TV season ends in lunatic fringe of plots revealed

[Sydney]

TV season ends in lunatic fringe of plots revealed, fates sealed

DOUGLAS DURDEN
POINT OF VIEW May 27, 2005


This is how crazy the last week of the May sweeps turned out to be: The two biggest season finales of the year -- ABC's "Lost" and Fox's "American Idol" -- went head to head, causing near apoplexy for fans of both.

Thank God for recording devices and the fact that most of "American Idol's" two hours was missable.

As if the above wasn't enough excitement, this was also the week that provided some answers and more questions to the season's other two most suspenseful series: ABC's "Desperate Housewives" and Fox's "24."

Here's how the four season finales stacked up for this viewer:

Most satisfying (if you were looking for answers): "Desperate Housewives." Now we know why Mary Alice killed herself. And we have an entirely new set of desperate problems for next season, including desperate husbands. And, as promised, a major character died.

Least satisfying (if you were looking for answers): "Lost." All that for this? Now I have to spend the entire summer wondering what's at the end of the tunnel under the hatch, and what's going to happen to little Walt, kidnapped from the raft in the show's final moments. Oh, right; that would be the point -- making sure we come back next fall. But don't think I'm happy about it!



Least satisfying (if you like Lynyrd Skynyrd wannabes with killer smiles): "American Idol." Based on Tuesday's final showdown between Southern rocker Bo Bice and country singer Carrie Underwood, Bice clearly turned in the better performances. But, as judge Simon Cowell predicted, Underwood won. In all fairness, however, her performance with Rascal Flatts on Wednesday showed true star quality.




Most bloated: "American Idol's" two hours. Everything viewers needed to know could have been covered in five minutes. The only two songs we needed to hear (Bice with Lynyrd Skynyrd and Underwood with Rascal Flatts) could have been covered in 10 minutes.

But Fox wanted two hours in which to promote its fall schedule, and "American Idol" wanted to give maximum exposure to the other 10 almost-Idols who'll be touring in concert this summer. That explains why we had to endure the likes of Anthony Fedorov and Anwar Robinson performing with Kenny G.

But far, far worse was an interminable comedy skit featuring an "expos?" of Simon Cowell's secret love, which turned out to be Cowell himself.

Clearly meant as an antidote to recent allegations that fellow judge Paula Abdul had a relationship with a former contestant, the skit bombed bigger than last season's William Hung, who even had a cameo. We expect bad performances from "American Idol" in its early episodes, not its season finale.

Biggest non-surprise: Arzt, the verbose schoolteacher on "Lost," gets blown up. It's the old "Star Trek" syndrome. Add a character never seen before, and you just know he's marked for death. But he did provide some unexpected humor in the season finale. (See next entry.)

Best one-liner: "There are 40 other survivors of this plane crash, and we're all people, too" -- said by Arzt shortly before becoming compost and after complaining about not being part of the "cool clique."

Biggest understatement: "This is not going to be pleasant" -- said by Sayid on "Lost" right before cauterizing Charlie's head wound with gunpowder.

Most promotional: This is a hard call. On "American Idol," Fox was busy promoting shows that won't be seen until the fall or later. But ABC's "Lost" created a built-in audience for the next day's "Good Morning America" by promising to air a scene deleted because of time. (It turned out to be a brief conversation between Charlie and Claire in which she explained her hesitation about naming her baby.)

Most intriguing setup for next season: "24." Both "Desperate Housewives" and "Lost" gave us cliffhangers galore. But by turning government agent Jack Bauer into a total pariah (his death was faked to avoid his being assassinated, and if you don't know the particulars, it's way too confusing to go into now), an entirely new set of possibilities exists for the next season of "24."

Most thoughtful season finale: a tie between "Lost" and "24."

All season long, "24" has been about the choice between doing the right thing to benefit millions or doing the right thing to benefit an individual. That was brought home in numerous scenes in Monday's season finale, including the final split between Jack and Audrey Raines, and Michelle's agonizing choice concerning ex-husband Tony's life-or-death situation.

"Lost" is about redemption, featuring a collection of lost souls doomed until a plane crash gave them a second chance. Wednesday's two-hour finale, full of dramatic flashbacks and poignant farewells, demonstrated how far those lost souls have come.


Contact Douglas Durden at (804) 649-6359 or ddurden@timesdispatch.com