Season finale report card pt. 2

The only show still not done yet is Reaper, which won't finish up until next week. Since that's likely the series finale also, I'll do a short report for it then that will also serve as a eulogy for the show.

Survivor: About as decent of an outcome as you could have hoped for this season. Everybody loved JT and he played hard throughout, so I have no problem with him winning. I was hoping for a bit more fireworks during the jury questions, but I'm sure it was tough considering it was virtually all Timbira people asking two Jalapao people the questions and they couldn't really be bitter since it was their own stupidity that eliminated them from the game. Overall the season was a mixed bag, but would have been lousy without Coach. Love him or hate him, he certainly made things entertaining. As for the tease for next season, Samoa seems fine as a location, but I was disappointed there wasn't more said about any sort of twist or novel concept for the season. Grade: B+

CSI: Not much of a finale here. This could have easily been a midseason episode. Every finale doesn't have to big and/or shocking, but it would have been nice had this show done a little bit more, especially considering the drop in ratings the show has seen ever since the departure of Grissom. I really like Laurence Fishburne, but they haven't done much to make the shows interesting since he came on. Hopefully they can rectify that next season and also decide where they want the 'lab rats' to be. One week people like Wendy and Hodges are in the lab, the next their out in the field. Make up your mind already. Also, do yourself a favor and get rid of the dreadfully dull Riley. Grade: C+

My Name is Earl: It's no surprise this show got the ax by NBC. It had been gradually losing its charm with each season. This finale revolved around the paternity of Joy's kids, which isn't anything that the audience really cared to know. I loved seeing Norm Macdonald return as Little Chubby, but even his quasi-Burt Reynolds impression couldn't salvage this mess. Earl and Randy just became too one-dimensional. I hope Jaime Pressley and Eddie Steeples can find other work though as they continued to be the only interesting characters on the show. Grade: C

Parks and Recreation: This show seems to have so much potential that was not being realized in these first six episodes. I like most of the cast members, but aside from Amy Pohler, none of them have gotten to do much comedically yet. I particularly want to see Rashida Jones get to do more next season as she is really talented. I still have a lot of hope for this show though because the six episodes of the Office's first season weren't amazing either. The finale did have its moments like Leslie and Mark's partying at the pit and Chris Pratt rattling off the various names his band has had over the years. Just like the park Leslie hopes to build, let's hope the creators of this show see their plan come to fruition and produce another quality sitcom. Grade: B-

The Office: There weren't as many fireworks as I would have expected in this one. It appears that they're going to try and do a slow burn with Michael and Holly, which is probably smart since they can't guarantee to have Amy Ryan full time. As cute as the pregnancy reveal was, I was slightly disappointed. Being a traditionalist, I would have preferred they got married before having the baby. I liked how they planted the seeds for a Dwight/Angela reunion, but thought it was weird that they introduced that creepy new friend of Dwight's. There wasn't anyone else (Mose?) that could have served the same purpose that we had seen before. Overall, a fairly funny episode but they've certainly had better finales. Grade: B+

30 Rock: This show continues to frustrate me as it often is more funny than the Office but does a terrible job trying to create decent storylines. If it's not careful it's going to turn into Family Guy where each episode is a collection of funny pop culture references strung together by a flimsy plot. I hope they seriously cut back on the celebrity guest appearances next season. Their 'We are the world' spoof to encourage organ donation was funny, but I would rather see more focus on Tracy, Jenna, and the writing staff. Although I'll never complain when Dr. Spaceman (Chris Parnell) stops by. Grade: B

Animation Domination: The post is already getting too long for me to do seperate reviews for each, so let me lump them all here. The Simpsons continues to vary between very funny episodes with no story and well crafted stories that have hardly any humor. Their finale on border patrol did a nice story but wasn't overly funny. Still, the show has been better this season than the past few. Family Guy's founding of Quahog story wasn't particularly engaging. None of the gags felt new, although I still always laugh whenever they somehow depict Joe losing his legs. Finally, I was disappointed American Dad couldn't end on a stronger note. The guy's night out storyline was just disturbing. Also, I'm not sure if Steve was in the episode at all and he's my favorite character. Overall though, this show has probably been the most consistent in terms of quality each week. The Simpsons: B- Family Guy: C American Dad: B

How I Met Your Mother: Well, it wasn't much advancement, but at least we got somewhere with figuring out who the mother is. I'm not sure if most people agree, but I loved the fact that Ted took the professor job. His life continues to mirror mine more and more closely. It's scary. I'm still not sold on Barney and Robin, but it definitely seems like they're heading in that direction. Overall, the season was kind of hampered by both female leads getting pregnant. Once they return next season, hopefully the core dynamic will be back as well. And hopefully they'll revisit some of their best moments like Robin Sparkles and the slap bet. Grade: B

24: Man, what an emotional finish to a season that saw this show return to form. They did a nice job of tying up the immediate threat while also providing us with a number of loose ends to look forward to next season. You know the show is going well when even the presence of Kim Bauer doesn't ruin things. Much of the credit belongs to the fresh faces this season. Jon Voigt was great as one of the show's primary villains. And the addition of the Renee Walker character has been stellar. She works so well with Jack, it feels like she's been around since Season 1. Speaking of Jack, he did an awesome job this season portraying a gamut of emotions. This is already a beloved character and he continued to bring the awesome. I cannot wait for this to return next January. Grade: A-