Endings

[shapinglight]

I have a few days to myself, during which I should try to do something productive, I know, but which I already suspect I'll squander and end up achieving nothing. :( I can't even think of any prompts for the final week of March at sb_fag_ends, and though I've read some of your posts this morning, I can't think of a single intelligent thing to say.

Oh anyway, endings.

They're hard, aren't they? So often TV shows get them wrong. There was Battlestar Galactica, for instance.....

More behind cut with spoilers for BSG, The Hour, Being Human, AtS, The Wire.



Personally, I didn't mind the finale of BSG too much the first time I saw it, (quite liked the 'angelic' versions of Baltar and Six melting into the modern day, but maybe that was because of the soundtrack. I've always loved Hendrix's version of All Along the Watchtower), but on thinking about it a bit, I'm in the same boat as everyone else. I don't like it. Not because Starbuck was an 'angel' too, not because Roslin died, but because the final set-up, with the cast wandering around a suspiciously manicured 'primitive' earth was just too Erich Von Daniken for me. It was our own ancestors who sweated and toiled and built civilisations, not a bunch of (mostly white) aliens. So there.

So how would I have liked it to end? Not sure really. I think maybe the end of the first run of season 4 eps, where they end up on a ruined earth, might have been a good place. Yes, it was horrifically downbeat, but this is BSG. It was all horrifically downbeat. Plus, I could have really, really done without Dee Dualla's suicide, which was the low point of the whole series for me.

Then, most recently, there was The Hour, which ended with Freddie (played by Ben Whishaw) being beaten almost to death by gangsters in a scene that I found almost unwatchable. That in itself was horrible enough, but then the show got cancelled, so we're left to decide for ourselves whether he survived or not (it being 1950-whatever, I'm going to go with not). I really hated that. It didn't feel to me like a show that should have ended that way. Well, I suppose it wasn't. Thanks for nothing, BBC.

Being Human has just ended too. Unlike The Hour, though, the final episode was written as the end of the series. It was okay - nothing that special (and the BBC's lack of money really showed in the Being Human version of the Apocalypse, which consisted of an abandoned car and a couple of bodies lying on the pavement). I also think that season 4 was a terrific reinvention of the show and that Tom, Hal and Alex still had plenty of mileage as characters, so it's shame that potential was never realised. But the end was okay. I liked the little frisson of doubt caused by the origami wolf (very Bladerunner), that made you wonder whether the housemates had succumbed to temptation after all.

So, that's two bad finales, and one okay one. I'd put Chosen in the 'okay' group too. I understand what Joss was trying to do, but I don't think he succeeded that well on screen. Plus, it was Spike's big moment, and for me it was a little tired and lacklustre. I don't know what I would have done to make it better, though.

But it was okay.

And then we have what I think are two great finales - AtS and The Wire. The Wire would end every season with a sort of montage of all the characters important in that season and what they were up to now. The finale did the same only writ larger. The best bit, of course, was Bubbles sitting down to eat with his sister and niece. That was just such a great moment. But it was all good.

Then there's NFA, which IMO is a terrific end to AtS. Okay, it had to be scrabbled together quickly due to the show being cancelled so late in the season but I think it perfectly captures what the show had become over the years. A very, very dark ending that managed to give every character still standing their moment (okay, some of their 'moments', like Lorne's and Lindsey's, were uber- dark, but even so).

So anyway, what show endings did you like/not like? How would you have changed them?

I like the end of Friends too, btw. That bit about Rachel's plane having no falangies makes me howl with laughter every time I see it - which was often until quite recently, as C4/E4 were showing Friends on an endless loop.

Comments

[norwie2010.livejournal.com]

Well, i don't know a whole lot about endings of TV shows - because i don't know a lot of TV shows in the first place! ;-)

The two endings i do know about are "Chosen" and "NFA", and of the two, i like "Chosen" a whole lot more. Not because of the sloppy season which came before, or the clumsy execution of "Chosen" itself. But because the ending destroyed the whole narrative of the "survivor girl", the lonely abused victim (hitting back). "Chosen" did set the protagonist "Buffy" free of the boundaries and limitations of the narrative. That in itself is daring and liberating, execution!fail or not.

(This is also directly linked to the total failure of the comics continuation - the narrative died together with "The First", and the comics continuation tries to resurrect a dead corpse: The result is a sometimes embarrassing, sometimes offensive farce. Mind you, i'm not saying some form of continuation isn't possible, it is. But, with a different narrative. "Where do we go from here?" is indeed the most important question - and "going back" isn't a possible answer.)

"NFA", on the other hand, while solidly crafted, is soured (for me) by falling back on too many failings of the patriarchal, petty bourgeois, individualistic and narcissistic self description: In essence, season 5 of "Ats" and especially it's ending episode leans too heavily on themes and imagery which are too near the sob story of the brave SS soldier defending home and hearth against the barbaric judeo-bolshevik hordes - stuff i grew up with and actually never wanted to see again. Mind you, "AtS" is not fascistic propaganda, but the evoked imagery is not that far off, a problem most modern and postmodern superhero stories actually have.

Eh. Sorry for raining on your parade. I love your stuff! :-)

[reginaspina.livejournal.com]

I'm in total agreement with you (well, except for "The Hour" of which I only watched the first season and "Being Human" which I haven't watched at all, so I can't comment.) I too disliked the ending of "Chosen" very much (though as I'm, in general, mellowing towards the Buffyverse with the passage of time and rewatching at a snail's pace, perhaps when I finally get to the end, I will not hate it as much :P) and loved the ending of "Angel" because it was so fitting for all of the characters. Even if you assume, as I did, that they all died, they all died at the end of their perfect day, and it worked for me!

"The Wire" ending was ace. I didn't love the fifth season as much as I loved some others, but the closing montage was perfection - in addition to Bubbles sitting down with his family at last, I also loved McNulty rescuing the homeless guy and then taking a moment just to look out over Baltimore, this city that we all grew to love even as we despaired of it over the five seasons of the show. I really can't think of a more perfect ending than that!

I also really like the endings of "Farscape" (if we count the post-4th season miniseries as the true ending!) and "Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles" (although that was actually cancelled.) The latter was open-ended but in a good way (and as much as I miss it, the show's cancellation did let us have Lena Headey's wonderful Cersei Lannister!) I also liked the ending of "Rome"; they already knew the show would not return so although the second season was a bit rushed, the end point was, IMO, perfection!

[infinitewhale.livejournal.com]

"Chosen" did set the protagonist "Buffy" free of the boundaries and limitations of the narrative.

In a lot of ways I think Chosen was supposed to a beginning rather than an ending in contrast to NFA. As a consequence of that, I think it leaves you with an unfulfilled feeling. Maybe it's part of why the 'Verse still lives on?

I have a love/hate affair with it myself. I quite like a lot of the themes and scenes...but then there are parts that come across as blatant filler and set-up for spinoffs. While that might tie into the 'beginnings' thing, in that last hour of TV I wanted to see the characters I'd been watching for years. This is not helped by 18-21 doing much of the same thing.

[norwie2010.livejournal.com]

In a lot of ways I think Chosen was supposed to a beginning rather than an ending

Oh yes! Well said. It is what i mean when i say it "destroys it's own narrative": It sets the story free, to new beginnings, new stories.

I'm not denying the clumsy execution, the sloppy season. That's all there. it is just... not that important to me because i'm impressed by the author destroying his own world in a constructive manner, so to speak (as opposed to the rather widely spread nihilistic destruction of one's own 'verse...). Eliminating himself from the equation without denying the story to stand on it's own (in a way, giving the story over to the audience), opening up the story to become stories.

[shadowkat67.livejournal.com]

And then we have what I think are two great finales - AtS and The Wire. The Wire would end every season with a sort of montage of all the characters important in that season and what they were up to now. The finale did the same only writ larger. The best bit, of course, was Bubbles sitting down to eat with his sister and niece. That was just such a great moment. But it was all good.

Then there's NFA, which IMO is a terrific end to AtS. Okay, it had to be scrabbled together quickly due to the show being cancelled so late in the season but I think it perfectly captures what the show had become over the years. A very, very dark ending that managed to give every character still standing their moment (okay, some of their 'moments', like Lorne's and Lindsey's, were uber- dark, but even so).

Completely agree with this. Those are my two favorite endings as well and the only two I can think of that really worked for me. Most tv series sort of fizzle out on the ending or end in a weird cliff-hanger.

Had the same reaction you did to BSG. Liked it well-enough initially, then after thinking about it? Really didn't. It's why I did not bother to get the DVDs for the whole series and never re-watched. Had exactly the same issues. Only one you didn't list - was how perfectly groomed Earth was when they landed. It's like they landed in a very nice, well manicured lawn in the middle of a pretty little forest.

And now I'm glad I didn't bother with The Hour S2. Would not have wanted to see that.

[infinitewhale.livejournal.com]

I liked Chosen. I'd have liked the first couple acts to focus on the main characters and had some more interactions between Buffy and Dawn or perhaps a Spike and Dawn scene. Just wasn't terribly interested in F/W or Andrew playing D&D when there was just juicier stuff that could have been done.

NFA, I liked, too. Didn't love it but at the same time I don't know what I'd change. I thought it was a great ending thematically (a contrast to Buffy's narrative), but I don't know if I like it as an end to the 'verse or for the Angel gang itself.

I've come to like the Sopranos finale. It's kind of like the opposite of Buffy in the sense that no matter what you think it represents, the narrative is over. Whichever ending you choose, the show makes it clear through its run that there are only a couple options.

I'm trying to think of other finales and I have a hard time remembering them very well. I don't know if that's a good or bad thing. House, Lost, X-Files, Millennium, Northern Exposure, OZ... I watched them but I can't feel much for them other loving the montage to Iris Dement from Northern Exposure.

[shapinglight]

Not because of the sloppy season which came before, or the clumsy execution of "Chosen" itself. But because the ending destroyed the whole narrative of the "survivor girl", the lonely abused victim (hitting back). "Chosen" did set the protagonist "Buffy" free of the boundaries and limitations of the narrative. That in itself is daring and liberating, execution!fail or not.

Yes, I get all that. That's why I said I can see what Joss was trying to do. Unfortunately, though, the lacklustre thing I talked about takes the shine off it for me (heh!) and I like it better in theory than I do in reality. In theory, it's the perfect ending for the show. It wraps up all the themes, plus there's a feeling of forward momentum (Buffy could go anywhere from here), but it just falls down for me in the execution.

As for NFA, again, I can see how you could interpret it the way you do. Angel's repudiation of the PTBs and Wolfram & Hart has a certain Nietzschean quality, and it's very referential of, say, The Wild Bunch, but I do think the writers are aware enough of that (though perhaps not for the same reasons as you) to undermine it somewhat with the inclusion of the Gunn/Anne scene. Anne is ultimately the 'hero' of the piece, because she adheres to and upholds the values that Angel can only imperfectly aspire to. Plus, as you say, it's better crafted.

Eh. Sorry for raining on your parade.

Not at all. I wanted to know what people thought.

[shapinglight]

Eliminating himself from the equation without denying the story to stand on it's own (in a way, giving the story over to the audience), opening up the story to become stories.

I do like that part of it, and that Joss said to viewers to go forth and write fanfic. I just wish his own fanfic had been a bit better.

[shapinglight]

Even if you assume, as I did, that they all died, they all died at the end of their perfect day, and it worked for me!

Yes, I think they all died too, and am miffed with Angel that he dragged Spike, Lorne and Gunn down with him (Wesley, sadly, was already down), but I like the mythic quality of it.

I don't hate Chosen. I just think the execution lets it down badly - and there is stuff in it that I really don't know why it's there (every scene involving Andrew, basically).

I've only watched season 1 of The Sarah Connor Chronicles, which I found very confusing. I must watch season 2. Maybe that would clear things up a bit. And I agree about Rome. I thought that was a really good ending.

in addition to Bubbles sitting down with his family at last, I also loved McNulty rescuing the homeless guy and then taking a moment just to look out over Baltimore, this city that we all grew to love even as we despaired of it over the five seasons of the show. I really can't think of a more perfect ending than that!

Agreed, though some of it - like Michael and Dukie - was very sad, of course.

[infinitewhale.livejournal.com]

that Joss said to viewers to go forth and write fanfic. I just wish his own fanfic had been a bit better.

Definitely. Major problem being he tried to cram it back into a box all while acknowledging he was doing it and thinking that works as an explanation or excuse for it.

It comes off as him being able to point out everything that's wrong with something, but when it comes to building something better he either has no ideas or desire to do so. It's easier to give the audience what he thinks they want all while thumbing his nose at them.

[shapinglight]

but when it comes to building something better he either has no ideas or desire to do so. It's easier to give the audience what he thinks they want all while thumbing his nose at them.

I don't know if it was that deliberate. I mean, I can see that Buffy's sharing the Slayer power could have caused some kind of backlash - but only if she behaved in the very silly way she behaved in season 8 (robbing banks, procuring radar systems and transport planes etc). I just don't think the story Joss appears to have wanted to tell in season 8 was worth sacrificing the conclusion realised - no matter how imperfectly -in Chosen.

[liliaeth]

I've said this before, but for me a series fails or succeeds depending on how I feel about the characters at the end of the last episode.

As such, Chosen is one of the worst failures of it's kind, because aside of Buffy, I wanted to see all the surviving characters drop dead or at least get thrown down the cliff.

Dark Angel for all its failures as a series, on the other hand had a near perfect ending that made me love every single character on it.

Being Human worked perfectly, because it was about the characters and made you love them. Haven't seen BSG, so I can't say anything about that.

Angel worked, because at the end, I liked the characters, even if I did think that Angel was being an idiot, but since that's the impression I got of him all through his series, that wasn't really anything new.

[shapinglight]

Most tv series sort of fizzle out on the ending or end in a weird cliff-hanger.

Fizzling out on weird cliffhangers is actually a speciality of Brit TV, so The Hour is not unusual in that, but there was meant to have been a third series, and I just can't believe the writer would have left it as it ended if she'd known there wouldn't be one. It's a pity, because up to that last episode I thought it was great, and you would probably have enjoyed it.

[shapinglight]

I'd have liked the first couple acts to focus on the main characters and had some more interactions between Buffy and Dawn or perhaps a Spike and Dawn scene. Just wasn't terribly interested in F/W or Andrew playing D&D when there was just juicier stuff that could have been done.

I agree. Every scene with Andrew was a waste, IMO, and though I liked Faith/Wood as a couple, I wasn't interested enough in them to want the series finale to spend so much time on them.

I'm happy with NFA as an end to the 'verse, probably because though things look bad for Angel and co at the end (and I'm inclined to think they all died), it's still open ended enough for you to imagine what you want while thematically rounding things off pretty well.

I haven't seen any of those other shows you mention, believe it or not, except for X-Files, and I can't remember what happened in the last episode, except that Mulder came back.

[shapinglight]

I've said this before, but for me a series fails or succeeds depending on how I feel about the characters at the end of the last episode.

True for most people, I expect.

[ex_peasant441]

I seldom like endings. I think a lot of the problem is everybody feels too much pressure.

The directors and producers want to end with a bang and all the fireworks.
The writers want a twist and some drama, and have to wrap up too many loose ends which they have kept dangling until the last minute because they didn't want to spoil any of the surprises.
The actors want to give the best their character is capable of and do something that is both new and dramatic.
Probably even the lighting technicians are using their best bulbs and the tea-lady brings out her best cakes.
Even the audience comes to it with too many expectations and hopes and stops giving anyone the benefit of the doubt because this is the Last Chance!!!!!

So I like endings that are paced, possibly over several episodes, so they don't cram every reveal and explanation in at once. That end quietly after the fireworks but without drawing it out too much either. That provide just a hint of ambiguity that gives us something to think and talk about and allows us to make up more stories in our minds.

So AtS worked better than BTVS because there was less accumulation of mystery to deal with in a final dump and more room for ambiguity.

Being Human ended just about every season well - he is very good at endings.

Russel T Davis ended just about every season of Doctor Who badly because he is too prone to fireworks and OTT drama, plus he back-loads his exposition dumps.

Stephen Moffat is better at Doctor Who endings because he paces the exposition better and his actors don't act much so they don't overdo the drama.

Ripper Street ended nicely.

Long-running dramas and open-ended ones hoping for another season tend to end badly because they are trying to keep some cards still in play. A really good writer or team of writers can end well and in a satisfying way but still leave room for another season.

The first season of Lost ended the worst of any show I have ever seen - they had built up so much mystery and then refused to explain any of it because they wanted to keep it all for the next season. That infuriated me so much I refused to even consider watching S2. From what I have heard, this was a wise decision to make.

[norwie2010.livejournal.com]

Well, Whedon got into his own "Xander ca. season 1 skin" and wrote it then. ;-)

[lostboy-lj.livejournal.com]

The Good:

Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, M*A*S*H, Twin Peaks, Moonlighting, Cheers, Six Feet Under, Star Trek TNG, The Fugitive, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Newhart. I could probably write for days about a couple of these (and probably have, in the case of the first one), but suffice it to say I think they all wrapped up their particular material in fitting, satisfying and memorable ways.


The Bad:

Lost - I wouldn't have minded a convoluted, elliptical ending that left everyone scratching their skulls. But destroying the scientific explanation of the show by surrendering completely to the religious-mythological half made all the previous seasons feel like an unnecessarily long and pointless parade of red herrings. Put away all your notes and charts, kids! The whole thing was just a ham-fisted creation myth starring the cast of Gilligan's Island and history's least charismatic gods.

The X-Files - The quest for the truth about alien conspiracies ends with... a big, boring courtroom scene? And the fact that this is the only part of the episode I remember all these years later really says something.

Seinfeld - A clip show. Nuff said.


The Surprisingly Badass:

Little House on the Prairie

[norwie2010.livejournal.com]

The Anne/Gunn scene is exactly the reason why i don't think it is some kind of fascistic propaganda bullcrap. ;-)

It is better crafted, no two ways about it (a bit like the "Angel" comics are better crafted than the "Buffy" comics... ).

And i get where you're comng from re: the lackluster way of telling the story in "Chosen" (or the whole of season 7), since that was (way back when i gave a damn) one of my criticisms of the comics. So, maybe i'm a bit inconsistent about it. ;-) For me, the idea behind it shone brighter than the execution. But then, i'm an idealist.

[sueworld2003.livejournal.com]

I have to say I hated Chosen, for so many reasons sadly, but AtS I adored. The whole mythic feel seemed to be so fitting to me at least.

Other honorable mentions for me is the ending of Six feet under, which really ended in all senses of the word when you saw the deaths of every member of the cast down the ages. I also liked the ending of Farscape and Star Trek the next Generation.

I think poor old Enterprise must get the award for the most ill conceived and poorly written final episode of all time. Dear god it was dreadful! :D

[ash-carpenter.livejournal.com]

Of the series you've mentioned, I've only seen BtVS and AtS. And they were true endings for me, because I never followed the comics.

It's interesting how people's milage varies so much on endings; I suppose it depends entirely on what a person is /hoping/ will happen, as well as how the individual 'final' endings for each character stack up against their feelings about the particular character.

I thought Chosen worked fine as a concept - like you say - although I know what you mean about the execution. Conversely, I really liked Spike's exit. A lot of the time, I wasn't a fan of his character, but I think he ended up in a really good place. I also liked the honesty of his last moment with Buffy, countering the 'romance' of her finally declaring her love.

AtS, however, I hated with a fiery passion. But only because of individual character reasons, not because of the storyline itself or the execution (which was vastly superior to Chosen). I did think that the very ending was awesome as a concept - so dark and defiant, with the very real possibility that every single one of them was about to die. Gunn's exit too was great.

But... I think Spike got short-changed (we don't even see much of his 'task', which also doesn't seem as vital as everyone else's), and this was simply because Angel is supposed to be the big hero. I didn't like Wesley's exit, because he essentially failed entirely. Don't get me wrong, I think that may well have been a good choice on the part of the writers, but I didn't /like/ it. I also didn't like Wesley accepting Illyria's lie, because he knew that Fred's soul had been destroyed - and by that point, I think Wesley was too strong a character to accept a lie like that.

As for Lindsey and Lorne... I won't go into it all (so many feeeeeeeeeeelings! :P) but I honestly think it destroyed everything I ever felt for Angel. Again, a daring and possibly brilliant act on the part of the writers, but I hated it. In the end, he showed himself to still be nothing more than a petty demon, and I was left feeling that he could never achieve the redemption he'd been paying lip service to for so many years. Lindsey probably deserved killing, fine, but Angel let other people who deserved it live; I think he just didn't /like/ Lindsey. So Angel used him in the final battle, then utterly destroyed another one of his supposed friends by having them perform such a low act as shooting a person who was supposed to be on their team.

Hrm, sorry. I seem to have ranted all over your post...! Don't mind me, I'll just be grumbling in the corner. Heh, it's only been a decade - maybe I'll learn to let it go eventually. ;-)

[chasingdemons.livejournal.com]

I haven't seen the other shows, but I totally agree with you about the ending for Buffy and ATS. ATS ended at the very beginning of a big event. And yet I was left satisfied. Buffy ended at the completion of the big event. And yet I was dissatisfied. A million opportunities (for real reflection) were lost. And yes, Spike's big moment could have been done better, although I appreciate the fact that it was done at all. For one thing, Spike and Buffy could have had a better exchange than "I love you" "no you don't but thanks for saying it". Faith's thing with Robin was real nice, but I would have appreciated time devoted to a more meaningful resolution between Buffy and Willow, and Buffy and Giles. And that discussion about going shopping at the mall at the very end just reduced the whole series to a level of stupidity that I really could have done without. Lastly, the lighting on Spike during his final moments was so offputting. He looked like Elmer Fud! (I told you I was shallow)

You said you saw Chosen as sort of a beginning and NFA as sort of an ending. I agree with that. Yet, Chosen closed the book for me. Buffy goes to Europe and lets the other slayers take over. End of story. NFA left things more open. I certainly see a lot more fanfic labeled post-NFA than post-Chosen. Although maybe I'm not traveling in the right circles. I guess I am more interested in the boys. I could have been interested in the girls too. It's just that I didn't really like them as much by the end.

[sueworld2003.livejournal.com]

"Lastly, the lighting on Spike during his final moments was so offputting. He looked like Elmer Fud! (I told you I was shallow)"

No I agree it was very poorly lit and shot. I know it was done in a hurry by the second unit, but god Whedon, did you even bother to notice how it all looked through the lens?

[infinitewhale.livejournal.com]

Very true. There are times when it seems completely intentional like in the Always Darkest short. Then there are times and interviews where he comes off as completely oblivious.

[beer-good-foamy.livejournal.com]

I definitely agree with you on both the crapness of the BSG ending and the greatness of the Wire ending. I like your idea of ending BSG on the ruined Earth, but based on what we got I think whatever ending they had thought of would have left me just as disappointed; if they really think "...You know what, screw it, God did it all for some reason we can't understand" is a good ending, then they were always going to mess up the ending.

One of my all-time favourite endings has to be The Shield, and I'm also one of the few people who truly loved the Sopranos ending. Both shows had the same problem: We've spent a number of seasons following a protagonist who, it becomes increasingly clear, will never be able to - or even want to - redeem himself of all the evil he's done. So how do we close the book on him without letting the audience off the hook and saying "Phew, he got what he deserved, good prevailed!"? Both solved it in ways that fit the story perfectly, IMO. (For that very reason I'm terrified of what the ending of Breaking Bad might be.) And on the other side of that coin, I really didn't like the ending of Big Love, which basically went "What do you mean the protagonist wasn't a perfectly good upstanding paragon of patriarchal goodness?"

As for "Chosen" and "NFA", I've discussed them so much that I'm not sure I can even formulate a clear opinion anymore. I see both the bad sides and the good; I think both are excellent as endings to the respective stories, even if there are problems in both. "Chosen" ends at a crossroads with infinite possible paths, "NFA" ends in a dead end. I can't not like that.

ETA: Oh, right, and the possibly best ending in TV history: Blackadder.