House - Ok, let's start with the good way to end the season with the relationship cliff-hanger. I think House's writers did a good job this season of building up House's attempt to become a better person and how that was dependent on his feelings for Cuddy. So enter the relationship foil- House's old pal Lucas. And everyone watching knows that he isn't the person Cuddy wants to be with, etc. But since House is so messed up, she tries to deny her feelings for him. We all know its not working. So enter the season finale.

We find out in the beginning of the episode that Lucas asked Cuddy to marry him the night before. Unsurprisingly, Cuddy doesn't seem too enthusatic about this. House grows more despondent and the careful self-control built up over the season is slipping. House feels vulnerable and for the first time admits his failings as a person, i.e. his refusal to lose his leg and how that decision has cost him. The final push: House fails to save the woman. Cuddy is engaged. He is all alone. So he rips the mirror off of his wall and pulls out his bottle of Vicoden.

This is where I starting shaking my head. I'm thinking, not this again? Didn't he spend the first 5 seasons on this Vicoden addiction? So the tension mounts as House contemplates downing the drug. Why not? He has nothing in his life worth fighting for. Just when I have given up, I get a pleasant surprise. Cuddy walks in. House is skeptical of her reason to be there. Then she drops the bomb.

She broke up with Lucas and tells House that she loves him.

House is as stunned as I was. He kisses her and then wonders if he is hallucinating again. She asks him if he took the Vicoden. He realizes that he hasn't and drops the pills to the floor and kisses her again. A happy ending, finally. I feel good for the next hour before Castle starts.

Castle - I like Castle more than House by far. So it pains me to admit that it had the much weaker and cliched season finale. Castle and Beckett are on another odd case. Castle is having troubles finishing his book. His daughter just got in to a summer program for high school students. His mother just won an acting part and will be gone for the summer. Its a convenient plot point, but I'm not complaining. Castle is at his most charming as he tries to get Beckett to spend the weekend with him at the Hamptons, since his daughter has to leave that weekend. Beckett gives him a lame excuse about working.

Come to find out, Beckett (in another convenient plot point) already has plans to go away for the weekend with her new boyfriend(By the way, how does a cop have a beach house?). Castle is understandbly crushed. In one of the more poignant moments in the series, he tells Beckett that this is his last case. He needs to take the summer off in order to finish his book. Beckett is visibly stunned, and one wonders how Castle doesn't notice this. Anyway, they get back to the case.

Detective Esposito comes along with some very nice words of wisdom for our fair Beckett. He points out the obvious; Castle already has enough material to write 50 books. So why has he been following her around all this time? Kate seems stunned, as if she already knew the answer to that but didn't want to admit it. Kate suddenly starts looking at her boy-toy differently as she contemplates her relationship with Castle. She decides to end things with said boy-toy, who looks more crushed than he should have (Really, they had no chemistry and very little screen time).

Castle says goodbye to his daughter and tells her he is trying to convince someone to come to the Hamptons with him. Now, the writers want you to think that he is talking about Beckett. But it was so obvious that I groaned out loud. The whole episode, they kept mentioning how Castle's ex-wife and editor has been trying to call him. Feeling a big let-down coming, they shoot to the going-away party for Castle. Beckett walks in and asks to speak to Castle. They step outside.

Now, despite the obvious hint they just gave about his ex-wife, I was starting to feel a little bit hopeful. I mean, how could the cliched interruption come at the police station? So the music ramps up and I start feeling the tension. Kate starts talking around what she wants to say and I am yelling at the screen, HURRY UP! So, she says the cliched line: "I wanted to tell you something."

And guess what? I bet 100% of the people who follow this show knew what was about to happen. Kate opens her mouth to admit her love for Castle and in walks the ex-wife. And guess what? Despite the fact that Castle despises her, they just got back together like 5 seconds ago. Castle asks the next cliched line: "I'm sorry, what were you about to say?" Kate blathers something meaningless and Castle walks away, arm-in-arm with his new girlfriend/ex-wife that will be spending the summer with him.

Kate asks, "See you in the fall?" Castle turns around and responds, "Yeah...see you in the fall." Clearly, he doesn't intend to. (Though, since we know this is a TV show, he will be back.)

Why, oh why? Why does this clever and fun TV show have to go the same damn route as everyone else? And so predicatably? And obviously? And cliched? I hate this show right now. These writers have no guts!

So what do you guys think?