And so the final episode of “The Lazarus Project” (LP) has aired. I assume that no one knew that this would be the last installment when it was filmed. It is probably bittersweet for the actors.

It is sad for viewers as well because several episodes this season showed the promise of what this show could have become with better writing. The acting was never in question. Even characters like George whom I didn’t like were still well-portrayed.

But the writing was so slipshod. The mistake of having a whole season revolve around George trying to get Sarah back, and then ludicrously being forgiven by LP after he tried to set off WWIII, was a terrible one.

This season, in which George should have been killed to spare viewers, had a better focus. Whether the mission was to destroy the time machine or rescue Janet or resolve the 3-week loop, each provided a solid framework around which to develop both plot and relationships.

The fact that time paradoxes were never truly addressed head-on was a series disappointment. The writers were never as interested in the science as they were the human elements.

Instead they beat about the bushes with teasers that never amounted to complete revelations. Who is the ultimate person in the LP hierarchy? Even in “The Prisoner” series in the 1960’s with its question of who was #1, there was at least an attempt in the last episode to address this dilemma.

The death count in this episode was quite high. I was surprised that the two Janets were both killed. Thus, both Beckys are orphans in our time. The fact that both have George as a guardian should give everyone pause as to their ultimate well-being, but at least they survived.

I was disappointed in Dr. Samson’s death. He should have kept his mouth shut. I don’t know why he had to die since the time machine element was used to send the plane back to our time. Certainly no human survives who knows how to make a time machine. But what happens to this time machine element once the plane lands? Does the Dane destroy it? Or is the plane a stealth time machine forever? Can the time element be reverse-engineered to figure out how to make more time machines?

Ironically after seeing the Dane killed twice, he survives to the end! As of course so does George. Although it was worth it just to see George’s reaction to Sarah having replaced Wes.

This is one of the best season-ending climaxes which I have ever seen. It was so perfect. Sarah had been showing greater promise and more progress than George’s love-struck moper in previous episodes. The fact that she stayed behind to work her way up in LP made perfect sense.

I also was intrigued by Bryson getting into the time machine. This would have allowed him to re-appear in the series had it continued. I had grown to like his character very much as he bonded with Janet and the younger Becky.

It was quite moving to see Zhang stay with Archie at the end. I enjoyed their relationship but of course it saw short shrift since the writers wasted so much time on Sarah and George’s dysfunctional affair.

I also was very moved when Sarah shot Janet24. J24’s realization that it was necessary was so noble. Her love for both her kids was so evident.

So all in all I would have liked to see where the third season would have gone with Sarah in charge. I would have liked to believe that she would have killed off the 2012 George to get rid of the eventuality that there would be two of them in the present. One is enough!

In the new season, resolute Lazarus agent George has been left in disgrace after betraying the organization in the name of love. He is determined to redeem himself and win back the trust of his friends, colleagues, and the love of his life. But when he discovers that the cause he is fighting for is more sinister than it appears, George suspects that the only person he can really trust is himself.