Summer doesn't last forever, and neither did Ben 10. The hit animated TV series ended with four seasons and a couple of movies; one is included in this box set. Like typical series finales, Ben 10 had a showdown of epic proportions between Ben and the villains he has been battling throughout all four seasons. Yet, unlike typical series finales, the show left many things unanswered -- like which episode is really the series finale -- and very open ended to imagination.
Focus of Fourth Season of Ben 10
Season four wraps up Ben and Gwen's summer of alien adventure. The series started out as a summer vacation, so like all summer vacations, Ben and the viewers knew that it had to end sometime. And as Ben reaches this end, he ties up a few of his villain loose ends.
Most of the villains Ben encountered during his RV trip around the United States have been put to rest in one form or another throughout the first three seasons. Kevin and Vilgax are still in the Null Void, and Ben permanently thwarted Ghostfreak's plans to come back. Plenty of other villains still remain at large, and there is no way Ben can go back to school with all of these kinds of enemies.
The Forever Knights are the main villains in this season, appearing in several episodes throughout. The Forever King decides to challenge Ben head on, and he recruits ten of Ben's enemies from all seasons to face Ben in one final battle, including the Circus Freaks, Dr. Animo and Sublimino.
Some Confusion about Ben 10 Series Finale
Typically the last episode listed in a series is the finale, but that doesn't seem to be the case with Ben 10. The last episode to air on TV in 2008 was "Good-bye and Good Riddance," which chronologically makes sense as the final episode since it depicts Ben going back to school and trying to start a normal life. The episode even starts off explaining that this is one of many possible endings to Ben's story.
However, the DVD set has the second part to "Ben 10 vs. Negative 10" close out the series. This not only disrupts the flow of the season -- especially since it comes after "Good-bye and Good Riddance" -- but it also doesn't provide a real ending to Ben's summer with the Omnitrix. It doesn't provide an ending; it just ends.
Couple this with the movie The Secret of the Omnitrix, the flow is even further disrupted. The pop-up trivia version explains that this movie fits chronologically between episode 52 and the live action movie, Ben 10: Race Against Time. So which episode is episode 52, "Good-bye and Good Riddance" or "Ben 10 vs. Negative 10, Part 2"? It makes the most sense for episode 52 to be "Good-bye and Good Riddance," since the episode ends with Dr. Animo attacking Ben and the beginning of the Omnitrix movie has Dr. Animo fighting the Tennysons. However, Ben and Gwen are still on vacation with Grandpa Max at this point, so at the same time, it doesn't make sense to follow "Good-bye and Good Riddance."
So following the clue from The Secret of the Omnitrix, perhaps "Ben 10 vs. Negative 10, Part 2" is the TV closer, and Ben 10: Race Against Time is really the series finale.
The Secret of the Omnitrix Movie
The second DVD in the set includes all three alternate versions of The Secret of the Omnitrix movie. The only differences between the versions is what alien Ben uses to fight Dr. Animo. The original has Heatblast, while Ben uses Eye Guy and XLR8 in the other two versions. After Ben defeats Dr. Animo yet again, the blast from the villain's DNA-scrambler has caused the Omnitrix to enter a self-destruct mode. Tetrax immediately picks up Ben after receiving the watch's distress signal, and the two travel the galaxy in order to find the Omnitrix's creator and stop the watch from exploding and taking half the universe with it.
The DVD also includes deleted scenes from a few episodes and a pop-up trivia version of The Secret of the Omnitrix movie, perfect for the Ben 10 fan who has to know the ins and outs of the movie.
So, Ben 10 is Over
Like the third season, the fourth season only has a few episodes that have the same fun and action from the first two seasons, such as "Big Fat Alien Wedding" and "Divided We Stand." Most of the season feels forced and like it has lost its original appeal in producing it, and maybe that's why it really didn't end. In the beginning of Ben 10: Alien Force, Ben is not wearing the Omnitrix and Gwen makes a comment that it took a lot to get it off, so there is plenty of room for imagination to roam -- and that might have been the producers' intention -- or for the producers to return to the series and give it a real ending.
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