Andy Barker, P.I.: The Last Episode, “The Lady Vanishes”

Though it was popular with critics, Andy Barker, PI didn’t catch on with many viewers. It was cancelled after just one season of six episodes. Here’s what happened in the last episode, titled “The Lady Vanishes.”

Simon and Andy are eating in Wally’s and he invites them back for lunch. He’s trying to sex things up with “Hoomus Hotties” and gives them holsters with shots of Hummus in them. When they’re finished eating, Lew pulls up, tells Andy to get in the car, and refuses to let Simon in.

Lew drives them to his old office of 27 years. Andy finds a picture of a young Lew with his former partner, Mickey Doyle (Edward Asner). It seems Mickey was the reason that Lew left the force. He tells Andy that Mickey once tracked a guy down on his honeymoon and beat him to death with an ice bucket.

Andy finds a letter in the old door slot from Rita Spaulding (Amy Sedaris), dated March 17, 1963. She wrote Lew asking him to prove her innocence, claiming that she was framed for killing Johnny. Lew’s shocked to see the letter and notes that it would have been nice to receive that letter 40 years ago. Rita worked her way down the social ladder until she ended up with a slimeball named Johnny. He ended up dead and Rita couldn’t beat the rap.

Back at the restaurant, Wally has three “Hoomus Hotties” and he asks Andy to rank them. Wally then fires the one that comes in third.

Later, Andy and Jenny are in bed talking about Lew. She’s sure that Lew still loves Rita so Andy goes to the prison to see her. She’s still a a femme fatale who flirts with Andy. He mentions Lew and she wants to know if Andy’s seen him. She still maintains that she was framed. Lew enters and tells Andy, “I realized I couldn’t let you alone with this one. She’d fill your head with lies and your pants with hands.” Rita is happy to see Lew. She apparently dumped him for Mickey Doyle and then she dumped Mickey for Johnny. Lew leaves and Andy agrees to help her. Rita asks him to tell Lew that she’s sorry that she broke his heart. And burned his house.

Andy is sure that Rita is innocent and he just needs to figure out how to prove that she was at the “Brown Derby” on the night that Johnny was killed — August 23rd, 1962. Simon notes that was the night of Gene Kelly’s 50th birthday party and brings out a book that has a photo from the party. They go to find the photographer, an Asian man named John Leibowitz. Before they go, Wally wants to get rid of another hottie. Andy doesn’t want to upset the girls but Wally tricks him and fires “chicken.”

John Leibowitz recounts the events of the evening. Andy finds a picture that has Rita in the background of the party. She’s innocent! Andy is going to take the picture to the DA’s office but Mickey Doyle ambushes him at the office and takes the photo. Mickey says that Rita will stay in prison.

Lew, upset over Rita, finds himself in a gay bar. He surmises that someone hired his former partner to kill Johnny and pin it on Rita. Andy has an idea.

Andy has Simon videotape a meeting between him and Mickey. Mickey arrives under the pretense that Andy has new forensic technology that’s capable of placing him at the scene of Johnny’s murder and can tell who handled the items entered into evidence. Mickey says there was fire back in 1972 that destroyed the evidence.

Thinking that the trap is a failure, Simon turns off the camera. Andy then gets Mickey to confess to the fires, the murder, and the entire set up. Andy starts to tell Doyle that he’s taped the confession when Simon panics and tells Andy that he didn’t get it on tape. Upset, Mickey tells Andy he’s going to take him somewhere to kill him.

Lew stops them in the parking lot, telling Mickey that he will turn him in for what happened in San Diego, that there’s a body buried under Shamu’s tank at Sea World. Mickey’s confused about Lew’s loyalty to Rita since she dumped them both. Lew says that he would do anything for her. Mickey gives Lew the picture that will clear Rita.

Mickey drives off and Lew tells Andy that he won’t be getting far. He pulls out a bomb remote control and pushes the button. Lew’s own car blows up and he realizes that he forgot to take the explosives out of his trunk.

What do you think? Was this a good finale? How would you liked to have seen the show end?