[9.5/10] They got me. They really did. I believed that Saul would do it, that he would find a way to lie, cheat, and steal out of suffering any real consequences for all the pain and losses he is responsible for. I believed that he would trade in Kim's freedom and chance to make a clean break after baring her soul in exchange for a damn pint of ice cream. I have long clocked Better Call Saul as a tragedy, about a man who could have been good, and yet, through both circumstance and choice, lists inexorably toward becoming a terrible, arguably evil person. I thought this would be the final thud of his descent, selling out the one person on this Earth who loved him to feather his own nest.
Maybe Walt was right when he said that Jimmy was "always like this." Maybe Chuck was right that there something inherently corrupt and untrustworthy in the heart of his little brother. This post-Breaking Bad epilogue has been an object lesson in the depths to which Gene Takovic will stoop in order to feed his addiction and get what he wants. There would be no greater affirmation of the completeness of his craven selfishness and cruelty than throwing Kim under the bus to save himself.
Only, in the end, that's the feint, that's the trick, that's the con, on the feds and the audience. When Saul hears that Kim took his words to heart and turned herself in, facing the punishments that come with it, he can't sit idly by and profit from his own lies and bullshit. He doesn't want to sell her out; he wants to fall on the sword in front of her, make sure she knows that he knows what he did wrong.Despite his earlier protestations that his only regret was not making more money or avoiding knee damage, he wants to confess in a court of law that he regrets the choices that led him here and the pain he caused, and most of all he regrets that they led to losing her.
In that final act of showmanship and grace, he lives up to the advice Chuck gives him in the flashback scene here, that if he doesn't like the road that his bad choices have led him, there's no shame in taking a different path. Much as Walt did, at the end of the line, Saul admits his genuine motives, he accepts responsibility for his choices after years of blame and evasion. Most of all, he takes his name back, a conscious return to being the person that Kim once knew, in form and substance. It is late, very late, when it happens, but after so much, Jimmy uses his incredible skills to accept his consequences, rather than sidestep them, and he finds the better path that Kim always believed he could walk, one that she motivates him to tread.
It is a wonderful finale to this all-time great show. I had long believed that this series was a tragedy. It had to be, given where Jimmy started and where the audience knew Saul ended. But as it was always so good at doing, Better Call Saul surprised me, with a measured bit of earned redemption for its protagonist, and moving suggestion that with someone we care for and who cares of us, even the worst of us can become someone and something better. In its final episode, the series offered one more transformation -- from a tale of tragedy, to a story of hope.
(On a personal note, I just want to say thank you to everyone who read and commented on my reviews here over the years. There is truly no show that's been as rewarding for me to write about than Better Call Saul, and so much of that owes to the community of people who offered me the time and consideration to share my thoughts, offered their kind words, and helped me look at the series in new ways with their thoughtful comments. I don't know what the future holds, but I am so grateful to have been so fortunate as to share this time and these words with you.)
EDIT: One last time, here is my usual, extended review of the finale in case anyone's interested -- https://thespool.net/reviews/better-call-saul-series-finale-recap-saul-gone/
For the love if shit, people. Without the first 3 episodes we wouldn't have this episode. Without the first 3 episodes this one wouldn't be as impactful. It's storytelling and all part of a larger whole. Stop saying, "finally we're getting somewhere," or "this is what the show should have been from the start." Its a journey. Just sit back and enjoy the ride. Holy shit.
What a performance by Bella Ramsey! She has been amazing from episode one but, this episode she delivered everything!!
I don't think many people realize how important this episode, and Brooklyn Nine-Nine in general, are. The show's talked about many issues, and I think it's very important that this episode focused on white supremacy and police brutality towards the black community. I love Brooklyn Nine-Nine and I think it's one of the most underrated sitcoms of this generation. More people should focus on this show. Please do not get it cancelled.
This episode just shows that you don't need action, just well performed dialog. I had a few moments that just had me on the brink of tears, but the "feels" were real. I love this series.
Time will remember this episode considerably more fondly than the people who are disappointed about it on the day it comes out. Admittedly not everyone likes musicals, and that's fine, but it's a joy to watch Star Trek take exciting chances in storytelling. The episode also includes some valuable callbacks (Callforwards?) to TOS
After 6 seasons of meticulous setups and character developments, the series finale of The Americans ends, appropriately enough, on a quiet note.
The episode has very minimal dialog. Each word is carefully consumed. The rest is driven by imageries, powerful performances from 4 leads (Philip, Elizabeth, Stan, and Paige), and effective selection of music from Dire Straits, U2, Tchaikovsky, and the series composer Nathan Barr.
Three amazing scenes.
The garage: The exchange between Stan, Philip, Elizabeth, and Paige is more suspenseful than all the heists, chases, and kills in the entire series, driven solely by performances.
The train: Totally unexpected and perhaps the most dramatic and heartbreaking scene in the entire series.
The car ride home: The border crossing, Elizabeth finally sleeping in peace lovingly leaning against Philip. They lived in a sea of lies. But their marriage was as real as any. The only thing they can trust as 100% authentic. Absolutely beautiful.
These three scenes are expertly interconnected with fantastic ensemble and writings.
The series finale will stick in my mind for years to come.
Each episode has me more and more impressed with Bella's portrayal of Ellie. It's excellent.
Also, Ellie checking her hair in the reflection was super cute.
[8.4/10] We live in the finite. Everyone reading this has a limited amount of time on this plane of existence. Maybe you believe there’s an eternal paradise waiting on the other end. Maybe you believe in reincarnation. Maybe you believe that we’re simply waves whose essence is returned to the fabric of the universe. Whatever you believe, almost all of us can agree that whatever we have here, our fragile world and fragile bodies, are not built to last.
That is both terrifying and maddening: terrifying because, like Janet, none of us truly knows what’s on the other side, and maddening because there is so much to do and see and experience even in this finite world, and given how few bearimies we have on this mortal coil, most of us will only have the chance to sample a tiny fraction of it.
So The Good Place gives us a fantasy. It’s not a traditional one, of endless bliss or perpetual pleasure or unbridled success. Instead, it imagines an afterlife where there’s time enough to become unquestionably fulfilled, to accomplish all that we could ever want, to step into the bounds of the next life or the next phase of existence or even oblivion at peace. The finale to Michael Schur’s last show, Parks and Recreation, felt like a dose of wish fulfillment, but with this ending, The Good Place blows it out of the water.
Each of our heroes receives the ultimate send-off. By definition, nearly all of them have found ultimate satisfaction, a sense of peacefulness in their existence that makes them okay to leave it, having connected with their loved ones, improved themselves, and accomplished all that they wanted to. If “One Last Ride” seemed to give the denizens of Pawnee everything they’d ever wanted, “Whenever You’re Ready” makes that approach to a series finale nigh-literal for the residents of The Good Place.
And yet, there’s a sense of melancholy to it all, if only because every person who emerges from paradise at peace and ready to leave, has to say goodbye to people who love them. Most folks take it in stride, with little more than an “oh dip” or an “aw shoot”, but there’s still something sad about people who leave loved ones behind, and whom the audience has come to know and love, bidding what is, for all intents and purposes, a final farewell.
But The Good Place finds ways to make that transcendent joy for each of our heroes feel real. Jason...completes a perfect game of Madden (controlling Blake Bortles, no less). He gets loving send-offs from his father and best friend. He enjoys one last routine with his dance crew. He inadvertently lives the life of a monk while trying to find the necklace he made for Janet. It is the combination of the idiotic, the sweet, and the unexpectedly profound, which has characterized Jason.
Tahani learns every skill she dreamed of mastering (including learning wood-working from Ron Swanson and/or Nick Offerman!). She connects with her sister and develops a loving relationship with her parents. And when it’s time to go, she realizes she has more worlds left to conquer and becomes an architect, a fitting destination for someone who was always so good at designing and creating events for the people she cares about. Hers is one of the few stories that continues, and it fits her.
Chidi doesn't have the same sort of list of boxes checked that leads him to the realization that he has nothing more to do. Sure, he’s read all of the difficult books out there and seemingly refined the new afterlife system (with help from the council) to where it’s running smoothly, almost on automatic. But his realization is more from a state of being happy with where everything is, with what he’s experienced.
He has dinner with his best friend and Eleanor’s best friends and has so many times. He’s spent endless blissful days with the love of his (after)life staring at the sunset. His mom kissed Eleanor and left lipstick on her cheek, which Eleanor’s mom wiped off. I love that. I love that it’s something more ineffable for Chidi, a sense of the world in balance from all the bonds he’s forged rather than a list of things he’s done. And I love that he felt that readiness to move on for a long time, but didn’t for Eleanor’s sake.
Look, we’re at the end of the series, and I’m still not 100% on board with Eleanor/Chidi, which is a flaw. But I want to like it. I like the idea of it. And I especially like the idea of someone being at peace, but sacrificing the need to take the next step for the sake of someone they love. The saddest part of this episode is Eleanor doing everything she can to show Chidi that there’s more to do, only to accept that the moral rule in this situation says that her equal and opposite love means letting him go. Chidi’s departure is hard, but his gifts to Eleanor are warm, and almost justify this half-formed love story that’s driven so much of the show.
Unfortunately, no matter how much peace he finds, Michael cannot walk through the door that leads to whatever comes next. So instead, he gets the thing he always wanted -- to become human, or as Eleanor puts it, a real boy. Ted Danson plays the giddiness of this to the hilt, his excitement at doing simple human things, the symbolism of him learning to play a guitar on earth, on taking pleasure in all the mundane annoyances and simple fun and things we meat-sacks take for granted. Each day of humanity is a new discovery for Michael, and there’s something invigorating about that, something heightened by his own delight at not knowing what happens next in the most human of ways.
The one character who gets the least indication of a next step is Janet. We learn that she is Dr. Manhattan, experiencing all of time at once. We see her accept Jason’s passing, hug our departing protagonists, and take steps to make herself just a touch more human to make her time with Jason a little more right. But hers is a story of persistence, of continued growth, in a way that we don’t really have for anyone else.
Along the way, the show checks in with scads of minor characters to wrap things up. We see the other test subjects having made it into The Good Place (or still being tested). We see Doug Forcett deciding to party hard now that he’s in Heaven. We see Shawn secretly enjoy the new status quo, and Vicky go deep into her new role, and The Judge...get into podcasts! As much as this show tries to get the big things right for all of its major characters, it also takes time to wrap up the little things and try not to leave any loose threads from four seasons of drop-ins across the various planes of existence.
That just leaves Eleanor. She takes the longest of any of the soul squad to be ready. She tries, becoming okay with Chidi’s absence. She overcomes her fear of being alone. But most importantly, she does what she’s come to do best -- help people better herself. There’s self-recognition in the way her final great act, the thing that makes her okay with leaving this plane and entering another, is seeing herself in Mindy St. Clair and trying to save her. The story of The Good Place is one of both self-improvement and the drive to help others do the same. Saving Mindy, caring about her, allows Eleanor to do both in one fell swoop.
So she too walks through the door, beautifully rendered as the bend between two trees in a bucolic setting. Her essence scatters through the universe, with one little brilliant speck of her wave, crashing back into Michael’s hands, reminding him of his dear friend, and inspiring him to pass on that love and sincerity back into the world. It is, as trite as it sounds, both an end and a beginning, something circular that returns the good deeds our protagonists have done, the good people they have become, into some type of cycle that helps make the rest of this place a little better.
Moments end. Lives end. T.V. shows end. The Good Place has its cake and eats it too, returning to and twisting key moments like Michael welcoming Eleanor to the afterlife, while cutting an irrevocable path from here through the crash of the wave. It embraces the way that the finite gives our existence a certain type of meaning, whether we have a million bearimies to experience the joys and wonders of the universe, or less than a hundred years to see and do and feel whatever we can. And it sends Team Cockroach home happy, wherever and whatever their new “home” may be.
In that, The Good Place is a marvel, not just because it told a story of ever-changing afterlife shenanigans, not just because it tried to tackle the crux of moral philosophy through an off-the-wall network sitcom, but because it ended a successful show, after only four seasons, by sending each of them into another phase of existence and made it meaningful. There’s a million things to do with our limited time on this planet, but watching The Good Place was an uplifting, amusing, challenging, and above all worthwhile use of those dwindling minutes, even if we’ll never have as many as Eleanor or Chidi, Michael or Tahani, Janet or Jason, or any of the other souls lucky enough to be able to choose how much eternity is enough.
The newly introduced character of Ulana Khomyuk is an amalgamation of several actual characters who worked with Legasov to prevent the second explosion. Even though she is fictional, she provides invaluable insight into the even greater danger of a potential second explosion. The possibility of that second explosion is fact. It would have happened if not for the bravery of the three men who volunteered to drain the water tanks.
The conflict between Legasov and Shcherbina was remarkable. This series continues to amaze with its recreation of the event, but adds just the right amount of dramatization without being offensive to those of us who find the facts as, if not more important, than just being entertained.
So this episode released early (and also has lead to the rest of the episodes being brought forward a week) and I genuinely could not be happier with it. It's everything I ever wanted it to be and more and will definitely be something I watch over and over again.
Where is the 11th heart for this episode?
I was so tense when the x-wing appeared and I was holding my breath for the whole fight. When he pulls of the hood I couldn't help but crying.
Even if the show would stop right there I would be very happy. But I am also very eager to see what comes next.
It's going to be a long year.
Ford: “Here let me tell you what is happening”
Me right now: what the fuck is happening?
The shot where Anakin walks into the smoke during the clone wars and that blink and miss Anakin-Vader-Anakin transition was a thing of beauty :sob::sob::sob:
What an absolute perfect ending, and I say this while admitting this ending didn't go the way I expected it to. Like honestly, how many of us actually thought Picard was going to survive this episode? I didn't, but I'm damn sure glad he did, even if we never see any of these TNG characters ever again, which I honestly doubt we won't given the ending. This was an emotional final send off however for this crew that honored and respected each of them throughout the season, every single one of them got their grand moment to shine, Riker with his asteroid, Geordi with his ship, Worf with his rescue, Crusher with her contraction discovery, Data defeated Lore, Troi rescued them in the end with her love for Riker, and Picard saved his son. And how about that borg queen, holy absolute hell was she horrifying looking or what? Anyway, what a beautiful ending that they all deserved, and one last poker game for the sake of it all. Am I excited about the future with Q showing up to tease the next series with the Enterprise G? Sure, but not as happy as I am that the old timers I grew up with got their swan song and somehow, someway, all survived. And if you didn't burst into tears when Riker and Worf decided to stay back to find Picard, basically sealing their death, then damn it I don't know what will satisfy you in life. Was this show perfect? Fuck no. Was the 3rd season without flaws? Bahaha, no! But if you can't appreciate what this really was meant to be here, I don't judge you, I just feel sad you couldn't feel the raw enjoyment the rest of us felt, because this was fucking awesome.
OMG OMG OMG that was some of the best star wars since return of the jedi. PURE AMAZING. PERIOD.
Swerve swerve swerve. I can't say I'm surprised, it's what Westworld is known for however this felt less organic then before and more like we were intentionally lead down the wrong path just to have the big revelation in the end that we were wrong. Problem is none of it was surprising or inspiring, it didn't make you go "oh what???" like in season 1 when we found out William was the man in black, it just made you go oh whatever...
Maeve switched sides, saw that coming. Dolores wanted to save humanity now? Please... There's a man in black robot? Already knew that, don't care what comes from it. Don't believe Dolores is really dead, don't care if she isn't, don't believe William is either, don't care if he isn't. William didn't end up saving anything, Hale is a bitch again. The only real emotional part of the episode was seeing Bernard visit Arnold's family and that still wasn't even that spectacular. Bernard has the key... to what exactly? Everyone got their catch phrase in. This episode just showed the show's gone on too long and the story is all over the place. To think it's going to keep going feels more like a chore then something to be excited for. With any mercy they end this thing with a 3 or 4 episode arch in season 4 and be done with it.
Alas Westworld, this pain is all I have left of you.
– Was I, Master? Was I a worthy finale?
– No. But you put on a hell of a show.
Wow. I might be the only one that liked this... From last week's awesome animated crossover to this week's the point when Spock started singing. I just love how they are trying new things in Trek. Doesn't hurt that I love a good musical.
Ahhhhhh i’m so happy they are not shying away from the tough conversations on what it means to be Captain America in this decade. I love symbolism in storytelling and there’s no stronger symbol than that shield, and the way they have used it as a vehicle and representative of the different American identities (good and (really) bad) has been incredible.
Steve Rogers, John Walker, Sam Wilson and Isaiah Bradley all represent sides of the US that co-exist, and John Walker being the effective Captain America for most of this show isn’t accidental - he’s the side of America that’s most present and salient right now (in the world off the screen), but ending the show with Sam Wilson carrying that shield - and going through all the issues that that might bring up - is as powerful a message as any - one of hope and of what the US should aspire to be. Steve Rogers is no longer enough, Steve Rogers is the American Dream - Isaiah Bradley the American Reality - and Sam Wilson is both. This show, and all of Captain America’s storyline, is about so much more than just men in spandex and they’ve done a fantastic job taking it even further here. Glad Marvel is still delivering after so many years, makes me proud to be a fan!
I'm running out of superlatives for this show. I continue to marvel at the historical accuracy of the events. I was waiting to see if they would recreate one of the most amazing facts about the accident...the clearing of the roof by the "biorobots". 90 seconds. 90 seconds on the roof to receive a lifetime dose of radiation. And going out on that roof wasn't voluntary. Nice government. Also, the scenes of young Pavel being forced to liquidate starving, deserted family pets was one of the saddest things I've ever watched.
The opening scene features an old woman milking a cow while being told by a soldier to leave her farm for her own safety. She tells him she's not leaving and recalls the history of her life under the iron boot of the communist system. The mention of the horrific Holodomor was shocking to me. It seems that kind of reflection on past evils (other than Hitler's Nazis) is never mentioned.
This series has pulled absolutely no punches showing the oppression and brutality of the Soviet government. I hope that support for such a system, no matter how well intended, never sees the light of day again.
"Why tell a deadman the future?"
I couldn't have asked for a more fitting finale for this "piece of an art" mini-series. The bar was set high. It could've been either like the GoT finale or Breaking Bad finale. So glad they stayed consistent from start to finish. Undoubtedly, this ranks among the greatest miniseries ever produced.
Many people may be dissatisfied with the finale if they expected to watch an all-out war, which contradicts the entire idea of the show.
What the f...?
I really loved that episode! Ethan Peck played that role fascinatingly good. What a blast this second season is.
At this point I simply couldn't care less if it isn't exactly like the books, this show is setting a new standard for sci-fi and storytelling like The Expanse did a couple years ago or the Wachowski's did a few decades ago. Apple TV is winning the streaming war right now ( if we judge on quality )
This episode is phenomenal! We follow Din Djarin after the events of The Mandalorian season 2 finale, as he learns how to use the Dark Saber. This episode does a great job continuity-wise in referencing what happened to Mandalore in Star Wars: Rebels! The cinematography in this episode was mind-blowingly beautiful! And near the end, as he was testing his new Naboo Starfighter, I got a little Phantom-Menace-Podracing-scene vibe from it. After that, he met up with Fennec Shand, and he said he will help Boba free of charge, but he has to see a "little friend" first! GROGU REUNION! Can't wait for the next episode!
I get that some people didn't like the tonal shift of this episode and interruption of the main plot, but I loved all the Star Wars references/parallels.
El trying to pull the train car was obviously reminiscent of Luke trying lift his X-Wing in The Empire Strikes Back (except that El succeeded!). Kali essentially tempted El with the dark side of the Force by teaching her use anger to strengthen her powers. Kali even manipulates El into force choking one of "the bad men" almost to death before El has a change of heart.
In the end, El chose to use happy, loving memories (not angry, painful ones) to connect to her friends and, discovering that they are in danger, left Kali to save them. This is similar how Luke had a vision of Han and Leia in danger and left Yoda to save them.
The questions remaining after this episode: Is El walking into a trap like Luke did? Can Kali be redeemed? Will she return to Hawkins to help El? Would her powers even be effective against the demogorgons or the shadow monster?
I’ve been going through some really hard times lately, and this episode is the first thing in weeks that made me genuinely laugh. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.
I've been thinking for 30 minutes how to review this without spoilers but I'm as giddy as a 10 year old right now. Simply shell shocked. This was pure pleasure for any Star Wars fan, just go watch it (again)
