I Watch TV: 2011-2012, Finale (Part Four of Four)

Last one! Last one!

I've gone through the three major networks already, which leaves the likes of FOX, Bravo, Showtime, AMC and TNT. I only watch a smattering of shows on these channels, even combined, so this should be quick!

Fringe (season four): After an...odd third season, Fringe was back with a vengeance for season four. I loved the additional depth of the characters. Even though this show regularly freaks me out (I only watch during daylight hours!) and often confuses the heck out of me, what with the jumping between universes and occasionally both forward and backward in time, with a side of foreseeing the world as it *might* be, I still look forward to seeing where our fearless team will go next. I always leave an episode with more questions (like what is the deal with Nina or is it not Nina, but "Nina"??), but the writing and the acting is top-notch, so rather than feeling frustrated, I just want more. My favorite part of season four, though, was then romance between Peter and Olivia adding a whole new dimension, this time of the emotional sense, rather than the literal. Bring it, season five! Drop my jaw!

Favorite characters: Olivia Dunham. Peter Bishop. Walter Bishop.

Best episodes: Wallflower. The End of All Things. A Short Story About Love.

Alcatraz (season one): FOX, you break my heart. Alcatraz was fun and exciting. It was CSI meets Fringe with a side of Person of Interest during the Mad Men era. Even with that blend of similarities to other shows, it was unlike any other show on tv. It was intriguing the way they wove the story, leaking out just enough new details to lead you into the next episode. There were no real stand-alone episodes, because each new story tied into the bigger picture. And now we'll never fully know what that bigger picture was going to be, because just like that, FOX pulled the plug. (I don't deal well with lack of resolution, in case that isn't obvious, and they left off on a whopper of a cliffhanger.)

Favorite characters: Dr. Diego Soto. Lucy Banerjee.

Best episodes: Guy Hastings. The Ames Brothers. Webb Porter. Tommy Madsen.

Top Chef (season nine): This is the one and only reality/competition show I watch. I have such a love-hate relationship with it. I hate the whiny, dramatic chefs, preferring those with a little swagger and a sense of humor. I adore Padma and Tom. I love all the twists to the challenges, but I hate when my favorite chefs are on the chopping block at Judges Table. Hated the Last Chance Kitchen catch they added this season. The show just sucks me in.

Favorite characters: Not so much contestants, but in addition to my favorite judges, Tom Colicchio and Padma Lakshmi, I was rooting Paul and Greyson. (Yay, Paul won!)

Best episodes: Restaurant Wars is always my favorite challenge.

Dexter (season six): This season was strange. I didn't like Dexter being so unsure of himself. It left too many opportunities for error in judgment. The Doomsday Killer story got off to a very slow start, even though I thought the theme, based on the book of Revelation, had amazing potential It was almost as if Dexter's own uncertainty spilled into the development of the story itself. The first half of the season felt hesitant to me, like it was trying to be something it wasn't. What intrigued me more than Doomsday was the thread of Louis. It seemed to fly under the radar, almost completely ignored. I hope they don't let this one fade away, unexplored, because I have a ton of questions, mostly of the "What is his deal?" and "Why??" varieties. I am almost more interested in that than in what happens when we get back to Dexter and Debra in the church.

Favorite characters: Dexter Morgan.

Best episodes: Horse of a Different Color. This Is the Way the World Ends.

Mad Men (season five): This was the first season of Mad Men that I have "watched live" and it blew my mind. I am still reeling from everything that happened. It was an emotional roller coaster from start to finish, with brilliant acting, stellar writing, layers upon layers of details, and so much upon which to reflect. Parts of it I hated, not because it was poorly done, but because it was such difficult material done so well. Mad Men is one of those shows I think about long after it ends.

Favorite characters: Joan Holloway Harris. Peggy Olson. Don Draper.

Best episodes: Christmas Waltz. The Other Woman.

Dallas (season one): This is a show to which I have many sentimental ties. I sat between my Gram and Gramp on Friday nights as JR and Bobby went head to head, Miss Ellie pleaded with them to stop the fighting and Cliff Barnes connived, schemed, and generally drive JR out of his mind. My eyes were covered during moments inappropriate for little girls (not that I would have understood anyway), but I remember Miss Ellie's kidnapping and "who shot JR?" and the whole dream sequence reveal. What I mean by all that is this revisitation of something holding so much nostalgia for me was either going to go very well or very poorly. I had no choice, though, but to watch and find out. I couldn't have been more pleased. It's pure fluff, a nighttime soap filled with unbelievability and drama and so many tangled webs, you could spend the entire season trying to unravel them, only to find out everything you know is not at all as it appears at even second or third glance.

Favorite characters: JR Ewing. JR's eyebrows. Christopher Ewing.

Best episodes: The opening sequence with the theme song (it takes me back every single time and yes, I stop to give it my full attention--how they handled this detail was a major factor in whether this series reprise was going to work for me at all). Enemy of My Enemy. Family Business.

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Part One (ABC)
Part Two (NBC)
Part Three (CBS)