TV: “The Gates” closesbut is it for the last time?
On Sunday, September 19, ABC’s supernatural series The Gates concluded its first season with a 2-part finale. The series has been plagued with spotty viewership and critics who instantly wrote it off as a cheap Twilight/True Blood knockoff. Those who did tune in found a flawed but compelling amalgam of genres, similar to the crime and horror elements found in Laurell K. Hamilton’s Anita Blake novels. Instead of private eyes, though, The Gates focused on the workings of a small police force in a seriously unique gated community.That community is populated by vampires, werewolves, succubi, and more. Why all of these creatures flocked to this one location is never truly addressedperhaps the creators were saving it for the next season. ABC has made no comment on whether the series is coming back, though, so it may remain an unanswered question. The finale provided several of those, while tying up some major plot threads, such as what evil witch Devon (Chandra West) has been up to all season.I may be one of the few to shed a tear when ABC finally (inevitably) gives this show the ax. However, there’s always the chance another station might snap it up. It certainly brought a unique sort of darkness to the long summer days.