Since 2008, fans of the ABC Family show "The Secret Life of the American Teenager" watched in earnest as the characters struggled with the dramatic decisions, challenges and dilemmas of high school life. For them, the finale was supposed to be the meaningful culmination of five years of viewing. It was also going to answer the question five years in the making - which love interest would Amy choose? Instead, they got an unsatisfying answer and a rather lackluster series conclusion.
The finale "Thank You and Goodbye" was loaded with flashbacks illustrating how the characters got to where they were at the show's close. But what longtime fans really wanted to know was who the protagonist Amy would end up with. Would it be Ricky, her fianc?© and father of her child? Or Ben, her ex-boyfriend still head-over-heels in love with her?
The answer, much to the chagrin of viewers, was neither. In the last few minutes of the episode Amy heartbreakingly calls off her wedding to Ricky, refusing to stay in a relationship just for the sake of her son. But she also rejects Ben, deciding to enter college a free woman open to wherever life takes her.
The finale was disappointing to say the least, and by the end it was cheesy and unrealistic. Then again, the show itself was far from perfect.
3 out of 5 doubloons
Amanda Boyer can be reached at amanda.boyer@student.shu.edu
