What I’m Watching: Casual (Series Finale)

Casual: Season 4, Episode 8 “Finale”

Here we are, at the end of a great show that pretty much flew under the radar for its entire four seasons. That was always its nature, opening quietly and unassumingly with a scroll through the many different relationship options selectable on a dating app, ultimately settling on “casual” as the choice. Technology was always at its center, whether it was Alex trying to pitch his algorithm and then stay relevant in an increasingly younger world or Leon constantly editing his videos with his headphones blocking out the world, and this fourth-season flash-forward to things like driverless Ubers was a cool way of acknowledging, yet again subtly, the minor but momentous changes ahead to how daily life goes on. Alex giving Val Ova was significant, if only because its first act was to recreate him by playing his playlist for those left behind in Los Angeles. The best callback to the pilot that this finale could have provided was Alex and Val once again going on dates together and then monitoring each other, but this time, even though it appeared to be going south, it actually worked out and they both had a wonderful time ending in satisfaction. Alex wanting to stay after that nearly created disaster, but I think that it’s meaningful that Rae didn’t appear in this final installment, just Carrie, because Alex is going there to start his life over, not chase someone who doesn’t necessarily feel the same way about him. They might end up getting together, but Alex and Val sleeping with random people meant that they’re still on their journey, and finding their true matches wouldn’t have felt right. Laura, on the other hand, might finally be maturing, and it looks like she’s in a good place with Tathiana after all. And Leon and Leah got a dog, which is sweet, and a sign of their resilience. I’ve very much enjoyed this show over the course of its time on the air, and I’ll enthusiastically recommend it to anyone looking for an underrated hit.

Series finale: A-
Series grade: B+
Season MVP: Tara Lynne Barr as Laura
Season grade: A-
Series MVP: Michaela Watkins as Val
Best Season: Season 1
Best Episode: “Bottles”

What I’m Watching: Master of None (Season Finale)

Master of None: Season 1, Episode 10 “Finale” (B+)

And just like that, this show is over, though I’m hopeful that it will be brought back for a second season. I feel like because it took me a few episodes to get into it, I didn’t fully appreciate it, but there were definitely some great installments along the way. This was a good closing episode, one that brought back the supporting characters just enough and focused primarily on Dev and Rachel and how their relationship panned out. I would have liked for things to work out between the two of them, and it was sad to see them part ways. Dev imagining how they would say their vows in the most unromantic and matter-of-fact way was helpful in illustrating how he felt and how he thought she felt about the institution of marriage and what it means to take a relationship to the next step, and that was crucial for eliciting her negative reaction to his unfortunate percentage exercise. Seeing her with different hair and a sudden desire to move to Japan because she didn’t want to feel like she had missed out on the opportunity was strange, but the best part was that it caused Dev to take the plunge and fly to Italy to go to culinary school, which is seriously cool. This show didn’t have a specific focus but it managed to get at a lot of what happens in society these days, with a fantastic central performance from Aziz Ansari and a great turn from the wonderful Noel Wells, who I hope we’ll see again in season two. On that note, let’s hope for a season two!

Season grade: B+
Season MVP: Aziz Ansari and Noel Wells

What I’m Watching: The Office (Series Finale)

The Office: Season 9, Episode 23 “Finale”

After about 200 episodes, there was a lot riding on this finale. I personally feel, as I believe most do, that the show peaked in its second and third seasons, and had some great installments in season four too. Sticking with the show even through Steve Carell’s departure was both an act of loyalty to the show and to my enthusiasm for TV, and though this season was frustrating, I think it all paid off with this very fitting finale. Fast-forwarding a year was a useful device that didn’t feel manipulative, and it’s just the right amount of time to be able to recap important life events without having to outfit characters differently to show that they have aged. Jim’s status as best man and his excitement about “guten pranken” was touching, and it’s nice to see that, after everything, he and Dwight became genuine friends. Making up a story about how the best man can’t be younger than the groom was an amazing way to introduce a cameo that I was expecting but still surprised me in the moment, which was Carell back as Michael, set up by Dwight for the most triumphant “That’s what she said” ever. Featuring Michael only enough for Pam to exclaim that he pays for two phones so that he can have more pictures of his kids was probably a result of Carell’s availability more than anything, but it was still just the right note. Bringing both Kelly and Ryan back and having them run off together was great, and it’s good that this episode wasn’t drowning in other return appearances. Erin’s parents both showing up was wonderful, and her character makes more sense now that we know that she was spawned from Joan Cusack and Ed Begley Jr. Stanley retiring and Kevin and Toby being fired were eventualities that were well-handled, and it’s great that Pam decided that she and Jim should move to Texas so that he could work with Athleap. Even Andy got redeemed by his owning of the mockery he was subjected to after his breakdown went public. I don’t think that the past few years justified the wait for this finale, and the focus on the documentary this season wasn’t necessary, but this was a tremendous and satisfying way to end this show. I’ve been thinking about this episode a lot, only good things, since it aired on Thursday. Last week, I re-watched a few of the episodes I remembered liking most, including “The Job” and “Dinner Party,” and in lieu of selecting a best episode right now, I’ll plan to do a retrospective with the best-ever episodes sometime in the next few weeks.

Series finale: A-
Season grade: C+
Season MVP: John Krasinski as Jim
Series grade: B
Series MVP: Steve Carell as Michael
Best Season: Season 3
Best Episode: TBA