Con Man, Episodes 11-13

The final episodes of Con Man, with Alan Tudyk, put Wray Nerely’s story in full circle. It seems that no matter what he does, he can’t escape the one thing that has defined his life, Spectrum.

That’s bad news for him, but not for the thousands of people who backed this very funny web series. Tudyk did an incredible job creating this character, and his experiences dealing with the fame of being part of something people liked–even though he wants a chance to show he can do a lot more.

In this set of shows, he finds out the lost final episode has emerged in Holland, and the old cast has gathered at Jack Moore’s (Nathan Fillion) house to see it. Naturally, he’s not too happy about that, but he eventually decides to go, to get closure.

Although he says only a few scenes were filmed before the show was cancelled, the show’s creator, PJ Haarsma (who’s also one of the executive producers for Con Man), mixed in new scenes with Dutch actors (including one that looks very familiar to Marvel movie fans), animation and shadow puppets. There are also Dutch ads that have to be seen to be believed.

While Wray is depressed about how his career has not advanced, he could notice his cast mates haven’t done so well, either. Brenda (Liza Lapira) did ads for a weight loss center, but she gained back the weight. Tiffany (Skyler Day), who was the Scion when she was ten, is now a walking reality show. Stutter (Henry Rollins) claims it’s Wray’s fault his life is ruined because he accidentally revealed something unforgivable. Then there’s Dawn (Amy Acker), who’s married with twins but is obsessed with Wray, although we might wonder why.

The cast is hoping that a Spectrum movie can be made so that they can relive their happier days, but Stutter won’t do it if the fans fund it, because that’s “socialist capitalism” (which suggests what that secret could be). Tiffany, meanwhile, says something profound while talking to Wray, like why can’t changing your life can be as easy as changing a channel. Then she tries to get advice from a shampoo bottle.

Wray, of course, doesn’t want to do the movie, despite fans crashing websites to see that lost episode. The way things are going, he may not have a choice.

We also get a look at Wray’s landlord, Dale, who used to be a stunt person. He’s played by Jack Donner, who’s had dozens of roles over the decades, including Star Trek and Buffy.

So the first season of Con Man is done, with Wray facing something he said he’d never do. It’s a good set-up for season two, which the fans will likely fund once another Indiegogo campaign is announced. The only question is whether Jack will actually appear in person more often. Otherwise, maybe his role in the Spectrum movie will be pre-recorded videos on a viewscreen because he’s busy being in Star Wars X.