‘Mistresses’ season 4, episode 13 (finale) review: Did we lose Karen Kim (and Yunjin Kim) for good?

We are at the end of “Mistresses” season 4 and it’s been a bit of a strange ride this time around. In past seasons this show has been very steamy and juicy with layers upon layers of delicious romance, but this season has had a much more serious tone coupled with multiple heartbreaks and sad situations. The one thing we have been waiting for was the Joss and Harry wedding and we got that in the last episode! It was impulsive and passionate – just like Harry and Joss. The big cliffhanger was if Lydia jumped off her balcony and if Karen ended up going over the edge with her when her heel snapped off. Let’s see how season 4 ends…

Tonight’s episode started with a funeral for Karen… yes you read that right. Lydia didn’t die, but Karen allegedly did while trying to save her – we say allegedly because we never saw a body and on a show like this, anything is possible right? Maybe we are just in denial. Losing Karen would be a real hit to this show since she was always the “Mistress” with the juiciest stories and the one that really held the group together even when she couldn’t hold her own life together.

While helping to pack away Karen’s apartment, Marc realizes something is off with April, and she comes clean about being pregnant. Marc tells her that Karen’s death has taught him not to waste time away from the people you love, so with that we have Marc and April back together again and he’s given up his music career. These kind of stories always bum us out, because we are firm believers in being able to have a career in the arts and have a baby too – why does it have to be one or the other? We know a few local musicians that have children and still make money creating great music.

We then had a bit of a flash forward, at least a year because April and Marc have their baby, and Harry and Joss have just had their first baby. Harry and Joss are also getting their bistro ready for opening and while interviewing waiters Harry meets a young man named Gabe… who claims to be his son. Harry is very skeptical (as you can imagine) and has Gabe’s DNA tested, but once the results come back he can no longer deny that Gabe is his son. Harry feels really bad for losing so much time with Gabe over the years and offers him to move in with him and Joss and work at the new bistro and after thinking about it, Gabe accepts. This felt really strange for someone like Harry to take such a huge leap from not knowing Gabe at all, to asking him to move in with him and Joss.

So is Karen really dead? April keeps seeing who she thinks is Karen around town. Since no one actually saw Karen’s dead body, and the only person to identify her was the funeral home they call Karen’s brother in Korea. He says that he never got Karen’s ashes and that the funeral home has no record of ever sending them. So is this shadowy figure that April keeps seeing actually Karen? It’s not, it’s a woman also named Karen Kim, but it’s not our Karen Kim.

If this wasn’t the series finale to “Mistresses” tonight, they definitely gave us an episode that would wrap up the series should it not get renewed. Even though we had what seems to be the death of Karen, we also had some really positive moments like Joss and Harry expanding their family and seeing Marc dive into the role of dad with the kind of commitment we’ve wanted to see him give April and Lucy all season long. Killing off Karen (if that’s what they really did) was just unnecessary to us and if “Mistresses” does some how make it back for a 5th season we hope this isn’t going to be a repeat of another faked death. We’ve being saying this all season and it merits saying once more… this season of “Mistresses” really needed a hug. Episode grade: B –

What did you think of the “Mistresses” season 4 finale? Leave us a comment in the box below.