“When You Turn Around Can You Recognize My Face?”

The biggest question about tonight's finale, “Clash Of Swords”: At the end of the night, if Alex were to ask us the above question¹, would we be able to say yes? Well, if she ends up not being there, would we? After all, we won't see her again until September.

Anticipation Level: Low.  Really?  For the season finale, with likely only one more season to go²? Yes. With little hope of Alex having much to do tonight, if anything, even the fact we won't see her again for four months can't move the meter.

Emotional Moment Potential: Low.  Oh, if Alex does go missing tonight, I will probably get very emotional, but that doesn't really count.

Game Changing Potential: Extremely Low.  I almost went with “None” here, but I wanted to hold old a very thin hope. Maybe if she shows up at Jay's closet office something could happen.

Chance Of An Alex-less Episode: Low To Medium.  In spite of the fears I've said above, I do think Alex will be there, even if only briefly. It is the season finale, after all, and I'd find it ridiculous that any main character would go missing in the last episode.

And, yet, there are some indications that it could still happen. For one, Lily could very well be still in Kansas with Cam's family, and if she is and doesn't appear then there is every chance some of the other kids could be missing too (the Dunphy kids more likely, Manny less so since Joe is having a party).

And I know there is a scene with all of the adults together at Joe's party, but no sign any of the kids are there. They probably are, but...

So, in the end, I'm putting the chance at about 5 to 10 percent of tonight being Alex-less. In other words, less than likely, but the fact that I feel it is not zero is troubling, possibly even with ramifications for next season.

In Which Story Do I Want To See Alex Be A Part? The only realistic one would be whatever happens with Claire and Jay.

Are There Any Other Questions? What about an unrealistic one? Well, it would have been interesting if, say, Maisie (her freshman year roommate and apparent Ms. Marvel fanatic) were to come back and talk Alex (who really doesn't seem into comic book superheroes³) into going to that comic convention that Phil is going to. But we know that's not going to happen.

If I see something today that alleviates my worry about tonight being Alex-less I'll let you know. Otherwise, I'll see you tonight as usual.
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¹ I really wanted to go with “I'm starting to trip – I'm losing my grip” from that Avril song as the title, but I thought it was a little too much of an exaggeration. For now.

² It's not totally etched in stone - the higher-ups at ABC have said they're willing to keep the show on the air beyond next season, but the feeling is that most of the people involved with the show are ready to wrap things up (and I'd guess Ariel would be right near the top of that list).  I'm guessing we'll hear officially about that this summer.

³ Is it a stretch to think that?  We know she's not into science fiction, and that is a similar genre. OTOH, she is into RPG's which is kind of in the same ballpark.