TVSquad

We don't usually have open threads about sporting events here at TV Squad, but last night was the big finale of the 2009 World Series of Poker on ESPN, and I wanted to post this for two reasons. One, to find out what you thought of the exciting battle between logger Darvin Moon and 21 year-old Joe Cada, and two to find out how many people are actually still interested in watching poker on television.

Poker was massive on TV a few years ago, but is it still?

That was some Mad Men finale, wasn't it? If you haven't seen it yet, please stop reading now, because there was just too much going on for me not to just launch into some discussion.

OK, I'll wait until after the jump to really get into things. But, suffice to say, the end of season three left some characters going down a pretty well-determined path, but others have entered a sort of limbo state, where we don't quite know what their roles will be in season four.

(S03E13) It's a cold Friday, December 13, 1963. The President's been killed and the world as Don Draper knows it has pretty much fallen apart. For most of the season, the ground has been shifting under Don's feet and he's be holding on, trying to right himself and his life. He's tried with Betty. He's tried for Sally and Bobby and Gene -- at least as much as Don is able to try.

With Conrad Hilton he's never been on a level playing field, and from the moment he was forced to sign the contract, Sterling Cooper has not been his domain as it had been. With this episode, this season finale, all was changed and, perhaps, all has been righted. More after the jump.

(S01E08) "You think we learned anything tonight?" - Jonathan

I'll tell you what I learned -- Bored to Death has a lot of potential. All season long, I've gone from loving to hating to loving this show, and with the season finale now come and gone, there's a real opportunity here for Bored to Death to become HBO's next break-out hit when it returns. All the pieces are in place and it probably could have blown up this season had there not been so many episodes where the show tried to find its footing. Is it a detective show? Or is it about three friends in the publishing world trying to make their mark? Or is it both?

Last night was the season finale of Greek, the somewhat-overlooked ABC Family show with the small but rabid fan base. If you have no idea what's going on in the picture above, the ZBZs competed in Songfest. There was also a battle of the bots between Rusty and Dale, which means it sounds like this show appeals to people who like both Glee and G4.

What did you think of the season finale?

I had been expecting the JFK assassination to become part of the Mad Men storyline from the moment they showed us the invitation for Margaret Sterling's wedding on November 23, 1963. Expectations are one thing. Watching the way the national tragedy was depicted was quite another. As I watched the scenes unfold, I was riveted to the screen – and that was a surprise to me because on Fox the Yankees and the Phillies were locked in a very tight World Series game, and I cared about the outcome.

But I found myself unable to turn away from Mad Men. It wasn't pleasant to watch those black and white images of anchormen Walter Cronkite and Chet Huntley. The moment I saw the flickering images behind Harry and Pete in the Sterling-Cooper office, I knew what was happening. It was terrific storytelling, by the way, for the viewer to know, but for Pete and Harry to be oblivious.

I haven't watched this season of Hell's Kitchen since the second episode. But I have them all recorded just in case I wanted to get back into it and maybe I'll take one of these weekend days and do a marathon. Of course, since I'm writing this post I already know who won, but it won't ruin the season for me. It's all about the journey (and a chef yelling at people).

So were you surprised by who won?

[Watch episodes and clips of Hell's Kitchen and other shows at SlashControl.]

(S03E18) Army Wives is the highest rated series in the history of Lifetime, and this season has done little to infringe on the show's popularity. For me, though, this past season has been a bit of a drag... until tonight's dramatic finale. In the tradition of the show, cliffhanger endings are its specialty and more than a few lives were torn asunder by the time the credits rolled on tonight's show.

There's a lot up in the air going into next season (which has already been ordered by Lifetime, so don't worry about these storylines not being resolved). Before looking at the couples, one by one, overall I think Army Wives could use some shaking up. There's a bit of complacency setting in, but more on that and the couples after the jump.

(S01E13) Drop Dead Diva has lived up to the pilot/premiere, and in some ways, exceeded it. The Deb/Jane dichotomy has morphed into someone different than either pure Deb or pure Jane. Brooke Elliott is wonderful as "New Jane" with just a hint of Deb. As season one comes to a close, even if the writers hadn't left us with a cliffhanger ending, I'd be more than anxious to tune in next year.

There were two interesting cases on the docket for the finale, with Stacy offering lots of comic relief as second stool -- chair -- to Grayson in a lawsuit brought by a lingerie model who'd been fired because she went public with her surviving breast cancer. Jane's case was more complex, but not until after it had been won. More on both cases, and Jane's dilemma on the dating front, after the jump.

(S06E12) "Sorry - he Jason Bourne'd me." - Drama

Huh?!? Was that really an Entourage season finale? It was so... good. It was as if every conversation I've ever had with my buddies after another season of Entourage and all of the "man, I really wish they had done this or included that" requests were jammed into this episode. Maybe Entourage should have double-length installments more often.

Anything to ensure that Ari always walks around with a paintball gun.

(S11E30) Natalie and Kevin made it scheming all the way into the final three on Big Brother 11. But, did they make it to the final two? Did one of them win the half-million dollars? Or did Jordan blow them both out of the water? It was an unlikely final three and the first two-hour live season finale. Despite the rather lame "high school cliques" theme to the season, it definitely had its moments of BB history.

(S01E10) "You're afraid of flies or something?" - Ray

All season long on Hung, there's been one lingering question. We knew it from the moment we met Tanya, and it was solidified in last night's season finale when she sat on her couch, in dirty sweat pants, reading The Power of Positive Thinking, only to run away terrified at the sight of numerous flies. One lingering question and finally, Ray is asking it too.

What the hell made Tanya think she'd make a good pimp?

Simon Cowell predicted it and he was right (and he has a hand in all this, you know). Susan Boyle is going to appear on the season finale of America's Got Talent, giving all of us a chance to see her as she is now. As this beautiful photo shows, celebrity has already transformed Susan. The shock to her system after the sudden fame has apparently waned, and she is now ready to bring her act to America. Britain's Got Talent nearly overwhelmed her, but that was then and this is now.

The appearance on America's Got Talent will be included in the NBC show's two-part finale airing September 14 and 16. And, they're calling this her "official" U.S. TV debut, but I think that's referring to singing only, because she's been on talk shows.

(S05E22) "You won't go to AA? I'll bring AA to you." - Teddy

After 22 episodes that didn't always feel all that cohesive, this was a finale that truly tied it all together. Rescue Me has had some memorable cliffhangers in the past, but this easily trumps them all not only for dramatic effect but for the potential lasting effects as well.

We'll get to all that because there really is a lot to discuss when it comes to "Drink." From the pettiness of Janet and Sheila to Damien's place at the 62 Truck house to the Gavin drinking epidemic, it was all answered in the comically twisted and dark fashion that we've come to expect from Rescue Me. Bottoms up.

(S05E12) Kind of like the summer season finale for Burn Notice, it seemed like they saved the best for last with The Closer. There was an interesting case, a colorful new character to go nose to nose with Brenda, and an up tick in the action, including a chase that was top notch. Kudos to Kevin Bacon who directed the episode and brought it all together.

For a time, it looked like Brenda and Major Crimes were on the trail of a ninja. No, not a real ninja, but a guy dressed all in black who kind of looked like a ninja. He used a blade, albeit a knife, and he was a stone cold killer who showed no mercy and seemed to take pleasure in the kill.