Unsettled Endings

Well, the countdown is on. Today I saw a preview for season nine of Law and Order Criminal Intent. You know, the season where the show I love and adore ceases to exist in any semblance of its original form. Sigh. There have been suggestions in cyberspace that Goren is going to be accused of some horrific crime and taken in, and sentenced unjustly to an awful fate. There's also the possibility that Eames will be killed off. I cannot imagine a world without Goren and Eames. Can't they just run off together to the Caribbean? Or at least let Eames become a captain somewhere and Goren join the FBI. Sheesh. Doesn't everyone know that's the way it should go? And they've been joined at the hip for nine years with literally NO significant others. So they've got to at least be pretty close, friendship wise, one would think. I mean, even Stabler on SVU is married (depending on the season) and Olivia dates once in awhile. I think it would be quite the little shocker to stick a zinger in the end about how they've been seeing each other for years, and the audience just didn't know it. Haha. Kind of like when Serena Southerlyn asked on the original Law and Order in the classic, worst-moment-ever, during her firing: "Is this because I'm a lesbian?" Of course, everyone in my house responded with, "Nah...it's because you're a terrible actress."

Regardless of whether Bobby ever calls Eames "Alex" again, or if Eames is ever able to confront an honest feeling with Goren, I do hope the writers will do these two justice. As weird as their relationship is--strained, formal, yet incredibly trusting and dependent--they deserve to go in a way that does their characters justice. I guess that everyone has a different idea of what that would be. I would absolutely HATE to see Bobby go the way of his biological father, landing in prison and spending his life there after being such a strong (headed), if quirky, detective with an incredible sense of morality. And Alex? Does she really deserve anything less than her own squad room? That poor woman's been through hell and back, and all she ever wanted was to be respected for being a good cop. Captain Ross, sorry dude, but you can end up swimming in the East River for all I care. You were mean to Goren and Deakins was always way nicer than you! But please, writers, don't destroy the legacies of the two detectives!

Really? If I got to write the end for Goren and Eames, it would be something like this--Eames is promoted to Captain of her own squad somewhere in the NYPD. She meets some guy--I don't care who as long as he's decent--and they have a family. Goren moves elsewhere, closer to his family, gets some sort of job in law enforcement, and meets some nice woman and eventually has a kid. Or heck, I'd settle for little Molly, the nine year old niece, to be his long lost child. All I'm asking for is a little happiness on the way out. Transfer them both to other squads. Transfer them to ONE other squad together. Let them be best partners for the rest of TV history. Why not?

Most people can put up with a lot of torture on a journey if they know there's going to be some reward at the end. For these two? I'm just not sure. That's the part I would most regret. And if USA screws my detectives over for some horrible ending of death and destruction, then something tells me that USA will be following the path it has laid for Goren and Eames!