"Pepper Dennis": The Final Fireworks

Tuesday, (July 4th, no less), the WB will air the series finale of “Pepper Dennis.”

And it looks like those of us who have been with the show from the beginning will be rewarded with an over-the-top story and a whopper of a cliffhanger.

Thanks a lot, guys.

In my best and worst post, I named “Pepper” the best new comedy; but the last episode may have led the show astray. For the second week in a row, Charlie’s storyline was a tad cartoonish as he fought Les, the news director, over the whiteness of his teeth. Pepper didn’t fare much better as she worked to shut down a shady matchmaker, who then made Pepper feel guilty for “giving up on love.”

Then, suddenly, out of nowhere, the station’s lawyers discovered that Charlie’s work visa had not been filed (Charlie’s Canadian.) and he would have to be deported. So, of course, when Pepper returned to her apartment, Charlie was waiting; and before she could ask why he was there, he proposed.

The previews show Pepper in an actual wedding dress. But apparently Chick (who has been absent for the past two episodes) plans to try and stop the wedding by declaring his love for Pepper. As I said, I smell cliffhanger. Especially since I don’t think there’s any way that the writers could have known they were cancelled before they finished the season (Though I guess it’s possible, since the show was pretty much doomed from the start with its late premiere and the WB-UPN merger).

Now, there’s no doubt I would like to see Pepper and Charlie get together after a season apart, but I’m not sure this is what I had in mind. After so many smart, sassy episodes, I would hate to see the show go out on such an over-the-top story.

Then again, maybe if the show had been more over-the-top earlier, it would still be around. For some reason, nobody wants to watch smart and sassy anymore.

The series finale of “Pepper Dennis” airs Tuesday, July 4th at 9 p.m. and again Sunday, July 9th at 5 p.m. on the WB.