|
|
Post by Head Mutant on Jun 14, 2006 22:01:43 GMT -5
Caramel and I watched the final episode of Friends tonight (she got all ten seasons and has been marching through them... I'm just a casualty of war). To fend off my rabid Ross hatred, I mulled over the saddest or most poignant series finales ever. Shall we compare notes?
M*A*S*H: Even though this was really before my TV time (I think I was 7 when the finale happened), to realize how huge of a finale this was and to watch it with that knowledge still makes you move and groove. Plus, it's very shocking (dead baby!) and heartfelt... for a show that lasted longer than almost four complete Korean Wars.
Buffy: Although seasons 5-7 can just rot in a landfill, if you ask me, the finale saw the return of series creator Joss Whedon to tie up most of the loose ends. It was almost -almost- enough to make up for the completely lackluster season up to that point, and had plenty of the witty banter and kickin' action that made the series so great in seasons 1-4. The ending felt somewhat rushed, and the one character killed off was almost anticlamatic, but good all around.
Star Trek TNG: The only worthwhile Star Trek finale, in my opinion. Neat time travel angle (allowing us the fabled return of Ms. Tasha "I was in about two episodes" Yar), and it bookended the show with Q's trial.
SHOWS THAT NEEDED A PROPER FINALE: Twin Peaks, Futurama
|
|
|
|
Post by blinkfan on Jun 14, 2006 22:17:42 GMT -5
That 70's show: A awesome Finale to a Awesome show
Malcom in the middle: Good ending but left way too much open.(Lois finding out she's pregnant again in the last 30 seconds)
Shows in need of a finale: Free Ride: I loved this show enough to make a thread after it and they just cancelled it right under my nose.
|
|
|
|
Post by TheOogieBoogieMan on Jun 14, 2006 23:01:24 GMT -5
Six Feet Under couldn't have ended in a better way. The very end of the episode shows how each of the main characters die, some funny/ironic, others heart-string-tuggers (I definitely got watery eyes...in a manly way, of course). That ending perfectly played up the show's dark humour, and the overall message (or what I thought the message was) that life goes on, even after we die, and all we can do is make the most of the time we have.
SHOWS THAT NEEDED PROPER FINALES: Carnivale and Dead Like Me. Both of them ended their respective second seasons with questions unanswered, only to be cancelled because they were too expensive to produce. I'm getting upset just thinking about it.
|
|
|
|
Post by TheOogieBoogieMan on Jun 14, 2006 23:06:42 GMT -5
I also think the Drew Carey Show deserved a better finale. It's not that the finale itself sucked (Drew finally has a son), but that last season when Kate left and Kellie came in was such rubbish, it took away any emotional value from the finale. Ending the show a season earlier would have done everyone involved, including the fans, a great service.
|
|
|
|
Post by blinkfan on Jun 14, 2006 23:29:52 GMT -5
Tru Calling needed one too.
|
|
|
|
Post by blinkfan on Jun 14, 2006 23:31:19 GMT -5
I also think the Drew Carey Show deserved a better finale. It's not that the finale itself sucked (Drew finally has a son), but that last season when Kate left and Kellie came in was such rubbish, it took away any emotional value from the finale. Ending the show a season earlier would have done everyone involved, including the fans, a great service. Too be honest Ooogieboogie. I liked Kellie way better than Kate. But to each there own. |
|
DTH
Ghostbuster
There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy.
Posts: 582
|
Post by DTH on Jun 15, 2006 7:32:18 GMT -5
Buffy had an excellent series finale. I liked series 5 to 7 of the show, don't get wrong, they weren't a patch on series 1 to 3, but I liked them a lot. To be fair, it did take a re-watching of them for me to find the love, but it is there. Oh and I lump series 4 with the "Not As Good" element of Buffy. The "Whedon Magic" is so obviously missing out of so many episodes throughout those latter 4 series so when he does return, his [Joss'] work really stands out. Talk about conspicuous by his absence. I am mad at the finale of Angel. It annoys me that the ending is good and yet it so obviously isn't the ending it should have been (that came about half way through the series when Joss discovered that it wasn't coming back for season 6...). The plotline for the first half of Season 5 is genius. It is just tied up far too quickly and then the show goes off on some random tangents for the remainder. I do take off my hat to Mr Whedon for giving us an ending though. Farscape (another of my favourite shows) at least managed to get a mini-series to finish it off, which Angel more than deserves. However, I can settle for the existing ending [to Angel], even if it isn't ultimately fulfilling. Right there with you that "All Good Things" is pretty good as a series finale. I'm so over TNG its unreal but that was a good way to end the series. The 'real' Babylon 5 ending (the end of the Shadow War in S4) was very good. If only they had ended the series there and not continued with the absolutely awful Telepath War. I realise I'm likely to get flamed for that but it is how I feel. The original Blakes 7 had an excellent ending. One of the best in television. I really wish they would give this show the "BSG" treatment and produce a quality, contemporary remake. I'm glad they never game Futurama a definitive ending. It will mean that it won't look silly when it comes back (*fingers crossed that it actually will!). I liked the ending to Frasier. I have a lot of love for that show and the upbeat, yet open ending was the way to send it off in style. The Friends' finale wasn't too bad. The entire last series was only 50% funny as they strived very hard to give a proper ending to the characters. Now I really like Friends and think they did a very good job of making it consistently funny, despite its age. It never once got tired, although all the characters did become characetures of themselves by latter series'. And I am right there with you on the Ross-hate. He started off ok and right after the whole "Emily Saga" he become more and more annoying. DEAD LIKE ME!!! I loved that show. It really did need a proper ending (or even a new series!). The Carnivale series finale... well ... I'm in two minds. On the one hand, I like interesting endings that make you think (I'm the person who would have preferred the Joker/Green Goblin characters NOT to have been killed) and yet, a definitive solution is perhaps preferrable. Carnivale was a great series (although slooooow - what IS it with this new trend of show, Carnivale, Lost and Invasion all took their sweet time to get anywhere, Invasion to the point that I just couldn't watch it!). Space: Above & Beyond. First off, this show was pretty much crud for the most part. And yet, there were some really stand out episodes of genius and if it had had more chance to grow, this could have been one of the sci-fi greats. Instead, it was killed after a single series and never given a chance (like so many other shows). I did appreciate Morgan & Wong leaving us with the "AMF" at the end of the last episode  That leads me on to the X-Files. I stopped watching this show after Series 3 and only saw a smattering of episodes up to the finale. I've been told how it ends and it sounds awful. Anyone care to comment?
|
|
|
|
Post by famousmortimer on Jun 19, 2006 3:11:23 GMT -5
Word. There were some bad episodes, but the good ones were so good and the overall quality so high that I could forgive those. Great ending to a great show.
"Seinfeld". They stayed true to their roots - "no hugging, no learning". And the court case was absolutely hilarious.
I think a compilation of the last ten minutes of shows that never got brought back for a new series but left cliffhangers would be quite fun- "Prey", "Invasion", "Brimstone" and so on.
And DTH, Babylon 5 was dead to me after that woman grew her hair.
|
|
|
|
Post by Al on Jun 20, 2006 12:38:10 GMT -5
My two favorites are probably Cheers and Freaks & Geeks. Sam's "We're closed" just really capped everything nicely, and Freaks & Geeks ended well, with Troi and Riker turning off the holodeck.
Al
|
|
|
|
Post by StarOpal on Jun 20, 2006 16:22:38 GMT -5
This may be a dumb question, but I'll risk it:
In Quantum Leap, did Scott Bakula ever get back to his own body? I can't remember/maybe didn't see the end of the show.
|
|
|
|
Post by famousmortimer on Jun 21, 2006 2:53:26 GMT -5
No he didn't, there was a voiceover at the end of the last episode that said he carried on leaping forever.
|
|
DTH
Ghostbuster
There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy.
Posts: 582
|
Post by DTH on Jun 21, 2006 7:53:25 GMT -5
This may be a dumb question, but I'll risk it: In Quantum Leap, did Scott Bakula ever get back to his own body? I can't remember/maybe didn't see the end of the show. The last episode tackled the why and how of Sam's leaping. It never really answered any questions, save provided the fanboys with enough ammunition for them to draw their own conclusions. The one thing it did state is that he was only leaping because he wanted to. Sam's subconscious/spirit/soul/whatever continued his leaps, righting what once went wrong, because he wanted to. He had to. The very last thing he did on the show was control his leap, make a conscious decision to save Al, appear as himself to Al's wife and tell her that her husband would return. Just to put in context, Al dearly loved his wife and thinking of her was one of the few things that kept him sane whilst he was in the POW camp during Vietnam. Unfortunately, she was told he was MIA and moved on. So when he returned, she had a new life which didn't include him. This drove Al to join the Quantum Leap program and was a key reason to why he became a womaniser, unable to settle down. Sam went back and fixed time so Al could return to his wife. This also meant that Al would never have entered the Quantum Leap program and would never have met Sam... We then get captions telling us that Sam never returned home, even though we know he could have given up at any time. To me, Sam just felt that it was more important that he spent his life helping other people and was more enriched by travelling through time. Seeing the things Sam did, visiting the places he did and meeting the people he did, would you have been able to give that up? In my mind, he never returned home because it would have been too hard to leave again. Knowing that it was he himself that had the ability to time travel, to leap in to other people's lives, knowing that he was the one who could make a difference to the world, going home would perhaps have proved too much a temptation for him to stay. A fine end to a fine series. |
|
|
|
Post by StarOpal on Jun 21, 2006 10:49:20 GMT -5
Thanks, DTH. Since none of that sounded familiar I'm guessing I just didn't see the end. Does sound like a fine ending though.
|
|
eatmyshorts
Ghostbuster
"Do you like-a-da Fat Boys?"
Posts: 536
|
Post by eatmyshorts on Jul 10, 2006 12:31:05 GMT -5
I liked the Boy Meets World finale. Mr. Feeny rules. I also like the "Hangin' With Mr. Cooper" finale.
Shows that need proper finales: Smart Guy, Family Matters.
|
|
|
|
Post by Ms. Jellybean on Jul 10, 2006 20:18:47 GMT -5
I liked the "That 70s Show" finale, even though it was more of a compounding of all the things us rabid fans know and love. Not that that's a bad thing.
And even though I haven't seen the entire "M*A*S*H" finale, what I have seen is phenomenal. I think it was truly the end of an era.
|
|
