Rogue Nine Posted April 20, 2009 Share Posted April 20, 2009 With the recent endings of two of my favorite shows, I thought a good topic to discuss would be everyone's favorite final episodes. Please post why you enjoyed it as well, lists annoy me because they don't tell anything about the actual subject matter. ER - "And In The End" I quite liked how they wrapped the series up. It was a wonderful little homage to the pilot episode through and through, especially the original opening credits complete with James Newton Howard's classic ER theme. Having Dr. Greene on the final episode was impossible, but they definitely did the next best thing by bringing his daughter on as a prospective emergency medicine student. The show had been in decline for a while, but they definitely ended it on a strong note. The only thing I regret is that they brought Alexis Bledel on as an intern for that one episode and based on her performance and Hallee Hirsh's performance as Rachel Greene, I definitely would not have minded another season of ER with them on it. That being said, the final scene was just the perfect way to go out. Star Trek: The Next Generation - "All Good Things..." The best series finale to any Trek show, bar none. Loved the story and the throwbacks to the first seasons of the show. Even Q didn't annoy me as much, especially since Jean-Luc was yet again able to prove to him that humanity is worth something more than just mere entertainment. Seinfeld - "The Finale" Jeff is prolly gonna kill me for this, but whatever. I'm not a Seinfeld fan, largely because I don't find Jerry Seinfeld very funny, but I did catch the last episode of the show. I'll admit I laughed, but only because the characters were shown to be absolutely terrible human beings. They got what was coming to them. --- A notable omission is Battlestar Galactica's series finale, but I didn't include it because it left me scratching my head wondering about a load of different rather than providing any sort of permanent closure. I enjoyed watching it simply because it's Battlestar Galactica, but it definitely could have been so much better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Titanius Anglesmith Posted April 20, 2009 Share Posted April 20, 2009 Agreed on All Good Things, even though it was a little confusing originally. I remember the first time I watched it after I had gone back and watched the entire series, I just about cried during the poker scene when Picard said, "I should've done this a long time ago." Also the finale of The Fresh Prince. I liked how it left everyone's paths open, and gave a sense of what they would do with their futures. And of course, the classic ending, with Carlton running down the stairs with his pants at his ankles, Will's "I will definitely miss you, C", and the silence followed by the applause. So sad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marius Fett Posted April 20, 2009 Share Posted April 20, 2009 Will's "I will definitely miss you, C", and the silence followed by the applause. So sad. And Carlton's reply. 'I'll miss you too. W.' Yeah, the last episode of Fresh Prince is definitely one of my favourite last episodes. The other, would have to be the final episode of Blackadder, in Blackadder Goes Forth. The part where they go over the top and into no mans land is amazing. It's really clever how they did it. At the part where the battle scene faded out into a field of poppies, I was just sitting there, in silence. Stunned. It stayed funny, with jokes and amusing comments right until the end, but at the last minute, it all turned serious, as you watch what happened to millions of soldiers. If any of you have seen the ;ast episode of Blackadder, you'll know what i'm talking about... It's really worth watching, even if it's just that episode. Pity we never got to hear Baldricks last cunning plan though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Astrotoy7 Posted April 20, 2009 Share Posted April 20, 2009 Family Ties -"Alex Doesnt Live Here Anymore" Even sadder when looking back on it now. Poor MJFox I think being moved by a finale and being sad a show has ended are not mutually exclusive mtfbwya Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SW01 Posted April 20, 2009 Share Posted April 20, 2009 DS9 - What You Leave Behind. I think it was one of the best episodes of the three TNG era series. It resolved just about every long-running storyline in the series, and was very enjoyable to watch. The other, would have to be the final episode of Blackadder, in Blackadder Goes Forth. The part where they go over the top and into no mans land is amazing. It's really clever how they did it. At the part where the battle scene faded out into a field of poppies, I was just sitting there, in silence. Stunned. It stayed funny, with jokes and amusing comments right until the end, but at the last minute, it all turned serious, as you watch what happened to millions of soldiers. If any of you have seen the ;ast episode of Blackadder, you'll know what i'm talking about... It's really worth watching, even if it's just that episode. This too. That ending was incredibly moving. I remember watching it the first time, Show spoiler (hidden content - requires Javascript to show) and your heart just sinks when they think the War has ended, then Hugh Laurie's character says "The Great War, 1914 to 1917." Strangely, the performers apparently thought that final shot was awful - and it has ended up as one of the most powerful and memorable scenes produced by the BBC. Red Dwarf - Only the Good... - This was a very good ending to a great series, mainly because it gave some small hope of more! (At the end, the words The End come up on screen, but are deleted and replaced with The Smeg It Is! That and Rimmer (Chris Barrie) escaping Death by giving a swift knee (you can guess where) and saying "Not today, matey" make it a classic! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Endorenna Posted April 20, 2009 Share Posted April 20, 2009 Star Trek: The Next Generation - "All Good Things..." The best series finale to any Trek show, bar none. Loved the story and the throwbacks to the first seasons of the show. Even Q didn't annoy me as much, especially since Jean-Luc was yet again able to prove to him that humanity is worth something more than just mere entertainment. QFT. The last episode redeemed the first, which was absolutely terrible. Well, okay, I must disagree with one line in there. As excellent as it was, there is one other Star Trek finale that I like more. Star Trek Voyager--Endgame This one had me wanting to cry several times in it--I'm not going to mention the specific times, or I'll ruin the episode for anyone who hasn't seen it. While "All Good Things" was very powerful, especially the last scene, I enjoy "Endgame" a lot more--probably because I like Voyager better than TNG. @SW01 To me, the DS9 ending felt very...rushed. As if they were planning to go another season, but suddenly decided to go ahead and finish it. Show spoiler (hidden content - requires Javascript to show) The war seemed to end far too easily. The Dominion had been kickin' the Federation's butt for however many seasons, and suddenly they're losing? The deaths of the two main villains (I doubt I need to mention their names ) were incredibly weak, IMO. The Pah Wraiths (sp?) seemed like a "We want to do something awesome like the Force in Star Wars, but this is Star Trek, so we'll just throw in a dumbed-down version and hope no one notices that this belongs in a different universe". The thing with Sisko at the end was horrible, too. He needed to stay with Cassidy, at least until the kid was born! Sorry about the rant, hehe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prime Posted April 20, 2009 Share Posted April 20, 2009 Red Dwarf - Only the Good... - This was a very good ending to a great series, mainly because it ave some small hope of more! And there is! The end of M.A.S.H. was touching... Firefly had the worst ending ever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Posted April 20, 2009 Share Posted April 20, 2009 Seinfeld - "The Finale" Jeff is prolly gonna kill me for this, but whatever. I'm not a Seinfeld fan, largely because I don't find Jerry Seinfeld very funny, but I did catch the last episode of the show. I'll admit I laughed, but only because the characters were shown to be absolutely terrible human beings. They got what was coming to them. Probably the only thing about Seinfeld you like that I don't. It did make me laugh, but I still didn't particularly care for the episode. It's just way too out there compared to the rest of the series, I mean sure, most of the stuff that goes on in the regular episodes would never happen but that final episode was just ridiculous. Only other finale episode I can remember watching is Fresh Prince. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
True_Avery Posted April 20, 2009 Share Posted April 20, 2009 The end of M.A.S.H. was touching... I can't think of many at the moment, but this definitely hit the top of my list. Very touching. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hawkstrong16 Posted April 20, 2009 Share Posted April 20, 2009 Red Dwarf - Only the Good... - This was a very good ending to a great series, mainly because it ave some small hope of more! (At the end, the words The End come up on screen, but are deleted and replaced with The Smeg It Is! That and Rimmer (Chris Barrie) escaping Death by giving a swift knee (you can guess where) and saying "Not today, matey" make it a classic! And there is! The end of M.A.S.H. was touching... Firefly had the worst ending ever. Agreed! I loved Red Dwarf. And I still Watch M*A*S*H daily. And I would watch Red Dwarf daily but my sister took her DVDs when she moved to Colorado Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Totenkopf Posted April 20, 2009 Share Posted April 20, 2009 Don't recall too many final episodes. Never saw the one for MASH (first 3 seasons of the show were the best). Seinfeld's final episode was completely anticlimactic, if karmic in nature. B5 had a decent ending. Saw the STNG finale, but it was sooo long ago I don't really remember it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mimartin Posted April 20, 2009 Share Posted April 20, 2009 I Liked M.A.S.H., but the final episode of Newhart is my favorite series final. When Dick wakes up as Bob next to Emily and you learn that the entire Newhart series was merely a dream of Robert Hartley from The Bob Newhart Show. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jawathehutt Posted April 20, 2009 Share Posted April 20, 2009 The other, would have to be the final episode of Blackadder, in Blackadder Goes Forth. The part where they go over the top and into no mans land is amazing. It's really clever how they did it. At the part where the battle scene faded out into a field of poppies, I was just sitting there, in silence. Stunned. It stayed funny, with jokes and amusing comments right until the end, but at the last minute, it all turned serious, as you watch what happened to millions of soldiers. If any of you have seen the ;ast episode of Blackadder, you'll know what i'm talking about... It's really worth watching, even if it's just that episode. Pity we never got to hear Baldricks last cunning plan though. Without a doubt, I think I must have just sat there shellshocked at the end of it for a couple of minutes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jae Onasi Posted April 20, 2009 Share Posted April 20, 2009 MASH had my favorite 'final episode'. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ping Posted April 21, 2009 Share Posted April 21, 2009 Well, I guess the "finale" to part one of Naruto was pretty good, with Naruto vs. Sasuke. That has to be the best battle I have ever watched on TV! Then the series was sort of spoiled a little when they started showing filler episodes after that epic battle... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Totenkopf Posted April 21, 2009 Share Posted April 21, 2009 I Liked M.A.S.H., but the final episode of Newhart is my favorite series final. When Dick wakes up as Bob next to Emily and you learn that the entire Newhart series was merely a dream of Robert Hartley from The Bob Newhart Show. That's right, I'd forgotten about that one. Very clever ending. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarthAve Posted April 21, 2009 Share Posted April 21, 2009 When I think of a series finale that was amazing, the only show that comes to mind is Six Feet Under. Probably because it drew together the ending of everyone's stories and making the series actually feel complete. Then again, nothing else really comes to mind when I think finale. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taak Farst Posted April 21, 2009 Share Posted April 21, 2009 Friends - "The Last One" It was filled with good humour and touching moments. It finished on a great happy ending - Rachel and Ross Reunited, Monica and Chandler equipped with twins, Phoebe married, and Joey off to do a spin-off - together. It's funny because through all the 10 years, Central Perk Cafe was the gang's fave hangout for coffee, then at the end of The Last One, rachel suggests getting coffee before going their seperate ways, in which Chandler replies "Where?" - They walk down the staircase together and the sitcom finishes with a shot of Monica's apartment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arcesious Posted April 21, 2009 Share Posted April 21, 2009 ST Voyager: Endgame IMO, it was an epic ending to an epic show. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marius Fett Posted April 21, 2009 Share Posted April 21, 2009 Friends - "The Last One" It was filled with good humour and touching moments. It finished on a great happy ending - Rachel and Ross Reunited, Monica and Chandler equipped with twins, Phoebe married, and Joey off to do a spin-off - together. Too bad the spin-off was crap. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Q Posted April 21, 2009 Share Posted April 21, 2009 And Friends wasn't? I'll have to agree with 9er. ST: TNG's All Good Things... is my favorite finale. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
True_Avery Posted April 21, 2009 Share Posted April 21, 2009 And Friends wasn't? Joey (the character, not the spin-off) was awesome, but yeah not the best show around. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Q Posted April 21, 2009 Share Posted April 21, 2009 Yeah, I liked him too. He was one of the few things that I could like about the show. I wasn't in the least bit surprised when he was the one that got the spinoff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
igyman Posted April 21, 2009 Share Posted April 21, 2009 Star Trek Voyager: Definitely the best Star Trek series and the best ending. At least for me. What can I say, I just love the Borg as villains. Of course they could have turned it into a regular Star Trek show after "Endgame", but there would be no point. Their long journey was over. Battlestar Galactica: I do agree with Niner that there were some things that make you wonder, but they did a very good job with wrapping things up in the last season and in the last episode. Of course they could have done it better, but this could apply to every series finale, not just BSG. The X-Files: One of my favorite shows, so I was very sad to see it end, but with Duchovny only appearing in the few main plot-related episodes, it would have been a mistake to continue it. It just wouldn't be X-Files without Mulder. Homicide - Life on the Street: The best cop show ever. I was sad to see Pembleton (Andre Braugher) leave, but I was even more sad when the show actually ended and with that cliffhanger. The follow-up movie was OK, but I guess it was made simply to please the fans. The other, would have to be the final episode of Blackadder, in Blackadder Goes Forth. The part where they go over the top and into no mans land is amazing. It's really clever how they did it. At the part where the battle scene faded out into a field of poppies, I was just sitting there, in silence. Stunned. It stayed funny, with jokes and amusing comments right until the end, but at the last minute, it all turned serious, as you watch what happened to millions of soldiers. If any of you have seen the ;ast episode of Blackadder, you'll know what i'm talking about... It's really worth watching, even if it's just that episode. Pity we never got to hear Baldricks last cunning plan though. Blackadder was one great show, so QFE. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Negative Sun Posted April 22, 2009 Share Posted April 22, 2009 A notable omission is Battlestar Galactica's series finale, but I didn't include it because it left me scratching my head wondering about a load of different rather than providing any sort of permanent closure. I enjoyed watching it simply because it's Battlestar Galactica, but it definitely could have been so much better. I think the TV movie "The Plan" will answer a lot of those questions... Show spoiler (hidden content - requires Javascript to show) Because it's named after the plan the Cylons are operating under, so it'll most likely shed some light on loads of things. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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