‘Swamp Thing’ Season 1 Finale ‘Loose Ends’ Review: Final Decisions

Swamp Thing experienced cruel, excruciating treatment during his capture. Now that he is free, he finds out the truth about his fate. As confusion arises from his discovery, the Conclave closes in on him. With that much trouble, one can only have so much of all the running. Hopeless, he chooses between losing himself to the swamp or staying for the only human that cares for him.

On Friday’s season finale of Swamp Thing, Abby Arcane (Crystal Reed) and Swamp Thing (Derek Mears) finds out the truth about Alec Holland (Andy Bean). Meanwhile, Lucilia Cable (Jennifer Beals) watches over her recovering son, Matt Cable (Henderson Wade). Avery Sunderland (Will Patton) tries to regain a sense of power over the town while Jason Woodrue (Kevin Durand) experiments on Swamp Thing’s organs.

Fast as a Devil

Daniel Cassidy (Ian Ziering) could not make the Blue Devil’s whispers in his head stop. Indeed, the role truly grew on him. After saving Abby and Liz Tremayne (Maria Sten) from the Conclave’s security, Daniel returns to his shop to leave the town for good. After all, Daniel did meet his end of the bargain: protect Abby Arcane. Daniel bade goodbye to Liz, entrusting the shop to her as he left. At that point, Daniel knew that there is a destiny higher than his own, despite being unsure about it. Still, he took the wheel and drove out of Morais, leaving it all up to the Blue Devil.

Heart Stir Fry

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Swamp Thing’s escape did not hinder Jason’s pursuit for his wife, Caroline Woodrue’s (Selena Anduze) Alzheimer’s. Thanks to the organs Jason harvested, he now has material to test, believing that it could regenerate Caroline’s cells. However, administering the treatment untested was not something Jason wished to do, so he tests it on himself first. After cooking what resembled Swamp Thing’s heart, Jason tastes it. A few moments after that, he collapses but later stands up, feeling alive.

It was a good thing that Abby managed to call emergency services before Jason could make Caroline eat some of the food. That demented scientist could easily have caused more trouble in the name of the pursuit of science. Woodrue is a classic example of intellect gone mad. Oh, and that fucker has a surprise for us in the end.

Conclave Cowards

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Nathan Ellery (Michael Beach) and The Conclave stood no chance of winning against The Green, let alone Swamp Thing. Despite the heavy equipment that each man brought to the hunt, their numbers dwindled once the encounter began. In an eery, brutal sequence, Swamp Thing picks off the team members until only Nathan remains. Scared for his life, Nathan tried to bargain with Swamp Thing, telling him that he can help humanity, but to no avail. Nathan alone lived to tell the tale.

Roles were reversed here in the show compared to the comics. While Nathan is the head of the criminal organization ‘The Conclave’ in both mediums, he was the corporate sponsor for Holland’s research in the comics. Also, General Sunderland supplied the muscle part of the project, so there, he has no ties to Abby. Unlike here, where he took Abby in as a child and is Morais’ most powerful man. The show’s excellent writing proves how characters can have a little bit of each other and still turn out fine.

Stay

DC Universe

A lot of things went down following the breakout. Swamp Thing and Abby recovered Alec’s body from the Swamp, so he had a hard time accepting that he indeed was a sentient plant. Abby, on the other hand, felt disappointed that she could not help him return to his human form. Regardless of these personal dilemmas they faced, the darkness continued to loom over Morais, and no one but Swamp Thing and Abby could stop it. Thankfully, Alec’s consciousness talked sense to Swamp Thing while Abby decided to return to Alec’s old lab.

Throughout the run of this season, the show included vital elements from the comics but at the same time, let the writers freely steer the show’s direction. Numerous character changes and role switching happened along with the introduction of characters exclusive to the show. A longtime fan of the main character could see the tiniest of callouts to the comics. The show’s cancellation is indeed a shame, especially since it has so much potential.

Goodbye (?) Cables

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If any characters had much misery in the season, it would be the Cables. Lucilia refused to let Avery have a place in their lives, so she suffers the consequences. Avery did not have a chance at getting his project back from The Conclave, hence his attempt to have Lucilia at his side. That inevitably ends in Lucilia’s possible death as Avery stabbed her through the car’s chair then drowned her in the swamp.

Matt, on the other hand, later left the hospital and went to the sheriff’s office. Matt notices that the place is in disarray and there is no one around, prompting him to investigate further. He likely dies as well since he stumbles upon the now-mutated Jason, taking a form similar to Swamp Thing.

‘Swamp Thing’ Season 1 Finale ‘Loose Ends’ Final Verdict’

Swamp Thing is the DC suspense/sci-fi show that we sadly will not have. The first season gave us a glimpse of the powerful, towering, kind creature. His advent on television quickly could have started a chain of shows for DC’s Mystical heroes. Characters like Blue Devil, Phantom Stranger (both appearing in the show), John Constantine, and maybe even Dr. Fate may have had a chance at airtime. Still, Swamp Thing‘s story remains open. With Abby staying around and Woodrue likely taking his comic book identity ‘Floronic Man,’ a second season is not remotely impossible to happen. That is if DC Universe manages to fix the paperwork for the show’s return.