Emerald City: "No Place Like Home"

Ah, the final episode of Emerald City's first season. Will it all wrap up satisfactorily? Here are my impressions:

• The recap makes it clear that everybody wants to deal with the Wizard!
• Ooh, flying monkeys at last! That's a nice steampunky way to handle them.
• This version of Ozma really knows how to make an entrance.
• Ooh, clever Ozma! That's a nasty but humane way to deal with Eamonn!
• It looks like Glinda knows how to make an entrance, too.
• Wait, Jane is Dorothy's mother?
• I think Dorothy's mad. The Wizard sure seems to realize he's dealing with a lot more than he can handle.
• Wait, halfway through the final episode, and now they finally introduce the Beast Forever???
• Yay, Ozma's on the throne at last! We must be nearing the end.
• Frankly (pun only partially intended), the Wizard got what he deserved.
• Well, Dorothy got home, but the gate is wide open for season two—if we get one.

To be honest, despite so many of the plot threads finally coming together, I'm disappointed that the Beast Forever was talked about so much all throughout, only to have a few glimpses in the final moments, and we don't see any of what it does in Oz (or Ev, for that matter). Yes, they are setting up the next season, but considering the development hell this show went through, the producers and director Tarsem Singh should have probably figured out that a second season was a long shot.

I think, in the end, the show was just a confusing mess, and despite all the trappings and names of characters, this was Oz in name only. It bore little resemblance to any other version of Oz, especially the books from which it was ostensibly adapted. This could have been told without any Oz connection and might have actually had a better chance of finding an audience. But tacking Oz onto it raised all kinds of expectations in people (depending on which version of Oz they are most familiar with), and added to the baggage.

I think I still need some time to digest this show, so I may have some more final thoughts next weekend. And because I am a completist, and want to eventually see it in high definition on a big screen, yes, I will eventually get the Blu-Ray. But I doubt I'll watch it very often.