Season Finales

[rj_anderson]

Just came up from watching the last ep of this season's 24.

Wow.

Just... wow. What a powerful way to end it. Talk about pulling no punches. It was painful, but oh so effective. And what great acting, from nearly everyone. Oh, sure, it had a couple of logistical flaws -- it was a little too obvious when they played fast-and-loose with the "real time" format -- but considering how much good stuff was in this ep and indeed the whole season, I'm more than willing to forgive a bit of dramatic teleportation. After all, it was only a difference of minutes involved, not, say, fifteen hours.

Which brings me to the thing I haven't commented on, the season finale of Alias:

It sucked. Big-time. In fact, after watching an hour's worth of alternating violence and stupidity, I turned to my husband and said, "I can't do it anymore. This show is dead to me." He's been feeling that way for weeks himself -- in fact he actually stopped watching halfway through the season because he was so disgusted with the way the show's quality had declined, and only came back when I told him there had been a couple good episodes and it looked like things were improving -- but this was the last straw for both of us.

I used to like Vaughn. I even used to identify with him in some respects. Now, I loathe the sight of him. Nothing he says interests me. Nothing he does is even slightly convincing or compelling. I do. not. care.

I used to like Sydney. Oh, sure, she cried a lot, but she was smart and resourceful and cool and had a skewed sense of humor that appealed to me. Now, I despise her, because she has no backbone, no principles, and no judgment. All she cares about is Vaughn, and he is so. not. worth. it.

Once, the show was a clever, innovative ensemble piece with opportunities for all the characters to shine. Sydney had a life, and a brain. Adventure and suspense were at the forefront, Syd's disguises might be wild but actual sex was rare, and the occasional references to Rambaldi made for a tantalizing riddle.

Now, it is the Syd n' Vaughn Twoo Wuv 4 Eva show, a lame soap opera in which sordid affairs and mindless violence are de rigeur and the entire world appears to revolve around nothing but Rambaldi. Oh, wait, no, it revolves around Syd and Vaughn, how could I forget?

Blech. Even thinking about it leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

Anyway, I've signed up for the Weiss ficathon, and I'm not leaving the fandom yet, because the fanfic, at least, is well-written. I know that good writing can make me like these characters again. And, of course, there's always the chance that after the Great Hiatus the new writing team will be able to salvage something decent from the wreckage of what used to be my favourite show. I'm not holding my breath, though. In fact, even once S4 hits the air, I won't be watching it again unless I hear a lot of good things -- and I mean a lot -- from people whose judgment and good taste I trust.

Sigh.

ETA: Jack's saying "You're a good man," to Chase? So a TWoP shout-out. Because he's Special Agent Charlie Brown, get it? Hee.

Comments

[necessaryspace.livejournal.com]

I agree with everything you've said about the Alias season finale. I also feel that the writers have treated us with a lack of respect, given the way they've warped canon, like the fact about Vaughn's father. It's like they figure they can throw whatever they want at us and we'll just take it.