Expanded Thoughts on Season Finale

I guess that wasn't fair of me. I write a blog so i should put more up than just "eh." But I stand by it being funny. On that I will not budge. As to the actual episode, it was a classic example of a lot of buildup and little delivery. Ryan was coming back and it was going to be epic...until it wasn't. No one got into it with him and he was gone almost as soon as he got there. The rest of the episode was about how much everyone is going to miss each other. Fairly standard and on most seasons, I wouldn't complain. This is generally how season finale's go. But this season was so entertaining that I half-expected an over the top season finale with fights and drunken hook ups. And it didn't quite deliver.

It made me take another look at the entirety of the season, about what really made the season great. If we take out all of Ryan's drama, what do we have? Knight was hilarious and had some moments, but his prescription drug issue never became a whole episode arc. Jemmye had her moments, but I think her hooking up with Knight early on kind of ruined her potential for Snookie-like hilarity. And the rest of the cast, to be honest, kind of blew. Eric and Ashley were awful, and Preston really faded into the background after his blowup with Ryan. Sahar was somewhat interesting, but not as much as other minor characters in other seasons.

In the end, I think the major reason why the season was a bit of a dud if you remove Ryan is that the rest of the housemates really got along. There was no friction since they could also rally around hating Ryan. It's a bit like when you have a team who comes together because they all hate the coach. Magic can happen, but when the coach leaves, you lose the catalyst. That's what happened here. The show ended on a boring note after it began on the highest plateau. Which brings me to the main conclusion to be drawn from this season:

Ryan had a Hall of Fame season. I could go into his highlights, but you all know how awesome he was. But when he left the show, it dropped dramatically. It was clear that he was not only the glue keeping the season interesting, but he actually transcended the show. The guy needs his own sitcom or something. At the very least, he needs to be on a Challenge with CT and Kenny. I just hope this isn't the last we hear from Ryan.

I was going to do a final thought ala Jerry Springer, but I want to wait until the reunion show before I do that. Until next time.....