Dear Trudy Janet,
Last night was the season finale of Swingtown, with everyone’s fate left up in the air, and CBS hasn’t said whether or not the show will continue. How am I supposed to cope?
– Mopey in Manhattan
Dear Mopey,
You could start a Jericho-style write-in campaign. Then again, what would you send into CBS HQ instead of peanuts? Cans of Tab? Pet rocks? Quaaludes? When I want to smooth things over with someone, I usually bring over a bowl of Rosy Perfection Salad, but that seems impractical in this instance. In any case, taking action will feel better than being a doormat. It’s not 1954 anymore, you know. Good luck.
Kudos to Janet, by the way, for landing the advice column gig despite every effort to turn it down. (Thanks in no small part to the insistent Henry. Speaking of Henry, those of you who guessed he was gay, good call. Janet seemed surprisingly supportive and unflustered when she found out.) Janet’s first impulse was to play the dutiful wife and support her husband’s decision to move the family to Cincinnati, where his new job awaited. But after a little feminist pep talk from Trina, she did a 180 and decided that, if Roger were really going to take a job 400 miles away, she might not go with him. Wha?!?!?! Roger didn’t help matters much by being a macho jerk and putting his foot down. Again, wha?!?!?! Who are you people, and what have you done with the real Thompsons?
Not that Roger really wants to go to Cincinnati if it means leaving Susan behind. In the episode’s final moments, we learned that Roger couldn’t bring himself to get on the plane to Ohio, that he was holing up in a hotel by the airport, and that Susan (frustrated by her increasing disconnection from Bruce) had gone to meet him there.
But wait, hadn’t Susan just taken the keys of some guy named Tim at Tom’s Labor Day clambake? What happened there? Bruce was sitting on the beach, dumbfounded. The whole thing drove him back into the arms of Melinda, where all the trouble started in the first place. Best scene of the episode was Susan’s earlier confrontation with Melinda, where the two had a frank talk about Bruce (who, at that point, hadn’t actually slept with her yet, despite his obvious lie about the briefcase. All they had done that night he snuck out to see her was talk. Way to wuss out, Swingtown scripters.) Bottom line, as Melinda explained: Bruce felt like Susan didn’t "get him" anymore. As Susan later told Trina, Melinda was probably right about that. Still, it’s been clear all season that Bruce doesn’t really get Susan anymore, either. Alas, I’m not sure we viewers got enough time to get either of them.
At least Trina and Tom seem to get each other, but maybe they don’t get themselves. Trina seemed pretty sure, at the start of the episode, that she wanted to have an abortion, but by the end, she was boning up on her Dr. Spock child-rearing tips. Similarly, at first, Tom (Grant Show, pictured) seemed like he’d be happy to keep partying forever, continuing his end-of-summer clambake/key party tradition into infinity, but when Trina finally told him she was pregnant, he seemed supportive and loving and willing to abide by whatever her decision was, even if he didn’t know himself whether he was ready for fatherhood.
Laurie and Doug were still something of a mystery, too. (Show of hands: When Doug announced he was going to Guatemala for several months to help with earthquake relief efforts, how many of you hoped Laurie would go with him, so that there’d be an excuse to write her off the show?) It looked like Laurie was about to run away from her senior year, without even telling her parents, to join Doug, but he left early, and she seemed content to stay behind. At least he left her a nice love letter and the keys to his apartment.
Also not sure what was going on with B.J., Samantha, and Rick. The two boys had reconciled after last week’s spat, but while B.J. spent a lot of time mooning over Sam’s departure for a few weeks to a town 40 miles away, he spent none over his best friend’s impending permanent move to another state. (No one seemed to have asked, Rick, either, how he felt about having to move to Cincinnati.) Rick, at least seemed excited about Lisa’s offer to "French you goodbye," but Sam was as miserable as B.J., No wonder — despite Sam’s aunt packing Lisa’s mom off to Serenity Shores, Gail apparently checked herself out of rehab as soon as she got there, and she was soon back home and doing coke with a couple of guys, in view of B.J. and Rick. Guess Sam’s stint living with cousin Lisa in Naperville could last a lot longer than the promised six weeks.
So: Are Susan and Roger finally going to sleep together? Will Bruce and Melinda make it past the make-out stage? Will the Deckers become parents? Will Janet really stay behind if Roger takes the Cincinnati job? (And will he really take it?) And will we ever find out the answers to these questions? If not, will you be upset?
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Remember in the first episode in which Susan told Trina that she and Bruce were backpacking hippies with child? Well, like I had mentioned before it was obvious that she and Bruce dated a few times and then had unprotected sex. Laurie had to have been born in 1957 or ‘58. Anyway, Bruce or both of their parents felt that both of them should get married because back in the 50’s I guess that society was a bit too moralistic. Bruce while he loves Susan, regreted the conception of Laurie. He was trapped in a marriage that he was not ready for, and neither was Susan.
I hope Doug comes back. Not only was that actor hot, I enjoyed Laurie and Dougs story. It was sweet.
Please don’t cancel! I love this show, the story lines AND the blast from the past.
Lots left up in the air. They’ve got to bring it back on CBS or SHO (probably would be more realistic on SHO). Great show!
Please don’t cancel I love this show. The fashion the sex everything about it. Yes, it is kind of predictable but I don’t mind. With all the other crap on TV please keep the one show that I actually look forward to during the week. Please please make more episodes take this show all the way to 1977 and beyond!
Last night’s finale was so good that, considering the fate of the show is still completely up in the air, it was a little cruel. One way or another, this show NEEDS to come back. Also, am I the only one who thinks the Eagles’ bittersweet “Take It To The Limit” was the PERFECT song to close this episode with?
Of course we will be upset- if it does not return next season! They can’t leave us in hangin’ like that- how corny..or is that the point?
Doug broke my heart when he didn’t take Laurie with him. My favorite from the beginning has always been Janet, but Susan has started to grow on me. Trina is starting to be boring despite being a free spirit.
You’d think that EW’s main man Ausiello could find out the answer to whether or not Swingtown will continue.
I love Swingtown ! It has become my very favorite show on television. Please keep it alive ! Would be awful sad if it did not return.
I look forward to this show every week! I will be sooooo bummed, best show in a long time. so sick of all the realityshows and the competitions just so damn boring!!! This show was a little escape back in time.
This was a great episode. The acting was getting better each week. There are enough “cliff hangers” to make me really want to see the show return and find out what will develop. Although I am a “60’s” gal and adore “Mad Men”, I hope that this show will return!!! This is the only show that I watch on CBS. I don’t know if it is the best Network for it. Maybe ABC or a cable channel. PLEASE BRING THIS SHOW BACK!!!
Laurie is 17, so she would have been born in ‘59 or early 1960, any earlier and she would already be 18 and Doug being older wouldn’t matter. I really hope this show isn’t canceled. It’s one of the few shows my boyfriend and I both agree on watching without eye rolls!
DO NOT cancel this show. It is awesome!
I love this show but Gary your right I wouldve been more than overjoyed to see Laurie go packing. She always felt like such a weak link on the show, also doesn’t help that she looks like a rat! Anyway please come back to us Swingtown!
I really do hope that CBS doesn’t pull a “Jericho” and dump this show. This show could easily be renewed and be part of the lineup for next summer. It would be smart of CBS to take on a USA Network approach to seasons and offer new programming in the summer.
This show was a perfect escape from the drone of reality TV programming and repeats that are typically shown in the summer.
It is summer time so you don’t need to have American Idol numbers to make a ton of money. It would be wise for CBS to keep this show in the summer and give it a nice slot.
Save “Swingtown”!
PLEASE DO NOT DROP THIS SHOW! It is wonderful.
PLEASE DON’T CANCEL SWINGTOWN! BEST NEW SHOW OF THE SUMMER. AND, YES, I WOULD BE UPSET IF I DON’T FIND OUT THE ANSWERS.
I love watching this show. I always got a kick out of Janet. And Trina and Tom are too naughty. I was hoping there would be some question to the paternity of Trina’s baby. As for the stories with Susan and Roger and Melinda and Bruce… keep me wanting more. I hope there is a season 2.
Hands down, the best written, best acted show on TV. The music sequeways are KILLER….The Eagles “Take it to the Limit” at the end was BRILLIANT. Each episode, the attention to detail blows me away…The Joker’s Wild on the morning TV, the Hang On Harvey board game, the office desks, etc…WOW WOW WOW.
SAVE THIS SHOW. For me too, it’s the only show on CBS I watch, and I’ll miss it tremendously…until it returns for season two…COME BACK SWINGTOWN!!
I really hope the show will continue. Although not perfect, it’s been great to see an adult drama about grown-up characters (and these include the teenagers) who try to treat each other decently and with sensitivity while dealing with complicated situations. SWINGTOWN’s tender portrayal of the best side of complex people struggling through life is a lot better than the tired “I will destroy you for money/power/social status/sex” storylines we see on other shows. Looking forward to another season, keep up the good work!
SAVE SWINGTOWN!!! SAVE SWINGTOWN!!!SAVE SWINGTOWN!!! SAVE SWINGTOWN!!!
Can’t wait for season 2,3,4… etc.
This show was the sleeper hit of my summer. It’s been very enjoyable watching and remembering the 70s through the eyes of well thought out characters and scripts. Maybe not Emmy material, except for the actress playing Susan, but some real adult drama in prime time that trumps the daytime soap stuff. The music, the attention to details and the plot twists all helped me care about these characters. Please continue the series…it has a large fan base in my community. Thanks.
My new Saturday morning routine is to watch Swingtown online. I Love it! Great acting, wonderful attention to detail. Reminds me of how the world looked when I was growing up. Please bring back for a second season, and move it to ABC with all the other great shows!
Please bring Swingtown back for another season!! I really enjoyed reminising through the 70’s again. Loved the music. I loved all the characters and all the storylines. Would love to see it back next year and I would also love to see the reruns of this first season!
I will be so upset if there is no more Swingtown!!! This show is amazing and so underrated! The fact that it’s on Friday night doesn’t help!!! SAVE SWINGTOWN!
I LOVE SWINGTOWN!!!! I missed a couple of episodes (the last one)
I hope there will be a rerun until season 2. There MUST be a season 2.
I LOVE SWINGTOWN!!!! I missed a couple of episodes (the last one)
I hope there will be a rerun until season 2. There MUST be a season 2.
This is the only show I looked forward to this year. Each episode. Please continue.
I can’t think of a more interesting progrma on tv. Writing, cast and everything is perfect. CBS needs to give it time. Friday night is not a winning time-slot. LOVE Swingtown!