Season Finale Smackdown: The End in the Beginning vs The Beginning in the End
The regular TV season has come to a close and while some finales have got us talking more than others (like that heartbreaking and awesome "House" ep), we still have a lot to say, so this week, we've selected a few series and will compare their 2010 season ender to their 2009 season ender.
We'll tell you which hour we feel was better, but we'll also have you vote on which one you think was tops.
So, without further ado, "Bones"...
"The End in the Beginning" (2009): The majority of the episode took place in Brennan's book/Booth's coma dream, which made for a unique hour, to say the least.
The case: A man with possible mob ties was found in the bathroom of The Lab, a club which Mr. B (Booth) and Bren (Bones) owned in the "alternate reality" of the ep.
The characters: Quick role call of the other players and their "alternate universe" identities: Angela=hostess. Hodgins=writer. Sweets=bartender/musician. Zack=Bren's assistant. Wendell=doorman. Fisher=chef. Mr. Nigel-Murray=DJ. Daisy=band groupie. Clark=rapper/MC. Arastoo=real estate bigshot who wants to buy the club. Cam and Jared= detectives/partners. Caroline=club's lawyer. Max=corrupt politician. Gravedigger=mobster who controls the city.
In the AU, everyone at the club thinks Mr. B was responsible for the dead guy in the bathroom -- he would do anything to protect Bren, who was in the club working late on the night of the murder -- and they try to protect him by destroying evidence, etc.
The real murderer is Jared, who did kill the man to protect Bren -- even in the AU, Jared still has the hots for his brother's girl -- but due to the lack of evidence, it appeared he'd get off.
When the mayhem calmed, Bren revealed to Mr. B that she was pregnant.
However, in the real-life "Bones" reality, the episode ended with Booth waking up from his coma, seemingly unaware of who the heck Bones is.
"The Beginning in the End" (2010): The case: A hoarder was found buried under his possessions, starved to death.
The characters: The newly married Angela and Hodgins had to deal with the return of her disapproving father, Billy Gibbons. As a test to prove that he is good enough for Angela, Billy asked Hodgins to steal his car back from some bikers. Hodgins enlisted Sweets to help and they managed to get the job done (though Sweets was left behind).
Daisy and Brennan were both offered spots at a one year dig in Indonesia. Daisy took it immediately, crushing poor Sweets, who told her he wouldn't be waiting for her when she came back.
Brennan considered her options a little more carefully, but the exhaustion of dealing with victims and murder cases -- not to mention her growing unease over her lack of perspective, especially regarding Booth -- ultimately convinced her to accept the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
The Army requested that Booth return to them, so he could train snipers. After some prodding from Parker, Booth agreed to go for a year.
Hodgins and Angela didn't want to stick around the Jeffersonian with Booth and Brennan gone, so they decided to take a year long honeymoon in Paris. Sweets and Cam were left holding down the fort in D.C.
Our pick: "The Beginning in the End." Yes, we realize that's probably not the most popular choice, but before you yell at us in the comments section, hear us out, okay?
"The End in the Beginning" had a purpose. We get that. Not only did fans get to see most of their favorites together in one place, but the writers and actors got to play with their characters in a way that would otherwise be impossible. The AU personalities all bared similarities to their real life counterparts, but they were different enough to be convincing as new characters. And we did get to see some of those AU traits/factors cross over to "Bones"' "real" world this season.
However, in terms of actual consequences, the only ones who really felt the impact of the 2009 season finale were Booth and Brennan. They were the ones who shared the experience of the dream/book. But things like the quip about Zack being stupid enough to go to prison for a murder he didn't commit or Jared's feelings for Brennan were never brought up again. Even the AU pregnancy revelation was just barely touched upon in the season premiere and then dropped. (Yes, Brennan's desire for a baby will be revisited next season, but after that much time, odds are, it won't have anything to do with the AU.)
With "The Beginning in the End," everyone was impacted. Everyone. Hodgins and Angela are leaving their jobs for a year. Daisy and Sweets split up. Booth is going to a war zone. He and Brennan are leaving each other! Cam has been abandoned by her team. Every single character will come back different. It's scary, but it's true. Might not be huge shifts, but they'll have a year of independence, so there are bound to be changes.
While "TEitB" had its fun moments, we're still not sure if it was "finale" worthy. With the extreme changes in "TBitE," it is definitively a finale. No doubt.
And, just for the record, regardless of said finale element, we still prefer "TBitE" to "TEitB."
Agreed? Or no? Vote Here.
Source: Z2I
We'll tell you which hour we feel was better, but we'll also have you vote on which one you think was tops.
So, without further ado, "Bones"...
"The End in the Beginning" (2009): The majority of the episode took place in Brennan's book/Booth's coma dream, which made for a unique hour, to say the least.
The case: A man with possible mob ties was found in the bathroom of The Lab, a club which Mr. B (Booth) and Bren (Bones) owned in the "alternate reality" of the ep.
The characters: Quick role call of the other players and their "alternate universe" identities: Angela=hostess. Hodgins=writer. Sweets=bartender/musician. Zack=Bren's assistant. Wendell=doorman. Fisher=chef. Mr. Nigel-Murray=DJ. Daisy=band groupie. Clark=rapper/MC. Arastoo=real estate bigshot who wants to buy the club. Cam and Jared= detectives/partners. Caroline=club's lawyer. Max=corrupt politician. Gravedigger=mobster who controls the city.
In the AU, everyone at the club thinks Mr. B was responsible for the dead guy in the bathroom -- he would do anything to protect Bren, who was in the club working late on the night of the murder -- and they try to protect him by destroying evidence, etc.
The real murderer is Jared, who did kill the man to protect Bren -- even in the AU, Jared still has the hots for his brother's girl -- but due to the lack of evidence, it appeared he'd get off.
When the mayhem calmed, Bren revealed to Mr. B that she was pregnant.
However, in the real-life "Bones" reality, the episode ended with Booth waking up from his coma, seemingly unaware of who the heck Bones is.
"The Beginning in the End" (2010): The case: A hoarder was found buried under his possessions, starved to death.
The characters: The newly married Angela and Hodgins had to deal with the return of her disapproving father, Billy Gibbons. As a test to prove that he is good enough for Angela, Billy asked Hodgins to steal his car back from some bikers. Hodgins enlisted Sweets to help and they managed to get the job done (though Sweets was left behind).
Daisy and Brennan were both offered spots at a one year dig in Indonesia. Daisy took it immediately, crushing poor Sweets, who told her he wouldn't be waiting for her when she came back.
Brennan considered her options a little more carefully, but the exhaustion of dealing with victims and murder cases -- not to mention her growing unease over her lack of perspective, especially regarding Booth -- ultimately convinced her to accept the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
The Army requested that Booth return to them, so he could train snipers. After some prodding from Parker, Booth agreed to go for a year.
Hodgins and Angela didn't want to stick around the Jeffersonian with Booth and Brennan gone, so they decided to take a year long honeymoon in Paris. Sweets and Cam were left holding down the fort in D.C.
Our pick: "The Beginning in the End." Yes, we realize that's probably not the most popular choice, but before you yell at us in the comments section, hear us out, okay?
"The End in the Beginning" had a purpose. We get that. Not only did fans get to see most of their favorites together in one place, but the writers and actors got to play with their characters in a way that would otherwise be impossible. The AU personalities all bared similarities to their real life counterparts, but they were different enough to be convincing as new characters. And we did get to see some of those AU traits/factors cross over to "Bones"' "real" world this season.
However, in terms of actual consequences, the only ones who really felt the impact of the 2009 season finale were Booth and Brennan. They were the ones who shared the experience of the dream/book. But things like the quip about Zack being stupid enough to go to prison for a murder he didn't commit or Jared's feelings for Brennan were never brought up again. Even the AU pregnancy revelation was just barely touched upon in the season premiere and then dropped. (Yes, Brennan's desire for a baby will be revisited next season, but after that much time, odds are, it won't have anything to do with the AU.)
With "The Beginning in the End," everyone was impacted. Everyone. Hodgins and Angela are leaving their jobs for a year. Daisy and Sweets split up. Booth is going to a war zone. He and Brennan are leaving each other! Cam has been abandoned by her team. Every single character will come back different. It's scary, but it's true. Might not be huge shifts, but they'll have a year of independence, so there are bound to be changes.
While "TEitB" had its fun moments, we're still not sure if it was "finale" worthy. With the extreme changes in "TBitE," it is definitively a finale. No doubt.
And, just for the record, regardless of said finale element, we still prefer "TBitE" to "TEitB."
Agreed? Or no? Vote Here.
Source: Z2I