The Family on ABC

[SmoothLover]

Bump. Of course the real surprise would be that Adam is still alive.

[Mr Roxy]

He currently lives in NY and spends his days and nights as a line sittter.

[John Adams]

Bridey should have slept with Ben's Mom to get the information she needed. It would have been consistent with her pattern of journalistic integrity, and Ben's Mom seemed like she would be open to it. Heck... she already bought her dinner. Bridey owes her.

[SmoothLover]

You think she could have gotten that information a little quicker rather than spending the entire day at the diner.

[John Adams]

I know, right? And didn't we all suspect she was Ben's Mom pretty early on simply because of her 'woeful countenance' and constant references to regret?

This show is my guiltiest of guilty pleasure watching. The peripheral characters are all so, so horribly written. This plot should have been wrapped up weeks ago, and pock-mark man should have been caught at the Mall. Done and dusted (and his girlfriend? Don't even get me started...).

But I HAVE to know what Ben did and how this ends! And I feel like Zack Gilford must have been under-utilized all this time for a reason that surely must present itself this week... I fear that there is a Season 2 looming. I'm doomed. I hate myself.

[BroadwayNYC2]

It has officially been cancelled. And it took me a second, but Ben's mom is Rachel Bay Jones

[Mr Roxy]

The ratings for this are not to good and it stands a good chance of being cancelled.

[BroadwayNYC2]

Like I said, it has already been cancelled. 

[John Adams]

BroadwayNYC2 said: "Like I said, it has already been cancelled."

Don't tell Ben. He's been through enough. We should just let the police handle it.

 

[John Adams]

Oh, and one more thought before the last episode airs...

It would really break my heart if in the final episode, Rupert Graves' character finally figured out/was told that Ben is not Adam. I've really come to enjoy how ridiculously and unrealistically clueless his character was written.

To bring him up to speed in the last episode would seem like the writers' attempt at a half-hearted apology to the show's viewers. I'd rather the show ended consistently.

[bfreak]

I really would like to express my disappointment at this show's cancellation. I know the writing was on the wall because of the ratings, but I really ended up enjoying this show this year. It may not be the smartest written show on TV, but it has been really enthralling unraveling the mystery. I really hope that it doesn't end on a cliffhanger (even though that is what I fear), and I hope that there is some resolution tomorrow night.

[John Adams]

bfreak said: "I really would like to express my disappointment at this show's cancellation. I know the writing was on the wall because of the ratings, but I really ended up enjoying this show this year. It may not be the smartest written show on TV, but it has been really enthralling unraveling the mystery. I really hope that it doesn't end on a cliffhanger (even though that is what I fear), and I hope that there is some resolution tomorrow night."

All sarcasm aside, I have enjoyed the mystery, too. I also thought Joan Allen did an amazing job of making her character compelling to watch in spite of the scripts.

Given the large number of open story threads left to be tied up (Poc-Mark's girlfriend/newborn baby, Ben's Mom, Bridey's news story, the friendly neighbor/pedophile, Clueless Dad, etc...), I don't see any way that there won't be a ton of unfinished business. There just isn't enough time to satisfactorily resolve how Rupert Graves' character might work through being lied to by his wife and daughter about something so important. Or what will/should happen to the girlfriend once the detective is found in her basement (will that even happen?). And the baby... which hasn't even been seen by a doctor yet (holy cr@p!). And, of course, the writers threw in yet ONE MORE major mystery in the penultimate episode by introducing Ben's Mom.

I think that's another damning flaw in the writing. EVERY character had a major mystery to resolve. I feel like I've got A.D.D. - I can't focus on anything.

I'm going into tonight's episode expecting many non-resolutions, so I'm hoping to find only one satisfying answer: What did Ben do/not do? I'm hoping that he didn't kill/help kill Adam, and that there's a reasonable explanation for his behavior (threat from poc-mark man maybe?) Everybody and everything in this town and this family is a hot mess! I'd like just one, clean satisfying ending for Ben/Adam.

[SmoothLover]

I thought the way the finale flowed tonight was a bit odd. I could not quite put my finger on it. It felt kind of choppy and rushed in some respects. I do not know for sure if the writers wrote it for one year or with the hopes of being picked up?

It is interesting that the father's role became less and less of a presence on the show.

I often joked through the series that Adam was alive...who knew?!?!?

[HenryTDobson]

I enjoyed the season, however, I'm kinda happy it's been cancelled. I don't like the way they left off that episode - why in the world would Adam be vengeful towards Ben? It just doesn't make sense. I was able to suspend disbelief for many of the crazy things that happened, but that is just too much of a stretch.

As for the death of the reporter, good riddance! What a horrible character.

[liotte]

This finale left me with more new questions than resolved answers. 

 

[Mr Roxy]

Many WTF moments. 2 major characters gone and the moments shone as an afterthought? Felt that investing 13 weeks now a colossal waste of time

[John Adams]

I got most of what I was hoping for in the finale. Some weirdly bizarre moments:

Claire: What are you doing?
Ben: Hitching a ride.
Claire: Do you know how dangerous that is?
Ben: <pauses and looks at Claire incredulously> Yeah.

John Warren barging into Hank Asher's house with 2 six-packs, making himself at home on Hank's couch and saying, "I thought we could throw one back together to celebrate". Right on, broheim!

The way that whole Hank/Devin scenario was set up. Especially the way the scene was scripted once Hank got Devin back to Devin's house. Devin seemed creepy to me. And where did Devin's bike go?

Just for purposes of closure:
- Danny killed Bridey, but gets away with it. The official police report indicates, “Victim fell and bumped her head in the woods. No survivors.”
-  Willa tells Ben about his mother’s existence when Adam finally comes home. Ben’s mother joyously receives her son into her life, and Ben is ecstatic to finally be “home”.
- Jane parts ways with Adam at the US/Canadian border because he has no passport or ID of any kind (duh!). Jane continues into Canada where she finds a job as a waitress at a Tim Hortons. Her baby grows up to be a goalie for the Toronto Maple Leafs.

[Mr Roxy]

Makes more sense than what the writers came up with.

[SmoothLover]

Was Adam in the shed and the wife did not know? And then did Adam kill his captor? It was a little confusing to me. How did Adam know that Ben had taken over his life?

 

I wondered about the bike too....

[Mr Roxy]

Who really cares at this point? The writers let us all stay in the dark. Fine with me. On to something else.

[SmoothLover]

I think they should have done a 2 hour finale, written it with more suspense, and showed us more of what happened and how.

 

It was weird how the father and the brother were practically written out of the show half way through.

[bfreak]

Adam didn't kill Michael Esper's character (even though that's how they made it look). He shot him in his groin so that he can't reproduce and have kids and the police bring him into custody. I really enjoyed last night's finale, but only if it was renewed would I have enjoyed it more.

[Jordan Catalano]

The show was cancelled, so this was supposed to be a "season finale", not a "series finale". But for what it was, I really enjoyed it.

 

[SmoothLover]

It will be interesting to see what the networks haul out for next year. Hopefully it will not be Game of Thrones rip offs.

[EricMontreal22]

Jordan Catalano said: "The show was cancelled, so this was supposed to be a "season finale", not a "series finale". But for what it was, I really enjoyed it.

 

 

"
However--that's not what they said.  A few weeks into the run the producers told ew.com that the plan was to focus on a new family each year (although maybe they meant they'd move the focus slightly but not have all new characters?  Still it didn't sound that way).  WHich is bizarre because this definitely was not written like a series finale.

I still am confused about Adam--if the girlfriend just suddenly realized he was in the shed all this time?  Wha?

Also--I assumed WIlla killed the reporter--but you guys think it was Danny??

I know Grant Show's not a huge star or anything but did they really hire a recognizable name like him for, what, three scenes?

E

 

[John Adams]

EricMontreal22 said: "I still am confused about Adam--if the girlfriend just suddenly realized he was in the shed all this time?  Wha?

I went to The A.V. Club to get some closure on that one. One of the commenters had written that, in one scene, Jane had heard the sound of kicking coming from the shed. I'd already deleted my DVR of the episode by that time and couldn't check, so I just took that for granted.

Also--I assumed WIlla killed the reporter--but you guys think it was Danny??

I don't know about others, but I do think it was Danny for a couple of reasons. Primarily because that scenario would have finally given Danny a decent story arc had there been a Season 2. Secondly, I believe he killed Bridey after he left Willa in the bar - he was drunk and angry... And he'd slept with Bridey, too but she never said a word to him about Adam/Ben. As angry as he was, he wouldn't kill his own sister, but Bridey? In a drunken rage? (EDIT: or perhaps he killed her accidentally while drunk. Danny often went missing after a binge, and no one ever asked him where he'd been.) I could see it.

I know Grant Show's not a huge star or anything but did they really hire a recognizable name like him for, what, three scenes?

E"

I think there was a lot of wasted talent this season possibly because of the thinking that there would be a Season 2, where that talent would be utilized. Zach Gilford and Rupert Graves pretty much sat on the sidelines this whole season waiting for a cue that never came.

Had there been a Season 2, with Adam back and Ben revealed at the end of Season 1, I could see how there would have been more opportunity for Danny, (ex)-Governor Lang, and John Warren to get some quality screen time.

If the show hadn't moved at such a painfully slow pace to reveal answers to the mysteries (even to the point of forcing the peripheral characters to be complete buffoons in order to drag the story out longer), we might have seen these actors better utilized in this season.