Have you ever been in a wedding that went off without a hitch… until it felt like the church staff was rushing people out the door?

Or how about a midday wedding reception that was a total blast, but you didn’t get to finish your brunch/punch/share of the cake because the caterers cleared the tables in such a hurry?

Anyway, this is how I felt when I heard, since writing my last post, that the 13 post-strike episodes originally planned for TGD– a typical half-season order, I believe– had been chopped down to just 10. Only TEN episodes for the “farewell season” (if we can still call it a real season??) to effectively bring the journeys of a dozen or so cast members to desired destinations. The number depends on if you’re including recurring characters, the S7 newbies (who it seems won’t debut until next week), and babies Steven and Eden. Such a village has blossomed at St. Bons! And yet the ONE time I wouldn’t mind a couple of gaps in the schedule to allow TGD to stretch into May, I look at the calendar and realize this is a straight shot from February 20 to April 23 (the current date of the series finale). Ten weeks, ten episodes. It’s been lovely, now get out– time is money. 

For the record, I thought I read somewhere that ABC put the kibosh on the additional three episodes as opposed to it being a necessity due to the length of the strikes… but I haven’t been able to locate a specific source for that. If you can point me to such an article, please do. I’m happy to call out ABC on all levels of their bullshit (for whatever that’s worth, heh heh), but not if I don’t have proper backup.

In any case, it’s just TEN episodes. And I now find myself wanting good closures for everyone on the show, which makes neither interesting predictions nor realistic ones. I mean, David Shore’s still a part of his own show, right? The overall vibe of TGD is quite different from Shore’s “other” medical drama House, but that doesn’t mean he’s carrying a big red bow around in his back pocket so everyone in Shaun’s world lives happily ever after.

So in this instance, my wish list is twofold. Part one combines holdovers from previous wish lists and general hopes for these final episodes. Part two is a series of questions I’m not gonna venture to answer yet (with one notable exception). 

I’ll say it here, and I’ll say it again when you get to the bottom of this post…

I’d enjoy hearing your own “wishes and wonderings” in the comments, whether they’re in line with my own or not! Especially if you want to take a stab at the questions I’m posing!

FIRST, THE HOLDOVERS FROM PREVIOUS WISH LISTS… 

DOUBLE DATE

OK this is a minor wish compared to the others, but if I’m not mistaken I DID read that one of the last 10 eps is called “Date Night.” There are at least three or four possibilities in that title ALONE (#Shea, #Parnick, #Jasher, etc.) Can’t they compound a couple of those?

NOW FOR THE GENERAL HOPES…

ALSO… I HOPE

• That Lim will accept Clay’s proposal at long last. (Please don’t let her be the odd one out!)

• That the youngest additions to the cast will stay healthy (enough) for the duration. We know already that Eden’s facing a challenge in the season opener; may it please be resolved quickly.

• That if they feel compelled to do any substantial time-hops in these final episodes (the kind where Steve is a toddler or grade-schooler), they save it for the finale.

QUESTIONS I’M JUST “PUTTING OUT THERE”… (YOUR OPINION IS VERY WELCOME!)

Could we get a wedding with #Jasher by TGD’s end?

Will any twosome break up by the finale? 

What about the final two newbies? Will we see them go the distance, relatively speaking (given less than 10 episodes but also knowing neither of our previous two newbies finished the program)? 

Will we see an official conclusion to Park and Shaun’s respective residencies, as well as indicators of what happens to each– where do they want to go, if anywhere? And do they each get what they want?

Will we see what becomes of Asher and Jordan’s respective residencies?

Will anyone get fired? Or quit? (We had multiple staff on probation last season… we’re due for someone to quit, at least temporarily.)

Will anyone get killed off? 

We’ve had earthquakes and an active shooter rattle the TGD cast to its core… will there be one more event? A fire, maybe? (Well, we DID have Glassman’s house burn down last year, so… maybe we’re in the clear with that stuff)

LASTLY…

With the time limitations now in place, will the question of whether or not Steve is neurodivergent ever get addressed?

I’ll take this one :) My guess is no… UNLESS they do a big flash-forward in the finale, in which case I think it will be revealed that Steve is on the spectrum. And Shaun and Lea would be handling it in all the ways we wish Shaun’s parents could have done with him.

I think that’s the end I’d most like to see.

But as close as we are to that “end,” there’s still a lot of story to play out. What do YOU hope to see happen?

I’d enjoy hearing your own “wishes and wonderings” in the comments, whether they’re in line with my own or not! Especially if you want to take a stab at the questions I’m posing!