Donna Jack: A Lady of Infinite Jest

Note: There are massive spoilers below for The Venture Brothers, Supernatural, Lost, Battlestar Galactica, and Star Trek: The Next Generation.

Day 26 - OMG WTF? Season finale

I always seem to get behind these on the weekends, and this one is no different. What is different is that a family tragedy is behind the delay. I should be attending a wedding in a few hours, but there's now no wedding to attend.

I can't think of many season finales that completely blew my mind, so let's do a short list of those that made me and Quixote flail. In order of increasing flail:


5. The Venture Brothers, S1: "Return to Spider-Skull Island"

Not only does Rusy have a tumor that ends up being surgically removed only to skitter away and scientifically engineer itself a robot body so that it can kick Rusty's ass... but the boys run away in a fit of jealousy, get "scared straight" by the Monarch in jail, and then get themselves blown up (for keeps!) by the Monarch's henchmen.


4. Supernatural, S1: "Devil's Trap"

This cliffhanger had me scramblin for the Internet to double-check that the series had actually been renewed, because it was so macabrely perfect that it could've served as a suitable end to the show. It was and I sighed a sigh of relief... but, holy hell, it would have worked.


3. Lost, S5: "The Incident"

We get our first glimpse of Jacob, along with his mysterious counterpart. Just in time for Ben to kill Jacob, stabbing him repeatedly at the behest of John Locke. Who, and here's the shocker, is not actually John Locke. That was the most upsetting thing for me, realizing that Locke was actually dead and something terrible was wearing his face.


2. Battlestar Galactica, S1: "Kobol's Last Gleaming" (Part 2)

Sharon's not just a Cylon, she's a sleeper agent! There's a military coup! Apollo is arrested for mutiny! Starbuck abandons her post to pursue the Arrow of Apollo! But, most shockingly... Sharon manages to shoot Commander Adama twice in the stomach before the episode ends. At that point in time, as Quixote says, no one knew if the show was going to be back and Edward James Olmos with it. A truly shocking moment. (Luckily, I didn't start watching until S2, so I just scrambled to secure the first of the second season episodes after I finished my DVDs.)


1. Star Trek: The Next Generation, S3: "Best of Both Worlds" (Part 1)

Captain Jean-Luc Picard is no more, Locutus of Borg having taken his place. Commander Riker orders the Enterprise to fire upon the Borg ships containing our former beloved captain. It doesn't get more OMG WTF than this.

( 30 Days of TV: The List )

Over the years, Supernatural has emerged as a show heavily dependent on Judeo-Christian mythology. Sure, they've dabbled in countless cultures and the monsters and spirits thereof; however, a show about the Judeo-Christian apocalypse must de facto give that belief system precedence.

This has led to a most unfortunate inconsistency.

A couple of weeks ago, 5.19 aired. In this episode, entitled "Hammer of the Gods", the Winchesters are captured by various gods from non-Christian pantheons as those gods try to figure out how best to use them as bargaining chips against the Judeo-Christian forces currently waiting to tear the world apart.

This episode had so much potential, but instead further muddied Supernatural's mythos.

( Spoilers up to 5.19 no doubt lurk behind this cut. )

Speaking of Lucifer, Lost starts in three minutes! Gotta run.