“Tyler Perry’s The Oval” just aired its series finale on BET, but if you thought TV’s least political White House drama was going to wrap everything up in a neat little bow, think again!
In fact, the final episode of Season 7 — which serves as the show’s de facto series finale, as the show has not been renewed — feels like a standard “Oval” season finale, ending with a string of dramatic cliffhangers that leave multiple characters’ fates in question.
We’ll begin with First Son/freak of nature Jason (Daniel Croix Henderson), who’s too blinded by revenge to take Hunter’s (Ed Quinn) offer to help him escape to Cuba. One of the last names on his hit list is Priscilla (Taja V. Simpson), who manages to e-mail a copy of Abrielle’s exposé before Jason detonates a bomb he planted in her home. But does Priscilla survive the explosion? And is Simone (Kaye Singleton) also taken down in the blast? We’ll never know!
Unfortunately for Jason, the Secret Service takes him into custody before he gets a chance to cross off any additional names. Meanwhile, Victoria (Kron Moore) has a hit list of her own, and there’s only one name on it: Jason. While the Secret Service refuses to administer the lethal injection, Victoria has no qualms about putting down her twisted offspring, grabbing the syringe and beginning to kill Jason once and for all. We say “beginning” because, well, we don’t actually see her kill him, making Jason’s fate another on a long list of question marks from this finale.
Kareem and Eli both go down in The Oval series finale
You also might want to light a candle for Eli (Russell Thomas), who ends the hour seizing and foaming at the mouth on the White House floor. We feel for the guy, but come on, could Cross’ eager offer to make Eli a pre-workout shake have been any more obvious? We commend Eli for confirming Hunter’s crimes with Senator Harding before drinking the poisoned shake, but that’s just carelessness right there. How are you going to accept food and/or drink from anyone in this White House? It’s. Always. Poison.
One person whose fate we’re confident about is that of Kareem (Matthew Law), who doesn’t prove useful enough to the gang members who kidnapped him… so they shoot him multiple times in the chest and dump him onto the street. Stranger things have happened, but we have to imagine that it’s curtains for Kareem.
The Oval series finale includes happy endings for several characters, whether they deserve it or not
Of course, it’s not all gloom and doom in “The Oval” series finale. A few characters actually do manage to get happy endings by the end of the hour, and they’re not the ones we would have expected.
Fake ID’s in hand, Lilly (Ciera Payton) and Bobby (Travis Cure) end the finale by adopting new identities and leaving it all behind. “So you’re riding with me?” he asks before they disappear, to which she responds, “Until the wheels fall off. And then I’m walking with you.” These two! Who’d have thought that a random hookup in an airport bathroom all those years ago would lead to this? Good for them, honestly.
And you know what? Good for Kyle (Brad Benedict) and Donald (Lodric Collins), too. Once Kyle is discharged from the hospital for his broken ribs, he’s finally moving in with Donald. Kyle worries about being pushed back into the closet because of Donald’s job, and even Donald admits that he isn’t ready to go fully public yet, but he takes the first step by formally drawing up divorce papers for Lilly. It’s nice to see this couple — which has historically been played up for laughs and shock value — actually finding happiness.
We can also raise a glass to Sharon (Teesha Renee) and Max (Bill Barrett), who hook up in the finale after coming to the conclusion that they both “like sex a lot.” Sure, their fun times are interrupted by the aforementioned gangsters who shoot up the living room, but everyone survives — even Nancy (Ptosha Storey), who only hurts her leg because Sharon pushes her to the ground to avoid the bullets, which is kind of hilarious.
OK, let’s talk: If “The Oval” really doesn’t come back for a surprise eighth season, will you be satisfied with this as a series finale? Who do you think really died, and who probably would have ended up surviving? Grade the episode in our poll below, then drop a comment with your full review.
