Just finished the final episode. Season 1 felt average to me, even though it got very high ratings. I thought it was overrated and skipped it for a few years. Later, I watched seasons 2 and 3 and finally understood why the show is praised so much. Season 2 is my favorite so far, and season 3 was also really good. When season 4 started, I hoped it might be better than the last two seasons, but it wasn't even as good as season 1. It was below average. Positives: The last 10-15 minutes of episode 9 made it the best episode of this season. Dance Mom seemed like a good addition at first. The actress playing Ava's mom, though she had only a small guest role, brings emotional weight to her character. The late-night show scenes looked really good, with Deborah as host and the behind-the-scenes parts working well. I think Jean Smart could host a real late-night show and pull it off. Jean and Hannah's chemistry still works, and I'm glad the finale focused on them, not the side characters. The song and Deborah's dance around 22 minutes into the finale were probably the most memorable moments for me. I think I've heard that song in Derry Girls before. Problems: This season felt like the creators didn't know what to do. They kept repeating Deborah vs. Ava, where Deborah always treats Ava badly, but Ava keeps coming back. Ava has been treated badly by Deborah for four seasons now, and it's sad to see her like that. The last scene of season 3 was really strong, but this season's ending was weak. The creators know the show will be renewed no matter what, so I don't think they are trying hard anymore. They're just spending more money each season. Another big problem is that they're trying too hard to be funny. The characters make faces and say jokes, but most don't work. Even in the finale, they tried a lot but failed. They didn't focus much on Marcus this season like before. I didn't like his character or see the point of him. It's not the actor's fault; his character was written boring. But even with less screen time for Marcus, the season was still boring. I watched many episodes in parts. The episodes also seemed longer this season, many over 35 minutes. I don't remember if past seasons had shorter episodes, but those didn't feel long because they were entertaining. Jimmy, his company, and his life, along with Kayla and Randi, didn't get much focus in the finale. Kayla and Randi weren't even in it. But this season, they focused too much on these three characters-maybe because they're planning a spinoff. Jimmy is still likable. Randi is okay. But Kayla became very annoying this season. I don't think she was like that before. She was told to speak loudly and act crazy, with jokes that probably only the writers laughed at. They need to tone her down. She's a good actress. I liked Dance Mom's character in the beginning, but by episode 9, they made her unlikable. I didn't miss her much for not being in the finale. Overall, I would rate this season 3/10.
