How do you like your TV shows to End?

POSTED BY: TheSomnambulist
UPDATED: Tuesday, March 2, 2010 23:12
VIEWED: 3506
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OLDGUY

Tuesday, March 2, 2010 7:45 AM

how bout St Elsewhere? it all happened inside a snow globe and an autistic kid's mind

LWAVES

Tuesday, March 2, 2010 3:43 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Oldguy:
how bout St Elsewhere? it all happened inside a snow globe and an autistic kid's mind

Yeah I remember that ending. Through me for a loop as you didn't really get endings like that back then. Not the ending I would have liked for one of my fave shows at the time but I could live with it.

As for other shows I too like both styles of ending depending on what the show is.

Something like Castle (or Burn Notice) should end happily with all the plot points tied up and maybe the last scene is them getting a call to another murder and Castle bringing up the idea of another book. And with BN maybe Michael finally gets cleared and then they offer him his old job back but we never find out what his reply is.
On the other hand something like Lost or Supernatural should clear up a lot of the main points in the finale but leave threads dangling, some of which can be worked out through repeated viewing and some that are just left open with several possibilities so that people can make up their own verdict.

Buffy and Angel are perfect examples. Angel was overall a darker show so it should have the darker, inconclusive ending. He was always trying to work his way towards redemption for his past crimes and several times he figured that he would never be able to do enough.
Buffy on the other hand did nothing wrong and was born into the life so therefore it is fitting that she gets the happier ending and then has the choice to carry on or not.
Both perfect for the stories they told.

Blake's 7 is another example of a darker toned show that ended without the viewer really knowing what happened. Again it suited the show, it wouldn't have felt right if they had finally defeated ALL of the Federation to effectively become free people. They were criminals after all even if their cause was good.

If I had to pick though I would go for the open ended ending. Pan's Labyrinth (mentioned a couple of posts up) is a fine example in a movie. The Thing is another. Life On Mars (UK) another.

"I don't believe in suicide, but if you'd like to try it it might cheer me up to watch."

THESOMNAMBULIST

Tuesday, March 2, 2010 4:03 PM

Very concise Lwaves.

Glad to see you mention Blakes 7. That left an impact on me. I couldn't tell you about any other episode within that show, but I recall very clearly the end to it.

Another one I thought was perfect in a bittersweet way was Quantum Leap. I adore that ending!

THESOMNAMBULIST

Tuesday, March 2, 2010 4:05 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Oldguy:
how bout St Elsewhere? it all happened inside a snow globe and an autistic kid's mind

....you're yanking my plank right ?

THESOMNAMBULIST

Tuesday, March 2, 2010 4:09 PM

Originally posted by chrisisall:

Quote:
I'm a fan of mini-series, or limited series. I like a STORY, not an excuse for continuous work.

Yeah you have a point here Chris - I've started to tire of the notion that a good show is going to be dragged out for six season so that it becomes merely a mediocre show.

You should like most British TV then. We specialize in mini series :D Six episodes a season is about as much as we can commit to here, so stories tend to be short and sweet.... Mostly...

STORYMARK

Tuesday, March 2, 2010 5:12 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by TheSomnambulist:
Quote:
Originally posted by Oldguy:
how bout St Elsewhere? it all happened inside a snow globe and an autistic kid's mind

....you're yanking my plank right ?

You hadn't heard that? Not only did that show take place in the kids mind, but St Elswhere crossed over into several other shows, many of which crossed over into others.... there's a chart which cnnects about a third of all TV shows done EVER to that kid's imagination (including all, or most of the Whedon-verse shows). Some connections are tenuous at best, but it is amusing.

Google Tommy Westphall, or Tommy Westphall Universe, and you'll see.....

"I thoroughly disapprove of duels. If a man should challenge me, I would take him kindly and forgivingly by the hand and lead him to a quiet place and kill him."

THESOMNAMBULIST

Tuesday, March 2, 2010 5:36 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Storymark:
Quote:
Originally posted by TheSomnambulist:
Quote:
Originally posted by Oldguy:
how bout St Elsewhere? it all happened inside a snow globe and an autistic kid's mind

....you're yanking my plank right ?

You hadn't heard that? Not only did that show take place in the kids mind, but St Elswhere crossed over into several other shows, many of which crossed over into others.... there's a chart which cnnects about a third of all TV shows done EVER to that kid's imagination (including all, or most of the Whedon-verse shows). Some connections are tenuous at best, but it is amusing.

Google Tommy Westphall, or Tommy Westphall Universe, and you'll see.....

"I thoroughly disapprove of duels. If a man should challenge me, I would take him kindly and forgivingly by the hand and lead him to a quiet place and kill him."

Cheers Storymark - Nope. I had never heard of that. I don't think I've ever seen an episode of St Elsewhere or Law and Order. But I checked out that link and saw the spreadsheet. Very funny stuff. Incredible amount of work gone into that - who are these people who have the time for such things. Wow!

STORYMARK

Tuesday, March 2, 2010 6:39 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by ecgordon:

The worst finale of any show I have followed was Ron Moore's Galactica. It not only didn't resolve a lot of plot points it copped out with a "God did it" resolution.

I was slightly disappointed, but on the other hand, I think fans built up an unfair expectation. Sure, the answer came down to "God did it".... but that's essentially what they show was saying from the very start. So, it may not have been the complex explanation we as fans wanted, it was entirely consistent with the what the show did from it's premiere.

Worst ending for me was Forever Knight - Everyone dies! Except the villain.

"I thoroughly disapprove of duels. If a man should challenge me, I would take him kindly and forgivingly by the hand and lead him to a quiet place and kill him."

LWAVES

Tuesday, March 2, 2010 10:44 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by TheSomnambulist:
Very concise Lwaves.

Glad to see you mention Blakes 7. That left an impact on me. I couldn't tell you about any other episode within that show, but I recall very clearly the end to it.

Another one I thought was perfect in a bittersweet way was Quantum Leap. I adore that ending!

I adore Blake's 7. Avon is one of the best scifi characters around. I recently started rewatching it and it does look very very dated (and cheap of course) but it still has that something that made it popular and made it a classic. Plus the Liberator is one of the coolest ships ever.

Quantum Leap was a show that you wanted to have a happy ending and maybe should have. But I think that it is better off for it to have finished the way it did. I don't mind admitting that my eyes swelled up as I watched the ending. For what could be called a 'light' show (no over-arcing plot, most episodes were stand alone ones, used just about every cliche it could) it was a brave ending that paid off.

"I don't believe in suicide, but if you'd like to try it it might cheer me up to watch."

CHRISISALL

Tuesday, March 2, 2010 10:51 PM

Dark Angel had an almost Angel-like ending, although you could see how it might all work out.
Plus: immediate novels for closure!

The laughing Chrisisall

"I only do it to to remind you that I'm right and that deep down, you know I'm right, you want me to be right, you need me to be right." - The Imperial Hero Strikes Back, 2010

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