Daytime stories + primetime setting = Bad

At the end of Nashville’s season finale, Juliette Barnes sat on a chair in The Bluebird Cafe and sang her lungs out in promising us that nothing in this world will ever break her heart again. It was a dazzling vocal display by Hayden Panettiere to cap off the show’s inaugural season that featured better singing talent than I expected it would, Connie Britton notwithstanding.

Unfortunately there’s more to the show than their music.

While Juliette was belting her little country heart out the writers were dolling out one television cliche after another. They put two characters in a car wreck. They made for the country cowboy star who is hiding his sexuality to get spotted with a girl by his boyfriend. They made a boyfriend pop the question way sooner than we all know he should. This lazy, ham-fisted storytelling came after they predictably threw Deacon off the wagon and conveniently gave Maddie a bout of teenage curiosity that led to her discovering Deacon, not Teddy, is her biological father.

All of this confirms something about Nashville that I spent the first season trying to prove to myself wasn’t true: It might just be a show designed to sell music. I clung to every perceived kernel of character development and storytelling to find anything that might convince me otherwise, all to no avail. We will get no creativity here.

A creative show wouldn’t send Deacon on an immediate bender culminated by his drunken attack on Teddy outside city hall. Teddy repaying Rayna’s commitment that he would not loose his daughter was the only moment in this whole storyline that felt like a decision genuinely made by a character instead of forced by a writer. Maddie’s spontaneous curiosity that sent her digging in her mom’s closet and running to tell Deacon felt driven more by having to get it done in two episodes than by what her character would actually do.

This kind of storytelling is acceptable in the five-day-a-week format of a daytime soap opera. It is offensive in a broadcast network’s Wednesday night lineup. Viewers deserve so much better.

It was obvious from episode one that Gunnar had feelings for Scarlette and that she would eventually leave Avery for him. Unlike Teddy, Deacon and Rayna, whose storyline was entirely predictable and therefore boring, this love triangle could work because these are three characters who usually stay true to themselves. When they make bad decisions the writers let them realize it and deserve credit for doing so. I would be perfectly fine watching the three of them explore their feelings over the course of season two. Instead the writers made Gunnar propose. Forcing them to act on their feelings this fast ruins everything and robs us of a story that could have been very enjoyable.

Want more? There’s more. Instead of letting the Peggy Kenter character fade away, Nashville doubled down and did what any immature show would do: It made her pregnant. Really? I mean, really? This character’s only purpose was to expedite the demise of Teddy and Rayna’s marriage. Why is a baby necessary here? Rayna finally succumbing to her feelings for Deacon is enough to permanently break her relationship with Teddy. The only reason to make Peggy pregnant is to complicate Teddy and Rayna getting back together, which has no business happening. If not for every show in history having already gone there it would be intriguing. Again, okay for daytime, unqualified for primetime.

The only enjoyable moments from the finale came from Juliette Barnes. Her character has been enjoyable to watch all season for the way she always comes to the right decision, however begrudgingly she might get there. At least the show lets one character have a brain. I might honestly be more interested in this show if Rayna dies in the crash and Juliette becomes the leading female character.

My theme in watching season finales this year has been trying to discern where shows might be going in their next season. With Nashville I’m afraid what it previewed during Juliette’s Bluebird performance is going to be the start of year two. Even worse, the show’s writers could actually think they’re doing a good job and keep doing exactly what they’re doing.

That leads me into thinking about whether or not I’ll tune in next fall. With all its stars coming back for season two there is plenty of reason to tune in for more Avery Barkley, Scarlett O’Connor and Gunnar Scott. I suppose you also have to stick around to see what happened in the crash, but has Nashville given us anything that would make us believe anything interesting will come of it?

Finding their way after Lost

Not leaving, no. Moving on.

Where are we going?

Let’s go find out.

It’s been three years since Lost went off the air. It came along at the same time social media gave us a way to interact across the globe in real time and gave rise to what we now call second screening. The show’s sprawling mysteries and rich character development fed perfectly into these new platforms. Fans took online communities to more engaged levels than any show previously, debating theories and sharing background information on things mentioned in the latest episodes. In that way Lost was probably the first truly social television show. Its serendipitous timing helped it create some amazing bonds with its viewers.

That worked out marvelously for ABC and the show itself while it was on the air. How has it worked out for the show’s stars since May 23, 2010? Have their careers continued to grow or have they sunk like poor Michael’s raft? The answer is mixed.

Some found new lives with new characters. Michael Emerson is killing it as secretive computer genius Harold Finch on Person of Interest; Daniel Dae Kim is doing just fine on CBS’s remake of Hawaii Five-0. Emilie de Ravin floated for a while before landing on Once Upon a Time, which is led by former Lost writers Adam Horowitz and Edward Kitsis. Everyone’s favorite Scot, Henry Ian Cusick, found parts on Scandal, Fringe, The Mentalist and ABC’s recently canceled Body of Proof. Ian Somerhalder didn’t even make it to Exodus but will always be Boone, even though his star has risen on The Vampire Diaries.

Others (no pun intended) have roles in the works that could put them back on TV’s map. Naveen Andrews and Josh Holloway will be on CBS this fall. Holloway sans locks (again, no pun intended) as some kind of cyber cop in Intelligence, and Andrews opposite Stephen Lang in Reckless. Holloway improved as much as any of the actors who stayed with the show from start to finish so hopefully CBS is giving him something to work with. Andrews also has a huge role opposite Naomi Watts as Princess Diana’s lover, Dr. Hasnat Khan, in Diana, which will be released later this year.

Yunjin Kim, who doesn’t do much American work, co-stars with Alyssa Milano in ABC’s upcoming summer drama Mistresses. It’s hard to come to any conclusions about her post-Lost career because I simply don’t pay much attention to Korean entertainment.

A couple fan favorites landed roles on new shows that never made it beyond infancy. Jorge Garcia had a role in FOX’s Alcatraz in addition to three appearances on a Matthew Perry show you’ve never heard of. Terry O’Quinn starred in the short-lived 666 Park Avenue after appearing in 11 episodes of Hawaii Five-0 with Daniel Dae Kim. Elizabeth Mitchell did V and now co-stars in Revolution. Dominic Monaghan’s post-Lost career still hasn’t taken off after Flash Forward was unfairly canceled.

Matthew Fox tried his hand at a movie before Lost was even over. Since The End his most notable work has been the freakish way he transformed his body for the Alex Cross movie, not his role opposite Tommy Lee Jones in some World War II movie. He’s also in World War Z, a zombie movie. Yikes.

Evangeline Lilly is a face for L’Oreal Paris but her only acting work has been in The Hobbit, which she began just three months after giving birth.

This is surprising and probably disappointing to a lot of us who still want to see our favorite stars every week. I think the way we expect actors to move from one successful show right into another ignores how difficult it is to find success in Hollywood. Networks just finished announcing their fall lineups full of new shows that will most likely fail or sputter for a season or two before being put to sleep. Few will make it beyond that and fewer still will become legitimate hits. To expect this handful of actors to be in those few shows is asking lightning to strike twice.

I also have to wonder how much their strong identification with one character might hurt them. O’Quinn did well on 666 Park but will we ever see him as anyone other than John Locke? To his credit, Michael Emerson plays his character so well on Person of Interest that I rarely think of Ben Linus. (Much of that is probably due to his character’s limp.) It’s a sort of catastrophic success unique to Hollywood: Being so good at your job that no one can forget it. Time will tell if Josh Holloway can make us forget Sawyer or if Evangeline Lilly’s freckles will always make us think of Kate.

As Lost’s stars find new roles, on television or the big screen, they will find a dedicated portion of their new viewers who look quite familiar, thinking back and smiling at the show they shared together, with a simple message:

We’ve been waiting for you.

Revenge season finale delivers needed change

The season two finale of Revenge was everything its preceding episodes were not: Fast, dramatic, intriguing, surprising. The two-hour ride was creator Mike Kelley’s last time at the helm after having left the show following taping. It was like a game seven of the World Series – leave nothing in reserve. His goodbye was a throwback to the early days of the show that viewers longed for too often in season two.

Like the best season finales it converged its storylines in an explosive fashion that will fundamentally change the show starting next season. Conrad is Governor of New York. Conrad is part of The Initiative. Daniel and Victoria are disillusioned with Conrad. Charlotte is pregnant, Declan is dead. Jack knows Emily’s true identity.

Waitwaitwait – what?!?

Emily revealing her identity beyond her circle of Revenge-minded friends fundamentally alters the show. Fans who hated this season should welcome her confession. I opined earlier that Revenge needs to set a firm ending date so its writers can know how they have to pace the story. It also needs to show that it is about more than when Emily reveals her true identity. The best way to do that? Tell Jack, her childhood friend.

It’s a cat they can’t put back in the bag. For the rest of the series, Jack Porter will know that Emily Thorne is really Amanda Clarke. Their relationship is changed, so is her journey of revenge. So is the story itself. That’s a good thing. Revenge needs this kind of change. Lost’s storylines exploded in every direction when it revealed that getting off of the island would not wait until the series finale. Revenge’s story is flatter than Lost’s was but it can still see improvement from changing one of its fundamental relationships.

Disgruntled viewers can come away encouraged from the finale’s other changes as well.

Conrad’s character had fallen off this season after Daniel ousted him at Grayson Global.  The half-hearted attempt they made at a political storyline didn’t give him much to work with. In this episode, Conrad the mastermind is back. From the midst of the blackout to his closing speech and the bombing at Grayson headquarters Conrad seemed as if he was waiting out a script, not bouncing around amidst chaos. The calm confidence he displayed when Daniel told him the family fortune was wiped out came off as almost crazy, as if the pressure of his campaign and trauma of the bombing had driven him mad.

Then it all came pouring out on the balcony with Victoria. There is no Initiative, only business elites profiting from the creation of fear and Conrad is fully vested in their sick manipulations. The blackout, the bombing, the aftermath, all of it done to create a fear that will drive government to act in ways that the orchestrators are perfectly positioned to reap the benefits from. Billions upon billions of dollars, surpassing the wealth the Graysons earned from framing David Clarke. Even Victoria Grayson, party to David Clarke’s demise and perpetrator of so many misdeeds of her own, cannot seem to stomach her husband’s revelation.

The Initiative’s missing role in season two was one of the things I criticized in summing up where Revenge went off the rails. Now that we know the full story, that criticism has to be re-examined. Was Conrad’s revelation a bombshell? Thru the lens of the story, yes. But dramatically speaking it could have been a lot better if The Initiative had been given a strong presence throughout the season.

Think back to how Lost handled The Others. The entire second season was about building up that mystery and anticipation so that by the time Live Together, Die Alone aired we were practically on our knees begging to know who they were and what they were doing on the island. Revenge didn’t do that and as a result never gave us one of those, “We’re the good guys, Michael” moments. I’m not criticizing the revelation as it affects the story, I think it will be great in that regard. Rather, the way it was handled throughout the season is a clear failure of creativity, which robbed us of the kind of epic dramatic twist that makes a finale memorable.

Setting that aside, it will still change the story. The Initiative (let’s still call it that) isn’t just in position to profit from fear, it has the Governor of New York to help make it happen. Not so fast! Victoria is non-plussed and Daniel doesn’t even know what to think. Dumb Jack (more on him shortly) is clued-in to Emily’s big secret. Nolan Ross is in custody and won’t just roll over and take the fall. There is a lot threatening Conrad’s re-emerged dominance.

Before we chronicle Jack’s Machiavellian ineptitude, a quick sidebar on what happened to Nolan. Someone obviously had this all set up to unravel the moment he drained the Grayson’s bank accounts. But whom? Maybe that’s a mystery to unfold in season three. Padma’s involvement indicates she may not be room temperature after all, but why would she have turned on him? Is she somehow part of The Initiative? I have a bold theory: Aden did it. He was the only one who saw supposedly-dead Padma. But what does he have against Nolan Ross? Nolan is a key element of Emily’s quest for revenge. With his moral support and computer wizardry behind bars, Aiden must see he has a better chance at convincing her to abandon the Hamptons with him. Remember: Aden was the one moving Grayson Global’s money around before Nolan drained it. I refuse to believe that a character we only saw in one episode, Falcon, will be allowed to frame a major character.

Okay, now on to Jack.

Jack and Victoria are together at the bar when the blackout hits, giving us a great look at Jack once again showing he just doesn’t have the brains to compete with the Graysons. He breathlessly tells Victoria that he knows Conrad framed David Clarke, brilliantly reminding her that she loved him. Yes, Jack, she loved him so much and is so clueless about her husband’s life that she had no idea David was innocent. Dolt. Victoria played along the way an adult pretends to enjoy playing Go Fish with a five-year-old.

Back at the mansion, Jack is so eager to find the computer in the safe Victoria never knew about that he throws his own file on Conrad’s desk without even knowing it. His Brilliancy then accidentally reveals to Victoria that he is working with Ashley to sabotage Conrad’s campaign. First rule of being a schemer: You gotta remember who knows what, Jackie boy.

Why did the good Porter have to die? Revenge fans have lambasted Declan for two seasons, but I dare any of them to not love him and love Charlotte’s love for him after this episode. His death and Charlotte’s pregnancy will probably elevate her as a character, which would be good for the show. That doesn’t mean I have to like it. We will probably never know why Declan was in the Grayson office when it blew up, maybe it doesn’t matter. My only last beef is that he didn’t get to tell off Victoria in their last conversation. It would have been a nice parting gift to the character for enduring all her uppity crap. Here’s to hoping Connor Paolo gets more work.

Speaking of death, is it just me or was Takada’s role in the show severely wasted? The finale briefly diverged from its core storyline to tell us that his fiancé was on the flight The Initiative bombed, revealing that Emily and Aden were really a part of his grand scheme to get revenge for her death. That had a Jacob-like feel to me and could have been used to great effect later in the series, just like Jacob and Man In Black were. A reveal in later seasons that our main character is just a pawn in a larger game would rock our world. Instead it’s a few scenes in season two. Blame it on that failure of creativity again.

For some fans, no finale will be enough to fix the mess Revenge made out of its second season. I think this finale should at least earn a look at season three. With a new show runner coming on board and big changes to the storyline, Revenge has a chance to get back on top as one of primetime’s sexiest dramas.

Snap reaction: Revenge finale

SPOILER ALERT!

Live reactions to the Revenge season two finale.

Nolan just happens to have a satellite.

Jack and Victoria together for the blackout.

Dumb Jack doesn’t know Victoria knows everything about David Clarke. She even smiles a little when she plays along.

Clearing the Grayson’s accounts did trigger the blackout which was awesome. It also framed Aden for it all.

Dumb Jack didn’t even see his own file.

Then he accidentally reveals he’s working with Ashley.

Conrad seems to know what The Initiative was doing.

Does he not understand the visual of sending a helicopter to retrieve his wife?

Conrad seems smarter, back again.

Emily is a profiler now? About Takada’s body being moved and why.

They are really clueless about Aden.

Jack finds out Amanda was in Japan, is this the beginning of the revelations?

Takada’s fiancé was on the plane that her dad was framed for, she was in the jump seat.  So he did all this to get revenge for her? Okay that’s pretty interesting mythology.

Is this tech guy the man from Takada’s photo? Ha boom I typed that like two seconds before.

I wish Declan would have told off Victoria. If he shows he can hold his own his purpose in the show would be more clear.

Gee Conrad could you look anymore like you used Ashley’s phone?

Is Aden going to do in Nolan?

There is more to life than revenge.

Of course Jack is walking into a trap. He’s dumb.

He’s there to shoot Conrad? That’s Takada’s revenge?!?

Nope, apparently not. Weird. Is someone framing Emily?

This is fast and dramatic, everything the season hasn’t been.

Really Jack? You’re pissed at Nolan?

Jack is going to have to learn about Emily. How can the story hold up without him knowing?

Wait who is in the Grayson office?

The deuce was Declan doing up there?

Conrad is confused.

Oh hells no, if Declan dies I am throwing shit.

“Jack? Why are you a nurse?” Hilars.

Really? Bedside conversation and the reveal is Declan telling Jack that Carl is going to have a cousin?

HOW CAN YOU NOT LOVE DECLAN?

Now dumb Jack is in the wind.

Wait what? What Conrad just said there didn’t seem to lineup.

Victoria is back as well. Everyone is tougher tonight.

Daniel thinks Conrad is in with The Initiative? I’m confused.

Oh. He is.

That’s why he was confident when Daniel told him about the money.

Conrad is one evil f*****.

It’s so bad that Victoria can’t stomach it.

Jack just gets into the governor-elect’s house?

Okay I kind of like Jack right now. Awkward.

They framed Nolan? How’s that work? If it was Falcon I will be pissed. A character we only saw in one episode does to get to frame Nolan.

Nolan is the new David Clarke.

Hey Daniel this fight will not work out for you.

Nolan you sound cray cray.

Is this what Aden and Emily were talking about in Aden’s house several episodes ago, that they regretted had to be this way?

Okay good.

Can you hear me?

Person of Interest makes it difficult for fans to draw conclusions from its season finales. Its two so far have done more to upend its story than resolve it. Season two’s “God Mode” gave viewers a nice mix of excitement before a good cliffhanger left us with questions about what comes next in the story, not who may or may not be dead. Open some new directions, close up some old ones, that’s what I like to see from a season finale.

God Mode began with a vicious video game style shooting rampage directed by The Machine to enable Reese, Shaw, Finch and Root to escape the library where Reese and Root answered The Machine’s phone call. This and its subsequent actions directing them all to safety reveal the show’s most exciting new direction: The Machine’s emergence as a full character.

For most of the first two seasons Harold’s baby has been fairly static. In this episode it became true artificial intelligence, which is exactly how Shaw described it after Reese revealed it to her. Instead of just spitting out numbers The Machine is now a service for whomever it allows to access it. To illustrate this, the writers sent Reese and Shaw after some non-relevants as a way to show what the sentient machine can do. Need a car? Just ask. Need glasses? Just ask. The combination to Harold’s safe? Anything The Machine can know it can give you. Characters don’t just react to it, they interact with it. The Machine is not just numbers anymore.

The ensuing race to find The Machine supported an episode that threw a tremendous amount of storyline at its viewers and reshuffled its setting for next season.

Root leads Harold to a nuclear waste facility in Washington State where they believe The Machine is located. Finch warns her to keep her expectations under control and when the door opens we find out why: The Machine is missing. Yeah, missing. The largest, most powerful computer system ever developed ain’t where it’s supposed to be.

Or is it? Harold explains that he designed the virus Decima unleashed, which in itself was not a surprise to viewers. He goes on to explain how he programmed The Machine so the only way it would alter its code would be in response to an attack. By building the attack himself, he was able to implant instructions within the virus that directed The Machine to relocate, in essence teaching The Machine how to hide from its enemies. Putting the virus into the world with reliance on the fact that someone would someday unleash it shows how building The Machine dampened Harold’s faith in human goodness.

We learned where The Machine used to be, and chasing after it could easily be one of the storylines that bleeds over into the start of next season. But I hope the writers are approaching The Machine’s existence the same way Lost’s writers approached explaining their story. Darlton used the example of midi-chlorians in Star Wars ruining the mysterious nature of the force as proof of why they never wanted to fully explain the show. Star Wars sucks so I don’t know a lot about midi-chlorineians or whatever, but I feel the same way about The Machine. Don’t ruin it by trying to tell us every last detail.

After Special Counsel learns The Machine got away, a phone call from a woman we only know as Ma’am instructs Hersch to eliminate him. Knowing what was going to happen and resigned to the fate he long ago consented to, Counsel stared down the barrel of Hersch’s gun and said simply, “Fair enough.” Near the very end of the episode, Hersch (outlined with a yellow square) tells her The Machine has sent a new number, she instructs him to put a team together.

With Counsel gone we need a new figuree for the government’s use (or abuse) of Harold’s invention, expect Ma’am to fill that role. Now that Hersch knows Finch was the brains behind Ingram, Harold isn’t safe. I would look for next season to feature the paths that will eventually bring Harold face-to-face with Ma’am.

One of the things we are left wondering is what kind of number The Machine gave out? After the reboot and implementation of Harold’s new code, he explains that no one controls The Machine anymore. It and only it will decide if it keeps giving numbers and whether they will be relevant or non-relevant. Its decision – there it is being its own character again – will shape the show going forward.

To give us one last teaser going into the summer, a psychologically-broken Root wanders down the hallway of a mental hospital when a phone rings. She picks up the yellow receiver. “Can you hear me?”  This wasn’t like the call pre-programmed to ring in the library regardless of who would answer. The Machine located her in that hospital and called her specifically. Why? We do not know…yet.

The only small surprise in the finale was the way the wrinkly man and Decima Technologies disappeared. Instead of a real player in the future of the series and a rival to Finch it turned out to only be a storytelling tool for unleashing the virus. That would be too bad but there are plenty of other storylines, so it won’t be missed.

 

For Person of Interest to wrap all this material together without letting it collapse on itself is proof that it is one of the best shows on television. There’s every reason to expect it will continue to be in season three.