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« Roush Dispatch
Finale Fever: The Critic's Notebook
Steve Carell by Chris Haston/NBC Photo
As the season rushes to a close, you win some, you lose some. Take Steve Carell, who got a bonus in Thursday’s finale of The Office (one of the rare hour-long episodes that didn’t wear out its welcome) with the arrival of Amy Ryan as new HR chief Holly. I’ll miss Toby, but for as long as she stays, she’s terrific.
Two nights later, however, Carell presided over a miserably and all-too-typically unfunny season finale of Saturday Night Live—sparked only by two cameos by John McCain, spoofing his age (“the oldness it takes to protect America, to honor her, love her and tell her about what cute things the cat did”) and then during Weekend Update, satirically urging the Democrats: “Do not under any circumstances pick a candidate too soon.” When SNL sticks to politics, it’s generally pretty sharp. Otherwise, the eyes glaze, and not just because it’s past midnight. (Did enjoy Ricky Gervais’ droll bit, lording it over the American Office by showing us the rarely seen Japanese "original.")
But back to The Office. Some great bits as Michael prepares to send off his nemesis Toby (the terrifically hangdog Paul Lieberstein, who co-wrote the episode) with as little dignity as possible. Michael’s out-of-whack hatred of this timid schlub has been a reliably funny running gag for years, but it was upstaged this week by the priceless joke of watching Holly instantly fall for the prank when told that Kevin (the hilarious Brian Baumgartner) is “slow.” When Kevin offered Holly some of his M&Ms, you saw him through her eyes. And what we know to be a case of sadly arrested eternal adolescence (a gruesome variation on the Peter Pan syndrome) instead looked like Dunder Mifflin had given equal opportunity to the developmentally challenged. Kevin meanwhile confuses her cheerfully pity-laced empathy as a come-on. Michael, naturally, is instantly smitten—make that inappropriately stimulated (another funny scene)—by someone who plays along with his Yoda impersonation and other bad jokes. Too bad Jan is back in the picture, preggers from a sperm bank (“I need to make this one count”), causing Michael to step back from Holly because “I’m going to be kind of a daddy”—much like Jim stalling his long-anticipated proposal to Pam during the fireworks display when Andy steals his thunder by impulsively popping the question to a none-too-enthused Angela (“I SAID OK!”). Final reveal: Angela is boffing Dwight after hours. And Ryan is arrested for fraud. Serves the cokehead right for making Jim’s life miserable.
Another show had a more permanent finale over the weekend. CBS’ cult fave Moonlight wisely faded to black with its romantic heroes, Mick and Beth (Alex O’Loughlin and Sophia Myles), in a clinch, not in some sort of mortal or immortal peril. A cliffhanger would have been the wrong way to go, even if the show had been renewed. “I can’t close the door on Beth,” Mick voice-overed, after Beth tearfully shuts the door on him and their star-crossed vamp-human romance. He rekindles the flame by declaring his love and, more important, remembering what she was wearing the day they met. Moonlight was just starting to deal with interesting notions of undying love among vamps: a vampire couple, together for 150 years, decides to go down in flames together rather than let one be sacrificed alone to “vampire justice” (administered in part by a ferocious Claudia Black of Farscape). We learned about the concept of “freshies,” human “donors” who freely offer their blood to vampire mates. (Josef naturally has one.) Beth was still struggling with feeling left out of all the vampire underworld intrigue, and Mick was still torn between his loyalty to his vampire buds and to his protective yearning for Beth. (“You want me to drink your blood?” he asked her after she catches him and Josef red-mouthed, sucking on Josef’s “freshie.”) There was lots of untapped potential on this show. CBS blew it with this one.
And finally, add my voice to the cheers applauding Desperate Housewives for its climactic five-year fast-forward, a calculated attempt to restart and rejuvenate a show as it heads into its fifth season, a point at which many shows begin to show their age. (Housewives already was being written off at least a year ago, before Dana Delany and a twister came along to bring some spark to the neighborhood again.) Much like Lost reinvigorating itself with its flash-forward approach this season, Housewives now gets to reinvent itself instead of just creeping along, yoked to a continuation of many of the same stories and conflicts many of us have already had our fill of.
Speaking of which: Susan with Gale Harold instead of Mike? Great twist. If they can’t act like adults even when it comes to naming their baby, it’s kind of like what Tom said to Bob and Lee about commitment: “Is that person in bed next to you worth the trouble?” At this stage in Mike and Susan’s lives, not so much. I don’t know what the show has in store for them, or even at this point if Mike’s a part of the show’s future, but the thought of spending the next few years with the couple in their current state is reason enough to get behind this leap into the future.
It’s a bold move, all right, but not as revolutionary as it sounds. The characters will still presumably be much the same, for better or worse, but like picking up a new volume of a book series that jumps ahead in time, we get to renew our acquaintance with a whole new set of secrets, skeletons and flashbacks—all in service to what TV should be about after all: juicy storytelling. The gimmick won’t mean much, though, if there isn’t a strong narrative hook (something like Mary Alice’s suicide) to get next season started. The writers, as should always be the case, have their work cut out for them.
(Matt Mitovich weighs in on the twist here.)
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May 19, 2008 12:08 PM
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That CBS Blew It is the understatement of the year. A well written, beloved show, with an eight million fan following established in but a few months, with money to spend on sponsors, let's just toss that out the window and try a premise that's been done before. Scary logic. Firefly, anyone? Star Trek? How many good shows have to fight for the obvious?
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May 19, 2008 2:11 PM
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Matt,
Thanks for the validation from another disappointed Moonlight viewer. The finale was even harder to watch because they had gotten back into their rhythm after a few awkward post strike episodes. Everything came back together and we the fans are grateful for that.
cspace67
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May 19, 2008 2:13 PM
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Thanks for your commentary about Moonlight, Matt. And yes, CBS blew it big time. CBS blew it and Japan was bombed in WWII. Understatements of the century. Thanks for all your support throughout this season, Matt. Your articles and answers about Moonlight have been wonderful and I hope we get to read more of them in the future.
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May 19, 2008 2:16 PM
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Couldn't agree more Matt,CBS did drop the ball on this one,With HBO coming out with it's own Vampire show this fall and the Movie Twilight (based on the popular books)Vampires are the next big thing,Hopefully another network will pick up this amazing show and CBS will know what we fans are feeling now.
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May 19, 2008 2:19 PM
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Mr. Roush, I totally agree. CBS TOTALLY blew it cancelling Moonlight. It was the only show I watched on CBS. It was wonderful having a fantasy show for adults Apparently CBS doesn't care about its viewers. Thank you for the good comments and support you have shown for Moonlight. It has not gone unnoticed by all us fans.
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May 19, 2008 2:20 PM
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CBS blew it Matt with Moonlight is the understatement of the year. Thank-you Matt for all your kind words on behalf of Moonlight the fans appreciate it. CBS should reconsider...and admit they made a mistake....ya right. Matt check out Wednesday issue of Variety you will get a nice surprise as will CBS. We fans are loyal and passionate.
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May 19, 2008 2:39 PM
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Great piece and yes CBS sure did blow it, Moonlight is already well on its way to cult status with an ever growing fanbase thats crosses the globe. misskathy
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May 19, 2008 3:10 PM
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Yep...CBS blew it big time. Thanks for recognizing that, Matt. Hopefully another network will pick it up - we fans are doing everything possible to make that happen!!
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May 19, 2008 3:12 PM
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Thanks Matt, for your support of Moonlight over the season. I know you had to learn to love the show. If it had been given a chance by CBS, more and more people would have come around, as you did. CBS has done itself and all of us a huge disservice by canceling Moonlight, and I think they are starting to realize how badly they shot themselves in the foot over this one. My fervent hope is that negotiations with one of the cable networks will bear fruit, and that Moonlight will continue. That's what I and millions of other fans are fighting for, tooth and nail. (Or maybe that's fang.)
We're not going away and we're not giving up on the show. We'll follow it wherever it ends up, and take our money and loyalty with us. Don't count Moonlight out yet!
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May 19, 2008 3:18 PM
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Now doesn't this speak volumes? With all of the shows you wrote about the one getting all the blog comments is MOONLIGHT. Not surprising!! CBS seems to be the only body that just doesn't get it. Add my thanks to others Matt for "getting it", understanding, and being there for us!! I feel better with the way Moonlight ended - with the clinch - and wondered if the writers/producers felt it wasn't going to be around any longer when they put the finale together. A cliff hanger would really have killed all of us Moonlight fans!
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May 19, 2008 3:26 PM
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You hit the nail right on its head when you said CBS blew it big time by cancelling Moonlight. There were so many storylines that were yet to be told or expanded on. CBS lost a considerable amount of viewers due to the cancellation. What were they thinking? Moonlight won the 2008 People's Choice Award for Best New Show. TV Guide named Alex O'Loughlin as one of the sexiest men on TV. They gave him a 2 page spread. I hope that another network picks up this show real soon. CBS...YOU BLEW IT BIG TIME!!
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May 19, 2008 3:42 PM
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Ditto on SNL, there usually are a few gems but you have to be able to stay awake (and alert) for them!
I also agree on Moonlight. The show seems to have consistently improved. I would have liked to see just where they could take it!
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May 19, 2008 3:44 PM
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I have to agree with everyone so far, CBS really, really blew it!!! Moonlight was the only reason I watched any shows on CBS, now there is no reason to watch CBS at all!!!!!I sincerely hope another network picks this up, it would be a shame for one of the greatest shows of all time to onlyl have one season!!!!
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May 19, 2008 3:44 PM
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Thanks for the sober perspective, Matt. CBS did indeed blow it! 8 million + confused and frustrated fans at the moment.
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May 19, 2008 3:56 PM
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