Five Season Finales Sure to Keep Fans in Suspense

Just last month our favorite shows returned from the hiatus forced by the writer’s strike and now it’s already time for the shortened seasons to come to an end.  But which series season finales promise the most bang for our buck?

This season fans will have to bid good bye to more than their shows for the summer.  Several series will be saying farewell to longtime characters – or at least these characters’ fates hang in the balance.

Beware:  the following might contain spoilers.

Here’s my list of the Top 5 Season Finales to watch:

1.  Supernatural

Dean’s (Jensen Ackles) deal with the crossroads demon from last year’s explosive finale finally comes due this week.  But holding the contract is Lilith (Rachel Pattee), the newest bad ass on the block and she’s gunning for Sam (Jared Padelecki).  Can the Winchester brothers defeat this pint-sized demon with enormous power?  Will Dean find a way out of the contract without sacrificing Sam or will he join the demons he hates in Hell?  And if Dean is hellbound, can Sam survive without him? 

I’ve heard no word that Ackles is leaving the show (in fact, I’ve heard he wants to stay) and I can’t image Supernatural without Dean, but I have a feeling the executive producer Eric Kripke isn’t going to give Dean an easy out on this deal.  Expect an exciting hour with killer music, the return of Ruby (Katie Cassidy) and one very big cliffhanger.  The Season 4 finale airs May 15 at 9 p.m. on CW.

2.  NCIS

Rumors have been flying since this show returned in April that one of the main characters will not be returning in the fall.  The absence of Director Jenny Shepard (Lauren Holly) in the “Stakeout” episode where Ducky (David McCullum) handles some blood work for the director has many speculating that Shepard is on her way out.

But this fifth season death won’t be from any long-term disease.  It’ll be murder and from what I’ve read it’ll be a tragedy that devastates the entire team in the two-hour finale.  We seen many of the characters put in jeopardy during the last few weeks, but my money is still on the director.  But we’ll have to wait until the finale airs on May 20 at 8 p.m. on CBS to find out.

3.  Bones

I’ve read that in the Season 4 premiere that Dr. Brennan (Emily Deschanel) will be looking for a new full-time forensic anthropologist.  But just why is Bones looking for a new staff member?  Well, the Gormogon killer returns for the season finale and all the clues point to an insider in the Jeffersonian.  Will the killer off one of Bones’ own team before Booth (David Boreanaz) can find him or could one of the team members be the killer?

If a serial killer in the lab isn’t enough, Angela’s (Michaela Conlin) long-lost husband shows up.  Will his perfectness be enough to drive Hodgins (T.J. Thyne) to homicide or will Angela finally get the divorce that she wants (she still wants it, right?)?  The third season finale airs on May 19 at 8 p.m. on Fox.

4.  Numb3rs

If this year’s season finale is anything like the Season 3 finale we are in for one helluva ride.  Last year’s finale was by far one of the best season finales on TV last season.  On Friday, we will hopefully learn more about Megan’s (Diane Farr) mysterious personal leave that sent her to the East Coast in the last episode before we bid her character farewell.

But Megan’s exit seems minor compared to a case that is about to set the Eppes brothers at odds.  While Don (Rob Morrow) and the FBI deal with a potential terrorist attack, it’s a battle of knowledge vs. security that Don will wage with his brother Charlie (David Krumholtz). Season 4 concludes on May 16 at 10 p.m. on CBS.

5.  CSI

For the last three seasons, the season finale has found a member of the CSI team in peril – last year Sara (Jorja Fox) was kidnapped by the miniature killer, the year before Brass (Paul Guilfoyle) was in surgery after being shot and in Season 5 Nick (George Eads) was buried alive.  But this year, Warrick (Gary Dourdan) is in jeopardy – and I have the feeling that he’s not going to fare as well as his teammates.

We already know that Dourdan is leaving the show, we just don’t know yet how.  In the season finale, Warrick is once again in trouble – this time he’s a suspect for murder of a big-time Vegas gangster.  Is Warrick headed for lock up or will he be a victim of retaliation?  The eighth season finale airs May 15 on CBS at 9 p.m.

And one series finale that I’m not looking forward to – Smallville.

In its seventh season, Smallville is about to loose the best villain on TV at a time when it is already showing its age.  I’ve already talked about how Smallville needed to take the next step and let Clark Kent (Tom Welling) don his cape.  I was hoping to see Clark make the transition to Superman in this season finale – and what I thought would be a series finale. 

But due to the shortened season, the powers that be have granted this superhero another season.  But the eighth season looks to be a shell of the former series.  The series already lost Lionel Luthor (John Glover) earlier this year.  And word has it that Clark’s arch nemesis Lex (Michael Rosenbaum) and his high school sweetheart Lana Lang (Kristin Kreuk) will not be returning as regular cast in the fall.  And now there’s a possibility that we’re losing Chloe (Allison Mack) too.  Add that to the fact that the show will also lose the two men behind the show – Alfred Gough and Miles Millar – next season and it doesn’t bode well for the future of the show.  However, if you’d like to see what Lex has in store for Clark before he parts, tune in to the season finale on May 15 at 8 p.m. on the CW.

What series finale are you most looking forward to?  Which characters will you miss the most?

Valentine’s Day: The Best TV Couples

In honor of Valentine’s Day, I thought I take a look at TV couples for shows airing this season (I’d say currently on TV, but with the strike we aren’t left with much but reality TV).  Here’s my rundown of the most romantic couples on TV today.

Best All Around Couple

Hands down, the best all around couple has to go to Eric and Tami Taylor (Kyle Chandler and Connie Britton) of Friday Night Lights.  This pair has to be the most realistic, but yet madly in love with each other couple on TV. 

In two seasons, we’ve seen them fight and we’ve seen them make up.  We’ve watched as they’ve handled issues around career, parenting, sex, money and even in-laws as a couple.  Whether it’s their witty dialogue or the sweet way they look at each other, Mr. and Mrs. Coach are the couple to be.

Smartest Couple

The combined IQ of Numbers’ Charlie Epps (David Krumholtz) and Amita Ramanujan (Navi Rawat) has got to be through the roof.  But even when they talk about their relationship is terms of simulations and game theory algorithms, this couple is too cute together. 

Amita seems to know just when to give math genius Charlie space to figure out his latest calculation.  And Charlie never seems to underestimate Amita’s talents and has gone the extra mile to support her career advancement even if it might strain the relationship.

Young Love

Smallville’s Chloe Sullivan (Allison Mack) might have had a crush on Clark Kent (Tom Welling) and his super hero ways, but I think she’s found her real match in Jimmy Olsen (Aaron Ashmore).  Together they are the perfect Daily Planet duo – an unrelenting reporter and her every faithful photographer.

What’s better than watching this pair tackle the news?  Watching them discover each other and their own feelings in their first real relationship.  Remember what it was like to be young and in love?

Honorable Mention:  It took the murder of a rapist to bring Friday Night Light’s Tyra Collette (Adrianne Palicki) and Landry Clarke (Jesse Plemons) together.  But bizarre plot twist aside, it’s been interesting to watch these two kids from different backgrounds find each other.

Oddest Couple

If in the first season of Bones’ you told me that Angela Montenegro (Michaela Conlin) would give Dr. Jack Hodgins (T.J. Thyne) a second look, let alone get engaged to him, I would have laughed you out of the room.

But as the romance began to kindle in the second season I couldn’t help but cheer for Hodgins in his relentless pursuit of Angela.  Then when they embarked on the adventure to find Angela’s long lost first husband (she needs to get a divorce in order to marry Hodgins) and I watched the depth of their love unfold, I knew that this couple, as odd a combination as they are, were meant to be.

Honorable Mention:  When Las Vegas‘ Mike Cannon (James Lesure) and Piper Nielsen (Camille Guaty) got drunk and did the ultimate Vegas cliché – got married – I was shocked at the pairing since neither had showed a significant amount of interest in the other.  But I cheered when the two decided to forgo an annulment and give the marriage a shot. 

I Can See Them Together Couple

When Rachel Bilson turned up on Chuck as deli owner Lou, I was very excited that Chuck (Zachary Levi) might actually have a chance at a real relationship for a change.  But alas, he’s still hung up on his handler Sarah Walker (Yvonne Strahovski).

I continue to hold out hope that not only will Bilson return to resurrect her role as Lou, but that Chuck will finally realize that Sarah is not the right girl for him.

Honorable Mention:  The sexual tension between Dr. Temperance Brennan (Emily Deschanel) and FBI Agent Seeley Booth (David Boreanaz) is one of the reasons we tune into Bones each week.  But if the Christmas kiss is any indication of the depth of their attraction that we are in store for a great romance between the two some time in the future.

What’s your favorite TV couple past or present?

Is it time for Clark Kent to Don his Cape on ‘Smallville?’

For seven  years now, I have enjoyed Smallville’s tales of a young Clark Kent coming into his own as he’s trying to balance his alien abilities and the responsibility that comes with that power with his human life.  But isn’t it about time that Clark grew up already and became Superman?

I’ve always enjoyed Superman stories – the movies with Christopher Reeve and now Brandon Routh, the TV series Lois & Clark with Dean Cain and Teri Hatcher, and even the cartoons when I was a kid.  I know the basic mythology, but not all the comic book details.

But when the pilot for Smallville promised us a look at Superman before he became the great hero, when he was just an awkward teenager, I was hooked.

Over the years, we’ve seen Clark (Tom Welling) grow up, he’s graduated from high school and even did a stint at college, but for the last couple of years he’s kind of stalled. 

Sure we’ve seen him learn about his heritage, struggle with his identity, and battle evil, but is he any closer to donning his cape and tights than he was in, say, the fifth season.

Others in Smallville have moved on to fulfill their destinies. 

Lex Luthor (Michael Rosenbaum) has transformed from a spoiled rich kid with daddy issues to a full-fledge bad guy scheming to rule the world, going from Clark’s friend to nemesis in the process.

No longer the sweet girl next door, Lana Lang (Kristin Kreuk) has developed a dark side of her own.  She’s taken self-defense classes and now has enough money to run her own business that includes side projects of spying on Lex.  Does she still really need Clark to protect her?  More importantly, is everyone else as tired of her on-again, off-again relationship with Clark as I am?  Isn’t about time he pursue other interest?

Speaking of these interests, the inquisitive Lois Lane (Erica Durance) is now on scene and well on her way to fulfilling her legacy.  She’s got a job at the Daily Planet and her nose for news will surely move her up the food chain despite Lex’s ownership of the paper and, of course, get her into trouble along the way.

Even Clark’s best friend Chloe Sullivan (Allison Mack) has grown out of her crush on him and gotten her own boyfriend, Daily Planet photographer Jimmy Olsen (Aaron Ashmore).  In fact, she’s also got her own job and a meteor power which she’s already learned to embrace.

Heck, even Clark’s mom, Martha Kent (Annette O’Toole) has moved on.  A widow now, Martha moved to Washington, DC at the end of the last season to take a seat in Congress.

Isn’t it about time that Clark embraced his destiny too?  I’m very interested in seeing how he transforms from mild manner Clark Kent to Superman, especially when so many people in Smallville already know his secret (Chloe, Lana, Oliver Queen) and others suspect (Lex).

As I watched last night’s episode “Siren” I couldn’t wait to discover another hero – Black Canary (Alaina Huffman).  But even more I was thrilled about the return of Oliver Queen (Justin Hartley).  Why?

Well besides the obvious detail that he’s cute, there’s the fact that he has accepted his destiny.  He has adopted his Green Arrow persona, was key in forming the Justice League and is not only fighting evil, but pursuing it.

For me, Clark Kent’s development has stalled while Oliver and the rest of the Justice League have new lives as crime fighters that are in full swing.  It has added dimension to their characters. 

How do they handle their double life?  How is their love lives affected?  We got a glimpse of that last night when Lois gave Ollie the boot.  How do they work with each other?  How do they find evil?  I loved that Chloe has a part-time gig as Queen’s sidekick.

I miss seeing these things in Clark.  Therefore, I think it’s time for Clark to suit up, to become the hero we all know he can and to leave Lana in the dust.

What do you think?  Are you ready for Clark to become Superman?

Fates of Several Decided on ‘Smallville’ Season Premiere

The Season 7 premiere of Smallville felt like the tally of who lives and who dies as the fates of several characters were left in the balance during the season finale last spring.  However, fans had to wait to the final minutes to discover the fate of Lana Lang Luthor (Kristin Kreuk).  *** The following might contain some spoilers***

Lana  lives!  Unless of course, you are reading the certificates of death in the morgue.  Don’t you wonder how the medical examiner confirmed her death?  Did they find a body in the explosion?  If so, who was it?  And how did it get in Lana’s car?

Meanwhile, Lana is in hiding halfway around the world.  In the final few minutes we see a blond-wigged Lana strolling through China.  Someone please tell me the purpose of wearing a disguise if you are going to take it off and stand in front of a window.

But never fear, Lana will be back in Smallville before you know it and she has her sights set on Clark (Tom Welling).  That is if it really is Lana!  According to Kristin at E!Online, cloning played a part in Lana’s survival.  I wonder if that means she wasn’t responsible for the explosion that she supposedly died in.  Real or not, except to see a darker Lana.  And I thought she was already rivaling Lex in her manipulating and ruthlessness last season.

On the other hand, Chloe (Allison Mack) dies.  After Clark rescues her and Lois (Erica Durance) from the dam, Chloe is rushed to the hospital where she’s declared dead.  Then she comes back to life on the slab in the morgue — that would freak anyone out.

We don’t know yet how Chloe survived, or rather resurrected.  In fact she isn’t talking to anyone about what happened in the lab in the dam.  I’m not sure if she’s in denial or if she really just doesn’t understand it herself.  But I doubt that Lois will leave it alone for long. 

Lois and Chloe’s relationship will come to a head later this season when Lois gets a job working for the Daily Planet, according to TV Guide.  Speaking of the Daily Planet, expect to see a new Editor in Chief.  No, Perry White isn’t back.  The job will be filled by Grant Gabriel (Michael Cassidy) and I think we meet him next week.  Could he be Lois’ new love interest now that Oliver Queen is out of the picture?

But back to the fates of our current characters.  Although his life wasn’t in jeopardy at the end of the Season 6 finale, Lex, who is incarcerated in the back of a police car (where were the cops, I don’t know?) headed to jail for the murder of Lana, nearly drowns when the dam breaks causing a flash flood.  But he’s saved, but not by Clark.  In Lex’s words, he was saved by “an angel.”

Turns out his angel is Kara (Laura Vandervoot) or as some might know her, Supergirl.  Besides the big save, we see very little of Kara in this episode except for in the final moments where she sits on a water tower, a la Dark Angel, in new clothes.  Those Kryptonians sure like their red and blue.

Clark will meet his cousin Kara next week.  But I’m not sure that this family reunion will be all that happy.  Both Jor El and Martian Manhunter appear to be warning Clark against befriending Kara in the preview.  We should learn a bit more about our newest Kryptonian in the next episode.  Hopefully they’ll tell us where she’s been all this time and why she’s appeared now.

Either way expect her to attract a lot of attention.  I don’t think Lex will be able to easily forget his angel.  Remember how obsessed he was when Clark saved him the first time?  And I wouldn’t want to be Chloe when Jimmy Olsen (Aaron Ashmore) meets this blond beauty.

We’ll meet Kara’s aunt (Helen Slater, the original Supergirl) — is that Clark’s mom? – and her dad Zor-El (possibly played by Kevin Sorbo) in episode six this  season, according to KryptonSite.

But back to Lex.  Pained by the loss of his wife and influenced by his angel encounter, Lex decides to face his arrest for Lana’s murder.  Is he just feeling guilty about loosing her or is he really guilty for trying to kill her?  Despite his new founded conscious, he’s still obsessed with Level 33.1.  While in jail, he asked about subject 5.3.  I wonder who 5.3 is?  Was it the phantom or is there something else to come?

I wondered about the little boy that found Lois and Chloe in the dam and asked for help.  I’m assuming he was one of the experiments (why else would he be down there?), but we don’t see him again after the rescue.  Could he turn up again later?

Lionel Luthor (John Glover) was also rescued — or at least pulled to safety — by someone unknown in a long coat.  My guess is that it was the Martin Manhunter (Phil Morris).  And although we never saw Lionel regain consciousness, I understand he’ll be back and will play a pivotal role in the fifth episode.

Yes, the Martian Manhunter returned as Clark’s cryptic mentor to help him in this week’s epic battle — Bizarro Superman.  And from what I understand he’ll be back several more times this season.

If you remember from the finale, the last phantom from the Phantom Zone used kryptonite to borrow a few cells from Clark and become whole.  The complete opposite of Clark, Bizarro still contained Clark’s memories — which could explain the groping of Lois.  Clark’s weakness – kryptonite – actually makes Bizarro stronger.  And thanks to the Martian Manhunter, we learned that Clark’s strength — the sun — was Bizarro’s weakness.

In all it didn’t take Clark long to defeat his alter ego — by the way thanks for putting the two is opposite colors (of course, blue and red) so we could distinguish between them. 

I’ll have to admit I was a little disappointed to see Bizarro go some quickly.  I thought he could be a daunting foe for our superhero for a few more episodes.  Besides, I think Tom Welling plays dark and evil really well.

But never fear, there will be more big bads in Clark’s future.  Dean Cain (Lois & Clark) will pop up in the fourth episode as Dr. Curtis Knox with a cure for the meteor freaks.  James Marster will reprise his role as Dr. Milton Fine.  I’ve heard no word on whether or not the Justice League will make an appearance this season.

I don’t know about you, but I’ve got my seat on the couch reserved for Thursdays nights because this Season 7 of Smallville promises to be exciting.