Happy Trails

There was supposed to be ten episodes this season and all of a sudden it's made clear that episode 9 is the acual last episode. To top it off, the actual episode itself (minus recap, opening and ending credits) was only about 30 minutes long and it feels more rushed than just about any season finale I've ever seen. All the story threads were haphazzardly tied up in a truly awful way. Not sure what happened but this was just a terrible end to an otherwise fun season of television. Cannot believe how badly they dropped the ball on this. What an embarassment. It ends on a cliffhanger that was so contrived and poorly set up that you could be excused for missing the lame reasoning given.

Unlike some people, when I watch a fictional TV show, I am not angered by the fact that some parts of it may be unrealistic.

I have agreed to watch this fictional program on the premise that the characters are not real and that the situations are scripted, so I'm always surprised when people give a fictional show a lower rating because it is unbelievable.

Now with that out of the way, I want to express how much I enjoyed this season. I binged this season in a weekend and was always rewarded with a great cast, fun storytelling, and for once a female character who was allowed to be as screwed up as the men (Thanks Agent Beale).

I got on this bandwagon late but I am going to hang on for the ride.

The ending of the episode (without giving spoilers) is heart sinking. At once I felt the character I was rooting for was certainly doomed, but I consoled myself by thinking it can't be... the show must go on. It's the kind of obstacle a good writer puts before it's hero or antihero, to bring drama to the show and audience, but ultimately the viewer wants to see the hero emerge from the fray. In a good book or series this cycle of angst for the viewer is what makes the show worth tuning in for. I have to hand it to the writers and Stallone, this drama series has all the excitement and feels. It has some elements we expect in gangster movies, but it is also fresh. Stallone is great in this role. Dominick Lombardozzi is standout as Chickie Invernizzi. His performance is so good. It is comparable to John Bernthal as Shane in Season 2 of the walking dead as he spirals. We see his tortured mind like when Antony loses his grip in Rome. Very well done indeed!

Terence Winter, Tulsa King's showrunner, wrote this Season Finale, and did a poor job of it. He ties up (often too neatly -read: phony) loose ends of the story and characters' fates, and sets up the stage for Season Two, but even with his estimable track record of producing several of TV's most successful gangster shows, the work here is pure cliche.

Segment opens with an ultraviolent flashback showing how Sly ended up in prison for a long stretch. Episode has an unsatisfactory anticlimax in a violent shootout and showdown for Sly with the #1 villain, poorly staged by director Lodge Kerrigan. A sappy epilogue paints a pollyannaish happy ending for our beloved characters, leading inevitably to a twist that establishes Season Two's starting point.

Sly gets to take center stage for a Henry V style pep talk monologue to his troops midway through the show, but it's weak writing, relying entirely on the star's charisma to deliver it earnestly.

Use of perhaps Phil Collins' "greatest hit" song (certainly his most-played) to bck up the violent shootout and then play out the end credits is TV at its laziest - making the viewers feel good via nostalgia of hearing Phil's classic rather than dwell on what we're watching.

No Spoilers: Sometimes it's OK if a show is somewhat predictable. You don't always have to have crazy plot twists for a show to be enjoyable. While I haven't been shocked by the plot, the show, this episode in particular, I've just been a pleasure to watch. Great character development! You feel like you really know the characters. You find yourself caring about what happens to them. I can't wait to see the last two episodes! Yes, Sylvester Stallone is obviously a true Hollywood star. He commands every scene that he's in. Sometimes TV series that feature a movie star focus so heavily on the star but the rest of the characters just don't really matter to you. That's not the case here. Stallone is amazing, but he still allows the supporting cast to shine as well.