'Terra Nova' season finale recap: Back to the Future

When it was over, I asked my friend the same question I had asked again and again during the two-hour finale: "This is good, I mean good, isn't it?" I was really surprised how much Terra Novahad improved for its closer. Sure, a few skeptics of the show will say it wasn't enough. But for me, the two parter directed by 24 vet Jon Cassar -- saddled with the spoiler-heavy titles of "Occupation" and "Resistance" -- was easily the best entry of the season.

We're going to recap the finale, PLUS reveal the winning entries and runner-ups from last week's Give Commander Taylor an Eyepatch Photo Contest (yes, that was real, and yes, readers participated, and there's a couple images I am confident will brighten your day). Sound like a plan? All Shannons agree?

Let's go: We open with a shot of the planet: Dry, dusty, no vegetation, smog. We're back to 2149, bitches! We zoom into a dome. Jake Gyllenhaal's creepy cousin Lucas, having activated the Terra Nova portal to go both ways, has returned to the future. He's planning to send a team of mercenaries called the Phoenix Group to take over the colony with the help of a new bad guy named Weaver. In the process, he's hoping to kill his dad, Taylor. We learn they've commandeered the best army money can buy. Read More...