Doesn’t mean they weren’t good finales. In the case of Heroes it was the end itself, both of them, that left something to be desired. Particularly the culminating battle which was a let down of heroic proportions. It’s solution had been telegraphed for months. It’s bad-assery hinted at. But in the end we got a watered down version of what should have been.

And in 24′s case we got a good 2 episodes but not the rumored mystery ending. We faded to black on a haggard Jack contemplating past, present, and future and the deeper meanings of the silent countdown. That’s not necessarily bad. But for those looking for a startling surprise character not seen in a long time pulling up in a car and telling Jack to get in because they need to talk as was heavily rumored, they got introspective Jack on the brink of Dawn instead.

But neither show gave people as much as what they expected.

On Heroes:
Comic book school 101, maybe even Drama 101 should teach writers that when you hype up and tease people regarding a showdown between characters this showdown should be somewhat epic and hard fought. Instead we got months of foreshadowing and glimpses of the ass-kicking potential of a Sylar-Jedi Peter showdown and when it happens Peter throws 2-3 mortal punches and then goes nuke.

That class should also tell prospective writers that when a characters power and indestructibility has been played up and viewed from early on then defeating him must be a little harder than an unguarded and open run sword through the gut.

This episode has Shaft in it goddamn it!

Hiro should have brought Simone’s dad back from the past and wheeled him out into Kirby Plaza where he would have done all kinds of schooling on Syler.

And deflowered Claire and tamed Nikki/Jessica in between dustups.

Can you dig it?

John Shaft.

But no.

Parkman getting the bullets in the chest was cool but other than that it was kind of anticlimactic. I even wanted Nikki to get into the act. But no, Peter waves her off and is all, “No sexy freak lipped blonde I may date in 5 years, I can defeat him with my exceptional powers of angst. I will hurl existential bombs of mopiness at him and thereby cause him to want to kill himself.”

“I’ve got this.”

And why couldn’t Peter fly away and explode in space by himself?

Can Peter only channel one power at a time? Is that why he can’t fly off without Nathan’s help?

And did Nikki’s Hulk explosive anger disorder issues transform to Peter? If not why? If they did it would explain why he couldn’t control the radioactive meltdown. But then it would mean he was using 2 powers at the same time wouldn’t it? So why not 3 and fly?

Am I off here or am I the only one getting that?

And in the future episode all the characters at the plaza were alive except DL. How is that possible if the nuke had gone off as it would have whether they were there or not?

And how would shooting him from the angle Claire had have stopped him with his immortal self- healing cheerleading powers? Couldn’t he have just bent over and let them slip something sharp into that base of the skull area until he calmed and the threat was over and then pulled it out later in a safer area?

But back to the fight.

How hard is it to see the obvious death of Syler needed to come from Hiro teleporting right up to Syler with sword already impaled as he appears? It would have shown Hiro’s new mastery and explained how someone of Syler’s powers could be gotten to. And this should have come after Syler has been weakened by a kick ass knock down drag out Jedi master or Neo vs Smith type battle.

Seems like a no brainer.

And then we get Hiro in ancient Japan.

I liked getting that first glimpse of Volume 2. It’s called Generations and hints at that super power family dynasty thing I’m all excited about. But once you go there I need something bigger than an eclipse to send us off into the Heroless Summer.

I mean wow man they had eclipses in the 17th century.

I know there was more going on there with the sword and perhaps an origin story involving Hiro and Kensei. But Hiro can just teleport right on out of there now. So what’s the big whoop?

Hopefully Molly’s worse than bogeyman guy she can’t track will turn out to be foreshadowing some new big bad that will get his comuppence in more dramatic and satisfying fashion than poor Syler who only really wanted to make snow globes fly for his mommy.

On 24:
If you forget some of the lamer elements of the season the past few episodes were pretty good. We even got Buchanan and Jack in the field for the first time. And Boy Kim wasn’t really too pathetic. Hell he even shot his gwampa. And Doyle got blinded and Chloe is knocked up.

These are mostly good things.

But they pale in comparison to the awesomeness of Jack taking stock of all around him. The cipher for this was Audrey’s dad and former Sec of Defense Heller. But when Jack was going all, “I don’t listen to you anymore, you left me to rot in China, I’m only good for killing to you people and I do that really well,” he was talking about the country. The system. Even his own patriotism. They’re all dead to Jack now just like he said his own father was long before he left him to die on the oil rig.

Jack feels nothing.

Jack believes in nothing anymore.

There is only Jack.

And the sack.

As for the lack of surprise long since unseen character showing up at the end there really is no one that would have made much sense. Sure we all long for Soulpatch. But it would have been a stretch.

Naked Mandy?

Come on.

David Palmer?

24 is just not that type of show. For all it’s leaps of reality it doesn’t do characters back from the dead. And he’s still on that lousy CBS show.

Here’s what I was hoping for.

I wanted the Hoody to pull up in a porsche and say, “Get in Jack, we need to talk?” That would have been better than Kim or even Tony. Tony would have been too much of a stretch. The Hoody is magic. Nothing is beyond it’s capability.

Perhaps the Hoody speaking would have demystified it too much. So maybe the hood part of said Hoody could have turned towards Jack from behind the wheel and a moment later it could be Jack heard saying, “What’s that Hoody? We have to talk?”

That’s some must see TV right there let me tell you.

But I was ok with Jack and the ocean. Jack reborn at dawn after emerging from the sea. It’s all good stuff. Supposedly they are going to reboot the show next year and go in different directions. I called the need for that 2 years ago. But I guess sometimes you have to hit rock bottom to get it done. Not that the show was all that bad this year. But the format is played out and there’s no way to keep turning the kaleidoscope without people of getting tired of seeing what basically amounts to the same old thing over and over.

And the final 10 minutes were a nice segue into that if they do it right.

My dream has always been 24 in NYC. Don’t know if that will be part of the change though there is some talk about getting out of L.A. Jack and Manhattan cab drivers. Jack wouldn’t know who to torture first.

There may a whole new cast joining Kiefer next year as well. I have a feeling we may not even get Chloe back. I’d like to see her return. And I’d even be ok with Doyle. Blind field agent Doyle could open up doors for all kinds of mishaps and hijinks.

And you know what?

Bob may kill me for this.

I like Doyle.

There.

I said it.

That reminds me.

When the hell did he and Nadia form such a deep connection?

Did this happen during off screen bathroom breaks?

Were they trading hot text messages all night long?

And what the hell is up with Milo’s brother? Is it just me or did he fucking disappear through Milo’s locker?

Seriously he was standing there in what seemed a closed room, Nadia at the door, and after she turns for a moment he’s gone and she looks like she just got transported to a Joss Whedon show.

What the frak was that?

Anyway, 24 and Heroes are gone for a bit. Longer bit for 24 of course. Lost closes up island tomorrow with the anticipated and crazily rumored final supposedly game changing minutes. Hopefully we’ll get more bang for our end of season buck there because right now it’s The Office winning the contest for best finale and culminating moment and it’s supposed to be the dramas doing that.