I’ve barely written any TV blog posts this year so now that the 2010 – 2011 broadcast season is over, I figured I’d write some quick finale thoughts…

Chuck
The Vivian Volkoff arc in the latter episodes of the season left a lot to be desired (I think it was partly because the actress just wasn’t that believable as a villain) but the finale provided a satisfying resolution to that storyline while setting up new adventures. Honestly, I would have been ok if the show didn’t get renewed – we got to see Chuck save the day without the Intersect (although I have questions about how Sarah managed to stay alive so much longer than other Norseman victims), Sarah & Chuck’s wedding (their vows! LOVE) complete with flashbacks to their relationship (I guess the writers were thinking series finale), and our favorite team back together as freelance spies. But that’s not to say I’m not ridiculously happy that NBC is giving the show a chance to go out on its own terms. I’m excited to see what the writers have in store for the last season, especially now that Morgan has the Intersect uploaded to his brain. !!! I didn’t care for Morgan in the first few seasons but he’s become one of my favorites and it’ll definitely be interesting to see how he and Team Bartowski handle this uhhh… unique situation.

Hawaii Five-0
I don’t take this show too seriously so I thought the finale was pretty darn awesome. There were some WTF moments (anything related to Danny/Rachel and the need to leave for New Jersey THAT DAY) but I totally didn’t expect the twist with the governor and Wo Fat. Now that I’ve had time to think about it, I wonder if this was planned from the very beginning of the season. Maybe the governor put together the 5-0 task force as a way to keep Steve close and monitor what he was doing. Really good set up if that’s the case. Now Steve is arrested for murder (they have to see his taser burn, right?!), Kono’s suspended (I can’t believe the eyewitness testimony could be considered credible at this point), and Chin’s back at HPD (I have hope he’s going to be their “inside man” and try to help the others somehow). Phew. I have no desire to see Danny back in a relationship with Rachel (ugh, cheaters!) so he better stay in Hawaii to help his friends (although I don’t know why they bother with the drama of him moving to NJ — he’s a main character and isn’t likely to leave).

No Ordinary Family
So much potential (love the actors, especially Autumn Reeser) but this wasn’t a good show. I’m sorry! The writing was lacking (terrible storylines, inconsistent characterization), the episodes were slooooow, and there was just no spark. The premise really intrigued me but the execution was all wrong. Disappointing. Not surprised it didn’t get renewed.

Glee
It may seem as if I don’t like this show… but I really do. I just have problems with its inconsistency. Especially this past season. I think I got a little whiplash with all the back and forth between good (Duets, Original Song) and terrible (A Night of Neglect – WTF) episodes. But I’ve come to accept that I’m here for the characters, the minimal development and interaction they get, and above all, the songs and performances. I’m ok with that.

One Tree Hill
Oh, this show. Just when you think it’s over, it goes and gets renewed. Again. I still watch because I’ve really grown to like the characters but it’s lost a lot of the fun and spark it used to have in the earlier seasons. Plus, there’s been veerrrryyy little storytelling in the last few episodes. Nothing really happens! It’s no wonder they keep doing time jumps to change things up. In any case, the finale was fine. Everyone had their moment and their happy ending — Brooke gave birth, Haley opened her cafe, Nathan and Clay found their star, and Chase returns from the Air Force to reunite with Alex (who I actually love now). See! Would have been a great series finale. I’m not really sure what other stories they have to tell but I have two requests — can they PLEASE limit Chuck and Jamie’s screentime? They’re taking screentime from characters I actually care about. And they are not cute kids, I’m sorry. ALSO, and maybe more importantly, PLEASE bring back the original theme song full time. As interesting it is to hear different artists’ take on the song, it’s just not the same.

The Good Wife
I love this show. But I think it suffered slightly from trying to do too much in its second season. They introduced characters that didn’t really work, dropped storylines (the deleted voicemail kills me), and sacrificed the screentime of major characters in the process. The last few episodes, though, after Bond was ousted and Peter and Kalinda’s past was revealed, were pretty much on par with the best episodes of season 1. Not to mention that they did a great job of setting up storylines for next season. Like Alicia/Will exploring their relationship (loved that Alicia was the one calling the shots that night) — how is that going to affect their interactions with Peter? Will’s conversation with Peter in the finale was already fraught with awkward tension. Or Eli moving his business into the Lockhart Gardner offices — does this mean more Alicia/Eli interaction? Yes please! And with Alicia/Peter’s separation, I sure hope it means less Jackie. The actress may be a Dawson’s Creek alum (Grams!) but I CANNOT stand the character. I know she’s a mother and loves her son but COME ON. Cheating is not ok and she acts like Peter did nothing wrong. She irks me so much. The only thing I’m dreading about next season is the move to Sundays. Especially on CBS after football. Isn’t this where they put shows to die? 🙁

Ok, that’s it for now — back again with the rest soon. Happy 4th of July!