One of the first things I blogged about was the WB's cancellation of Angel. I wrote that I had given up on the show after its fourth season and looked forward to seeing the cast in other roles. With only the series finale yet to air, I've lost major interest in the show, haven't watched it since Cordelia's one-episode return/sendoff. I've taped it but am in no hurry to watch those tapes. They seem to be wrapping up various storylines with the biggest bang possible. And I don't mean that in a good way.
I'm only slightly less annoyed with season finales, which have become synonymous with cliffhangers. Remember when season finales were merely "action-packed" and not "heart-stopping"?
Let's look at the past few finales of JAG:
Season 6: Harm's Tomcat hits bad weather on his way to Mac and Mic's wedding and crashes into the ocean. Will he be rescued?
Season 7: After the rest of team thwarts a terrorist plot to launch a nuclear missile on America from a Russian diesel sub, Bud steps on a land mine in Afghanistan, blowing off part of his leg.
Season 8: After quitting JAG to rescue Mac from a spy mission gone awry in Paraguay, Harm is forced to crash-land.
And in next week's Season 9 finale: Harm suffers a personal loss, Mac receives devastating health news, and the Admiral makes a life-altering decision.
I guess I don't mind amping up the drama for final episodes, but some of the effect is lost because we know in advance when the amping-up will occur. From there, it's only a question of what shocking scenario the writers can imagine. And we all know writers can imagine quite a lot.
1 comment:
If Harm were MacGyver, I'd believe it. Harm functions as the ultimate goody-goody, like Sam Becket and Cordell Walker before him. Goody-goodies are usually boring. Bakula's acting skill won him empathy. His stock role on "Enterprise" hasn't let him show as much of that skill.
Chuck Norris and David James Elliot are a bit too stiff to relate to.
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