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Post by Deleted on May 23, 2019 12:01:30 GMT
The end of Game of Thrones has been divisive. I think that part of the problem might be that the vast majority of tv shows don’t have to stick the landing the way GoT was expected to. Thrones is arguably the biggest TV ending since Friends, but social media has fundamentally changed how we experience and judge things. That it was a complex, sprawling drama added to the difficultly, I feel like comedies are easier to end (excepting How I Met Your Mother. I’ll never forgive that.)
I loved the ending of the Wire, my investment was fully paid off, I think made easier by the fact that the focus of each season was different. The Battlestar Galactica reboot worked for me too, and I loved that they were happy to leave some things unexplained.
So, who did it well? And why?
(Your comments may form the backbone of my winter tv viewing!)
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Post by dontdreamit on May 23, 2019 12:11:14 GMT
Buffy, because she went from being the only one to one of many.
(I think I need to organise a complete rewatch of Buffy this summer, one of my fav tv shows ever)
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Post by jaqs on May 23, 2019 12:12:56 GMT
The final of Mum was wonderful, I know Lesley Manville could make anything great, but the quality of the writing, strong cast and fun payoff made it near perfect.
I think poor endings keep people talking about a show longer than good ones, and stick in the mind. I remember Seinfeld's terrible ending more easily than friends bland one.
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Post by Deleted on May 23, 2019 12:23:05 GMT
Best TV finale for my money was Six Feet Under.
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Post by n1david on May 23, 2019 12:36:46 GMT
I'm with @baemax, Six Feet Under's ending was beautiful, intelligent and moving - really brought a satisfying end to our journey with these characters.
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Post by couldileaveyou on May 23, 2019 12:45:52 GMT
The Good Wife
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Post by Marwood on May 23, 2019 12:58:47 GMT
Boardwalk Empire - a shame the last series jumped ahead (timewise) so we didn't get a proper farewell for Arnold Rothstein, who in my opinion was one of the best characters in it (and some wonderful acting from Michael Stuhlbarg in the role) but Nucky Thompson really got everything he deserved (kudos to Steve Buscemi too, he doesn't seem to be on-screen as much these days as he was in the 90s and 00s).
I'm still not decided if the last episode of The Sopranos was a fitting end though.
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Post by Deleted on May 23, 2019 14:27:34 GMT
I loved the ending of Lost. I know that one was divisive too, and season six was not great... but those last minutes were brilliant and perfect for me.
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Post by Deleted on May 23, 2019 14:35:18 GMT
Two that are divisive but I thought worked great. Firstly 'The Prisoner' with Patrick McGoohan, as mad as anything but perfectly fitting a show that broke 'the rules' again and again. Secondly, 'Lost', which suffered because its purported fans all had their own theory of what was going on but got annoyed when it turned out they were wrong. For me, the ending fitted the narrative well and worked for each character, with earned emotional payoffs. What seemed to be missed n some quarters is that it was presented as one ending without being 'the ending', it was just Jack's ending, the show starting and ending with him opening and closing his eyes. It was the ended that he deserved. Other endings for each other person were possible but we were left to imagine them. I loved the ending of Lost. I know that one was divisive too, and season six was not great... but those last minutes were brilliant and perfect for me. You just beat me to it! I thought six was much better than some of the middle season episodes that were treading water. Once they knew how long they had left to tell the story it regained momentum. The casting, the writing, the production design, the music and so on put it right at the top of great TV series for me. |
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Post by xanady on May 23, 2019 16:04:27 GMT
Brideshead(the Olivier series)
Roots
Rich Man Poor Man
A Kind Of Loving(Granada)
Danger UXB
Boys From The Blackstuff
All classic Drama from eons ago
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Post by Deleted on May 23, 2019 16:24:59 GMT
Life on Mars! The moment when John Simm jumped off the building was just so perfect.
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Post by Deleted on May 23, 2019 16:28:21 GMT
Just remembered a couple of more recent ones, ‘The Leftovers’ which got better and better throughout its seasons and ‘Twin Peaks’, which played with my head so much that I watched it again straight after the first time.
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Post by 49thand8th on May 23, 2019 16:29:46 GMT
Best TV finale for my money was Six Feet Under. I've only seen a few episodes of the show, but I've watched that finale SO many times. So good. |
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Post by theglenbucklaird on May 23, 2019 17:27:10 GMT
"The Wonder Years." Never, ever, been beaten. This |
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Post by theglenbucklaird on May 23, 2019 17:28:50 GMT
Brideshead(the Olivier series) Roots Rich Man Poor Man A Kind Of Loving(Granada) Danger UXB Boys From The Blackstuff All classic Drama from eons ago Boys From the Blackstuff is a great shout. Brilliant series with a brilliant ending |
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Post by daisy24601 on May 23, 2019 18:05:21 GMT
Only Fools and Horses, (pretending those 3 later episodes didn't happen) it wrapped things up nicely and Del Boy saying billionaires in his famous catchphrase was a nice closing line to show he'll never change.
Also another vote for Six Feet Under.
A lot of people didn't like the end of How I Met Your Mother but I was happy with it. The Friends one was just really dull and unrealistic.
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Post by theglenbucklaird on May 23, 2019 18:12:45 GMT
Only Fools and Horses, (pretending those 3 later episodes didn't happen) it wrapped things up nicely and Del Boy saying billionaires in his famous catchphrase was a nice closing line to show he'll never change. Also another vote for Six Feet Under. A lot of people didn't like the end of How I Met Your Mother but I was happy with it. The Friends one was just really dull and unrealistic. Never saw those episodes. It was an even nicer ending when they sold the Harrison timepiece and became millionaires. |
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Post by Deleted on May 23, 2019 18:27:03 GMT
Season 1 of Damages.
Still one of the greatest TV shows i have watched. Glen Close knocking it out of the park, the flash backs/flash forwards meeting in the penultimate episode, and the big pay off in the finale, leading to season 2.
If you haven't seen it, check it out.
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Post by profquatermass on May 23, 2019 18:36:42 GMT
Nothing tops seeing the final episode of Blake's 7 in those distant days before spoilers
Dallas was ace too
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Post by lynette on May 23, 2019 18:47:51 GMT
The end of The Americans was brilliant. Just brilliant.
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Post by david on May 23, 2019 19:03:52 GMT
How about the final few minutes of Blackadder Goes Fourth?
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Post by lynette on May 23, 2019 19:50:56 GMT
And the last few moments of Mad Men was very good, just nailing the advertising thing.
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Post by danb on May 23, 2019 20:14:27 GMT
A vote here for both iterations of ‘Twin Peaks’, but certainly the recent episodes on Sky were gobsmacking. I consider the reveal of ‘Who killed Laura Palmer’ to be the ending of the first run, although ‘Wheres Annie’ was certainly audacious. But going back and saving LP and taking her home was just gorgeous as an ending for the new run. Some of the set pieces in there were also phenomenal; the angel, the dirty miners and of course the box. I can only imagine what this sounds like to someone who never watched a minute...
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Post by Deleted on May 23, 2019 21:26:53 GMT
Except for when Bobby Ewing turned up in the shower, so the whole ninth season had been a dream!! The most famous shower scene after Psycho. |
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Post by mistressjojo on May 23, 2019 23:32:20 GMT
M*A*S*H - I remember thing at the time how daring it was for them to make the strongest character the one that ended up not coping.
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