Pop Vultures

Finale season is over. The networks have all fired their big guns, looking for ways to hook their audience into returning in the fall. Since seasons that neatly wrap things up in a pretty plot package topped with a bow of satisfying character resolution don’t really get people talking around the water cooler, most shows prefer to take the time-honored ’shock the audience’ route. After all, if we’re talking about it, it’s gotta be good, right? And, if a show misses the mark, they’ve got the whole summer to figure out a way to fix it — and the viewer has the same time to stop feeling quite so cheated by a disappointing finale. Of course, if you’re the viewer who’s been subjected to a truly ludicrous plot twist in the name of surprise, you are probably feeling a bit less certain of this strategy.

Both House and Bones went out with a big old bang, and definitely got people talking. Unfortunately, in one case it was more bitching and whining than talking, and a prime example of a show that relied on short-term shock to the show’s long-term detriment. The other case was a heart-wrenching ending that thoughtfully shifted the show’s dynamic. To find out which is which, follow the jump to the spoilers.

Let’s start with Bones. Oh, Bones. Show that I love so, despite it being a procedural with some truly cringe-worthy gore. Why’d ya have to do me like that? I haven’t given up on you yet, but let me say that you are ON NOTICE. I am watching you. Clearly, you have decided that well-loved characters are expendable if it allows you to have a shocking! surprising! episode. I have attempted to compose a thoughtful analysis of everything that was wrong with the finale, but I keep coming back to the one thing I want to say to the writers: bite me. Just…bite me. What kind of viewer do you take me for, that you can completely rewrite one of the main characters, with almost no set-up or explanation for that change? You turned a mild-mannered, highly rational and thoughtful character into a murderer with no foreshadowing. That ain’t how it’s done. If you want to fire a gun in the third act, you better reveal it in the first act, and we had no warning before you leveled an AK-47 at us and took aim. I protest, and loudly.

Bones screwed up. It screwed up because it decided to focus on the Bones/Booth relationship rather than rely on the ensemble cast’s fabulous chemistry. I like the two leads, but my favorite part of the show was actually the camaraderie between Zach and Hodgins. The giddy way in which they approached experiments, the constant battle for the “King of the Lab” title, was one of the highlights of the show, and that’s all gone now. Forever. For no clear reason. Next year, the show will have to rebuild the chemistry with a new team member. Even if they succeed — and right now, I am dubious — there remains the fact that the writers don’t seem to respect their characters enough to give them a proper send-off, to create an honest environment for character development. What’s going to happen next? Is Cam going to suddenly decide she’s bored of the lab and would make more money as a bank robber? It would make more sense than what they did with Zach’s character. I’m sure I’ll keep watching, but I’ve gotta say, the trust is gone.

House, on the other hand, did everything just right. Sure, they killed off a character, but they also spent the whole season building up her importance, slowly explaining why she mattered to both House and Wilson. Amber was not a vital member of the cast, but she was valuable, and her loss will be noticed. If nothing else, she was the only woman in the history of the show who regularly stood up to House and beat him at his own game (Cuddy and Cameron can only dream of such a victory). She transformed Wilson from his role of relationship krytonite to an actual equal partner. She mattered to the show, and so her death matters to us.

Plus, her death changes things. The show is clearly running out of ways to mix up its procedural format — they can’t fire everyone each season, after all — so it must rely on character development if it hopes to keep things fresh. However indirectly, House is responsible for Amber’s death, both by placing her on the bus that crashed and by failing to save her when he has saved so many others. Next season, we get to see the fallout between House and Wilson — and I suspect it’s gonna be ugly. More to the point, I’ll be eagerly turning in to see it, which is a lot more than I can say for Bones.

What did you think of these finales? Were you shocked and/or appalled, as the shows hoped?

Tomorrow: I’ve got a few things to say about Lost. I bet you do, too.