The Blog of Frederic Germay

In this video blog, I simply discuss some of the most memorable moments of the past week's television lineup.

Filmed on May 19

Until the middle of the season, I hadn’t even given Matt a second thought. Then the whole rivalry with Ben started, and Matt instantly became my favorite character. Since then, Matt has begun to display a series of outlandishly strange emotions. In the past these emotional manifestations have been mildly amusing and intriguing, however, in this episode they are disturbing and downright annoying.

Starting things off, “Hell’s Kitchen” had its first individual challenge. Each of the aspiring chefs had to take a basic ingredient and transform it into something extraordinary. For some strange reason, Jen lost her stern demeanor and replaced it with a wishful and tearful exterior. Although I often disagree with Corey’s negative perspectives, I have to admit I think she was right in arguing that Jen was turning on the waterworks to win some sympathy with Chef Ramsay. I may have initially liked Jen in the beginning, but now I despise her just as much as Corey. That woman has way too much attitude!

Jen won that competition and she shockingly chose Corey to come along with her on the rewarding trip to Vegas. Now, I was a little surprised at her decision, but in retrospect it doesn’t seem as though she has really has any other friends on either team, so I suppose Corey was simply just a random choice. During their stay in Vegas, they visited the Green Valley Ranch and Resort, and just like all last season, I felt as though I was being subjected to a poorly disguised infomercial of how wonderful the Ranch and Resort is. Jen and Corey had a nice little chat with last season’s winner, Rock, about how to win in this competition. Fortunately, he didn’t start throwing pans at them…

Meanwhile, Matt and Christina had a bickering contest, which was unimaginably irritating to watch. Although both sides went overboard, it seemed as though Christina was keeping a cooler head. Matt was just strange. He started smacking his head, threatening to hurt Christina, and then he projected his mounting fury on the rest of the team. I lost all respect I had for Matt at that point.

During the dinner service, these strange antics continued. Corey burnt her hand and refused to see the medics, despite Gordon Ramsay’s orders. Matt started whining and whining about his migraine headache. Now everybody’s had a migraine before, and we all know how uncomfortable they can be. Nevertheless, you push through it. Matt just lost it, and Chef Ramsay knew it – so it really wasn’t a surprise that Matt ended up going home.

Overall, this was a certainly a different episode. I was expecting more from the final six, but in a different way. I give this episode a 7/10

I don’t think this season really compares to the intensity of past seasons. Last season especially had a really strong start, and rounded off with an intense final lap. This season makes up for its rather lackluster intensity with some of the best character drama I’ve ever seen on any other current reality shows. The cutthroat techniques of Corey, the pigheadedness of Jason, and especially the rivalry between Matt and Ben have made for electrifying television.

First off, I honestly feel that Corey’s manipulative ways are incredibly transparent to everyone, and she needs to readjust her god complex. She may think she is being strategic and cunning, but you have to remember to keep your enemies closer. In her attempts to get rid of Jen, her team lost one of their best players. Speaking of Jen, I cannot emphasize how blindingly irritating she has become. She reminds me a little of Rock’s temper tantrums. The way in which she attacked Louross almost eliminated all of her former glory. Seriously, Jen, calm down…

The major detrimental factor for the blue team has been their outstanding lack of communication. That shortcoming was especially illuminated during the team challenge. Corey stepped up and helped establish a list of all the dishes they needed to cook, whereas the blue team spent way too much time arguing over which dishes to make. Louross had initially made red snappers, and Bobby decision to change Louross’s dish into a surf-n-turf seriously messed up Louross’s mojo.

I honestly do not blame Louross for his hesitance, because he had been forced to change his dish into something that wasn’t his specialty and he was a bit confused. Anyways, I’m glad he didn’t listen to Jen and lie to Ramsay, because I’m sure Ramsay would’ve been able to pick up on the lack of a key ingredient. Jen’s cruelty throughout the rest of the episode was completely uncalled for, and incredibly mean.

Meanwhile, Matt never fails to deliver anything that isn’t interesting, so it wasn’t that big of a surprise that he cut off his finger. Don’t get me wrong, I like Matt a lot. He is just one of those guys who you know won’t win, but its fun to root for him anyways. Anyways, what I found most violently disturbing is that no one was able to eventually locate the finger. I honestly believe that someone could have ingested it. That’s way too nasty!

During the dinner service, Jen actually rose back to her original status as strongest chef and gave the boy’s team a much-needed victory. Roseanne fell to pieces for what seems to be the hundredth time, and Christina proved that multitasking is a challenge for her. After last week’s glorious redemption, Matt fell back into dangerous waters. However, Corey maintained her composure and selected Roseanne and Matt for the chopping block. We finally said goodbye to a tearful Roseanne, and Matt accepted his berating and promised to do better.

For me, the best moment of the episode was Jen’s sarcastic exclamation towards her former teammates loss, and the most painful moments were Christina’s bold happiness at Jen’s departure, Matt’s lost appendage, Louross’s breakdown. This was a rather mediocre episode and it just wasn’t up to scale compared to the strength of last season. I give this episode a 6/10

The past two episodes of “House” have been some of the best in the show’s history. Naturally one gets suspicious of when a show abandons its trademark storytelling style for a new, unfamiliar gimmick. However, “House” has been one of the few shows that have been enormously successful with their standout, out-of-the-box episodes. For example, one of the former season finales featured House getting shot, and living in a strange dreamlike state for most of the episode. This season finale adopted a similar narrative technique, and I found it to be quite enjoyable.

In the preceding episode, House awakens to uncover that he was a victim of a horrific bus crash and he comes to the shocking realization that he has lost several hours of valuable memory. He obsessively attempts to recount the symptoms of a particular passenger, eventually coming to the conclusion that it is the bus driver. Unfortunately, House soon learns through his subconscious mind that Amber was on the bus with him and she was critically injured. During the second half of the season finale, House is pushed to the limits to try to save Amber, but the inevitable occurs and she passes away in Wilson’s arms.

I enjoyed the flashes into House’s subconscious and the subsequent effects of his drug induced hallucinations. House is one of those characters that I just wish I could delve into his mind and see how the brilliance clicks; to see that light bulb turn on. Thanks to the creative dialogue and direction of this episode, the journey into House’s mind was completely accessible to the viewing audience. Unfortunately, there were a few points where the flashes were somewhat overdone and potentially unnecessary. I felt that the writers and directors were perhaps having a little too much fun with this narrative style and abused it a little. Nevertheless, the end result was never short of entertaining and moving.

The character developments were also extremely fascinating. House often masks his emotions and feelings with sarcasm, but he clearly desires and values Wilson’s friendship. It was certainly a different experience to see House wrought with grief over Wilson’s ill feelings toward him on account of Amber’s death. Thirteen also took an interesting turn in this episode. Normally she remains as passive as possible, yet she became emotional and her work suffered as a result. Perhaps as she saw a young female doctor approach death, she felt her future might end the same way. Kutner’s detached emotional state was explained when he revealed that he witnessed both of his parents get killed when he was six years old. This episode certainly dealt with a lot of character exposition, yet remarkably the pace never slowed.

However, the most moving moment of the episode was the farewell between Wilson and Amber. I had never really liked Amber’s character during the beginning of the season, but when she was revealed as Wilson’s secret love interest, I have to admit that she kind of grew on me. Like a mean, itchy fungus perhaps… Anyways, this could have been the one relationship that Wilson wouldn’t sabotage into a disaster like his former marriages, but apparently it wasn’t meant to be. I was nearly moved to tears by the bedside goodbye between the two of them. Exceptional acting.

Another noteworthy occurrence is the presence of Foreman, Chase, and Cameron. I do enjoy the new doctors, but I believe that the heart of the show lies with the original team. Hopefully the original team will remain into the forefront of the show and perhaps return to their former status. Overall, this was an exceptional episode with very few flaws. The acting was beyond superb. I give this episode a 9/10

I rarely get to brag about myself, because there is rarely anything to brag about. However, when I first started this blog, I would never have considered myself a writer. Now after a hundred reviews, I think I've earned the title of 'half-decent writer.'

It took me more than a year to get here, so I thanks everyone who has taken the journey with me. Thanks to all who have commented or read one of my blogs, or seen one of my video blogs. You guys are the reason why I love to write about television. I love this community.

Now onward to 150 blogs!

A new breed of superhero swoops…or perhaps clanks onto the screen with this refreshingly new and original action flick. Despite it’s energetic trailer, I was initially skeptical about whether this movie would be a success. I had few doubts about whether this movie would fare well in the box office (it did extremely well), but it was the critical acclaim that I believed would be difficult for this film to obtain.

Being unfamiliar with the “Iron man” story, the idea of some billionaire with no special abilities hiding behind a protective suit didn’t really succeed in enticing me. Then again, “Batman Begins” had a similar premise involving billionaire Bruce Wayne in a bat suit and that turned out to be one of the best superhero movies in recent history. Fortunately, this movie wasn’t a disappointment either.

“Iron Man” follows the story of Tony Stark, a billionaire weapons designer for the military. Shortly after his presentation of his latest invention, The Jericho, terrorists viciously attack Stark’s military convoy. Stark awakens as a prisoner and is ordered to build The Jericho for the terrorists. However, Stark colludes with another captive to create the first Iron Man suit, which he utilizes to destroy much of the terrorist compound and escape. After that harrowing ordeal, Stark shuts down the weapons division of his company and obsessively perfects his Iron Man suit, and prepares to undo the damage that his weapons have caused on the world.

Most superhero movies place a great deal of emphasis on the special effects and action sequences to capture an audience’s attention. “Iron Man” doesn’t fail in this particular arena, but it can’t compare with many other superhero films such as “X-Men” and “Spiderman.” On the other hand, “Iron Man” makes up for its lack of action with an engaging storyline and an exceptionally well-done romantic angle. The chemistry between Robert Downey Jr. and Gwenyth Paltrow is believable and enjoyable to watch.

Bottom line, this movie is worth the price of an admission ticket. Despite what kind of filmgoer you might be, some part of this film will entertain you. Robert Downey Jr. proves that his acting acumen has perfected as the years have gone by, and Paltrow’s performance is definitely note-worthy. “Iron Man” may not be on the same level as “Batman Begins,” but it undoubtedly pays the perfect homage to it. I give this movie an 8/10.

As countless occasions can clearly indicate, there is really nothing you can do to get Dr. House to behave. However, on inspection day Cuddy would have additional incentive to try to motivate House into acting like a normal doctor. Unfortunately with that unlikely scenario, it is House’s strange method of operating that allows him to see what many others cannot; so attempting to silence his unusual behaviors would suffocate his trademark medical genius. Nevertheless, it didn’t stop Cuddy from trying until the last minute when she finally trusted House decision to overload his patient with steroids, and it turned out that House was actually wrong. That’s what I love about the show – it’s strange sense of irony.

I found that this episode required an inhuman suspension of disbelief. To simply ‘kidnap’ a television star, subject him to all sorts of tests, and simultaneously avoid an avalanche of lawsuits is no mere feat, even for Dr. House. I found that particular plot line hard to swallow. The soapdoc patient was extraordinarily uninteresting – in fact, the only person who was truly enthralled by his presence (if you can really call it that) was Dr. House himself. All that tired moaning and groaning about not fulfilling his life really annoyed me. If it really bothered him that much, all he had to do was quit and find a more meaningful career.

Concerning the subplot of Wilson and Amber, I previously suspected that Wilson would inevitably end up self-destructing their relationship, but it appears that Amber knows Wilson almost as much as House does. According to Amber, Wilson always gives his wives whatever they want, despite what he wants, until he ends up loathing them for it. So Amber empowers Wilson to decide for himself what he wants, which ends up being a waterbed that he eventually despises. On a side note, I found the scene where Amber talks the mattress salesman into lowering his price. This woman has a gift! I hope Amber remains on the show for much longer.

This episode also illustrated the strength of the House/Cuddy relationship. I believe that they belong together. Both of them were willing to sacrifice their career for the other. However, despite my belief that they should end up together, I don’t believe that should happen for several seasons at the very least. Based on the lackluster quality of this episode, I give this episode a 6/10.

This episode highlighted one of the many reasons I am sad that a larger audience doesn’t view “Boston Legal”. If more of mainstream America were exposed to, and influenced by, the extremely provocative, inspiring, and controversial cases that “Boston Legal” consistently addresses; I think we might see more change in this country. However, many viewers claim that the detrimental factor of “Boston Legal” is that it serves merely as a soapbox for the beyond-the-line ideas that creator David Shore wants to broadcast out into the world. This is much like Aaron Sorkin with “The West Wing,” and “Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip.” Call it what you will, but almost every episode of BL that addresses such radical ideas and offer even more radical proposals leaves me thinking how the world would change if this program wasn’t just fiction.

Coming off the heels of the engaging Supreme Court case episode, Alan Shore goes even further by filing a lawsuit against the Democratic Party. This case addressed the strangeness concerning how Super-delegates can overrule the popular vote by voting against their district’s choice. Given the portrayal of the obnoxious Mitchie, I sincerely wonder if there are many more delegates just like him. I violently despise the idea of my vote being overruled by some twerp who thinks they know better.

The opposing counsel argued that the Democratic Party was allowed to have such rules due to their status as a private organization. Also he claimed that this is what has kept out clearly incompetent candidates out of the race, despite the popular vote. Regardless, I believe that the American people should have more than just a suggestion in who really wins the vote. It doesn’t seem fair at all to me.

The personal confrontation between Alan and Shirley was extremely entertaining to me. Many people believe that Obama has a lack of experience among other things, but another equally valid point is that we’ve had two family dynasties running the white house for decades now, and maybe it’s time for change. Either way, I found their argument to be equally compelling on both sides and delightfully entertaining.

Concerning the subplot of cloning meat, I was completely unaware that these items were already on our food shelves. I do believe that cloned meat should be appropriately labeled as such, if not for health reasons, then for religious ones. Many religions are strongly against clones, and I think that they should be at least allowed the knowledge of what is cloned, so that they wouldn’t be hypocrites by accident and unknowingly eat the meat anyways.

Towards the end of the episode, “Boston Legal” took the time to once again reinforce the Denny-Alan relationship. I was genuinely touched by the open sincerity of the love between them. Both William Shatner and James Spader performed excellent acting. Also, I have to point out that I am highly impressed with the opposing counsel in this program. They always seem to serve equally valid points and have quite brilliant closing arguements, although not as good as Alan’s. Due the outstanding quality of this episode, I am inclined to give it a rating of 9.5/10.

I rarely write reviews of “House.” In fact, this would be the first time. Don’t get me wrong, I love “House,” and Hugh Laurie is one of the most iconic characters currently on television. It’s just that although the show does place emphasis on the personal evolution of Dr. House, I feel that the character-driven aspects of the show take the back seat to the ‘illness of the week.’ When it comes down it, House rarely does change and even when that unlikely situation occurs, he will probably revert back to his former nature in the long run. Nevertheless, I felt this episode was introspective enough to warrant a review of some kind.

First off, I was very pleased about the plot decision to bring Amber back into the mix. I have always admired her straight-forwardness about the cunning and somewhat deceptive methods that she often utilizes to gain the maximum benefit for herself. However, I never quite realized the similarities between Amber and House. Despite what Wilson might argue, the former Amber was the female version of House. I found House’s reaction to the revelation that Wilson and House were now romantically connected to be quite amusing. Also, even more stunning was Amber’s development into someone who wasn’t as manipulative as House may have thought.

This made me think that for Wilson and House’s friendship to improve, House would have to take a page out of Amber’s book and begin to change parts of his manipulative nature as well. Clearly Wilson would appreciate that, but for how long would that last before Wilson would inevitably betray House. Unfortunately, I personally think that would be a bad plot decision, because it is House’s unique way of approaching situations that make him such a brilliant doctor, and for him to change might eliminate that – as was viewed in the third season premiere (not sure) episodes.

Concerning thirteen and the rest of the new doctors, I initially welcomed their presence because I felt their particular plot line revitalized the show a bit. However, I now believe that as interesting as they might be (13 in particular), that the former “House Team” worked a little better. On a side note, the original cast is still featured in the opening credits, yet they are given less, if at all, screen time then their newer counterparts. Is this going to be a continuing trend, or are they going to be eliminate from the show’s main cast entirely. Quite personally, I hope that House finds a way to reunite his former team, but find a way to make the new supporting cast still relevant.

I give this episode an 8/10

I have to admit that I’m starting to have a crush on this particular show. Hearing the fan response, it appears that many people are feeling the same way. Unfortunately, whenever people get invested in a new show, FOX has a bad habit of axing it as soon as possible. Usually the first sign is the non-renewal of the show for a full season. Eventually, FOX will move the show to the Friday Night Graveyard– and that’s when you know that they have officially given up on the show. I certainly hope that fate doesn’t rest with “New Amsterdam.”

The plot of this episode was a bit lighter than in previous episodes, and that is testimony to the difficult and dark matter that “Amsterdam” tackles given that this episode centered on organized crime families. The episode starts out with Detective Amsterdam finding the body of a young man that reminds him of one of his children several years ago. Amsterdam eventually uncovers that the boy is a member of a mafia-style family that is the descendant of one of his children.

Through a series of well-done flashbacks, we are introduced to how Amsterdam and his son fell apart, and how Amsterdam feels responsible for his descendants’ advancement into crime. I particularly enjoyed the explanation for how Amsterdam’s wives eventually fall apart from him. I had begun to wonder since he fathered so many children, whether he had decided to keep those families, and how they reacted to his inability to age and to really change. I liked how an older woman was cast as Amsterdam’s wife, and I also thought the flirtatious banter between Amsterdam and the dancer was believable and interesting.

Concerning the subplot of Amsterdam trying to regain the courtship of Dr. Sara (“Prison Break”…anyone?), once again I was mildly irritated and also a bit confused. Why it was such a big deal that Dr. Sara could not be with Amsterdam because of his unexplained past, yet she suddenly decides that it doesn’t matter anymore? Either I really don’t understand women (who really does?) or that was a poor writing error on the show’s part. Seeing as I’m part ego-maniac, I choose to believe the show got it wrong. Plus, I still don’t buy the chemistry between the two characters anyways…

As for the well-dressed FBI agent, I believe this plot angle was done horribly on so many levels. Almost every single scene with the agent seemed to reek of bad acting and not only from him too. It almost seemed as though the actor was projecting his poor skills onto the surrounding cast. I seldom dislike the actual actors that play a role, but there was something about him that made him a visual irritant for me. Call me crazy…

Overall, this episode took an interesting, different direction from its preceding episodes, but I didn’t think it was done very well. Certain elements, such as the agent, detracted from the overall pace of the show. I give this episode a 6/10.

Before I get murdered by fan-hired assassins, I would like to apologize for not getting hooked “Battlestar Galactica” and initially laughing it off as some pathetic “Star Trek” imitation. I could not have been more wrong. After being starved for quality television during the duration of the writer’s strike, I succumbed to the excellent recommendations that this show was receiving from some of the television’s highest regarded critics. The last time I remember being so enthralled by a show was when “Lost” aired its premiere season, or during “Buffy the Vampire Slayer’s” spectacularly heartbreaking second season. In penance for my neglect of this show, I was inspired to write this to all non-BSG viewers, so that they too might experience televised perfection…

5) The Ronald Moore Podcasts.
Even if you don’t own an iPod, or remotely care about episode commentaries – you will find yourself captivated by the witty insights of Executive Producer Ron Moore. In these podcasts, Moore discusses anything from what the network wouldn’t let them air to potential plot developments throughout the season. His podcasts are the perfect companion to their corresponding BSG episodes.

4) The Special Effects
Many people complain about certain visual effects for several television shows as being cartoonish or ‘fake.’ “Battlestar Galactica” puts every single television show I have ever seen to shame in this particular category. No other show comes even close. Blockbuster movies can’t even compete with BSG. Period. However, the specific value that special effects contribute to the overall quality of the episodes can be difficult to ascertain when it comes to many shows. Nevertheless, after viewing episodes like “Resurrection Ship, part two,” I don’t believe it could or should have been done any other way.

3) The Writing
I have always enjoyed shows that take bold new directions and pull it off successfully, and BSG is no exception. The writers managed to sufficiently rework a 1970’s subpar television show into one of television best dramas. The scripts are consistently excellent and thought-provoking.

2) Edward James Olmos
Okay, well the other guys are pretty good too… Specific acting props go out to Mary McDonnell, and James Callis. However, the main acting talent in the show is undoubtedly Olmos. How this magnificently superb actor hasn’t won truckloads of Emmys and other accolades is mind-boggling. Olmos’s Admiral Adama is the heart and spirit of the show, and his powerful acting chops never diminish, even with that terrible mustache at the beginning of season three.

1) The Character-Driven Storyline
Before anyone doubts the significance of this particular attribute, remember how shows like “Buffy,” “Lost,” and “Firefly” managed to invoke passion in their viewing audiences, and create legions of insanely devoted fans. The character-driven plots caused us to deeply care about each individual character, and to a point, literally feel the anguish or joy that each character endured. I believe this is the main reason why everyone should watch this show.

In this video blog, I simply review and critque the noteworthy moments in the past week in television.

It isn’t an easy feat for me to get involved with a show after I’ve missed the first batch of episodes. I actually carry the belief that without viewing the pilot episode of a show, the power of any particular drama show would be lessened. Thankfully, that is not the case with “New Amsterdam.”

As previously mentioned I missed the pilot and following episodes, because I had initially dismissed the show as another “Angel” wannabe. Many shows, like CBS’s “Moonlight,” have tried to steal the premise of “Angel” and reap the benefit for themselves. “Moonlight” is an excellent example of how that can be done very badly. So many core elements of “Moonlight” are stolen directly from the original plot of “Angel,” which made me feel like I was insulting Joss Whedon by even bothering to watch it.

However, “New Amsterdam” simply has only a few elements from “Angel,” and “Amsterdam” reworks the plot into something quite different and refreshing. Essentially, the show centers on a 400 year old detective who was cursed to live forever until he finds his true love. Frankly, I don’t believe death after true love is that great a gift, but I suppose after 400 years – it would be a slightly welcome outcome.

Another aspect of the show that I enjoy is the acting. I am unfamiliar with Nikolaj Coster-Waldeau, and I am assuming that he is a relatively fresh face in the industry. Nevertheless, the man deserves props for his solid performance as Detective Amsterdam. I also like the dynamic between him and his older-appearing son, and the relationships with his colleagues at the police headquarters. However, I’m not quite sure that I buy the so-called chemistry between him and his love-interest doctor. Maybe time will counter that belief…

Overall, I believe this is a promising new series, and I am looking forward to how this show develops. Hopefully, it remains as character driven as it is now. I give it an 8/10 so far.

In this video blog, I simply discuss some of the pleasant and irritating developments in the past couple of television weeks.

Feel free to comment...

Why is it that so many shows have such great episodes leading up to their respective season finales, but follow them with substandard finales? It often seems that many of these shows reach their peak in the penultimate episode, but when it comes to the 'moment of truth' finale -- it just reeks of disappointment. The freshman seasons of "Heroes" and "Prison Break" come to mind during these tragic ordeals.

First off, I know I can't get too hard on these writers, given the difficult hand that they were dealt concerning the writer's strike. Never-the-less, the writer's first mistake was having Michael not kill Gretchen. I believe that one of "Prison Break's" core plots from the beginning was “Can Michael be surrounded by darkness and not succumb to it?” From the moment he broke out of Fox River with T-bag, he was willing let a mass murderer out of prison if it meant saving his brother's life.

Yet he was then placed in Sona, where fighting to the death is ingrained in that community's strangely civilized tradition. After he orchestrated the death of Sammy, I would think that the writers might want to push that block further...and with Gretchen having brutally killed Sara... However, Michael's slow descent into the criminal style that he has been surrounded by since the beginning will have to wait until next season.

Concerning T-bag, his pathway was predictable since the beginning. It was clear that Michael wouldn't make the same mistake twice and let T-bag out again, but the method in which he planned that was genius. I have always mentioned how suspicious it was that T-bag rose quickly throughout the ranks, and to have him leave Sona so soon would somewhat defeat this season's development for him. I suspected from the start that he would take Lechero's place, but I didn't think that he would wait until his opponent was inches from death before he killed him anyways. However, I suppose that is T-bag's true style anyways.

One nice aspect of this episode is that it featured more than one happy ending. Basketball boy's return to his family without much interference is a nice, yet unexpected touch. Lincoln's long-awaited reunion with LJ finally occured, but the episode mildly downplayed that event. However, despite all the happy endings, there are many more sad ones. I like how the strange, yet beautifully, scored ending featured each of the characters at their end of the road for now. Sucre didn't deserve his fate, being loyal to Michael to the end. Bellick still doesn't seem know his purpose still (and neither do the writers). Mahone joined with Whistler and Gretchen, although I had hoped that the mystery man behind him would have ended up being Kellerman. Lastly, the dissolution of the brothers has to be the greatest mistake in "Prison Break" history. Hopefully it will be temporary.

Ultimately, many elements of this episode didn't work. Perhaps if this episode had aired as part of the season, but not as its ending... Anyways, I give this episode a 7/10