memories of final episodes

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Grandpa

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Mar 2, 2014
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The thread on the discussion of the last episode of a comedy series, and another thread on how a series handled the death of one of its actors, got me thinking that those concepts could use their own threads. So this is one of two.

What's your memories of memorable final episodes. Not just what happened to be the last show before it was cut in the off-season. I mean final shows that were structured that way.

I didn't watch the original The Fugitive. I think I was too young, but regardless, that was when there was one TV in the house, three channels, and if the parents didn't want to watch it, I didn't watch it. However, for a long time, this was the "finale" standard. Got the highest ratings of the time, and the doctor actually proves his innocence and nabs the one-armed man, as I understand it.

M*A*S*H was the first one I remember watching that was touted as "we wrap it up now." I thought it was appropriate, just not amazing. The "you don't say good-bye" thing about BJ was overwrought, but wrapped up nicely anyway. It was fine.

There was a show, can't remember the name, with Michael J. Fox as the conservative son of liberal parents. I think. Never watched it, but when they said, "This is it," I watched the last episode. It was decent enough. Didn't make me wish I'd watched the series.

Barney Miller continued in its gentle good humor, with Barney turning the light out and exiting the door for the final moment. The show was never over the top, and they finished it with the right note. (And this show will get a mention in the Death Thread.)

Star Trek - The Next Generation gave the viewer a nice little puzzle (I got it before the reveal, but I was pretty ST-geeky at the time), a head-butting with Q, and a lovely final shot. They had some amazing episodes, and you hope for amazing on the last one, and this wasn't amazing, but it was worthy.

And in the Star Trek theme, Star Trek: Voyager. While not a regular watcher of this one, I pretty much enjoyed it when I watched it, and the final battle through time travel (the premise was initially eye-rolling, but I got over it) and tussling with the Borg was executed pretty darn well. And having Alice Krige revise her role was wonderful. And it included a stellar (nyuk!) line: "Maybe it's something you assimilated."

Bob Newhart, the second iteration. I had watched the first series off and on, and it was always chuckle-worthy, like Bob himself, but had never watched the second one, and tuned in for the last episode. The final scene ... okay, after all my "not amazing" comments, this scene was amazing.

And I hear really good things about wrapping up Breaking Bad, but not having watched any of the series, I can't comment.

Any others?
 

SharonC

Eternal Members
Jul 9, 2007
2,958
11,254
Canada
The thread on the discussion of the last episode of a comedy series, and another thread on how a series handled the death of one of its actors, got me thinking that those concepts could use their own threads. So this is one of two.

What's your memories of memorable final episodes. Not just what happened to be the last show before it was cut in the off-season. I mean final shows that were structured that way.

I didn't watch the original The Fugitive. I think I was too young, but regardless, that was when there was one TV in the house, three channels, and if the parents didn't want to watch it, I didn't watch it. However, for a long time, this was the "finale" standard. Got the highest ratings of the time, and the doctor actually proves his innocence and nabs the one-armed man, as I understand it.

M*A*S*H was the first one I remember watching that was touted as "we wrap it up now." I thought it was appropriate, just not amazing. The "you don't say good-bye" thing about BJ was overwrought, but wrapped up nicely anyway. It was fine.

There was a show, can't remember the name, with Michael J. Fox as the conservative son of liberal parents. I think. Never watched it, but when they said, "This is it," I watched the last episode. It was decent enough. Didn't make me wish I'd watched the series.

Barney Miller continued in its gentle good humor, with Barney turning the light out and exiting the door for the final moment. The show was never over the top, and they finished it with the right note. (And this show will get a mention in the Death Thread.)

Star Trek - The Next Generation gave the viewer a nice little puzzle (I got it before the reveal, but I was pretty ST-geeky at the time), a head-butting with Q, and a lovely final shot. They had some amazing episodes, and you hope for amazing on the last one, and this wasn't amazing, but it was worthy.

And in the Star Trek theme, Star Trek: Voyager. While not a regular watcher of this one, I pretty much enjoyed it when I watched it, and the final battle through time travel (the premise was initially eye-rolling, but I got over it) and tussling with the Borg was executed pretty darn well. And having Alice Krige revise her role was wonderful. And it included a stellar (nyuk!) line: "Maybe it's something you assimilated."

Bob Newhart, the second iteration. I had watched the first series off and on, and it was always chuckle-worthy, like Bob himself, but had never watched the second one, and tuned in for the last episode. The final scene ... okay, after all my "not amazing" comments, this scene was amazing.

And I hear really good things about wrapping up Breaking Bad, but not having watched any of the series, I can't comment.

Any others?
The Micheal Fox show you refer to was Family Ties.
 

Dana Jean

Dirty Pirate Hooker, The Return
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Apr 11, 2006
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I did that with Afterlife (a Brit series with Andrew Lincoln). I had a headache for two days from all the crying. Best series end I've ever seen.

I remember MASH had a decent ending. It's weird; I can't remember many others. Not a huge TV guy--lol
I was very very disappointed in the MASH ending. Most people adored it, but I felt it copped out on some potentially gripping moments.
 

Grandpa

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Mar 2, 2014
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I was very very disappointed in the MASH ending. Most people adored it, but I felt it copped out on some potentially gripping moments.

I hear you. I can't say I was very disappointed, but... well, it was like they just wrapped it up to wrap it up, and walked off. That was my impression at the time. After so many stirring episodes, I guess I wanted to be stirred a bit, and I wasn't. Not even shaken.
 

skimom2

Just moseyin' through...
Oct 9, 2013
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I hear you. I can't say I was very disappointed, but... well, it was like they just wrapped it up to wrap it up, and walked off. That was my impression at the time. After so many stirring episodes, I guess I wanted to be stirred a bit, and I wasn't. Not even shaken.
I was very very disappointed in the MASH ending. Most people adored it, but I felt it copped out on some potentially gripping moments.

The whole last couple of seasons were preachy caca, so it was good to end it, I think. Henry's departure was probably the best 'ending' of the show.
 

Dana Jean

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Apr 11, 2006
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The whole last couple of seasons were preachy caca, so it was good to end it, I think. Henry's departure was probably the best 'ending' of the show.
Absolutely. Heartbreaking but it showed the realities of war. And MASH was very big on in-your-face episodes touching on topics that needed addressed socially. So I felt that final was just weak.
 

Lord Tyrion

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Oct 24, 2013
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6,257
The Wire had a really great finale. I didn't like the fifth season as much as the others, but the final episode was well done.

The worst finale I have seen is the ending of Dexter. It was convoluted, messy and highly unsatisfying. That show should have only lasted four seasons instead of eight.
 

blunthead

Well-Known Member
Aug 2, 2006
80,755
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Atlanta GA
Thank you! The good stuff for me started around 7:10. Context is helpful to "get it," along with knowing, at the time, the mini-controversy that was bandied about due to the "dream season" of "Dallas" and the tidy little parody that this was.
I could have chosen just the final bed scene, but I felt it would've meant nothing to members unfamiliar with Bob Newhart's TV career (so many here are so young, have you noticed? Not that there's anything wrong with that, bless their little pea-pickers, but I know many have missed out on some great TV).
 

Neesy

#1 fan (Annie Wilkes cousin) 1st cousin Mom's side
May 24, 2012
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I could have chosen just the final bed scene, but I felt it would've meant nothing to members unfamiliar with Bob Newhart's TV career (so many here are so young, have you noticed? Not that there's anything wrong with that, bless their little pea-pickers, but I know many have missed out on some great TV).
I did notice that too! Not oldies but goodies like some of us - oh dear - where is my ear horn? Think I'll just take a nip of my 'rheumatiz medicine' and then I'll feel better :sleepy:
 
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Lepplady

Chillin' since 2006
Nov 30, 2006
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M*A*S*H, definitely. The The scene where Radar announced Henry's finale was a one-take, and it's done. Nobody but Gary Burghoff knew it was going to happen. Good stuff.
And this stays with us:
Header22.jpg

But I think my favorite scene was this one.

A series finale I didn't care for at all was the last episode of Star Trek: Voyager. Captain Janeway comes back through time, defeats the Borg and sends the ship home.
I can't stand it when they play around with the Grandfather paradox. You can't go back in time and change something because it changes the future.
It would have been well and good if that's how the elder Janeway remembered the rescue, but her memory of Voyager's journey home was completely different, taking years and years longer than it would with her interference. So it's impossible.
If you go back in time and kill your grandfather, you'll never be born, so you can't go back in time to kill your grandfather. Janeway changed the past, so the future from which she went back in time to save the ship never existed. I'm a Star Trek fan, so I'm pretty willing to play fast and loose with time travel and all the possibilities. I even accepted the whole reboot's "alternate universe because the past was changed by those pesky rogue Romulans"... Yet future Spock is the same guy with memories of the original timeline intact. He was in a wormhole, so he wasn't affected. I can buy that. It wasn't changing the past which affected the future, it was an alternate universe. It might be a flimsy excuse, but at least they offered one. Voyager just threw it in there and expected fans to swallow it. I never did.
Yeah. I'm a geek.