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We need to learn the hard way sometimes
I’ll admit it. The finale of Kid Nation had me choking back huge sobs. It’s hard to spend that much time watching young people grow and come together without a sense of loss when it ends. I was almost as happy to see the kids and their parents reunited as they were. Those parents can be very proud of how their children represented themselves. You can doubt the “reality” of what happens on a TV show, but you can’t doubt the sincerity of emotion and depth of commitment the pioneers of Bonanza City showed over forty days.

Of all the things that happened tonight, from the candy-fueled anarchy after the job board burned to Greg and Blaine carrying DK back to town when his legs gave out on him, the one thing that I most wanted to see was Zach winning a Gold Star. The council thought they were giving the last big reward to him, so it meant even more that they recognized what an uplifting presence he’s been during their time together. His thoughtful take on the problems the town was going through always showed wisdom beyond his years.

As for the final three Gold Stars, the big $50,000 ones, the looks on the three girls’ faces was enough to justify the council’s choices. Before these last prizes were awarded, I ran through a list in my mind, trying to think who I might have given them to. I couldn’t really narrow it down to three, but of the dozen or so names that I considered, near the top were Sophia, Laurel and DK, because of how they handled themselves and the leadership they showed.

Obviously, Sophia was my top choice, and the council’s at well. I wouldn’t want to think what Bonanza might have become if she hadn’t been there. There were times when she was the only voice of reason (and times when she seemed hilariously loopy, but I always thought there was method to her madness). The other two winners, Morgan and Migle, told us as much about the council (and how about a council of four boys awarding the big prize to three girls?) as it did about the prize winners. They were honored because they were peace makers and comforters and-- well, they showed some of the qualities all the kids might have missed in their parents, didn’t they?

I’ll miss this quirky little show that began in such controversy and then quietly rolled along for thirteen weeks, showing the ups and downs of kids trying to live together and form a community. I don’t know if we’ll see another season. I almost hope not, because inevitably, unless the casting process is perfect, we’ll see kids who are trying to be TV stars, in it for the wrong reason. I don’t think we had that this time, and that’s what made the show such a breath of fresh air.

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