South of Nowhere – The Big Finale

Profound questions are being asked in the South of Nowhere series finale.

It’s all about change, the future, the plans we have that don’t work out. People thinking they got it all figured out only to have life bite them in the ass.

Everyone is going through change. Always. But never is it more obvious than when you graduate high school. This is the big one. Where do you go next? What does your future hold? The end of one thing is the beginning of another. Change is the only constant.

Just look at the finale. Kyla has Aiden ohm-ing. Carmen is everyone’s best friend and the best mediator ever. Ashley and Madison get along without pulling each other’s hair out and naming names. That’s what I call change.

And then the changes hit us left, right and center. Glen going to Paris with Chelsea? Just like that? As if one just has to have the wish and can just go? Maybe I’m doing something wrong, but I couldn’t just do it and from how Chelsea reacts to being accepted neither could she. Where does Glen’s I’ll-just-go-with-you-to-Paris-without-money,-a-student-or-work-visa come from other than his ignorance and stupidity? And all of a sudden he is the think-things-through-guy? And Arthur agrees? Am I the only one seeing something wrong with that picture? Paula puts it best: “He can’t do his own laundry but he can plan a transatlantic migration?” Thanks Mama Carlin.

We don’t have to worry about this for too long because Chelsea puts a stop to it all by telling Glen she doesn’t want him to come. She needs to be on her own to be able to reinvent herself. It’s what she always dreamed about. I totally understand the girl.

Ashley is thinking of the future as well. And Spencer is avoiding it. Who would have thought they’d ever trade places like that. They still haven’t had their Worthington talk. Ashley doesn’t even know about it yet.

Aiden on the other hand is done tempting fate all the time and bought himself the safest car in the world – a Mercedes. One that’s running on vegetable oil smelling like French Fries when he’s driving. Can anyone beat that? Anyone? That’s what I thought.

Meanwhile Chelsea shows up at the Carlin house setting of the bomb of not wanting Glen to come with her, which no one but Glen knew about. Thanks to that we get the best sibling moment on this show ever (at least as far as I can recall). Glen tells Spencer, who is just interviewing him for her three minute film for which she only has about 30 hours of footage, to tell them he is not here and Spencer does so quite literally: “He says to say he is not here”. Then the most mischievous little sister smile one can imagine. Man, am I going to miss Gabrielle Christian.

Spencer always has the most insightful lines: “Maybe you just need to find your own futures before you can have one together.” Sounds more like Spencer is talking about Ashley and herself than Glen and Chelsea. Either way she is perfectly right. And then Glen asks the question everyone asks themselves: “How do you walk away from the person you’re in love with?”

Glen has an epiphany and tells Chelsea he was an ass and will love her no matter where she is. Chelsea totally digs his little speech and they’re golden.

What is up with everyone keeping their backdoor unlocked? Ashley comes into the Carlin residence, knocking I admit, with everyone gone. She finds Spencer’s acceptance letter from Worthington on the fridge and is not too thrilled. She runs home only to find Carmen showing of another one of her talents. She bakes. And her and Ashley seem to be best friends all of a sudden. Ashley confides in her about Worthington and Carmen says all the right things. But then she kisses Ashley. Wtf? “You know you want to. No strings. Easy.” And Ashley seems to actually think about it. What is going on?

Spencer runs into an old friend, who I seriously don’t recognize, and he dishes some profound statements. “Everyone changes, Spencer. If you stop growing you die. Sometimes on the outside, sometimes on the inside. But we’re all on the precipice. You know.” Spencer finally gets the material she was looking for.

As she is trying to tell Ashley the great news Ashley has something to tell her. Carmen is gone because she made a pass at Ashley. Spencer can’t believe it. They finally have their talk about Worthington, the future, everything. “Everything is changing so fast. I just want at least one thing to stay the same. I don’t want us to change.” And Spencer puts it to the point “But everyone changes Ash.” Ashley is all set on the future, Spencer is totally in the now. How will this ever work?

Everything culminates at the ultimate graduation party. Funny enough set at Ashley and Kyla’s place, who are not graduating anything. The irony.

Glen is showing our girl Ashley what real love is. To let the person you love go and do their own thing. To love sometimes means to let go.

Kyla and Aiden are together and want to go to Vegas. As Glen rightly puts it what is there to do in Vegas when you’re too young to gamble? Hmmm…

Ashley gives Madison the song she wants.

And Spencer is finally showing her little film where she says at the end: “Overall I really believe that the power of love can change someone.” Well put Spencer.

Ashley takes Spencer aside to give her a key to her pad, asking her to move in with her. Spencer finally tells Ashley that she will go to UCLA and has been waiting for Ashley to ask the U-Haul question for some time now.

Everyone goes back to the party and lives happily ever after.

All is good.

The End.