The Gates S1 E13 "Moving Day" Series Finale

Spoilers Ahead

Well, I was wrong: The Gates wasn't tying up loose story threads in light of its imminent cancellation--it was gearing up for new storylines. At least one of which might have even been interesting to see played out. But it was too little too late for this show and now we're stuck with unresolved issues. I hate it when that happens.

Anyway, "Moving Day" begins, appropriately enough, with Nick and Sarah preparing to leave The Gates. Sarah is finally free of Devon's influence, but not the resulting trauma. And speaking of trauma, the kids aren't too happy about being taken away from the life they've just settled into.

Elsewhere Claire and Dylan desperately try to find Devon before the other vampires find out that it was Claire's blood that was used in the toxin that killed Vanessa. It's a good thing Devon didn't bother clearing the Google maps history on her browser. She's holed up in a cheap motel where she's soon joined by Mia, who's brought her spell supplies so that she can foresee what she needs to do to protect herself. Mia also brings the devastating news that Frank is dead. After taking a minute to gather herself, Devon performs the spell and sees herself smothering and killing an unconscious Charlie.

At the high school Brett's had a change of heart about his moment of maliciousness and admits to Lexi that he watered down Andie's medication. Lexi convinces him to tell Andie what he did. Only they can't find Andie, so they go to see Charlie. But wait--Charlie, rebelling against moving, has run off with Andie into the woods. Brett and Lexi decide to track him with their superior werewolf senses while Nick enlists Andie's dad and has Charlie's phone GPS traced. The Gates takes all the fun out of running away.

Dylan and Claire, meanwhile, have found Devon's motel room and the remnants of her spell but no trace of Devon. Claire decides to take the spell to Peg so she can find out what it does. Peg can't decipher the spell, but she does recognize the writing as her daughter's. Time to have a chat with Mia. Sporting a bizarre smile throughout the entire scene, Mia finally buckles under her mother's interrogation and admits that Devon has a secret room in the back of her spa.

Back in the woods, Charlie and Andie settle into an empty cabin and decide to seize the day. They start kissing and as it turns serious the blue succubus vein on Andie's back suddenly comes back with a vengeance. As Brett and Lexi are tracking Charlie and Andie they suddenly hear Andie scream. When they get to the cabin a few moments later Andie is freaking and Charlie looks dead. A moment after that the dads arrive and determine they have to get Charlie to Peg ASAP.

Peg claims that Charlie's life force is so depleted that he can't replenish it on his own. She tries tricking his body into thinking it's more alive than it actually is so that it'll replenish itself but that doesn't work. Taking him to the hospital is apparently out of the question. The only option left is--wait for it--enlisting Devon's help. There will be a price for turning to dark magics but Nick and Sarah don't care. Famous last words.

Dylan and Claire find Devon a minute before Nick shows up. The vampires want her dead, but Nick needs her alive to save his son. Of course the vampires back down. A few minutes later they end up having to fight and kill their way through an ambush by their fellow vampires. While Nick, Claire and Dylan risk themselves for her Devon cowers in the car. Anyone else disturbed that the vampires are turning against their own kind in order to help humans, one of whom they hate? They've clearly lived in the suburbs too long.

Once they're safely at Nick's, Devon is happy to work her dark magics to help Charlie--all she needs to do is kill him and then revive him with a potion. I have a hard time believing this is the only possible way to save him. But whatever. She smothers him as she did in her vision and a moment later he's back from the dead like nothing happened.

Things fall apart the next morning, though. Charlie wakes to a farewell message left by Andie (she loves him but can't risk hurting him again so she's leaving The Gates...forever!) Claire and Dylan are informed that The (vampire) Council will hear a plea of leniency--but only if the two of them deliver Devon to the others. Not that Claire or Dylan believe they'll be getting any leniency (after killing a bunch of their brethren, why would they?) so they start making plans to leave Emily with her biological aunt. Then they head to Nick's looking for Devon. But wait! The dark forces have asserted themselves in Charlie--he shuffles into the room zombie-like and throws Nick against the wall with an invisible force. Hey, they were warned there would be a price. Of course it might help if Devon didn't look so damn smug about it.

There's also a side story involving Marcus breaking into Leigh's apartment to look for "answers" and instead coming across the ornate box that was briefly stolen earlier in the season. When he opens it to look inside Leigh immediately starts getting sick. She rushes home and confronts Marcus, who insists on being told what the hell is going on. Leigh caves and tells him her ex used "voodon" to take her heart away (I so called it) so that she could never love anyone else. What's in the box is the only small bit of it she has left. At first Marcus is skeptical, but then he starts asking questions like 'can it be fixed?' (apparently Peg is helping her with that). Leigh also admits that her real name is Isobel Armant, which clicks with Marcus because a man has been calling for weeks looking for Isobel. It seems Leigh's vindictive ex has found her.

We'll never find out exactly what happened to Charlie or whether he'll ever be himself again. Or what's going to happen to Claire and Dylan. Or if the vampires (and everyone else) get their revenge on Devon. Or if Leigh's ex shows up and wreaks more havoc in her life. And really, I don't particularly care. Unfortunately The Gates was overwhelmingly mediocre (if you've read my reviews I wouldn't even recommend you bother watching it). Just another show that added very little to the genre and will quickly be forgotten. Oh well.

Fang Files

Appearance: Human until the vampire emerges, then sharp fangs and dark eyes.

Strengths: Super speed, strength.

Weaknesses: Magic toxins, stakes, other vampires.

Mythology: Vampires have to answer to one another (there's a vampire Council within The Gates) and can be punished when their actions break the vampire code. Breaching trust is a punishable offence among vampires.

Sound Bites

Charlie: What was I thinking?
Andie: You were thinking you can't live without me. Which is exactly the way I feel about you.

Peg: Devon can help him. But it would be through the dark arts. And with dark magic there is always a price.

Marcus: [to Leigh] You know, I came here looking for answers. Turns out I wasn't even asking the right questions.

Sarah: What did you do to my son?
Devon: I told you I could bring him back. I never said he'd be the same.

The Gates, Season 1 Episode 13 "Moving Day" (series finale). Written by Grant Scharbo and Gabrielle G. Stanton. Directed by Fred Gerber. From ABC.

Read my previous reviews:

Episode 1, "Pilot"
Episode 2, "What Lies Beneath"
Episode 3, "Breach"
Episode 4, "The Monster Within"
Episode 5, "Repercussions"
Episode 6, "Jurisdiction"
Episode 7, "Digging the Dirt"
Episode 8 "Dog Eat Dog"
Episode 9, "Identity Crisis"
Episode 10, "Little Girl Lost"
Episode 11, "Surfacing"
Episode 12, "Bad Moon Rising"