'The 4400' Leaves us Guessing! Plus 'The Closer' and Federline Does 'CSI'

In my initial post on the season finale of The 4400, I focused on its awesomeness and all of the plot twists and turns. Today, I wanted to focus a little more on what the episode didn't tell us, but left us questioning until next season. The biggest and most intriguing question is, who was the man talking to while he was handing out the promicin at the end? Was the character "breaking the 4th wall" and talking to the audience? Or was he addressing another character off-camera that we'll see next season? And if so, whom? Perhaps, Isabelle left the hospital and wanted to reclaim her powers or Dennis Ryland decided to take a stab at it. The possibilities are endless! How shocking would it be if the recipient were Tom? Of course, it may have been a simple hypothetical question for the audience, but the show doesn't have a track record of doing this, so it seems unlikely. I think it was a little bit of both. He was talking to a character whose identity will be revealed next season, but the writers purposely left it ambiguous because the entire episode was a big question mark about whether or not you would take the shot. It was so well done, and an excellent way to end the episode and the season.


Two other question marks that hang over the season finale are whether Isabelle is really without her powers forever and whether Diana will return to NTAC. Regarding the latter, I haven't heard anything about star Jacqueline McKenzie leaving the show, and I keep up with her official site and MySpace account. I think she'll be back as Diana next season. The former is harder to call. The future gave that injection to Tom and told him to "Kill Isabelle." We learned that the injection simply took away her powers, but didn't kill her. Tom had the opportunity to shoot her and make it count, but decided to simply incapacitate her with a shot to the shoulder. This means, he didn't do what he promised in exchange for Maia's life. Maybe Isabelle's powers are only temporarily removed and Tom missed his opportunity. After all, the future didn't tell him to simply take her powers away with that injection. And what about the fact that he didn't fully live up to his end of the bargain? Is this why the future took Alana again? Was it payback for Tom's defiance? Maybe the future simply needs her again like they did with the children earlier this season. So many questions, and such a long wait until we get them answered next season! What do you think about all of the questions raised in the season finale? Was the man talking to the audience or another character, and if so, whom? What about Isabelle and Tom's promise to the future? Leave me a comment with your thoughts.


Overall, the third season of The 4400 was fan-freaking-tastic!! There were so many strong outings from Maia's abduction to Tom and Diana's 4400- induced hallucinations that left a memorable impression. We learned more about the regular characters and we met some new ones as well. I've heard criticism about the character of Isabelle, but I felt that she added a new, more deadly element to the show that led to a stronger sense of urgency. It was fun to watch the dichotomy of the innocent girl and her evil powers. Even though the show abandoned the "Freak of the Week" format this season, they managed to introduce us to new 4400s and their abilities seamlessly while they were continuing to tell the season-long and episode-long stories. They weaved in and out beautifully and it made for a nice ride. One of my favorite elements of this season was getting to know the character of Diana better. She was more hardass and cold during the first season, but warmed up a bit more during the second with her relationship with Maia. One of my favorite moments of any season is the party she threw for her during season 2. This season, we watched as she lost her will to live after Maia's abduction. It was a real moment, and it showed just how attached to Maia she had become in a relatively short period of time. We also learned that she had been jilted by a former fiance right before their wedding, and how it affects how she enters into relationships. And then there was my favorite part, her relationship with Ben, which showed a different side to our all-work, no-play NTAC agent. So, season 3 was one of growth, change and personal development for the characters that we love and the new ones that we were getting to know. It was a fun ride that I'm sorry to see end... until next summer. Be sure to stop by The 4400's official site for blogs, pictures, episode guides and much more! You'll definitely want to check out Maia's final diary entry for clues on next season. And while you're checking out more info on The 4400, be sure to read IGN's exclusive interview with Jacqueline McKenzie for insight into her Diana character, the show and plenty of extras. She tells the site all about the cast's laughing fits during filming (it seems Billy Campbell is the worst offender) and one particular incident where she and Joel Gretsch (Tom Baldwin) couldn't get it together for an ad for England's Sky TV:

The 4400 shows on Sky TV in England. And their company went away for some kind of working [retreat], so they asked Joel and I to stand up in front of the cameras and say, "Hey, we hope you have a great holiday," and do this [bit]; the two of us, side by side, reading to the camera. We had these cue cards to read from, Joel had his and they'd hold up mine. We could not stop laughing! It was so bad… They kept the cameras rolling, and we did 25 minutes of this! The crew were doubled over. The camera's shaking, because the guy with the camera could no longer hold it. It was just outrageous. I hope they played the whole thing for them. And we have no idea why we went off… Oh, that's right, I think the thing was I could see Joel in the lens of the camera, and he could see me, because we had to do it straight down the lens. And as actors, you never have to do that. God, it was just a nightmare. So Joel and I are dreadful; we go up a lot. But when Billy Campbell's in the mix, it's over!

To read more of McKenzie's interview with IGN, click on over to their site.


Brenda Learns Why You Never Work With an Ex
Think about your most embarrassing moment. Got it? OK, now mulitple it by about 100 trillion and you have Brenda Leigh Johnson's *new* most embarrassing moment! It was so horrible that I was blushing from my couch watching it unfold on The Closer. I really can't think of something more uncomfortable than having the ex-wife of your former boyfriend come in to your work and divulge secrets about your private affair with her husband many years prior. I have to give a big standing ovation to Taylor, though, for not capitalizing on the information. He took the high road, and I, along with Brenda, couldn't have loved him more at that moment. Just wow. Anyway, the case was interesting as usual. I had a feeling that the right person was behind bars for the double murder at the convenience store, but I couldn't figure out how it was all connected until Brenda and co. discovered the partner. My heart broke a little for the young girl who was duped into the scheme. Her poor self esteem! And what about the closing moments of the episode? Brenda didn't seem too happy about getting rid of the things from her relationship with Pope. Could it be that the reason she hasn't made things clear with him is because they're not too clear with her? Poor Fritz!


QUICK CUTS

*And finally, the apocalypse must be near because Mr. Britney Spears, Kevin Federline, will try his "talents" at acting. The rapper will guest star on an upcoming episode of CBS' CSI playing, wait for it... an annoying teen who harasses the CSI team as they work to solve a string of attacks on tourists. No air date on the episode yet.

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That's all for today. Be sure to tune in tomorrow as the summer-long countdown continues! We're cracking the top 5 best episodes of the season with #7-5! What do the end of the world, two missing kids and The Wizard of Oz have in common? They're all apart of the next set of episodes, and PTR will reveal all tomorrow. Plus, a Justice preview and all the latest television news!


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