October 10, 2024

Alaska Daily: With an uncertain future, fall finale gives us existential cliffhanger

What could be the fall finale, (or possible series finale) of Alaska Daily aired tonight. And while we’re working with uncertainty regarding the future of the program, the show was off to a fast start with a woman falling off a cruise ship while streaming on her phone.

We then caught up with Roz and Eileen on a radio show and we learned both of their reports got the corrupt DA and police chief fired. Then a lot of preaching. But Eileen’s phone bully called in with a villain voice to snap us out of our nap.

Then at a press conference, you would have thought Eileen was trying to talk the coast guard out of looking for the woman with her questions. This, while another native woman, Jade, went missing.

What was weird is that writers had Eileen put on her fiscal watchdog hat in the following scene, which is valid, but also just bizarre in a viral case where a woman’s life is in danger. And in more money talk, the paper was in danger of caving.

And then the publisher invited Eileen to go to the Gala for the Arts. Aaron kissed Eileen during the last episode.

We finally got something relevant when we learned the man over board system on the ship was never installed because of the Panamanian registration of the ship, which was both interesting and true.

That didn’t last long though with Eileen wanting to compare expenses in the searches of the two women. That sounds more like a Twitter argument than an actual investigation that could find any of these two women. This is more of a follow up story than work that would be done while two people are missing. Tone deaf even.

Eileen then decided to crash the gala to bulldog the Aaron’s dad. Then editorialized. Right one moment. Wrong the next. A lousy lead television prime time protagonist.

After an impromptu slam poetry session, Eileen reconnected with Jamie. But then she bulldogged the Governor over the money being spent on the cruise ship search.

We later found out that the remains of the cruise ship lady had been found, while the team compared the money spent on searches. Their story was a hit.

Then the Daily Alaskan took a victory lap with both women still missing. Why? I’m not sure.

Our finale ended with a cliffhanger, with the man who had been threatening Eileen the entire season showing up in her office with a gun.

That might be it. That might not be.

Despite its creative challenges, ABC did no favors to the show, putting it on a one week delay and then stuffing it after a 17 year old movie (Enchanted) opposite of NFL Football.

But ABC should air at least one follow up. Or the show, and it’s season’s main story and message could end up undermining itself in the end.

Which would be a TV tragedy in its own right.

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