This finale was awesome. I loved watching Mike deal with coming back on the grid only to find that all hell had broken loose and this delicate peace he'd been trying to keep was shattered. It was especially great that, while he was called in to play an important role, he didn't end up being a savior to the situation. It felt more realistic than any sort of narrative where one guy finds all the answers. Instead his character was a vehicle for showing the audience that while these prisoners may not be good people, that doesn't mean the way they were being treated was just. It also fit with the fact that Mike knew things would head somewhere like this right from the initial dumb decision by law enforcement earlier in the season and it highlighted that an issue this complex is bigger than any one well-intentioned person.
This episode was also suspenseful right up till the last minute. I was equally surprised by things they didn't do as ones they did. Most of the time you can predict what characters will be killed and what sort of problems might arise for others but this episode surprised me (in a good way) by not taking unnecessary turns just to add to the drama. For example, I half expected Iris to be dead when Mike returned at the end or Milo to be waiting for him and I was GLAD they didn't go that route. Also, when the state cop read Mike his rights, I expected the way this was going to be resolved would some how involve Mike incriminating himself. But that wouldn't likely have made sense because the prisoners had no issue with him and wouldn't have demanded something that compromised him. But I don't put it past any modern show not to create unnecessary drama. Instead, every decision, good or bad, felt purposeful. Which is a high compliment in an era of entertainment where most writers care more about shock and horror than they do good story telling. I hope the show continues and that the writing stays on this level. It's dark subject matter for sure, but we don't need any more shows being shocking just for the sake of it.
This episode was also suspenseful right up till the last minute. I was equally surprised by things they didn't do as ones they did. Most of the time you can predict what characters will be killed and what sort of problems might arise for others but this episode surprised me (in a good way) by not taking unnecessary turns just to add to the drama. For example, I half expected Iris to be dead when Mike returned at the end or Milo to be waiting for him and I was GLAD they didn't go that route. Also, when the state cop read Mike his rights, I expected the way this was going to be resolved would some how involve Mike incriminating himself. But that wouldn't likely have made sense because the prisoners had no issue with him and wouldn't have demanded something that compromised him. But I don't put it past any modern show not to create unnecessary drama. Instead, every decision, good or bad, felt purposeful. Which is a high compliment in an era of entertainment where most writers care more about shock and horror than they do good story telling. I hope the show continues and that the writing stays on this level. It's dark subject matter for sure, but we don't need any more shows being shocking just for the sake of it.
