When rewatching the season finale, I had that thought that it could have gone differently. And I’m not talking about the ending. Sure there were lots of possibilities; but what I’m thinking of in particular is the part with Lisbon finding out about Jane’s scam.
Think about it. They easily could have made it work out. Lisbon comes down to dinner, never goes to the reception but to Jane’s table right away. Abbott realizes what is going on and leaves, pulling Cho along. Jane and Lisbon are alone, Jane succeeds in wooing Lisbon (because let’s face it, he would have succeeded), maybe they even end up in bed together. She decides that she wants to be with Jane and ends things with Pike. Perhaps Jane manages to express his feelings, though I’m not sure he would have said these three special words then; he would have found another way (not that booking a fancy hotel room and buying three dresses for her isn’t saying something already). Anyways, everything’s great and they are happy because they are finally together and it took them enough years of suppressed feelings etc.
But sooner or later, the truth comes always out. Lisbon would have learned that the whole case was never real, but only staged by Jane (even if they indeed arrested a/the perp in the end). Big drama, because that is what happens; Lisbon would have been disappointed, angry, sad. And consequently she wouldn’t have believed anything else he’s done – the feelings he expressed, everything that concerns their relationship.
Basically, their whole (romantic) relationship would have been based on a lie. Even a reconciliation would have left that bitter aftertaste of that lie having once existed when they were already together.
What they did is skillfully avoid exactly this problem. They uncovered the lie first, let Lisbon deal with it, and then, when it was clear to us and Lisbon alike that Jane isn’t playing games anymore, that it is, has to be real, they had him confess his love, had her accept his (and her own) feelings as real–
And made their romance and love a true one.
Whenever I think about what has happened on the show, not only in the season finale, but also in the past six years in general, it never fails to amaze me how genially different the overall mythology and character plots are. I’ve seen show where they went for the cliche drama, did exactly what (Romantic) Drama 101 tells. But Bruno and his team have always had that little plot twist, that little thing in between that made it all different and not your standard drama plot, that side-note-decision that made it all so real – most notably when it comes to Jisbon. And I will not stop praising it – because it is so rare and precious.
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