Saving Grace may have had one of the gutsiest season finales since the Sopranos cut to black. We learned a lot, and it wrung every ounce of emotion out of the characters and situations, but we still don't know where Grace's journey actually ends up. It was maddening and it was breathtaking, and I can't believe we have to wait until summer for more.

I'm too shell shocked to think of a snarky spoiler warning.

The plot of the episode was almost secondary -- a crime Grace is investigating may have ties to her sister Paige; the Hanadarko siblings descend on Oklahoma City to celebrate their mother's birthday; Rhetta works to figure out Earl's clues. None of those plot points can even begin to sum up the emotional heft of the hour. The acting and writing was so strong that it knocked me out, and will haunt me for days.

Take, for example, the sibling arrival. Two of Grace's sibling just don't approve of her at all -- Johnny, the priest, and Paige, the proper lady. They disparage her all the time -- why is she such a slut, a drunk, an embarrassment? The rest of her rough-and-tumble brothers think Grace is a hoot. So who has Grace spent most of her life protecting? Johnny and Paige, or course -- the very people who seem to think the least of her.

As we've suspected, Grace was molested by a priest, starting when she was nine years old. Earl's clues all point to Father Patrick Murphy, who ingratiated himself with the Hanadarko family and used his position to prey on Grace. When she hit puberty, he lost interest in her -- and started showing interest in Paige. Grace went to him, told him she missed him, and then nearly bit his tongue off when he kissed her. Stay away from Paige, she told him, or I'll tell everyone what you did. Two week later, he was moved to Vermont, and within the year, he was dead of tongue cancer.

Except he wasn't. He was moved from parish to parish for the rest of his life, and now lives in the Holy Redeemer retirement home in Tulsa. Rhetta finds this out from Johnny -- who has no idea what happened to Grace. He just thinks she's some sort of willful embarrassment. And when he figures it out, when he realizes what happened to her and what this means, that she's kept the secret to protect him and his faith all these years -- you can see his face crimple in on itself. It's a great performance. (It's also nice to see that Johnny does have a bit of Hanadarko in him -- his first reaction upon learning the news is to drive to Tulsa and punch Murphy's lights out. Damn straight.)

But that's nothing compared to the awesome, heartbreaking scene between Rhetta and Grace when Rhetta tells Grace that Murphy is alive. She drives Grace to the middle of nowhere -- and Oklahoma has a hell of a lot nowhere to drive to the middle of -- and breaks the news, first making sure Grace is several paces away. Grace turns calm, icy -- ok, we'll go see him. No, says Rhetta -- we're not going anywhere until you start to process this. She watches, silent and heartbroken and understanding all at once, as Grace tears the car apart looking for the keys, finally breaking down and letting in the magnitude of her pain. Oof. It was amazing work by both Holly Hunter and Laura San Giacomo. That's going to stay with me for days.

Also amazing -- Grace's scene where she finally loses it and screams at God -- who is possibly being represented by the mutant long-tongued dog. Why should I trust you? She yells. I thought that Murphy dying of tongue cancer after I bit him was the one concrete act of holy justice I'd ever seen, and you took that away from me? He's living in a beautiful house, gardening and enjoying his life? You gave him roses? How could you!

But the biggest surprise comes at the end -- Grace breaks into Murphy's place and puts a gun to his head. Murphy begs her not to shoot him -- not because he wants to live, but because he wants to preserve her immortal soul, he says. "I pray for you every day," he says. And then he repeats something Earl said to her earlier in the episode: "I'm just FedEx trying to deliver a message."

Grace is stunned: "Do you know an angel named Earl?" she asks, the gun still pointed at his head. And there, the episode ends.

Highlights, thoughts and odds and ends:

• Grace's brothers sweep into the police station and call her bug face. She used to eat insects, they tell the gathered throngs. How many bug jokes am I going to have to endure? Grace wonders.
• We find out almost immediately -- Ham hands her a cricket, saying "I saved this for you." Never one to shy away from, well, anything, Grace immediately pops it in her mouth. She will not be defeated in a practical joke war.
• Paige also proved her Hanadarko side -- when she found out her husband was having an affair, she started spying on the mistress in the woman's own bookstore. She's not one to back down, either.
• I loved Clay collecting money from his uncles when they bet she'd flee her mother's party and never return. At least he has faith in her.
• The group picture of the whole Handarko clan was lovely -- especially since it included Mary Francis in a picture Grace held. Nicely done.

So many questions -- is Earl trying to help Grace, or Murphy, or both? Will Grace shoot Murphy? Should she? For that matter, will she shoot at Earl next time she sees him? Why was Earl crying as she put the pieces together -- because he knew what she would go through, because he knew he'd lose her when she found Murphy again, or some other reason? What's the deal with Goddog's ridiculously long tongue? Will Grace ever respond to Ham saying he loved her? And just how long are we going to have to wait to see if Grace pulled the trigger?

Finally, what did you think of the end of the show -- did you love all the unanswered questions, or did it frustrate the hell out of you?

Comments

I figured that Grace would see Father Murphy at the end. You don't cast Rene Auberjonois to be an extra, you've got to give him some lines.

The ending was unsatisfying, but the rest of the episode was deeply revealing and very well done. My favorite scene was Grace screaming in her house, followed by her brother punching Murphy and driving away.

I'm betting Grace doesn't pull the trigger. It would be more satisfying to arrest him. She just needs to find more of his victims (he must have had a lot, the way the church bounced him around in their priest relocation program) so he can truly start to pay for his crimes.

I guess we'll know in the summer (pending the outcome of the writer's strike).

Yossarian | Dec 19, 2007 7:33:02 AM | #

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What a great synopsis/blog of the finale! I think someone followed Grace out there and will stop her from pulling the trigger; maybe it will be Earl! I love this show and the actors who make it great!
Now lets get the writers writing again shall we?
;)

Deb195 | Dec 19, 2007 9:00:28 AM | #

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I am still stunned and in awe over last night's phenomenal season finale.

You pretty much said all the things that I would say about the episode.

Holly Hunter deserves an Emmy as does most of the cast.

Joanne | Dec 19, 2007 9:45:13 AM | #

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Excellent summary. I need to go back a watch a few things I seem to have missed,

Holly Hunter is a stunning actress. She doesn't throw away the tiniest opportunity. She didn't just eat that cricket, she relished it, picking little bits of exoskeleton out of her teeth! And of course the emotional scenes where Rhetta tells her Father Murphy is still alive were stellar.

It is so good for both Rhetta and Grace that they have each other as a best friend. The actresses both make that relationship completely believable.

I don't think Grace is going to shoot Murphy. I think the character and the series have come too far toward atonement for Grace to ruin her life by murdering. I thought the ending really boiled to a very satisfying explanation of what makes Grace tick. Bummer to wait until SUMMER though to find out how it resolves.

Beez | Dec 19, 2007 12:05:18 PM | #

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Well done!! I love this show.
When Grace came home and told
Gus she didn't bring him anything, that she was a bad mother. I say the same thing to my Jack Russell.

Patricia A.Jones | Dec 19, 2007 12:29:04 PM | #

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Yesterday I wrote that Grace wasn't molested as a child or did I miss something. I missed something! Wow! I thought this was one of the best episode, but I wanted more!!! How could they end it right there?!

I loved the group photo and that it was Grace with the photo of Mary Francis. I loved her telling Rhetta that she wasn't going to tell Paige about seeing her husband. "She doesn't need me to confirm it." And the scene in the middle of nowhere was great too.

Great show, wonderful finale!

kia | Dec 19, 2007 12:50:28 PM | #

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Yesterday I wrote that Grace wasn't molested as a child or did I miss something. I missed something! Wow! I thought this was one of the best episode, but I wanted more!!! How could they end it right there?!

I loved the group photo and that it was Grace with the photo of Mary Francis. I loved her telling Rhetta that she wasn't going to tell Paige about seeing her husband. "She doesn't need me to confirm it." And the scene in the middle of nowhere was great too.

Great show, wonderful finale!

kia | Dec 19, 2007 12:51:12 PM | #

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What an great ending, what a thought provoking climax.
It really gives you a lot to think about? - Its too powerful to be just ancoincidence~! Makes you wonder? - Is the priest earl?,
Is the priest like earl?, Does the priest work for the same guy as earl?, or even
deeper for you true thinkers,
Is everyone in Grace's life an earl? (ACIM) - What great writing.

Clearlake | Dec 19, 2007 2:21:33 PM | #

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I love this show, and last night was just so amazing. Your summary is right on in my opinion. Although I am hating the idea of having to wait so long for resolution, I am so relieved to see something well acted, well written, and truly thought provoking, on Tv again.

Daisy | Dec 19, 2007 3:30:50 PM | #

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Love the show! Grace keeps on getting better and better every episode I see. Holly Hunter has really taken on the role, as has Laura San Giacomo, who I fell in love with on some sitcom way back when. Laura has such _piercing_ eyes... Excellent recap, by the way. It covered all of the good points excellently. My sentiments exactly. I too, especially liked the scene on the prairie (I've been to Oklahoma and it really DOES look like that in a LOT of places! The prairie is really the FLAT land!), the way Grace kicked the cooler was Grace's frustration at it's best. The parts of Rhetta and Grace come alive for me which does credit to the women playing the parts. As a matter of fact, ALL of the characters seem real to me. She won't pull the trigger. They had to have a cliffhanger and this was it. Grace has more than enough integrity to use the law, not murder, to make the b*stard suffer. Grace does this, get justice (Just like Sister whatever-her-name told Rhetta in another very stirring scene.) instead of revenge no matter how justified revenge might seem be. Death seems to simple a solution; this guy may end up in Hell if Hell even exists and may very well suffer there, but better to suffer in THIS life before the unproven possibility of suffering in the next! His suffering in THIS life would be the frosting on the cake for Grace, as it would be for me in a similar serious case of revenge. Go Grace! It is few, that have writing and acting which work SO well together, that I enjoy watching, like The West Wing was and Homicide - Life on the Streets (and Crime Story before that), Babylon 5, the new Battlestar Galactica, and so many others which really got my attention and held it for every episode, even reruns. There was only one thing in this episode which bothered me, how Grace got to Murphy before Johnny did so Grace could see Johnny punch the guy out, but no matter how she did it, it was good for Grace to SEE it happen, which is why I think she will NOT pull the trigger.

rowlfe | Dec 19, 2007 9:19:24 PM | #

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The dog with the mutant tongue represents God. I think that has been well established. The mutant tongue represents Father
Murphy who is a part of God as God is in all of us. All of us. Even the least of us.

Grace represents the courage that is in all of us, albeit it dormant in many. She will not shoot Murphy.

LJM | Dec 20, 2007 5:39:30 AM | #

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Love, Love, Love this Show. I am so excited to find a show that is so different than anything else on TV these days. All the characters are great and the acting is wonderful. A True Keeper! I can't wait to watch the whole season all over again.

kpetunia | Dec 20, 2007 9:51:11 AM | #

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Beautiful...and i'm not religious at all!!!
I'm looking forward to next season

alison | Dec 20, 2007 2:40:09 PM | #

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Where did the other detective go? Are they deleting characters already??

Weiss C | Dec 21, 2007 2:53:28 AM | #

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Despite the fact that on paper the ending was a typical cliff-hanger, in execution it wasn't at all.

This show would be so Lifetime TV for Women if the actors didn't make the characters real, and layered, and perfect in their flaws.

Jimmy's realization of what Grace had been through, and what she did to protect her family was amazing.

Rhetta, Rhetta, Rhetta. That scene was so raw, so real, and so beautiful.

I am awed by the level this cast has risen to. Not to mention Ham and Butch--who are both so well developed and well played.

The critics who flayed this show early on as a Highway to Heaven meets The Sheild should have humble pie at Christmas dinner.

Dawn | Dec 21, 2007 7:28:54 AM | #

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I have to admit, I thought the balance between closure and cliff-hangar was perfect. Hunter (and Giacomo)'s acting was quite good (particularly Grace's soliloquy after the party).

However, I have a new question. The picture Grace held up during the portrait - I've figured out that it was their sister Mary Frances, but ....how did she die? Did I miss that one? Was it in the Murrah building attack?

Todd Perry | Dec 22, 2007 2:16:35 PM | #

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Todd,

Yes, she died in the Oklahoma City bombing...she was getting Clay's Social Security Card. Grace was supposed to babysit Clay the day before but didn't show up, so Mary Frances had to wait to go. The day she went was the day of the bombing...Grace feels responsible for her death.

Dawn | Dec 28, 2007 11:50:11 AM | #

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The best show on TV without a doubt! Your synopsis was excellent and finally after watching the show twice now- I know what the priest said to her! I didn't hear it either time;the phone rang both times. I think the ending was superb. I,too, hate to wait until summer for another episode, but for this quality of writing,I'm willing to wait. I'm not so sure that Grace will not pull the trigger. If she does, however, ther may be some kind of divine or Earl intervention. You never know with this show-it is so unpredictable-that's what makes it so interesting. Anyway, it's great entertainment and I can't wait for another season! Cheers to a terrific cast, writing staff, and support crew!!

Mary Anne | Dec 28, 2007 2:31:44 PM | #

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