A dazzling, exhilarating season finale from the best show on television.
The season - and likely the show - is over, and if this is the way we go out, I’m pretty satisfied. It’s a finale that resolves some central questions, but leaves us with a lot to talk about in the years to come. If the end of The Sopranos tells us anything, it’s that questions draw more attention than conclusions, and considering so much of the joy of the series is in its mystery, I’m glad we’re left with some things to ponder.…
Article comments
26 - Bill B.
This show was critically divided, but it certainly wasn't universally hated. Entertainment Weekly loved it as I'm sure many other critics did too and it certainly had a public following as this site indicates. I thought it fascinating, though at times frustrating. That frustration may have been due to my own inability to grasp all that was happening, but I sure did enjoy the trip. Patrick's "review" of the final episode is wonderous and I couldn't agree more about the opening of the final show. It was completely exhilarating and one of the finest cinematic moments I've ever seen put on TV. I will miss this show, these characters and many of these actors. These are career highlights for Nichols, O'Neill and especially Van Holt.
27 - Camel Jockey
Does anyone know the title of the Bob Dylan song in episode 10?
28 - handyguy
The Dylan song is "Series of Dreams," available on the albums The Bootleg Series and also Greatest Hits vol. 3.
29 - Patrick
This seems more like a fansite of the show rather than an impartial blog review of the series. Im sorry, but thats just my opinion. The show was universally hated by critics and viewers alike and I cant believe that 13 of the 14 comments all love the show. Obviously most of the negative ones were deleted. Probably like this one will be.
re #16: None of the comments are deleted, but I imagine most people who don't like the show stopped watching and aren't going to read a 2500 word review of the last episode just so they could say how much it sucks.
I'm not particularly interested in impartial reviewing, particularly for this series. It's so full of rich thematic concepts and ideas, in writing, I hope to fully understand them myself and convey that understanding to others, and help them appreciate the show, or at least understand it in a new way.
I'd agree the show wasn't well liked, but since when is popularity the best judge of art? Once the show is separated from Deadwood's cancellation, and the disappointment surrounding that, people will take a fresh look and realize what a powerful piece of art it is.
30 - Patrick
And to everyone else, thanks so much for the positive comments. It's great to know there's other people out there who dig the show and understand what Milch was trying to do. I'm writing up another post, a post mortem for the show, as we speak. So, look for that soon.
31 - jb
"four-walling" in a theatrical rental term means to take an empty shell (of a theatre or studio) and re-equip it yourself from scratch, to your own specifications, for your own purposes.
32 - Paul Levinson
Good analysis. Here's mine - just came to me about 15 minute ago ... John from Cincinnati is ... Neo in the Matrix! ... it makes sense ... explains the computer/Internet stuff ... how Shaun was brought back to life ... where John and Shaun were day before last ... I give this a slight higher than 2 percent chance of being right ... still...
33 - brody
JFC was probably the best show on TV in a long time.... what a great art work... on every level it was surpurb...the main YOST family, John, as weel as the supporting cast.. and the writing was so amazing ... hopefully it will be acclaimed for what it was.. wonderful... I will continue to watch it time and again ...each time doing so I pick up a new thought...it is so sad that the mass audience did not take the time or the thought process to understand the deep enrichness of JFC.. it is their loss.
34 - babeeblues
Many thanks to Patrick and others who have contributed here.
One thing I haven't seen mentioned anywhere and I could be wrong, but some things lead to believe that HBO not only declined to pick up "John" for another season but cut the season we have a couple episodes shorter than originally planned.
Has any HBO series had a normal season with less than 12 episodes? Wasn't it only very recently that it was announced "Big Love" would be moving back to Sunday nights after the finale of John for the remaining Big Love epidsodes?
This may explain some loose ends, some characters/plot lines that got introduced but seem to have been short-changed, underdeveloped, left hanging -- and not necessarily by design or preference of Milch and his creative team
35 - babeeblues
Regarding the card dealer: I agree he seemed to be a significant and strange, portentious fellow.
The HBO Episode Guide states: "John's El Camino dealer is clearly not your typical used-car salesman; he comes off more like John's supervisor, repeatedly telling him, "I took you offline, Country." His interactions with Linc and Jake probe similarly bizarre territory, referring to the Yosts' family problems and warning, "Not one damn minute to waste." John produces $15,000 in cash to pay for the El Camino."
It's no small matter to have taken John "offline", and no mean feat. Nor to provide "El Camino" and to come back at Link and Jake that he's got far more dealerships or whatever than they grasp, or perhaps even could; and to have some of the grabbag omniscience as John shows. I agree he doesn't come off as an especially benign figure, as I'd expect John's "Father" to be; but a supernatural one, yes.
Patrick's comments about Cass/Kai are thoughtful, incisive, as with so much else. My recollection is that these were the two characters who were overwhelmed with full-blown visions/revelations -- Kai after John implored her to "See God."
36 - Patrick
I believe the new season of The Wire is only ten episodes, as is Tell Me You Love Me, so maybe HBO is just cutting back in general. But, that could definitely have resulted in some compressed storytelling. I also read an interview with Rebecca De Mornay from before the finale where she talked about scenes where Cissy gets injured, so clearly there was some alternate stuff filmed, perhaps the DVD will illuminate things.