Body of Proof series finale, Daddy Issues, aired on Tuesday this week.

 

It just sucks when such a fun series is cancelled.

 

Yes, all good things come to an end. But I wish they didn’t while they still had great storylines to explore.

 

Yeah, yeah, we get it. It’s about ratings and advertising revenue. But it’s not the healthiest sytem, and hey, the show’s time slot also affects things.

 

But let’s not get into the whole archaic Nielsen thing, or the advertisers’ inability to make the most of the show’s social media followers and international viewers…

 

I read that the creators are looking to find another network, but I’m not holding my breath.  Survival after cancellation has been known to happen, but none of my favorite (cancelled) shows had such luck.

 

But at least, Daddy Issues was a great finale. It tied up all the loose ends, and even though their final choice of the main villain is a bit implausible (and questionable), it makes up for it by:

 

(*includes spoilers for  season 3, episode 5 (Eye for an Eye), where Henry Ian Cusick first guest-starred.)

 

1)   letting us finally know what happened to Megan’s father and why.

2)   bringing back my favorite “villain” – therapist Dr. Trent Marsh (Henry Ian Cusick) who was the only guy that got away from Megan. He was intelligent enough, and he was worth sympathizing over. Even though he had killed 3 people (in episode 5), all those people had committed cold-blooded murder. One of the victims was Marsh’s wife.

3)   Megan (Dana Delany) finally beginning to see how there might be shades of grey when it came to “bad guys” and “good guys”

4)   Megan finally having a non-evasive talk with Tommy about where they stand.

 

 

The finale works, both as a season and a series finale.

Even if I don’t get any more of Megan Hunt, I’ve got closure- something prematurely-cancelled (but awesome) *Lie to Me or *Awake couldn’t provide.

 

Now, if you want to find out more, dig into a spoiler-rich plot summary:

 

Megan is too busy solving her dad’s murder to get into the case-of-the-week, so it’s Ethan (Geoffrey Arend), Kate (Jeri Ryan) and Curtis (Windell Middlebrooks) working on it.

 

Megan and Tommy (Mark Valley) are shocked to find out that her father’s grave is empty. This proves Megan’s theory one more time. They try the next logical angle: going  after some old records, which they also find that were taken by the killer.

 

And as Megan is trying to deal with the emotional strain, Marsh “runs into” her. She’s a bit “easier” on him this time, as she’s more concerned about catching her father’s killer.

 

After Megan finds a hidden key in her father’s belongings, she finds a hidden file on an assaulted and killed woman, supposedly by a serial killer (Kurtwood Smith, Red of That 70s Show), convicted for several other murders.

But he tells Megan and Tommy that she wasn’t one of her victims, and their search takes them to the cop in charge of the case years ago.

 

Megan is adamant that he’s the killer, but they only have a theory. Marsh finds her, and tells her he can help her. Megan refuses, though she seems to be less judgmental of him now.

 

When the cop is shot in the back, it makes you wonder whether a certain “villain” didn’t keep his promise.

 

But the victim in Kate’s case turns out to be the partner of the cop. When Megan goes to the police station to find Tommy, she runs into Tommy’s boss – who “kidnaps” Megan.

 

As it turns out, the killer is none other than Tommy and Adam’s (Elyes Gabel) boss Chief Angela (Lorraine Toussaint)  (yeah, her connection is explained.)

 

And when she is about to shoot Megan, it is when Marsh comes and shoots her, saving Megan’s life. A shocked Megan can only whisper “thank you” after he is gone.

 

After Tommy arrives at the scene, she tells him who saved his life. But when they go to his office, he is gone- having left   his book, along with the note “You’re Welcome” for Megan, who doesn’t seem that bummed that he has eluded them.

 

She makes up with her mother.

 

The she goes to Tommy’s house, finally admitting her feelings to Tommy, and we see their first on-screen kiss.

 

*

I’d kinda hoped Megan would hook up with the therapist (at least before we found out he was the murderer.) Even then, I was kind of hoping that Megan would understand him. This episode I got that chemistry again- and I had a feeling……wouldn’t mind.

 

But I’ve always liked Mark Valley (Boston Legal, Fringe), and Tommy’s been a very entertaining character. So it was about time they got together. But Marsh would have made a risky, grey and interesting love interest. Oh, well…

 

And if you want to see Cusick play a real villain (as in a villain killing anyone who gets in his way and gets off on it), watch his guest appearances as Tommy Volker on The Mentalist.

 

*

 

Lie to Me’s ending wasn’t good for a series finale. It was barely good enough as a season finale. Don’t get me wrong, it was a first-class episode. It didn’t move anything forward, apart from Lightman finally admitting to his daughter that he loved his partner Gillian- something we always knew.

 

Awake’s finale, had it been a season finale, would have been one of the best in the history of television. But as a season finale, it was just disappointing that we didn’t get the answer to the show’s promise: which of the worlds he was living was real?

 

Body of Proof answered everything we needed to know, moved the story forward, avoided the cliche of Megan winning over every criminal….

 

Yeah, I’ll miss the show. If another network buys it, I’ll keep watching.

 

What did you think of the finale?

 

 

Also on Body of Proof

 

Body of Proof starring Dana Delany, Nicholas Bishop & Jeri Ryan

 

Body of Proof is Back for its 3rd Season: And It’s Even More Fun!