With the endorphins still flowing from Mad Men’s fantastic and unexpectedly upbeat series three finale, I've got to thinking: just what makes a great season closer?
The concept of a grand finale at the end of each series was introduced largely via American television as a last-ditch-pitch to the networks to pick up their show for another year, and by now it’s an institution. We tune into the last episode of a series expecting it to top everything that has gone before, hoping to be left OMGing in shock or buying out Tesco’s stock of Kleenex.
But, essentially, season finales can be broken down into seven camps:
The Triumphant Hurrah
This is what Mad Men pulled off so impressively. It’s the moment when, no matter what else has gone on in the series or how miserable everyone’s lives are, everything falls into place. The moment of victory, where everyone gets what they deserve, even if only for a little while. The classic feel-good ending.
Examples: Queer As Folk, Only Fools and Horses’ “This time next year we’ll be billionaires!” sunset ending (and I’m sure I’m not alone in choosing to remember that as the last ever episode…)
The Cliffhanger
The beloved ending of choice for most American shows. Twin Peaks set the standard way back when its series one finale left no fewer than five characters in mortal peril.
Examples: Battlestar Galactica (especially the glorious season one shocker), Desperate Housewives, in which you can actually place bets on which housewife will end up in danger, and of course Lost, which is turning the ridiculous cliffhanger into something of an art form.
The Weepy
The one that leaves you inconsolable for at least ten minutes after the credits roll, and yet strangely satisfied. Six Feet Under managed the impressive feat of making the viewer weep openly for the last three hours of season five.
Examples: Grey’s Anatomy loves a good weepy.
The Surreal
This one is usually a bit of a divider, with message boards being split right down the middle between fans who loved it and fans who think it’s the worst. Ending. Ever. So: where did you stand on Sam Tyler leaping from the roof at the end of Life on Mars?
Examples: The Sopranos, Skins (they’re getting quite adept and not ending where you expect them to).
The Show Must Go On
This is where things end on a (usually upbeat) Life Goes On ending. Doctor Who is of course the king of this ending. Lose one guy, get another. And the fans, fickle as we are, move on with the show.
Examples: So-called ‘precinct’ shows – ones set in hospitals, police stations, etc – necessarily end on this note. A copper might be killed on duty, but the police force carries on as normal. Of course, The Wire puts its own spin on this…
The Happily Ever After
Most commonly seen in period dramas, as the hero and heroine ride off in a carriage to start their married life, sharing a chaste kiss. This is also where you can expect a romantic comedy to wind up.
Examples: Any Jane Austen adaptation ever committed to the small screen, which, yes, includes the underrated Lost in Austen.
The Sitcom Finale
This is a beast all of its own, which somehow has to tick all of the above boxes without actually changing anything. All the characters need to wind up exactly where they started. The Simpsons has been managing it for 20 years.
Examples: Friends, Gavin and Stacey, Peep Show.
Of course, some manage to subvert your expectations. Mad Men delivered a light-hearted caper when you were expecting a domestic drama. ER’s last ever episode came dangerously close to a self-indulgent weepy before veering off at the last second into Show Must Go On territory. And where the hell does Misfits’ oddball ending fit?
So what are your favourite endings? Any categories I’ve forgotten? What about the Crushing Disappointment? Of the Should Have Been the Finale?
Friday 16 April 2010
Friday 2 April 2010
The Doctor is dead... Long live the Doctor!
The new series of Doctor Who is almost upon us, and I am embarrassingly excited. Almost as excited as I was on the day that I was told, as a lowly TV runner, that I would have to pay a visit to Millenium FX. I ended up being given a tour by none other then Neill Gorton, Doctor Who prosthetics guru extraordinaire, when he caught me gawping at the Girl in the Fireplace clockwork droid masks. To this day, it remains the highlight of my geek life.
Anyway, as so many Whovians are saying at the moment: In Moff We Trust. Yes, we're all pretty sure Steven Moffat will be brilliant. But, before a new Doctor comes bounding into our lives, let's take a quick pause to remember Russel T Davies.
I'm an RTD apologist. In fact, I don't think he needs apologising for. I think he's great. Who can read (the excellent) The Writer's Tale without completely loving the guy? Who can watch Queer As Folk and doubt that he's one of the biggest Doctor Who fans around? In the last four series', Moffat had the easy job of swanning in and writing some undeniable brilliant episodes, while Davies had about five a year to trot out on top of editing and Executive Producer duties. Inevitably, some of his episodes weren't great. The Aliens of London and Rise of the Cybermen two-parters were pretty much awful. But he also gave us Midnight, Tooth and Claw, The Christmas Invasion, The Parting of the Ways and Journey's End, which, for my money, are up there with Moffat's output (okay, maybe Blink and The Empty Child stand above them).
It's a shame that his and David Tennant's tenures on the show came to an end with last year's Specials, which never really worked. The development of the Tenth Doctor into a walking ego with a God complex was fascinating but poorly executed (far too rushed), and their final episode was extremely mawkish. Nonetheless, I sobbed like a baby for the last fifteen minutes. Was I mourning the loss of the Tenth Doctor (my Doctor, at the age of 24)? All his supporting cast? RTD? Of Tennant looking positively shaggable in that suit? All of the above, I suppose.
Doctor Who took me from 19 to 24, through uni and into working life. It even spilled over into my real life. I remember phoning my Dad in floods of tears after Father's Day. I remember rushing through BBC TV Centre in Birmingham with my eyes averted while Journey's End played on the big screens, on my way to a date and desperate to avoid spoilers. I was blown away by Christopher Eccleston's performance (he never gets anywhere near as much credit as he deserves - he was better in the role than Tennant, if not quite so appropriate for the family audience) and I thought his regeneration was surely the best ever, with a sign-off line to go down in history. I only wish Tennant could have had such a glorious send-off.
Odd - the Ninth Doctor got a triumphant regeneration for a lonely Doctor, the Tenth got a lonely regeneration for a triumphant Doctor. Look at me getting all analytical.
But we Doctor Who fans are fickle. Mere days after crying my eyes out over the loss of Tennant and Davies, I was already excited about Moffat and Smith. That's the genius thing about Doctor Who - it can start again with a completely fresh slate without anyone having to step out of a shower, and the fans still happily accept it, especially when it's in such safe hands (we hope).
Quick predictions for what we can expect from series five:
Anyway, as so many Whovians are saying at the moment: In Moff We Trust. Yes, we're all pretty sure Steven Moffat will be brilliant. But, before a new Doctor comes bounding into our lives, let's take a quick pause to remember Russel T Davies.
I'm an RTD apologist. In fact, I don't think he needs apologising for. I think he's great. Who can read (the excellent) The Writer's Tale without completely loving the guy? Who can watch Queer As Folk and doubt that he's one of the biggest Doctor Who fans around? In the last four series', Moffat had the easy job of swanning in and writing some undeniable brilliant episodes, while Davies had about five a year to trot out on top of editing and Executive Producer duties. Inevitably, some of his episodes weren't great. The Aliens of London and Rise of the Cybermen two-parters were pretty much awful. But he also gave us Midnight, Tooth and Claw, The Christmas Invasion, The Parting of the Ways and Journey's End, which, for my money, are up there with Moffat's output (okay, maybe Blink and The Empty Child stand above them).
It's a shame that his and David Tennant's tenures on the show came to an end with last year's Specials, which never really worked. The development of the Tenth Doctor into a walking ego with a God complex was fascinating but poorly executed (far too rushed), and their final episode was extremely mawkish. Nonetheless, I sobbed like a baby for the last fifteen minutes. Was I mourning the loss of the Tenth Doctor (my Doctor, at the age of 24)? All his supporting cast? RTD? Of Tennant looking positively shaggable in that suit? All of the above, I suppose.
Doctor Who took me from 19 to 24, through uni and into working life. It even spilled over into my real life. I remember phoning my Dad in floods of tears after Father's Day. I remember rushing through BBC TV Centre in Birmingham with my eyes averted while Journey's End played on the big screens, on my way to a date and desperate to avoid spoilers. I was blown away by Christopher Eccleston's performance (he never gets anywhere near as much credit as he deserves - he was better in the role than Tennant, if not quite so appropriate for the family audience) and I thought his regeneration was surely the best ever, with a sign-off line to go down in history. I only wish Tennant could have had such a glorious send-off.
Odd - the Ninth Doctor got a triumphant regeneration for a lonely Doctor, the Tenth got a lonely regeneration for a triumphant Doctor. Look at me getting all analytical.
But we Doctor Who fans are fickle. Mere days after crying my eyes out over the loss of Tennant and Davies, I was already excited about Moffat and Smith. That's the genius thing about Doctor Who - it can start again with a completely fresh slate without anyone having to step out of a shower, and the fans still happily accept it, especially when it's in such safe hands (we hope).
Quick predictions for what we can expect from series five:
- A properly mad Doctor
- A companion who is only slightly less barmy (Moffat does like his oddballs)
- Wonderful female characters (from the man who gave us Sally Sparrow and River Song)
- Scares a-plenty (Moffat never pussy-footed around kids in the way RTD did)
- Lots of wibbly-wobbly timey-wimey stuff
- More of a fairy tale feel than a sci-fi one
- Sex ever-present, but never explicit (Oh, you mean they weren't talking about dancing?)
Come tomorrow evening, I'll finally know if my predictions were right. Ooh, there's that excitement again!
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