Secret Diary of a Call Girl • End to Beginning [3.5]
From the beginning Hannah (Billie Piper) knew that her relationship with Alex (Callum Blue) would not work out, if only because of the complications created by Belle's secret activities. Here it seems that Hannah has started making an actual effort, growing more used to the idea that she might be trading in her nights of partying for nights of staying in, and feeling excited at the prospect of starting a mundane life with the man she loves.
Alex, on the other hand, has remained suspicious that Hannah might not be ready, or even capable, of leaving Belle behind her, and sets up a con to entice her back to the business, hoping that she will refuse and that they can move on with their lives together. Initially relieved that Hannah turns Stephanie (Cherie Lunghi) away, he's troubled to learn that, not only has Hannah quit her job without telling him, but she's also gone to meet with Stephanie once more to discuss the possibility of returning for one last job.
As the door swings open, Alex and Belle on either side, both become keenly aware that this is the end of their relationship with one another. There's no screaming, no arguing, but instead just a mourning of the loss of what they might have had together. As Hannah says goodbye to Alex, she also is saying goodbye to the mundane life that she could have had, taking this as an indication that there's no other option for her than to welcome Belle back into her life with open arms.
Daria • Quinn the Brain [3]
The rift caused between Quinn (Wendy Hoopes) and her friends here isn't made by anything that one had done to the other, but by the fact that Quinn has become much more influential around the school now that she's proved capable of combining intelligence with popularity. Sandi (Janie Mertz) and the Fashion Club aren't necessarily jealous that Quinn is taking attention away from them, but are upset because Quinn has made her intellectual all-black look popular amongst the students, killing the wide array of fashion choices that were previously available to the student body.
In order to get back in with her friends, Quinn will need to change her attitude back to what it was when she was seen as just another popular girl, but the thing is that Quinn likes people thinking that she's smart. In changing her wardrobe Quinn is making a statement that her recent high grades were something of a fluke, and that would allow the rest of the student body to reconsider how intelligent they think she is. While she doesn't want to give up her popularity, she also doesn't want to let go of the intelligent persona she has adopted since writing her essay. Much like her sister Daria (Tracy Grandstaff), Quinn doesn't want to be defined by the reputation her fellow students have given her, instead wanting to craft her personality for herself.
In the end Quinn chooses to revert back to normal, deciding that it's better to live the life she wants to rather than trying to be what other people think she should be. Her stint as the smart girl likely won't be forgotten any time soon, but she also won't make an outcast of herself for something she doesn't whole-heartedly believe in.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer • Inca Mummy Girl [1.5]
Here Xander (Nicholas Brendon) enters into an already doomed relationship with Ampata (Ara Celi) that can last no longer than the two weeks she will be in America for Sunnydale High's cultural exchange. Unfortunately, there's more to Ampata than meets the eye, and Xander soon learns that she poses a great danger to both him and his friends.
While Ampata's good looks are initially what attracts Xander to her, there also is a tinge of tragedy in her past, reminding him very much of Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar), which, in turn, feeds his attraction that much more. Despite knowing each other only for a few days, the two of them bond, with Xander teaching Ampata much in the ways of the American teenager, giving her, for once, a taste of what it is to have a normal life, to have friends outside of those approved for her by her keepers, and in Xander she has finally found an outlet wherein she can be who she has always wanted to be.
In the end Ampata asks that Xander let her take Willow's (Alyson Hannigan) life in exchange for her own, that the two of them can be together, and instead Xander tells her that she can take his life, but that they can't be together should she kill his best friend. Though she desperately wants to be with him, she chooses to save her own life and take his, a decision that, were she successful, she likely would have regretted until the bitter end.
Life on Mars • The End of the Tunnel [5]
In order to return home Sam (John Simm) must destroy everything that he has accomplished in 1973, including the relationships he's forged with those around him. Unfortunately, during the process, he learns that he may not be who he thinks he is, instead an undercover agent with no memory of his past, sent to destroy the department from within.
This revelation goes over poorly with his colleagues, effectively ending any camaraderie he had had with them, ironically creating the perfect environment to allow him to return to the life he thought he had waiting for him. But Sam can't leave these people, no matter how flawed they may be, and instead turns his back on everything that he once was to become the man that they need him to be. In giving up his former life for these people he is allowing himself to live for the first time, and while they may never fully understand the gravity of his situation, they can learn to love him again.
Better Off Ted • Battle of the Bulbs [2.5]
This story introduces us to the strained relationship between Lem (Malcolm Barrett) and his mother (Khandi Alexander) through the inclusion of Lem's rival Dr. Bhamba (Maz Jobrani). Lem has struggled his entire life to gain acceptance from his mother, feeling that he's never done anything good enough to satisfy her standards, and learning that Bhamba has started dating her is like pouring salt into his wounds.
It's not that Lem thinks that Bhamba is bad at his job, or in any way less than intelligent, but the fact that someone he hates so severely can gain favor with someone who won't give him the time of day is maddening. Lem and his mother already have something of a broken relationship, and the inclusion of Bhamba only works to drive them further apart.
Bhamba, on the other hand, is in the same boat as Lem, feeling that he's not smart enough for Lem's mother and that she looks down on him as something of a lesser being. Through their shared inefficacies the two of them bond and work out a way to impress the woman so important to the both of them, effectively learning that not only are they alike in many ways, but that neither of them have to work so hard in order to impress her.
In the end Lem's mother admits that she's been hard on him simply to push him to be greater, but she has always been proud of the things that he's accomplished; meanwhile, she's only interested in Bhamba for his sexual prowess, so he can be as stupid as he wants to be.
Winner of the Week • Life on Mars
This series provided it's audience with the perfect finale, allowing closure to all significant story lines while simultaneously leaving things ambiguous enough to allow viewers to decide for themselves the answers to the series-long mysteries. The final episode of this series book ends with the first episode beautifully, and it feels as though there are many points throughout the series that will take on new meanings should the audience choose to go back and watch it all over again.
The cast provides stellar performances, and every emotional beat plotted out through the story hits perfectly. There are certainly a few problems throughout the episode, but most everything is so satisfying that it doesn't much matter.
From it's inception the series has offered a number of possible scenarios with which to end, and while adding yet another in the final episode could have played out incredibly poorly, it instead was done very organically to the information provided in the past. It's not often that there's just nothing bad to say about an episode of television, but this is one of the exceptions.
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