S02.E08: Omega Station

[ElectricBoogaloo]

SEASON FINALE!

 

Promo:

[MrsRafaelBarba]

Welp!

Ani and Jordan ended up being the last ones standing.

Ray is survived by TWO children.

[crookedjackson44]

Last night I watched The Battle of the Five Armies.  I'd seen it before but I watched it closely again to identify all the bloat in that film (all three Hobbit movies, really).  And tonight's episode suffered from the same bloat.  The first fifteen minutes could have easily been dispensed with; during the scene with Frank and his wife, I was practically screaming at the TV after three minutes of a seven minute scene -"Go!" "I won't!" "Go" and so on forever.  An hour and a half that could easily have been edited down to forty minutes.

[AimingforYoko]

The only thing that really pissed me off is that Burris survived. I wanted that prick dead. Everybody else pretty much bought it, whether they deserved to die or not.

I really can't believe they went with the one-shot baby, though.

[Jextella]

I didn't watch the last 30 minutes.  Too much.  I read about the ending elsewhere and I'm glad I didn't watch.  I won't be tuning in for Season 3.  S1 and S2 endings have just been too disappointing.  No matter how gripping the rest of the shows were until the end.

 

Man.  This guy Nic P is missing *something* in his execution.  Maybe it would be a good read but not a good tv show.

[LilaFowler]

The worst. 

[Shriekingeel]

The first word of Ray's unsent message describes this season: "Failure".

[NurseGiGi]

Last night I watched The Battle of the Five Armies.  I'd seen it before but I watched it closely again to identify all the bloat in that film (all three Hobbit movies, really).  And tonight's episode suffered from the same bloat.  The first fifteen minutes could have easily been dispensed with; during the scene with Frank and his wife, I was practically screaming at the TV after three minutes of a seven minute scene -"Go!" "I won't!" "Go" and so on forever.  An hour and a half that could easily have been edited down to forty minutes.

OMG, I was doing the same thing only I actually DID scream at my TV.

 

I can't believe that Ani got custody of Jordan.  I think I would rather have been shot.

 

I think this might have been worse than I had imagined it would be. 

Edited August 10, 2015 by NurseGiGi

[susannot]

Ray is survived by TWO children.

Tried to quote this. OMG the worst. WTF happened?

Ray is survived by TWO children.

Tried to quote this. OMG the worst. WTF happened?

[ToastnBacon]

Wow!

Frank's death scene was pretty good. From the people he had killed following and scolding him, to turning into a dust devil. I'll be thinking about that for a couple of days.

This season had its issues, it wasn't as good as season one, but it also had its moments.

I have no problem that it wasn't a happy ending, and I think it was a bit brave that the writers played it that way.

[Free]

And tonight's episode suffered from the same bloat.  The first fifteen minutes could have easily been dispensed with; during the scene with Frank and his wife, I was practically screaming at the TV after three minutes of a seven minute scene -"Go!" "I won't!" "Go" and so on forever.  An hour and a half that could easily have been edited down to forty minutes.

 

I feel the same the entire season, it's full of time wasting padding until the last portion of each episode and even then it's not even good enough to justify it.  It didn't need to be 90 minutes, they extended it just to pad the running time even more which they've already done in each episode.

Edited August 10, 2015 by Free

[MrsRafaelBarba]

The ending reminded me of Salem's Lot, when Ben and the kid had to pack up and keep

moving. Oh well, Frank's guy is loyal and with them.

[represent]

I'm happy Ani has a piece of Velcoro in that baby. I'm just pissed she and Jordan still have to be looking over their shoulder while the AG and Burris are walking around like "honorable" men. Good to see they honored Woodrough, except that the people honoring him were his executioners.

Then again, I guess that's what the reporter was all about at the end, justice. If he lives to take all that evidence back to the states and blast it all over the airwaves then maybe they'll really get what coming to them and Velcoro's name will be cleared.

Edited August 10, 2015 by represent

[njmama]

So where were Ani, Jordan, baby and Nails going at the end? Leaving Venezuela and back here? Ugh...show.

[raspberry7]

 during the scene with Frank and his wife, I was practically screaming at the TV after three minutes of a seven minute scene -"Go!" "I won't!" "Go" and so on forever. 

This scene made me want to shoot my eyes out with a nail gun.

[TrininisaScorp]

That was super joyous and bright!  Except, not at all.

 

I thought Frank's death was nicely done and beautifully shot.  That desert setting was amazing.  

 

Velcoro running through the forest getting hunted like an animal was tragic.  DY, James Frain.  I love him, but I think I might fall over if they ever cast him as a sweet character (like Forney from Where the Heart Is).

 

Glad Ani made it out.  So she and Jordan are co-parenting Ani's one-night stand baby with Velcoro in Venezuela.  Good times. 

 

Something very sweet about the red haired child being Velcoro's.   

[susannot]

Frank's death scene was good Shakespeare: "Nothing in his life became him like the leaving of it." MacBeth.

Don't understand how Ani and Jordan ended up together, or at least in the same place. And whose baby was it, at the end? Thanks for the clues, everyone.

[represent]

Oh yeah, I loved that salute of goodbye that Velcoro gave Chad, aw that tore at the heartstrings. He even had the grandfather's badge sitting right next to him.  So if you want to be positive and optomistic you think that yes the reporter makes it back to the states to set things straight and clear Velcoro's name. That will mean everything to his sons as Ani indicated.

Edited August 10, 2015 by represent

[pezgirl7]

One of the saddest things was Ray's final message to his son failing to upload. WTF was the point of them showing that? Wasn't the end depressing enough?

[catrox14]

Man, I'm pissed off that Ray didn't make it out. And his file didn't upload.  Ugh. :(. That is one of the most depressing endings of a show I've ever watched

Edited August 10, 2015 by catrox14

[Lemons]

Frank's death scene was good Shakespeare: "Nothing in his life became him like the leaving of it." MacBeth.

Don't understand how Ani and Jordan ended up together, or at least in the same place. And whose baby was it, at the end? Thanks for the clues, everyone.

It was Ray and Ani's baby.  Ani and Jordan met at that park in Venezuela.  Frank had asked Ani to meet Jordan in case he couldn't make it.

 

I was disappointed that they both ended up dead.  I thought for sure that the scarred woman at the bar was going to do something to Ani, she was seething with jealousy that Ani had a thing with Ray.

[sjohnson]

I'm kind of torn on the plot. The misdirect to a cop not wanting to kill another cop by the expedient of having the shotgun be Caspere's in a way is very clever. Except I have no idea why Caspere would stock a non-lethal weapon. And except I have no idea why Lennie wouldn't have his own weapon. And except I don't know why the eyes are so carefully excised. And I don't why any human being would think it funny to drive around with a dead body. And I don't know why Lennie would regret not killing Velcoro so much he'd spit out his chagrin that even Caspere's gun was impotent. Laura being on the party circuit and falling in with Tasha and Woodrugh finding the body his buddy Miguel's outfit was connected with and Burriss waiting behind the right door for Woodrugh we can safely attribute to coincidence, what with California being a small town.. 

 

The plot also hinged on two off screen characters doing some interestingly inconsistent things. Caspere surviving so long bespeaks a shocking strength of personality that seemed decidedly lacking at other times. I mean, if Caspere died violently, the investigating detective would have access to his safe deposit box. He must have had unsuspected magnetism to keep Burriss from killing him. Similarly, Tasha must have been amazing skilled at manipulation to inveigle everything out of Caspere. But then this skilled manipulator spills the news about the blue diamonds to another party girl. What nefarious scheme did this mastermind have?

Essentially Tasha puts everything into motion. Having the plot initiated off stage feels like cheating on the mystery angle.

 

The notion that the system is rigged is not really put over by attributing it supernatural powers. I think this unintentionally undercuts the hopelessness of resistance motif. (The reporter at the end we can safely dismiss.) Neither of the female couples works I think. 

Edited August 10, 2015 by sjohnson

[GenieinTX]

So what the hell was the point of it all?  Lt James Frain comes out a winner?  Everyone we cared about died except Ani?  She and Jordon got to co-raise the baby once they got rid of the men?  Yeah, the figured out the mystery but then everyone died.  At least last season there was a point - bad man gets his in the end, cops live.  I'm struggling to see the point of this season.

[catrox14]

But despite being sad about Ray, I loved Colin Farrell so much in this.  I hope this kind of reignites his career.

[njmama]

I was disappointed that they both ended up dead. I thought for sure that the scarred woman at the bar was going to do something to Ani, she was seething with jealousy that Ani had a thing with Ray.

Me too! I thought wow, they're all going to make it out alive now this scarred up bitch will take them out. Glad I was mistaken.

I don't even do drugs and this show has me paranoid as hell after watching it.

[Ellaria]

Agree that the early talky-talky scenes were frustrating and perhaps unnecessary. The "love child from the one night stand" is a bit tired.

Other than those two things, I enjoyed the finale. Sad to see Frank and Ray die but, IMO, it was inevitable that one of them - at least - wasn't going to survive. Frank's death stroll thru the desert was a little melodramatic but that was in keeping with much of his story.

Absolutely hate to see Burris survive and Tony victorious but evil doesn't end in NP's world. Most of the loose ends were tied up which is quite an achievement considering the number of questions and plot lines this season.

This wasn't great TV but I was invested in the fate of the four main characters. That fact kept me coming back each week and I thought that their "ends" were appropriate.

[Free]

So what the hell was the point of it all?  Lt James Frain comes out a winner?  Everyone we cared about died except Ani?  She and Jordon got to co-raise the baby once they got rid of the men?  Yeah, the figured out the mystery but then everyone died.  At least last season there was a point - bad man gets his in the end, cops live.  I'm struggling to see the point of this season.

 

The whole season felt like a non event tbh.  I know people were confused and didn't know more than half the names, turns out that none of it really mattered in the end.

[represent]

So Laura/Erica was Caspere's daughter and so was the child their mother was carrying when their parents were murdered, at least according to Holloway.

[WaltersHair]

I feel like a schmuck for putting as much time and effort into understanding this thing. Boo.

And boy was I wrong about everything.

 

Here's the thing. I hate soups and stews made with bits of things just thrown in like corn, lima beans and raw okra. They're extraneous and don't add a thing to the finished product. In fact, they can be a little gross: raw okra has the consistency of snot. This series had way too many pieces of okra in it.

 

I have blue balls of the heart.

[ToastnBacon]

So what the hell was the point of it all?  Lt James Frain comes out a winner?  Everyone we cared about died except Ani?  She and Jordon got to co-raise the baby once they got rid of the men?  Yeah, the figured out the mystery but then everyone died.  At least last season there was a point - bad man gets his in the end, cops live.  I'm struggling to see the point of this season.

I don't have a problem with the ending.

Actually, damn near every show and movie has a happy ending, it's a bit contrived to always have the good guy win, no?

The hero sometimes loses in real life.

[edhopper]

I just don't know whether to think the reporter will expose the truth and there will be some justice. Or if the world is so corrupt, justice isn't possible.

The show seems rather meaningless if the later.

[terrymct]

The plot and characters this season were for the most part were slight variations on overused standards. In the right hands, that can be ok or even great. The world weary cop fighting the system or a California land battle can be a marvelous thing to behold if the character development is strong and interesting and the variation on the usual plot line is good. In this season, those saving graces were absent. I hated that we learned so many of the details of the plot this season via characters talking to each other about what the story is. Show, don't tell. I wish the author had cut a bunch of the extraneous crud, including but not limited to trimming the scenes where characters glumly stair at each other or out into space, then used that time to show scenes that advanced the plot. These are all problems from an intro to screen writing class.

I hope the writer finds his way before he sits down to write season 3, assuming this season hasn't killed the series.

[Guest]

I kept laughing at Colin Farrell's inexplicable channeling of Karl Childer's accent in that scene at the terminal.

I applaud NP's consistency: this was a shit show from start to finish.

[Cardie]

I really wanted Ray to take out Burriss. If one cop is going to skate, let it be Holloway, not the murderer of Paul. Did Holloway retain the blue diamonds? I guess they will be squirreled away again. Also no info on whether the Chessani daughter survived.

 

Thanks to this being the info dump of all info dumps, most loose ends were cleared up. I hadn't foreseen Caspere having had an affair with Mrs. Osterman but I suppose they needed a way to know that the store was worth robbing.

Even if Ray never knew, I'm glad Chad was his son. Ditto that Jordan was loyal. I have no use for Kelly Reilly but Frank was played for a chump by so many that I didn't want her to betray him too. Also, if we'd had this Frank throughout rather than brooding philosopher Frank, Vaughn would be getting plaudits.

So the three True Ds all reproduced during the investigation. Please, no True D Vinci: the next generation.

[represent]

 

 

I don't have a problem with the ending.

Actually, damn near every show and movie has a happy ending, it's a bit contrived to always have the good guy win, no?

The hero sometimes loses in real life.

I agree, plus Ani lived and for me she had to survive otherwise that would have royally pissed me off. And, I got the baby, because I was so into a happily somewhat ever after for her and Ray. Once I was sure that may not happen I was hoping for that baby. I'm like leave Ani with something cause for once I think she started to have hope when they were planning to run away together. For once in her life I think she actually let her guard down and trusted someone. Her crying on that boat was so sad to me.

[Free]

This scene made me want to shoot my eyes out with a nail gun.

 

XD.  I feel evil, but I just didn't care about any of the characters, they started out as depressing and angsty and ended that way too, so the depressing ending had no effect for me.

 

I hope the writer finds his way before he sits down to write season 3, assuming this season hasn't killed the series.

 

He needs to be around talented people like Cary Fukunaga, Matthew McConaughey, etc. who impact the show for the better and elevate the material.

Edited August 10, 2015 by Free

[Cardie]

I just don't know whether to think the reporter will expose the truth and there will be some justice. Or if the world is so corrupt, justice isn't possible.

 

If it makes you feel better, the leaders of the corrupt California town Vinci is based on were all hauled away by the Feds eventually.

[benteen]

But despite being sad about Ray, I loved Colin Farrell so much in this.  I hope this kind of reignites his career.

 

He just got cast in the new Harry Potter spinoff, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.  So the career seems to be on the upswing.

 

Despite flaws, I enjoyed it.  I wish they had ended it after an hour and I agree, we didn't need Frank and his wife's endless conversation in the beginning.  But CF and RM rocked it again this season and events played out well onscreen.  Was surprised Ani ended up with Ray's kid.  Figured Ray was dead when he went to see his kid but his kid having the badge was actually sweet.  I do hope those involved do get taken down along with the drug dealers.

 

Ray's death was well-shot.  Frank's too.  Nice to see Fred Ward pop up again.

Edited August 10, 2015 by benteen

[magdalene]

Fucking James Frain bad guy won. None of the male leads lived. Shakespeare knew how to do tragedy that made you feel sad at the end but also made you feel glad you watched or read his plays. Here I mainly feel depressed that I watched this season.

[represent]

 

If it makes you feel better, the leaders of the corrupt California town Vinci is based on were all hauled away by the Feds eventually.

Thanks I thought I read this somewhere earlier in the season. Which gives hope that Ani and Jordan won't forever have to be on the run and that Ani can contact her father and sister eventually.

Edited August 10, 2015 by represent

[Free]

Fucking James Frain bad guy won. None of the male leads lived. Shakespeare knew how to do tragedy that made you feel sad at the end but also made you feel glad you watched or read his plays. Here I mainly feel depressed that I watched this season.

 

Yeah, this season was just depressing for the sake of it the entire way through, so by the end I just never cared, it was just miserable people who left their children fatherless in a contrived fashion.

[Muffyn]

During the Frank and his wife scene, I kept thinking “She was working as a waitress in a cocktail bar . . . “.   Between the two of them, they cannot hold my attention on the screen. 

 

By the end I was yelling “Just fucking die already!” at Frank.  His limp made no sense.  At least the buzzards should get a tasty snack. 

 

This thing just would not end.

[Free]

By the end I was yelling “Just fucking die already!” at Frank.  His limp made no sense.  At least the buzzards should get a tasty snack.

This thing just would not end.

 

There was no need to extend this for 90 minutes, let alone 8 episodes that couldn't be properly paced.

[WatchrTina]

 

OMG, I was doing the same thing only I actually DID scream at my TV.

Me too!  Shouting at the screen for Jorden to just f**king GO!  The shouting resumed when Ray decided to make his side trip to the playground.  Hollering and cursing.

 

I had to laugh when Ani had the moment of psychic awareness that Ray was dead because all I could think about was how people on this board scoffed at Paul's girlfriend's similar moment of psychic awareness last week.  But oddly we didn't get to see Jordan "sense" Frank's death.  Then again, she got to astral project herself into his dying hallucination so there's that.

 

The contrast of desert, redwood grove in the mountains, and ocean was nice.

 

Did anyone else see vultures following Frank's blood trail in one shot?  And don't you wonder what ever happened to the diamonds in Frank's pocket?

 

The shootout at the house of drugged hookers was satisfying but also absurd.  All those guys running out of the lodge into the maw of machine gun fire was like something out of a bad kung fu movie when all the bad guys take turns getting beaten up.

 

Really glad Frank got to shoot Osip.  What did he say to Frank . . . "You're like a son to me?"  REALLY bad choice of words.

Edited August 10, 2015 by WatchrTina

[Maysie]

So last week I saw the last 15 minutes and never got around to watching the entire episode, so I didn't experience a change in heart about Frank (I kind of feel like if it takes seven out of eight episodes to finally come to like/get/empathize with a character that something's getting lost in the process). His opening scene with his wife this week didn't do anything to change my boredom/frustration with Frank and Jordan. For fuck's sake, I felt like he was telling the neighborhood stray dog to just go on, get out, don't come around here anymore! What the fuck??? By the time we got to his death scene, I. Did. Not. Care. Maybe it would have hit me differently if I'd had the Frank experience from last week that others seem to have had, but it didn't work that way. I half expected him to be wearing a white suit and wearing a red flower when he finally dropped over. And then came the rats. And after them, vultures.

 

Probably the one scene that really did it for me was when Ray went to see his kid; I thought that was a great scene and I would have been disappointed if Ray hadn't gone to look for his son. Otherwise, a whole bunch of meh. I wasn't crazy about any of the main characters throughout the season; I really didn't feel much of anything about them. Though I thought CF and RM did a great job with their roles, I have to be honest and say that I didn't much care about whether they died or not. Perhaps that's one of the potential problems with doing a show with characters who constantly brood and act so disconnected -- I can't connect with them and subsequently don't feel invested in their outcomes so much. The only thing I sensed Ray gave a shit about was his son and that's the part of the show that resonated most with me.

 

The fact that Ani has Ray's baby doesn't do much for me, and it seemed a bit of a neat little plot device, and not much of a surprise given the way the rest of the season went. It's strange that the show took so many twists and turns and became such a convoluted mess, but also had some very tried and true formulaic pieces, such as Ani having Ray's baby, Paul's homosexuality and Frank and Jordan's infertility problems.

 

I think my mother summed it up best today: "I have to watch True Detective tonight and get that over with . . ." Big difference from last season when I watched to see how it ended yet hating that it was going away.

Edited August 10, 2015 by Maysie

[sjankis630]

 

"You were working as a waitress at a cocktail bar...."

Please forgive me but my 80s mind can't help but to add:

"When I met you."

"I picked you out, I shook you up"

"and turned you around"

"Turned you into someone new."

 

/Human League rant off 

 

I guess I have to see this again because I didn't see how Ray's car got the tracker on it.

When he went by to see his kid did he happen to see it?

Edited August 10, 2015 by sjankis630

[Lemons]

I don't have a problem with the ending.

Actually, damn near every show and movie has a happy ending, it's a bit contrived to always have the good guy win, no?

The hero sometimes loses in real life.

frank wasn't necessarily the good guy. He was a murdering "gangster." Neither could be considered heroes. Just regular schmucks who weren't dealt the best hand in life. I especially wanted Ray to find a little bit of peace and happiness.

It was nice to see a little Ray Ray to bring Ani happiness at least.

[miss carousel]

I hope Ray's ex lets Junior go over to Fred Ward's house so they can sit on the couch and watch Friends and Kirk Douglas movies together.

Endings aren't Nic's strong suit. And he's awfully pretentious for a guy who loves soap tropes.

Since Rust and Marty improbably survived last seasons last episode I expected a lead to die in this one and Nic is a why stop at one sort of guy.

Did not like.

I think Colin was the bright spot of the whole thing. His performance had a purity about it that transcended the bad clunky parts. Rachel and Taylor were good to I think they'll all come out of this debacle well.

[Free]

frank wasn't necessarily the good guy. He was a murdering "gangster." Neither could be considered heroes. Just regular schmucks who weren't dealt the best hand in life. I especially wanted Ray to find a little bit of peace and happiness.

It was nice to see a little Ray Ray to bring Ani happiness at least.

 

Same, these are kind of obvious death cliches: the gangster/mobster type, the character that gets too close to the truth/gets in too deep, etc.

[ganesh]

I didn't really have a problem with this season. I watched it every week, and I never felt that I wasted my time. I really wanted to talk about the show, but the "it's not last season! wah wah wah" bloviating really turned me off. It was a different story, certainly unique, and to be fair messy. Again, in hindsight, like S1, it was fairly straighforward. From the get go, the series was established as an anthology, so I went into S2 unspoiled without expectations. Just like S1. And I'll go into S3 in the same way. I'm looking forward to what they come up with and what weird casting there will be. 

 

I liked that the boy was really Ray's son, just to stick it to his awful ex wife. She was *dying* for him not to be the biological dad.

Edited August 10, 2015 by ganesh