Fall Finales

Where did this Fall Finale idea come form anyway?  Since when did we wrap up shows way before Christmas - some before Thankgiving and have to wait way into January to find out what happens?

The one bright spot is that some shows had a delayed start and are doing a more normal schedule in November and December.  Mike and Molly and CBS's Thursday night line up are in this group. We have also had an early winter premiere or two - the weird Switched at Birth Christmas special and Hart of Dixie.

I found Switched at Birth weird because it didn't make any sense at all.  Of course it was fantasy but there should have been some reason to what happened.  It followed that Regina might never have gotten sober without the switch but Bay's family made no sense at all.  Why was not having the girls switched any sort of catelist for Catherine being the business woman and for their marriage to be so bad?  Not my favorite episode at all.

The best Fall Finale goes to Nashville.  Of course, we knew Rayna and what's his name weren't getting married.  We had seen her in her wedding dress. Even when they tried to say she had bought a different gown, we had still seen it before she was walking down the aisle.  The audience seeing the bride in the dress before the wedding isn't just bad luck it means a no-go.  And thank goodness.  Never have two characters had less chemistry or reason to marry than these two. I will say that the actor playing whats-his-name (truly I can't remember.  Is it Luke?) did sell me on the idea that he really loved Rayna at least a little. I still think this was as much about business for him as love.  Early on I thought he was a spy for Jeff Fordham.

Layla is gone.  Oh well, so sad.  We were just beginning to see some positives in Layla but certainly not enough to invest in the girl.  It's fairly easy to see where this is going.  Jeff is going to expect the mayor to help clean up his mess in exchange for not revealing Teddy's relationship with a call girl.

The reason I particularly liked this episode is that we did get a wedding, the surprise wedding of Avery and Juliette, my favorite couple.  I'm not sure how much of Juliette we will be seeing depending on their filming schedule as Hayden Panitierre just had her baby in real life and congratulations to her!  She is still my favorite character and singer on this show.  And her involvement with Avery has finally shown the primetime world what Jonathan Jackson has to offer.

The Good Wife gave us the best fall cliffhanger. Will Carey go to prison or is there some sort of last minute reprieve?  It isn't looking good for him.

Madam Secretary finally upped the pace and reduced the emphasis on the predictable crisis-of-the-week drama in favor of the overarching story.

Forever also had a fine Fall Finale but have they given us too much info too soon?  I'm not seeing long term series here but I do like the ride so far.  Everyone is just a little too quick to stand by Henry though if you ask me.  I'd be highly suspicious despite the handsome, charming exterior.

Modern Family had a particularly fun finish for 2014.  They have been doing a lot of episodes where the family doesn't blend and just have their own dramas and comedies within their respective households.  I think this makes more sense but they are far funnier when they mix it up.  I love how Gloria was instigating trouble for Claire.  And the whole 'where babies come from' with the younger kids was hilarious.  Lily can sometimes be a bit much and this episode had her more balanced with the other children.

The Big Bang theory had a lovely 'ahh' moment with Sheldon and Amy.  There were so many 'why didn't they just...' moments with the bird in the clean room but then if they had, we wouldn't have been laughing so hard.  I'm sympathetic.  Just the other day, I accidentally let a bird in the house.  My husband easily caught it and released it outdoors in minutes.  

So what to watch for the next few weeks?  I have some shows on DVD and I'm trying to spread them out so there will be plenty to enjoy as it looks like it will be at least mid-January before we are in full swing.