(S02E23) "There's really no formula for perfection." - Nicole
Expectations. Everyone had expectations this week, including myself. Sadly, the season finale of Kyle XY didn't meet my expectations. The previous episodes had set everything up for a rocking finale and, instead, we were treated to a mushy prom filled with teen angst, expectations, mishaps, and a spiked punch. It was such a letdown that I wonder if the the writers were already in strike mode when they wrote this. In retrospect, episode 2.22 would have served as a better season finale.
Even if, as Nicole said, there is no formula for perfection, I expected much more from this episode. I wanted to see a glimpse of Latnok (even if it was the members at the table watching Kyle on monitors), I wanted some action (more than a leaky roof), I wanted a hint as to what Brian had decided. I didn't expect loads of answers but I did want more cliffhangers. Yes, we did get a cliffhanger that will have Kyle/Amanda fans worrying for months but is it enough to get all fans to return for season 3?
Don't get me wrong, I love the series but I feel cheated right now. For a series that revolves around mystery and conspiracy, this finale is not up to par. The only way the kidnapping of Amanda would be remotely cliffhanger-y is if it turns out that Latnok is not behind it. Right now, I see the beginning of season 3 going like this: Kyle discovers that Latnok kidnapped Amanda in order to have him work for them; he complies since he wants to save Amanda; his family and friends (including Jessi, Foss, and Adam) will try to bust him out of the Latnok facility. The end. Okay, maybe I'm cutting it a bit dry. Maybe I should have taken a few hours to digest the finale before ranting about it.
Even the "will Jessi leave Seattle" cliffhanger isn't one. Jaimie Alexander, who plays Jessi, confirmed that she's signed on for next season. So the only real question is will Sarah stick around or will Jessi live with the Tragers?
If you've been reading my reviews of the series, you know I prefer the plot-driven episodes of Kyle XY. However, I do like the characters to evolve. Even if "I've Had The Time Of My Life" was character-driven, the characters didn't evolve that much. Kyle and Amanda confirmed their love, which wasn't much of a surprise; Josh and Andy decided that they weren't ready for the next step; and Lori decided to move on. The latter is surely the one who grew the most in this final hour of the season. Lori has matured a lot this past season and prom night was a turning point in her life. It will be quite interesting to see Lori next season. Now that Leclan is no more, will she still interact with Declan? Since Mark is only 19, will she go against her father's advice and give the DJ a chance?
As I've said earlier, episode 2.22 would have served as a better finale. It was action-packed, filled with backstory and ended with a few cliffhangers. Fans would have wondered for months what would be Latnok's next step; if Jessi was really alive and, if so, if she was okay; if Brian would use the plane ticket; and if Amanda would be able to pull prom off.
No matter my opinion of Kyle XY's season finale, I still enjoy the series and will return to my reviewing duties when season three hits the small screen (more than likely in the 2008-2009 season).
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
3-18-2008 @ 10:13PM
Thomas said...
The guy in the security jacket outside the prom looked like he could have been Brian Taylor, so not Latnok as such.
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3-19-2008 @ 12:23AM
KayDee said...
I thought the episode was sweet, but not finale material. Something more cliffhanger-ish would have made more sense; keep me biting my fingernails until summer.
One thing good - I hope Jessie has been retired as a series regular. I like her, but the Kyle/Jessie tug-of-war was getting tiresome, and her continual angst disrupted Kyle's story. The show ain't called "Kyle XY" for nothing! I want the focus back on Kyle, the Tragers, and the Latnok conspiracy. I also hope we'll be seeing Foss again regularly in S3. I love his mysterious presence on the screen!
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3-19-2008 @ 12:36PM
Ty said...
Really incredible finale, this show is amazing. I don't think 2.22 would have been a better finale, this was perfect.
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3-19-2008 @ 8:53PM
ben said...
I definitely agree with you, this was a horrible finale. The biggest cliffhanger (Amanda's gone missing) was given to us in the preview, anyway.
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3-20-2008 @ 3:50PM
daz said...
i thought kyle ended pretty well but they could have put a little more mystery in to the end, but regardless im really lokking forward to series 3
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3-21-2008 @ 8:13AM
David said...
Since the end of season 1 this show has struggled with "am I a sci-fi family drama" vs. "am I a family show filled with teenage angst?" The writers are trying to have it both ways, and I don't think it works well like that.
I'll still watch, but I'll still be pining for more season 1-like intrigue.
Oh, and the girls cleaned up nicely for the finale! More of that, please :D
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3-21-2008 @ 1:59PM
Socceryemi said...
I think Lori and Declan should be together. Also I found out that a lot of people are only going to watch season 3 to find out if Lori and Declan are still together. And alot of people are thinking about wether the should or should'nt watch the show if Leclan is not together.
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3-22-2008 @ 6:13PM
manpan said...
I hope next season the focus of the show returns to Kyle. Kyle XY season 2b (the second half of season 2 that first premiered Monday January 18th 2008 and has aired new episodes every Monday since then till the season 2b finale episode "I've Had The Time of My Life" which aired Monday March 17th 2008 -- most of the season we see more of Jessi and she gets more action than Kyle. No offense to any Jessi fans if there are any here but the name of this show is Kyle XY not Jessi XX. Give Kyle back his action scenes in season 3 that he had in season 1 and season 2a.
Also I think the season 2b premiere episode "To CIR With Love" would have been a better season finale episode for season 2a than its predecessor "A Leap of Faith" because To CIR With Love seemed more liked a season ending episode than a season opener. Yet they used "A Leap of Faith" as the season finale for the first half of season 2 and started the second half of season 2 with To CIR With Love.
I hope Lori and Declan get back together eventually I want to see season 3 to see if it happens (if it doesn't happen in season 3 and by chance they make a season 4 it could happen in an even later season) but I also want to find out more about Amanda's disappearance. Was it really Latnok who took her or a disgruntled former member of Latnok (aka or i.e. Brian Taylor) pretending to be an existing Latnok member who took her to get revenge against Kyle and Latnok -- to make Kyle think Latnok is pure evil -- Kyle already has started having doubts about Latnok thanks to Sarah -- and those doubts have now spread into Adam Baylin's mind and that of Tom Foss. They are all starting to suspect Latnok could be up to no good.
What if Latnok really did listen to Adam and agreed to stop watching Kyle -- and did do so -- they were willing to honor the promise but along comes Taylor who makes everyone believe he used the one-way plane ticket but really gets another house in another side of town, gets a disguise and goes to the prom as the security guard we see at the end of the episode.
We don't see the security guard exactly grabbing Amanda -- we just see him appear on the scene right after Kyle goes back inside but he's so close to where Amanda is standing and when Kyle comes back out both the guard and Amanda are gone. I thought the guard arrived just after Kyle went in and then entered himself without touching Amanda -- and when the guard enters he just walks past where Kyle is standing without Kyle seeing him and the guard goes to another part of the building and eventually exits unseen. Whether the guard was the one to snatch Amanda or not I'm unsure. I know once Kyle were to use his holographic memory he'll find out about the guard and become curious whether it was the guard or not -- he'll be curious why he didn't see the guard, and who the guard is etc? He'll find out eventually even if it was someone else who it was that took Amanda.
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5-19-2008 @ 7:17PM
Janice Marallo said...
I've watched every episode & really enjoy it. I'm a young
68. Our paster (former attorney in his 40's also watches
it. When will it return with new episodes? Casting is great
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