming down to the wire.  And like the “real” March Madness,” we have a Cinderella episode.  Will  our Cinderella make it to the championship game like Butler did?  It’s up against a previous champion, but so was Butler.

So, without further ado, lets get…

On to the Semifinals!

We’re heading into the home stretch!  I know the “real” March Madness is down to the Final Four, but we’ll be there soon enough.  Now it’s time to decide who will be in the Supernatural March Madness Final Four.

The good news?  We’re getting down to the nitty-gritty .  The bad news?  We only have 4 games to vote on.

Let’s get ready to rumble vote!

[BTW, all the icons featured in this round's banner are award winners (of one kind or another) from various LiveJournal icontests.  Woot!]

Guys, I’m sorry.  I screwed up one of the games posted in the Sweet Sixteen.  Thank you Katamedes for catching it!  Of course, I didn’t think about reposting just that one game until after I’d deleted the whole lot of them.    So, now you’ll have to vote all over again.  I know it’s a lot to ask, but I’m sure you’re up to the challenge.

Besides, I like this banner better.   Think of it as Christmas in March. 

To the (correct) Sweet Sixteen!

Sorry guys!

Whew!  We’re now at the part of the tourney where the pace picks up dramatically.  It’s exciting, but in a way, its a little sad.  We’re coming to the end, but each round is going to take only one post.  Still, we have eight games to pick, so let’s begin, shall we?

On to the Sweet Sixteen!