Anything Can Happen: Mistresses “I Choose You” Season Finale Review

When a season finale opens with Ellie Goulding’s whimsical pop ballad “Anything Can Happen,” you pretty much know what to expect. Anything. Mistresses “I Choose You” delivered on that expectation and provided a perfect ending, solidifying the series’ status as a sophisticated summer soap.

The events of the episode could be aptly described as beautiful disasters, particularly when we look back on the season long developments that led up to the defining moments of our four main characters. On a whole it felt equally dramatic and realistic, but also touchingly responsible. The four women made big choices about the things that mattered, which ultimately were not their mistakes, lies, or schemes – as April so bluntly noted. This left a wonderful feeling of resolution, even as the show closed out on several massive cliffhangers.

As the episode began, all four women came together to wish Savi a happy birthday and naturally it served as forum for spilling their biggest regrets. There was a moment of reckoning, however, after Savi dropped a judgement ball on April. Their arguments for why she shouldn’t return to her faux dead husband’s arms were valid, but it didn’t stop April from pointing out that none of them are really in a position to judge. Instead of biting back, everyone subtly agreed to ignore the issue and move forward. Translation: a trip to Palm Springs.

Savi and Joss leave extra early after Savannah has another rough phone conversation with Harry. Since they aren’t technically together anymore, he feels he should probably stop handling her doctor visit bills. In fact, he probably shouldn’t be involved with any of that stuff at all. Unbeknownst to her, Harry’s distancing was a direct result of having seen the paternity test results; results that reveal the baby isn’t his. How did he get the test results when they were in Joss’ safe keeping? Yeah, Harry went there and by there we mean Joss’ drawer. So while he was busy pushing Savi away, Joss’ was frantically trying to cover both her and Harry’s tracks. Savi did after all entrust her with the results.

While the sisters are relaxing pool side, Savi sees a family playing together. In this moment she comes to the realization that despite everything that Harry, Dom, and even she had told herself, she can define her family however she wants. She just has to want it. Cutting her birthday gift short, Savi hops in her car and starts to make her way back. She gets a call from Joss though, forcing her to pull over. Joss has realized that once Savi arrives, she’ll learn about Harry taking the test from her and she doesn’t want her to find out that way, so she spills. The news makes Savi distraught, but she agrees to turn around and come back to Palm Springs to sort it out. As she is pulling back onto the road, a truck smashes into the drivers side. When Joss’ hears the news, she’s completely devastated.

Karen meanwhile is meeting with her own therapist to get her head back in the game. While there she learns something quite alarming. Elizabeth Grey saw not one shrink, but a group of them while she was institutionalized. We are given an opportunity to see exactly why when Elizabeth discovers Sam’s picture of Karen. Elizabeth tries to belittle Sam by stating Karen pitied him, but he bites back by dropping the sex bomb. This is when Elizabeth snaps. Not only has Karen taken her husband – who on his death bed requested her presence, not Elizabeth’s – but she’s taken her son’s loyalty too. Elizabeth winds up at Karen’s home with a gun and ready to stage Karen’s suicide.

Pictured (L-R): Cameron Bender, Rochelle Aytes — © 2013 ABC

Before April heads to Palm Springs she has to make a choice. It’s either Richard or Paul. When she stops by Richard’s house, he isn’t there and by the looks of the packed away insides it seems he’s made the choice for her. To our and April’s surprise he isn’t packing up and disappearing like Paul. He’s just re-painting. Richard is still invested in this, even after April has wavered time and time again. It would seem though that April has made up her mind and coming to Richard’s house wasn’t about rekindling things with him. It was about saying goodbye. This is pretty heartbreaking, especially considering how nearly perfect Richard has been written and how undesirable Paul has been. However, as we find out, not choosing one doesn’t mean she chose the other.

The final decisions of all four characters were meaningful and redemptive. The show started with so many questionable actions, and nearly all of our characters were walking that thin morality line. However, in the finale’s last moments we see the women not only make the right choices, but the right ones for themselves. April’s grand ‘I choose you’ statement was really her choosing to love herself and to stop trying to fill a hole that’s already been filled by time. Savi’s moment may have appeared to lie in Harry’s ‘I choose you’ statement, but it was rather her acceptance of caring about both men and their roles in her life.

Joss’ moment came when she decided that her sister, the person she really loved, was the most important thing in her life. Karen, on the other hand, had a unique ‘I choose you’ moment. After finally letting go of the Grey’s, there was Elizabeth to threaten her life; Sam to come to the rescue; and the revelation that in his final moments Thomas chose her. This, though overshadowed by the blood splatter from a gunshot wound, was closure for Karen. Speaking of the gun shot, we were left with three major cliffhangers: 1.) Who was shot in the tussle at Karen’s home, 2.) If Savi is going to make it through, and 3.) What was she going to say before she lost consciousness?

Despite much of the negative press prior to the show’s airing, Mistresses not only smashed the negative perceptions of the series, but told stories about four strong women that in the end defied traditional female stereotypes and tropes. All the while giving viewers some good soapy summer fun. Mistresses, through its dark and rough to light and flaky parts, has been a formula for success.

What did you think of Mistresses season finale? Take to the comments and share your opinions.