FOREVER Roundtable: “The Last Death of Henry Morgan”

Forever concluded its first season last night with an episode that moved two major plots forward: can the original weapon kill an immortal and will Jo find out Henry’s secret. We also had some movement with the Jo/Henry potential romance, saw when Abigail found out Henry’s secret, and witnessed the (probably not) final showdown between Henry and Adam.

1. First things first, do you think Henry actually told Jo? Or will he hedge his bets with a made up story?

Rueben: If the show gets renewed, I have a feeling he’ll tell her just enough truth without given away the farm but if the show doesn’t get renewed, we can “believe” that he told her the truth.

Bethanne: I think he told her. With the photo in his hand and Abe standing there telling him to “tell her”, there’s really nothing he could do, and I think he felt it was time.

Louise: I hope he did because she has two big pieces of Henry’s life at the end of the episode. He can’t fake that photo or a story, and Abe seems to want Jo to know.

Melissa: He had to have told her at this point. Unless season 2 picks up with a convenient interruption, Jo has too much evidence, plus Abe encouraging Henry to tell her for both their sakes. It seems like the best option for moving along the story, too.

2. Henry did end up getting his revenge on Adam, but not by killing him. Thoughts on what this means for Henry who prides himself on being a moral person?

Rueben: I think in a way Henry did do the moral “thing” by obviously not killing Adam, but incapacitating him so he cannot hurt anyone again – or at least for quite some time. If the show gets renewed, though, I’m going to go with the belief that at some point the writers will make it that Adam comes out of his paralysis (somehow) and then the feud will start all over again.

Bethanne: I think he still kept hold of his morals by not killing Adam, but also by promising to find a solution for them both, even if it takes a lifetime. Adam is not able to harm anyone anymore, especially those closest to Henry, and I think that is justification for Henry’s actions.

Louise: Morally I think what Henry did is the best thing. He didn’t have to kill Adam to remove him from the picture because with the Locked In Syndrome, Adam will be alive, but out of the picture for as long as possible. It’s a sticky point, but I think that actually is the perfect solution for Henry.

Melissa: For me, this might be worse than killing Adam. It’s not as final, obviously, but essentially Henry has trapped Adam in an endless state of torture. He can’t move. He can’t speak. But he can still hear and see and understand. Honestly, I was horrified by Henry’s revenge.

3. Jo sort of declared her feelings for Henry, before kicking him out of her car. Henry sort of admitted his feelings for Joe to Abe before haring off to “protect” her. How do you feel about Jo/Henry now?

Rueben: I think they care about each other, obviously; but I don’t believe that either of them is fully ready to tackle any kind of relationship just yet. I think, again if the show gets renewed, that they will build on these feelings gradually. That being said, I can see them as an eventual couple, but not for quite some time.

Bethanne: I think they left things pretty open for anything to happen, should the show return. I think that if they are going to have a romance, it will be a slow build to it. Meanwhile, they have a special relationship, especially after letting Jo in on Henry’s secret.

Louise: The relationship – if we want to call it one – is still too hard to define for me to have a real opinion. I know that both of them have said that they like the other, but we haven’t seen what that means beyond the words. Are they going to have coffee or any other date? Are they doing to pull a When Harry Met Sally and like each other and try to avoid what it actually means (I’m putting money on that)?

Melissa: Before anything romantic happens, I want Henry to tell Jo the truth. We saw how Abigail reacted – and understood – when she realized Henry’s secret. If there’s any future for Jo/Henry, then Henry will need someone with Abigail’s compassion and understanding.

4. What do you make of the title of this episode – “The Last Death of Henry Morgan”? How are we meant to interpret that, especially now that we know the gun can’t kill him for good? Feel free to speculate as though we’re getting a second season.

Rueben: I can’t imagine that should the show get a season renewal that Henry Morgan will never die again in some freakish or not even a freakish way. But in terms of the episode title, I think now that he knows what happened to Abigail, that he could let go of all those memories, allowing that version of Henry Morgan – the one so closely tied to his life with Abigail – to move on with this most recent death and now he can start anew. But, it will be interesting to see if there is ever anything that will allow Henry to truly die, though.

Bethanne: I feel like it should have been titled “The Last Attempted Death of Henry Morgan”. ‘Death’ could apply to a few things, including Henry’s fear of being found out and his relationship with Jo.

Louise: If it were truly the last death, I think he could actually try and have a relationship with Jo because he won’t have to worry about outliving another woman he cares about. But, it could also just be the last death that we’ll see on the show. Will he have any reason to be so reckless now that someone besides Abe knows? Doubtful.

Melissa: The more I think about the episode title, the more I wonder about it’s real meaning. Was it just a red herring to make us think the gun would work? If so, I don’t think anyone bought it for a second. No, I think it has some deeper significance that perhaps won’t be fully understood until season 2.

5. If this ends up being the series finale, are you satisfied with where we left things?

Rueben: I can be satisfied with this ending should there be no second season because we can believe that Henry was going to tell Jo the truth; it’s better than it ending with Henry dying and Adam being victorious.

Bethanne: I could be satisfied with where things were left, however I still wanted to know why this happened in the first place to first Adam then Henry. And why those two men? Where did those weapons come from and are they the only ones? I would also love to have seen how Jo reacted to the truth about Henry Morgan.

Louise: I can be satisfied if this is the end of the show because I think it answered the biggest question of the season (can the original weapon kill either Adam or Henry) and there’s also enough resolution about Henry/Jo that it can go into the sunset, and I can imagine to my heart’s delight how they’ll go about their lives together.

Melissa: I would always lament what could have been with Jo’s character, but yeah, I could be satisfied with that as the series ending if I had to be.

6. Thoughts on this first season overall?

Rueben: For the most part I have enjoyed the show. I’ve liked the character development and the interactions between the cops and Henry/Lucas. Adding in Adam and giving it the twist that Henry isn’t the only immortal in the world added a good layer of mystery to the show.

Bethanne: I personally think it was a strong first season. It held my interest with every episode. I was never bored. They moved things along pretty well and I liked the case of the week. The characters grew throughout the season and I think that casting was pretty spot on, especially Ioan Gruffudd’s. This role/show was made for him. It deserves a second season.

Louise: It was a fun ride and a good way to see that something that has so many procedural elements can still be fresh and different.

Melissa: It such an interesting concept, and you know I enjoy seeing Ioan Gruffudd on my screen every week, but I still feel like Jo is getting short-changed and the show is worse off for it. If Forever is renewed, please, dear showrunners, develop Jo as thoroughly as you’ve developed Henry. Don’t just tell us she’s good at her job, show us she’s good at her job. Make her more of Henry’s equal, not yet another sidekick. That little arc we had with Cuba Gooding, Jr.’s character gave us some good stuff. The episode co-written by Chris Fedak was a high point for Jo in season 1. Give us more of Jo as an actual person, and you’ve got a winner, show.