Warning: Full spoilers for the episode follow…
Ballers ended rather flatly, without much consequence. Everything came up – well – everybody! The one interesting story leading into this season ender, involving Joe and Spencer possibly taking a huge risk by branching out on their own, was only teased here. And disappointingly, Spencer was too chicken to ever seriously entertain the notion at all.
Sure, he was willing to puff up his chest a bit toward the end and threaten to leave if Joe wasn’t let back in, but that was a very minor risk. The courageous (in unbalanced) one here was Joe. He was willing to put a lot on the line and take a big gamble. Which then made it even more disheartening when he caved in because of the boat. Everyone just got paid in the finale and that doesn’t exactly help lift Ballers up and out of the “lifestyle porn” category that it’s been saddled with.
Spencer got a giant new office and a nice promotion. Joe got to throw an office-destroying tantrum and still land on his feet with a promotion. Vernon’s crisis of conscience was settled very quickly after he was told how much money was was getting. And then he got a lot of money. Even Reggie was allowed back into the fold because everything worked out. He even became an odd default hero because he was the one who’d demanded such a ridiculous amount.
Plus, Charles all of a sudden didn’t suck. All those scenes showing him sucking wind and falling down last week apparently were a misdirect because he got the job. And then, once on the training field, he was fine. This was a fairy tale ending through and through, almost designed as if everyone involved didn’t think a Season 2 was coming (it is). The conflict here was minimal. Even Ricky meeting with his no-good father (The Wire’s Robert Wisdom) didn’t feel as meaningful as it should have. In fact, the dad trying to take credit for Ricky’s angst felt like Reggie taking credit for all the trouble he caused. Everything worked out so they weirdly felt like saviors.
