Rambling TV: The One With All The Finales

Basically all of the shows I've been watching ended over the past couple of weeks, I have plenty of finales to talk about. Diet spoilers ahead. I'm trying to keep them as light as possible. 

Daredevil: Born Again - Whether it's on Netflix or Disney Plus, one thing Daredevil has never been able to escape is being dragged into some melodrama. I'm not going to say the entire season was a disaster, because there are absolutely things that worked, and it's not the show's fault that Andor tackled similar subject matter so much better last year. I'm left with the following questions.

1. Why are we still focusing on Heather? It makes sense she's traumatized after nearly dying last season, but now she's Matt's enemy. Do we really need to focus another one of King Pin's underlings? Her choking scene with Buck was very cringy.

2. Where is Frank Castle? I normally try not to ask myself "where is X character" in a super hero universe because we know salaries and availability are real factors, but it absolutely made sense for Frank to be in this season, and he just wasn't. Everything Bullseye did felt like it was written for Frank Castle first, then they had to change it because they gave Jon Bernthal his own show instead.

3. Does Angela's amulet give her powers because that little girl ran across a damn wall in the finale and where on Earth did that come from?

4. Swordsman is just...gone then?

5. When did Jessica Jones and Luke Cage have a kid together? (okay, that ones on me..)

I think this season may have turned me into a full fledged Karen hater. Especially when I look at BB, whose story could've easily been Karen's if they had her focus on one thing and not made her the awkward Swiss Army Knife of a side kick she's turned into. There's this scene where someone tell her she's just being "used by these men" and all I could think of is how much she's been a victim of the writers room. She's a paralegal, then a journalist who gains a corner office immediately, then Matt's girlfriend who is now trained to kick ass. All while Deborah Ann Wohl still plays Karen as awkward and fidgety. Wohl and Cox just have no chemistry together as actors and if we had to lose one of Matt's best friends to put him where he is now, why did they kill off the more developed one in Foggy? Was it to avoid the "women in refrigerators" trope? Because Karen has only ever been used to prop up the men in the story. It wouldn't have made a difference. 

It's not all bad. I really enjoyed BB and Daniel's story, even though it ended so tragically. The fight choreography continues to be top notch, and it was cool seeing Jessica Jones again. The juxtaposition of Fisk and Matt fighting in the finale was brilliantly shot. Vincent D'onofriocaptial A Acting here. 

Half Man - Richard Gadd's reign of uncomfortable terror ended with its 6th and finale episode, and honestly I loved what he was doing here so much I think he could've given us a 7th. Or at the very least, an additional 30 minutes or so on this finale. There's a scene in the finale where Niall is at a press conference about his book, and all the reporters want to talk about is Ruben, and I had to laugh because that's how I felt about Gadd's version of him too. I wanted more after the credits started to roll. I think the ending is fitting, I do think it was a tad predictable, but it also makes the most sense for the story as a whole. I really hope Bell and Gadd will be taking home some Emmys for this show, and I hope Stuart Campbell and Mitchell Robinson can get nominated as well. Outstanding cast all around. 

Hacks - Another case of the finale needing a bit more time. When Deborah asks Ava "will you help me write it?" I was expecting it to transition into just that...and then it ended. I don't know, it felt more like a victory lap for the actors, which is fine, but I couldn't help but wonder why Deborah never mentioned DJ or her grandson once in her decision to go to Switzerland with Ava. I know they didn't have the closest relationship, but that felt like a glaring omission that I just couldn't get past. Still, I got some laughs as I always did. I'll miss the show. I know I'm just being bitter because it's over. 

The Testaments - Another pretty big change was made from the novel, this time involving Becka, who in the book becomes an Aunt, but in the show sees her murder her father and get married off to Garth. I'm super interested in how this is going to go. It was so heartbreaking to watch Becka's mother take the fall for her, but it draws back well to Daisy's earlier comment about mothers doing anything for their children. I also liked that Daisy told Agnes she knew she was Hannah. I feel like the reception to this has been pretty muted, and I understand. It's a very heavy subject matter and it seems more and more plausible by day, but I'm looking forward to season 2. I think all the actresses here are doing an excellent job. 

Euphoria - Where Hacks and Half Man could've each used more time, somehow Euphoria ended up with that extra time instead. I will give Euphoria one thing, as much as a clusterfuck this season has been, I never stopped watching, so there's that. Overall, I hated this finale. I hated how it ended for Rue. I hated how Jules essentially amounted to nothing. I hated how no one called out Lexi on being such an asshole, I hated that the Nazi characters lived, and I hated how weirdly religious this season got. Euphoria has touched on spirituality in the past with Ali, but it felt kind of icky to me. The one bright spot is my man Ali made it through, because I was cringing thinking he was about to go on a suicide mission.