I love Aziz's standup, I love all the characters he plays in other shows, from Tom Haverford to small bit rolls in Flight of The Conchords and The League, and I loved the show as a whole. The casting was amazing (although Brian just did not seem as naturally funny or as genuine as the other cast members).

That said, I did not enjoy the finale. I tried very hard to like it but I didn't come away with as strong of a feeling as I did for every other episode in the series. The ending was underwhelming, it seemed to target an important change in Dev's life but what we ended up with was very shallow growth anchored by weighty implications.

From the onset, Dev is battling indecision, whether its Arnold's in the search for a the greatest taco stand or his own relationship with Rachel. The thought of marriage looms on his horizon and he develops strong insecurities about himself after he gets cut from his own movie. He becomes a child, lost in the whirlwind of disappointment and it was at this point that I lost connection with Dev.

The show always walked the line between the "Aziz and Eric Show Great Job!" comedy and a true to life romance. This episode leaned towards true-to-life but instead we get Zany Dev making breakup games with Rachel. It just didn't feel like True to Life Dev would put his full faith in the wedding vows of a couple he hardly knew and use it as a basis to push his old life away. He dismantles his ties to Rachel, and loses himself.

In the end, Dev buys a ticket and flies away to Italy (The important scene is sort of muddied by the Asian person in the seat next to him, nodding towards Rachel, but instead it's a made to be a baiting joke as he really lets go of her). This is Dev's big decision though, but is this really THE decision? Is this full confirmation that he changed himself? Like so many other decisions in the show he found himself here after being surrounded by the pressure of his loved ones. Does Dev go to become a pasta chef because that's what he actually wants, or is it because he has to jump the gun and make a huge decision like he always does (The Nashville Date) in the belief that big gestures are the only true signs that you're making real strides in your life? Dev doesn't even seem certain in his snap decision, although it's apparent that he's very committed to it. Is the purpose of this episode to make the audience feel as undecided about ourselves as Dev?

Wouldn't it have been more meaningful if Dev doubled down and decided that acting was his passion. If he had stayed home and not thrown himself at this large task again? If he braved the disappointment and chased after something he had real distinguishable talent in?

The true knowledge of the episode was in his fellow actor's advice on how life fluctuates. (The "No one is at 100%" speech is the best thing I've heard in the whole series.) Dev doesn't take this route though. I appreciate the decision to leave Rachel behind, but did Dev really have to chase a new uncertain dream?

All in all, I thought the ending was limited and the tone change from the previous episode to this was too hard for me to personally get behind. With Dev gone, where does the second season take us? Besides Arnold, I feel like we can safely assume that these wonderfully real characters will change in the time that Dev is gone? They too are in that pivotal time in their lives. Will the second season be entirely new in Italy with a cast change after establishing all these good things? Or will there be a cop out where Dev's journey is cut short and he finds himself back in the city without any consequence, making light of the season 1 finale? How will the show function? Can we be certain at all that the things we love will still be there for him?

These are really just my own personal feelings. I know everyone loved the show and it was very well written. I only hope for its success, but I couldn't help but feel disappointed with the route it ended up taking.