Depressing Endings

[Use_Imagination_here]

Tv shows generally get to me the most. I think it's the long term commitment to characters, only to see their dreams shattered.

Case in point, I just got around to watching and finishing Chuck. Man, that got me.

Also, Angel...

Wait is the ending of chuck actually interesting?

I gave up at the beginning of the last season because it was getting really, really repetitive.

Should I actually finish it?

 

[lee1287]

Stephen King's The Mist (2007 movie). That ending didn't just leave me feeling depressed but just shocked and empty inside. Apparently the director, Frank Darabont, put that ending in the movie even though it weren't in the book. I know it's still a Stephen King story but seriously that's dark. I won't spoil it but those who know what I am talking about will understand or watch it now on Netflix.

That ending left me like, WHAT?! Poor Thomas.

 

[x EvilErmine x]

The end of the His Dark Materials books by Philip Pullman

Spoiler

The whole of the last two books spent subtly setting up the relationship between Lyra and Will, then after it all ends. After going through hell and back literally, after Lyra finding out who her parents are, and then seeing them get killed she and Will get told 'sorry guys, I know like you've now only really got each other left now, but you can't be together ever again or you will die oh and you can't even talk coz you will be in different universes, sucks to be you'

Which felt particularly forced because they're already leaving one hole open in hades and that's fine, but two holes will cause the universe to die.

A lot of things in the last book annoyed the crap out of me, really. I'm much happier pretending the series ended after "The subtle knife", and it's too bad the series will never be finished.

Say what!? there was ment to be more? I always thaught it was only the three books. Oh and a sorta spin off set later called Lyras Oxford I think. Please elaborate.

 

[PedroSteckecilo]

Shadow Hearts

Christ, talk about a punch in the gut.
The game actually has two endings: the "bad" ending and the "good" ending (which is quite hard to get). But here's the thing: the good ending is fake. It's the bad ending the series continues with (see Shadow Hearts: Covenant).

Hell, even if you get the good ending, it still ends on a depressing note:


Cardinal Simon wanted to "reset" the world by letting the God From Beyond The Stars clean up the planet; make sure those of ill will would meet their maker. The reason he wanted to do this, was because he saw the pain and misery humans would wreck upon themselves, i.e. World War One. Was his mission the lesser of two evils? Probably not. But the game ends by saying that WW I will happen and the world will be plunged into darkness. In the end, did you really stop anything?

I always figure that when you get the "good" ending in Shadow Hearts 1 it essentially stops Shadow Hearts 2 from happening... I don't really want to figure out how From The New World factors into that though... that game is just not remotely as good as the previous two.

Another note from Shadow Hearts 1 though...

Spoiler

Finding out what happened to Koudelka after her game...man...what a brutal closer...

For my own personal list well... I'm a fan of Yoshiyuki Tomino's early work so...

Spoiler: Gundam Zeta

Most of the heroes die and the main character ends up in a coma with his mind fried

Spoiler: Space Runaway Ideon

Humanity and The Buff Clan destroy the universe due to their stubborn unwillingness to stop hating each other

Spoiler: Aura Battler Dunbine

All but one of the main characters die tragically, the main character and his love interest both dying before they realized how they felt about each other. Also the one surviving character vanishes in the epilogue

Spoiler: Victory Gundam

Technically it has a happy ending but SO many characters die over the course of the story it gets kind of silly, all but one of the adult supporting cast bite the dust including both of the main characters parents, his best friend... nearly everyone important in his life... also the main villain ends up a blind amnesiac because apparently Tomino though death would be too good for her

For Non-Tomino works...

Spoiler: Xenosaga Episode 3

Pretty high body count by the end... Jin, Canaan, Nigredo/Gaignan...possibly Kos-Mos.. and that's not even counting sympathetic villains... also there's a good chance that of the whole human race, only the characters you can note as being alive at the end ARE alive

Spoiler: Suikoden 2

The bad endings are SAD, you can end up with both your best friend and your adopted sister dead and have little left to live for... you can abandon your army leaving them to get slaughtered by the undead... pretty much in every ending but the best ending a great deal of those closest to you will be dead or gone

Spoiler: Suikoden 5

The "Normal" ending is heartbreaking as even after saving your country your Bodyguard/Possible Love Interest dies from her wounds protecting you, the Under 60 Stars Ending is even worse as you don't even get the hopeful tone of the previous one where you travel the world, instead you just leave the country and never return

 

[Arqus_Zed]

Shadow Hearts

Christ, talk about a punch in the gut.
The game actually has two endings: the "bad" ending and the "good" ending (which is quite hard to get). But here's the thing: the good ending is fake. It's the bad ending the series continues with (see Shadow Hearts: Covenant).

Hell, even if you get the good ending, it still ends on a depressing note:


Cardinal Simon wanted to "reset" the world by letting the God From Beyond The Stars clean up the planet; make sure those of ill will would meet their maker. The reason he wanted to do this, was because he saw the pain and misery humans would wreck upon themselves, i.e. World War One. Was his mission the lesser of two evils? Probably not. But the game ends by saying that WW I will happen and the world will be plunged into darkness. In the end, did you really stop anything?

I always figure that when you get the "good" ending in Shadow Hearts 1 it essentially stops Shadow Hearts 2 from happening... I don't really want to figure out how From The New World factors into that though... that game is just not remotely as good as the previous two.

Another note from Shadow Hearts 1 though...

Spoiler

Finding out what happened to Koudelka after her game...man...what a brutal closer...

I'm not sure it would stop Shadow Hearts Covenant from happening... I mean, yeah, obviously some things would be different, but you would still have the whole Nikolai, Rasputin and Kato thing going on. Speaking of which, while it wasn't exactly "the ending" of the game, the last scene you get to see with Kato and Kawashima was probably equally/even more depressing than the actual ending with Yuri and Alice.

And yeah, finding out what happened to Koudelka was pretty brutal (then again, based on the endings you could get in Koudelka, it still could have been worse).

Speaking of Shadow Hearts: From The New World, putting aside everything else that was wrong with the game, one of the things that pissed me of most was that Koudelka wasn't in it. At the end of the first game, she goes to Amerika, in the third game you actually go to Amerika. I figured the most obvious reasoning would be to bring her back as a playable character - but no, not even a cameo!
/rant

 

[PedroSteckecilo]

And yeah, finding out what happened to Koudelka was pretty brutal (then again, based on the endings you could get in Koudelka, it still could have been worse).

Speaking of Shadow Hearts: From The New World, putting aside everything else that was wrong with the game, one of the things that pissed me of most was that Koudelka wasn't in it. At the end of the first game, she goes to Amerika, in the third game you actually go to Amerika. I figured the most obvious reasoning would be to bring her back as a playable character - but no, not even a cameo!
/rant

Yeah, I think the fact that it was almost completely divorced from the previous two games was one of the biggest issues with From The New World... that and the hugely insipid tone, lack of direction for the story and overuse of the Forest Gump Effect.

 

[josemlopes]

Plague Dogs, just one quick look at the trailer and you know this movie wont have an happy ending:

You dont even need to see the whole trailer, only knowing that its from the same guys that did "Watership Down" is enough.

 

[Nigh Invulnerable]

Games: Final Fantasy X was just?.sad. Red Dead Redemption did not in fact live up to the Redemption part of its title. KOTOR 1's dark side ending is pretty depressing (if you make your party members kill each other).

TV: Jurassic Bark from Futurama. Game of Thrones (if the character is remotely likable, they will likely not live out the season). Stargate SG-1 ended on a rather sad episode, and then was unceremoniously canned without warning.

Movies: many many films.