Rubicon -- Season Finale -- "You Can Never Win" -- 10/17/10
#1
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Rubicon -- Season Finale -- "You Can Never Win" -- 10/17/10
#2
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Re: Rubicon -- Season Finale -- "You Can Never Win" -- 10/17/10
#3
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Re: Rubicon -- Season Finale -- "You Can Never Win" -- 10/17/10
I watched about 3 or 4 episodes of this show when it started, then got frustrated that it wasn't going anywhere. I tuned in for this season finale and it felt like *nothing* had really happened in the meantime.
I like some of the conspiracy movies people reference when talking about this show, but I find the office scenes incredibly unrealistic (high school drama all the time) and just the show itself seems to lack storytelling ability.
I like some of the conspiracy movies people reference when talking about this show, but I find the office scenes incredibly unrealistic (high school drama all the time) and just the show itself seems to lack storytelling ability.
#4
DVD Talk Legend
Re: Rubicon -- Season Finale -- "You Can Never Win" -- 10/17/10
It's been a slow-moving story, for sure, but the last half of the season has been moving things along pretty nicely. I've really enjoyed it. I am a little disappointed that there wasn't a bit more resolution in this season (series?) finale. I hope it gets picked up for a second season.
Spoiler:
#5
DVD Talk Special Edition
Re: Rubicon -- Season Finale -- "You Can Never Win" -- 10/17/10
Wow there was a big error in the episode description. I had read it before last weeks episode and thought I'd been spoiled, but whoever writes them actually mixed up character names.
#7
DVD Talk Limited Edition
Re: Rubicon -- Season Finale -- "You Can Never Win" -- 10/17/10
So, we learned that Andie is indeed in on the conspiracy...and I guess that's all we learned. Lame finale.
#8
DVD Talk Hero
Re: Rubicon -- Season Finale -- "You Can Never Win" -- 10/17/10
I still need to process a few things, but my initial reaction is this was just a total mess.
Other than identifying a couple of guys in the picture, the Katherine story was a waste of time. The entire thing with their anniversary was pointless as she got a video that told her what she already knew.
They spring the chick in the building across the street that Will has been banging was really working for Tom Rhumor and we have no idea if she was also watching Will as part of her job.
I take it we're supposed to assume Spangler went back to his office and offed himself.
The two highlights of the episode were Will and Spangler's conversation on the roof at the end and Grant and Will's conversation about Grant's promotion where Will just walks out at the end totally dismissive of Grant's authority
Other than identifying a couple of guys in the picture, the Katherine story was a waste of time. The entire thing with their anniversary was pointless as she got a video that told her what she already knew.
They spring the chick in the building across the street that Will has been banging was really working for Tom Rhumor and we have no idea if she was also watching Will as part of her job.
I take it we're supposed to assume Spangler went back to his office and offed himself.
The two highlights of the episode were Will and Spangler's conversation on the roof at the end and Grant and Will's conversation about Grant's promotion where Will just walks out at the end totally dismissive of Grant's authority
#9
DVD Talk Limited Edition
Re: Rubicon -- Season Finale -- "You Can Never Win" -- 10/17/10
And why did she stop the DVD before the other "four leaf clover" guys did their confessions? Wouldn't she at least be curious?
#11
DVD Talk Hero
Re: Rubicon -- Season Finale -- "You Can Never Win" -- 10/17/10
It's worth watching just for the build up to last weeks episode and the conclusion. The show is definitely a slow burn when it comes to story telling which is why a lot of people bailed early on.
#12
DVD Talk Legend
Re: Rubicon -- Season Finale -- "You Can Never Win" -- 10/17/10
What did I just watch? Did I miss the conclusion? Is the finale really next week? WTF? I'm so disappointed, they did such a good job progressing the story in the second half of the season and they leave us with that?
#13
Moderator
Re: Rubicon -- Season Finale -- "You Can Never Win" -- 10/17/10
People watch an entire season of a show where nothing is clearly and easily explained, where everything is presented in a subtle and oblique manner, and then they complain when everything isn't all wrapped up with a bow in the final?
#15
DVD Talk Limited Edition
Re: Rubicon -- Season Finale -- "You Can Never Win" -- 10/17/10
Now I know how the LOST haters felt.
Seriously, though, I wasn't expecting everything to be wrapped up, but I wanted more than we got. This show is heavily plot-driven (AMC: "Story matters here"), and I don't think they delivered story-wise. A season finale should have some sort of closure even if it leaves some things open.
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Re: Rubicon -- Season Finale -- "You Can Never Win" -- 10/17/10
While I agree that most Katherine's story seems at this point to have been a waste of time, we don't know what else was on the DVD. She stopped it before watching all of it. I may have missed it, but was it made clear that Will took the disc?
#17
DVD Talk Limited Edition
#18
DVD Talk Legend
Re: Rubicon -- Season Finale -- "You Can Never Win" -- 10/17/10
So he doesn't take the disc, her "protector" hides in the shadows and she dies there in the park. What was the point of her storyline again?
#19
Moderator
Re: Rubicon -- Season Finale -- "You Can Never Win" -- 10/17/10
From a plot point of view, maybe not a lot. From a showrunner point of view, one of the main characters had to die in the finale, and who are you going to kill - Will? Spangler? Kale?
Katherine is the most expendable in terms of keeping the show going*, plus, Miranda Richardson probably had one of the higher salaries.
* But I bet Spangler is dead too.
Katherine is the most expendable in terms of keeping the show going*, plus, Miranda Richardson probably had one of the higher salaries.
* But I bet Spangler is dead too.
#20
DVD Talk Legend
Re: Rubicon -- Season Finale -- "You Can Never Win" -- 10/17/10
I guess to me if he gets the disc and that leads him to his conclusion then her involvement this season makes sense. As it stands what led him there was finding the guys aliases and going to that guy in the basement.
#21
DVD Talk Limited Edition
Re: Rubicon -- Season Finale -- "You Can Never Win" -- 10/17/10
Oh, and what did Tanya mean about writing a book and making a lot of money? She can't write about classified info. I didn't get that.
#22
Moderator
Re: Rubicon -- Season Finale -- "You Can Never Win" -- 10/17/10
The thing to understand is that much of what they read, digest, and analyze is information freely available to everyone - newspaper clippings, economic information, what have you. The skill is in finding patterns in seemingly unrelated information. That, and simply wading through thousands of pages a day.
#23
DVD Talk Limited Edition
Re: Rubicon -- Season Finale -- "You Can Never Win" -- 10/17/10
I think her plan was to write some sort of pundit book, a la Thomas Friedman or Ed Luttwak. We're supposed to believe that the API analysts all have such a great understanding of geopolitics and the like that they could easily write some popular work on the terrorist threat, or, how India will dominate the next century, or whatever, and land on the bestseller list.
The thing to understand is that much of what they read, digest, and analyze is information freely available to everyone - newspaper clippings, economic information, what have you. The skill is in finding patterns in seemingly unrelated information. That, and simply wading through thousands of pages a day.
Despite my dislike of the season finale, I still think this show was excellent and a rewarding experience. It was beautifully shot and watching these characters try to piece together the mystery was fascinating. I doubt it'll happen, but I'd like to see Arliss Howard (Kale) and Michael Cristofer (Spangler) get Emmy nods.
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Re: Rubicon -- Season Finale -- "You Can Never Win" -- 10/17/10
I just rewatched the scene, and she drops the disc as she falls when Will is there. It's not shown whether or not he even noticed the disc and picked it up, but the scene leads you to believe he didn't.
#25
DVD Talk Hero
Re: Rubicon -- Season Finale -- "You Can Never Win" -- 10/17/10
I imagine if he had the disc he would have watched it ASAP, given how time sensitive everything was.