Jersey Shore: Summer's End

“This was a life-changing experience, whether you like it or not.”

So said Pauly D near the end of Thursday night’s season (series?!) finale of “Jersey Shore.” I’m pretty sure he was talking about his summer Seaside Heights adventures with his fellow guidos and guidettes. However, he could’ve just as easily been talking about a nation (of reality show trash connoisseurs) captivated by the exploits of Snooki, The Situation, Pauly D, J-Woww, Ronnie, Sammi, Vinny (who made a late charge and became kinda memorable) and Angelina (“Umm, HELLO!”)

I don’t know how I expected the season to end, but I definitely expected more yelling, drinking and maybe a punch of two. Instead, we got a low-key and melancholic meditation on past times (though it stopped short of being a clip show) and an examination about the unease the future holds. (My friends are weird for thinking I read too much into “Jersey Shore”, right?!)

Sure, there were a few storylines to deal with (like Ronnie being bailed out of jail), but they were either resolved without incident (Snooki and the girls combined their brain power to use the phone and find out where he was) or went nowhere.

For example, it really seems to me like Vinny’s prank “revenge” on The Situation – dressing up a red bulldog to signify all the girls Mike has hooked up with – was a lot funnier to Vinny than it was to anyone else. Also, nothing really came of J-Woww’s “gorilla” sighting on the beach. (So are “gorillas” synonymous with “juiceheads” or a step above?)

Most of the episode, however, was spent on reflection. On top of that, Snooki got her wish and the cast seemed to spend more time together than at any other point in the season. I mean, even when Ronnie and Sammi inevitably broke away to discuss the future of their relationship, they did it on their own time, not when everyone was hanging out.

There WERE some fun individual moments. Some involved the Situation (channeling his inner R. Kelly by hitting on a young-looking girl at the beach), some involving Pauly D (he was as weirded out as I was when Vinny said Pauly was “ridiculously good looking”), but most of them courtesy of Snooki.

After having been (not really) rejected by her Irish cowboy Keith, the needy Snooki took to the boardwalk and just started dancing with herself. It was sort of mesmerizing. In an amazing, not-at-all scripted coincidence her boyfriend/true love was there. It seemed like he wanted to hang out – but not really.

Left shaken by the encounter, Snooki was eventually consoled at the house by The Situation, who gave us bit of insight into his psyche when he told her to say, “F--- it, move on” if someone hurt her and that there’s someone else out there for her. Meanwhile, I was left shaken by the sight of The Situation and Snooki “hooking up” in the bathtub. Maybe I should be more like Snooki (“It’s the end of summer, like, whatever.”)

Still, this scene was just not right, even though we all saw it coming. At first it was downright weird, then it got disgusting, but in the end it was a little sweet. (I said a little!) Yes, I realize that this isn’t the first time these two have made out in the bathtub, but they give off WAY too much of a big brother little sister vibe for this to be ok.

The Situation apparently agreed and put a stop to it. Then again, as we heard many times last night, this is just the sort of thing that happens at the “Jersey Shore.” (Or as Mike put it, “One minute, I’m in the Jacuzzi with three girls, the next somebody’s in jail.”)

Of course, given how popular these people have become, a second season is a near certainty. We even saw Mike suggest that the group reunite in Seaside Heights next summer. I definitely want to see the cast back together again, but I’m thinking a new setting might be interesting. (By the end of this year, even the group looked like they were tired of going to Karma.)

So what’d you think of this episode? If there’s a season 2, would you bring back the same cast in the same place or put them in a different setting? Would you (gasp!) bring in a completely new cast? Would you put someone new in Angelina’s spot and/or replace the eminently replaceable Vinny? Finally, do you agree with Snooki when she says that, “I really think I made that house – honestly.”?