Reaction to Deadline article (first posting above) from Kool-Aid blog (https://h50koolaid.blog/2020/02/29/h...he-sea-sprays/)


[I]f you take this article at face value and, there doesn’t seem to be any reason to doubt it, all indications are that TPTB knew from very early on that this was going to be Alex’s last season. It looks like the network wanted to try to keep it going with Danny as the leader of the team and with a new partner, probably Lincoln Cole, the new character being introduced in the last two episodes.

Peter Lenkov has confirmed on Twitter that the finale script was not changed, so it was supposed to be the season finale, not the series finale. From things posted on social media, mostly on Instagram, the crew was as blindsided by this as we were, because they all thought they’d be back in July with a new direction for the show without Alex.

Now this is 100% speculation on my part. Repeat: 100% speculation on my part. It is possible that when presented with that option, Scott said no. It is possible that his answer was, if Alex was out, he was too. We all know Scott is not religiously attached to this show in the way that Alex is, so it’s not hard to imagine him saying no to doing it without him. Many people have recollections of interviews where Scott said just that years ago.

It’s also possible (again, pure speculation on my part) that the three camps of representatives, Alex’s, Scott’s and the network’s were trying to work out a compromise that would keep both Alex and Scott with the show for a new (possibly shortened) season so they could wrap things up properly. I think the finale was written to give Alex an out but also an opportunity to change his mind, if he so chose. Like he did back at the end of Season 7. When it became certain no compromise could be reached, it was decided that the best course of action would be to end it.

This is not really too hard to understand. We’ve said it a zillion times over the years. If we ever got to a point where Alex and Scott decided they’d had enough, the show would end. It’s just heartbreaking that it’s happening now, heartbreaking that we didn’t get a heads up, the time to process the news and prepare for the loss. This is exactly like that heart attack that takes down a person in the prime of his life. Totally unexpected and utterly heart wrenching.

My heart is heavy but where it goes out the most is to the lesser cast and especially to the hundreds of crew who make this show the success it is. They are the best crew in the world and they work their asses off to make this show the best it can be. These people went to work in the morning, thinking it was the last day of the season, thinking they were going to be saying their “see you soon”s and “see you in July”s. Instead, they were blindsided and saying their final farewells. Now, instead of heading off to hiatus vacations and hiatus time with their families, they will all be looking for jobs.

It is those people who I think would have made this decision by Alex so difficult. We know him so well, from all the interviews he’s given over the years. We know about his total commitment, body and soul, to the show and to all the crew who work so hard and get their livelihood from it. There is no way he made this decision lightly. My heart tells me he agonized over it. For him to admit that he couldn’t go on, no matter how much money, no matter how much down time they’d give him, knowing what it would mean for all those people he considers Ohana, must mean his physical discomfort must be more than he could continue to endure.

It breaks our hearts to let it go, but we have to respect Alex’s decision because this is about his health. If walking away is what he needs to be happy and even more importantly, to be healthy for himself, Malia and their children. he did the right thing.