And there's no one there to comfort you

I like television. A lot. And I watch a lot of television. Part of the fun of watching television are the season finales, where all the storylines of the season (however much or little there was in the way of an arch) come to ahead. They're either resolved or brought to a moment of crisis to entice you back next season: Ross will say Rachel's name at his wedding to Emily; Buffy will die to save her sister's life; high school students will graduate (usually with some sort of loud, raucous party).


So far I've seen a couple of decent finales, but the second season ending of Veronica Mars might have been the greatest finale I've ever seen. Somehow, in a mere 42 minutes, it managed to weave innocent nostalgia, heart-wrenching suspense and a sense of closure with the hint of mystery for next season. I've said it before to whoever will listen, and I'll say it again: Veronica Mars is the best show on network television.


On the other side of the fence, the Smallville season finale had me a little perplexed: where do we go from here? It wasn't bad per se, but I've really turned my opinion around on this show this season. I used to love it, watched all the DVDs, wandered around humming that damned catchy theme song to myself; now, I'm wondering how close the series is from collapsing under the weight of its own limitations. Clark Kent's coming of age has a limited shelf-live. He's already graduated high school, he's found out about his alien birth and the secrets of Krypton. So how much longer can they delay putting him in the blue leotard? This season cliff-hanger saw Lex being replaced with Zod and Clark trapped in the Phantom Zone. We know, cognitively, that most characters are "safe" from real harm because of their importance in the Superman universe. We know Clark has to get out; we know Lois isn't going to die in the plane crash. Okay... he needs to become Superman now. But of course once that happens the appeal of the show is over. And what happened to Lana? She can't take Clark's lies to protect her, but is fine with Lex's unique ethics? She's become a really annoying character this season; not even her obvious hotness redeems her anymore.