I'm so very frightened being in this thread...I hate spoilers and all it's going to take is ONE guy to decide that Spoiler tags are not needed for that one show I've been meaning to watch and all of my happiness will drain away...
The Shield
That was about the best endings I've ever seen. I don't think a show has EVER made me as sick to my stomach (in a good way though) as this one did. Throughout the entire run of the show, these four corrupt cops did some very bad things but always stuck together. Finally, as Shane murders one of his own to keep a secret, Vic feels the pressure from everywhere. Shane is on the run and will spill everything that they have ever done if he gets caught. Eventually, Vic gets a FBI job which has the condition of pardoning him for everything he's done as long as he confesses it. Vic tells Ronnie, the surviving member that isn't on the run, that he will have a job for both of them there.
It falls through. Vic, in order to save himself, spills everything to the Feds to give himself immunity, leaving Ronnie pissing in the wind. Ronnie is arrested but the kicker is that Shane kills himself rather than being taken. Shane bluffed it...Vic spilled everything to save himself for absolutely no reason. The FBI, disgusted with what they have, stick him in a desk. The end scene is Vic standing, looking out the high skyscraper window. Two of his best friends are dead, the third is going to prison for a long time, and everyone around him (including his former wife and kids) absolutely hate him for what he's done in the past. This is not what he wanted at all...
END SCENE
Just absolutely beautiful. I would strongly recommend this show for it is one of the best cable shows that has ever been created. It's on Netflix so have at it; you'll thank me later.
Oh my god, this! I watched that from start to finish, it was actually the last show I could watch before my aging TV died on me, and it's stuck with me every since.
It was like watching a juggler take on more objects until it became too much and everything just fell right down on him.
Lem was the only good cop among them, loyal, loved the guys, and Shane basically destroyed his soul when he killed him. What we see after that, his downward spiral, right up until he realizes and later admits in his suicide note that as much as he tried being like Vic he just didn't have that kind of evil in him, and he wasn't shrewd enough. That whole arc was twisted, and his end was definitely the most tragic. The salt in his wound being Vic's "postcard from The Magic Kingdom" speech.
The funny part about the whole thing was why Vic saved himself; how it all turned out that he'd made a bad call on what his wife was up to and basically jumped on the fastest way out, throwing Ronnie under the bus. Ronnie had even urged Vic to run, to head for Mexico, and Vic worked Ronnie's trust to keep him there while his plan basically fell apart. This really was a legendary finale to a great series. My only regret was that we didn't see Kavanaugh one final time, since he'd basically done what Shane did, trying to be more like Vic to beat him at his own game, but he learned he couldn't a lot faster.
Vic, in a way, pretty much just winds up broken and castrated. His prison was a desk, no credibility, and knowing that his every dirty secret was exposed, that they all knew what a monster he really was.
Those final closing credits, nostalgic icing.
I second tippy's recommendation. This was one of the finest TV crime-dramas of all time.
It's seriously the most satisfying ending ever. Fifteen episode long finale that has the gradual build-up that actually has believable tension between the protagonist forces and the antagonist forces.
It's well-crafted, I think, to show the protagonists coming in hot and fast and gaining a lot of ground, only to lose most of it when Fuhrer Bradly comes back and gives the good guys a good kick in the teeth. The good guys lose most of their ground and have to sacrifice so much just to gain a little back, with the death of each character hitting home hard. And then comes the true last fight of the ending that ends with some epic Rocky 3 ending shit. Then, almost every character gets their own heart-felt conclusion and Edward beats Truth at its own game.
Also, I seriously cried when Greed died. "That's all I really need. They gave me everything I could ever want. Thank you and goodbye, my friends." Oh, okay. Just take all of my tears.
I actually still hold the first Full Metal Alchemist's ending above Brotherhood. It seemed I'm SURE it was rushed, but I felt it carried it's theme strong all the way to the end; even though it wasn't exactly a happy end, it was perfect, in that it expanded our knowledge of the world and kept our hopes up, despite such a drastic turn of events.
Was I vague enough???
I can't forget how awesome Brotherhood was, however. FMA is one of my favorite story premises, in that it carried so well both the drama of the first series, AND the shounen action of the second.
People are going to judge me for this but, the original Evangelion ending (episode 25/26).
As a philosophy student, a fan of 2001: A Space Odyssey, and a kid with social anxiety, I loved it. It dealt with a lot of epistemological themes and eventually ended with a Kierkegaard, existential message about dealing with anxiety and insecurity. It dissected the characters and ultimately hit pretty close to home.
It taught me a lot about myself and how to deal with existential ruts.
Going to have to put the obvious one, the ending of the original Transformers movie:
Also, going for an unusual one, the finale of H2O: Just add water
Save the world from the thingy that was threatening it, blah blah blah (though there was a nice bit about loyalty to friends and all).
But then you have the wrapping up of all the romantic bits. Bella snogs her love interest, Cleo's love interest comes back from the US and they snog, Rikki's love interest goes up to her and she's like...no, you're a bad person and I'm not putting up with it anymore. They don't get back together cause it's "happier" for her to ignore all his terrible flaws or whatever.
And then Bella, who has been singing on and off throughout the season, and who sung the theme tune, sings the theme tune for the first time in the show as it goes to credits.
But mostly because it was a big "nope" to the "right" ending where everyone gets back together.
It's seriously the most satisfying ending ever. Fifteen episode long finale that has the gradual build-up that actually has believable tension between the protagonist forces and the antagonist forces.
It's well-crafted, I think, to show the protagonists coming in hot and fast and gaining a lot of ground, only to lose most of it when Fuhrer Bradly comes back and gives the good guys a good kick in the teeth. The good guys lose most of their ground and have to sacrifice so much just to gain a little back, with the death of each character hitting home hard. And then comes the true last fight of the ending that ends with some epic Rocky 3 ending shit. Then, almost every character gets their own heart-felt conclusion and Edward beats Truth at its own game.
Also, I seriously cried when Greed died. "That's all I really need. They gave me everything I could ever want. Thank you and goodbye, my friends." Oh, okay. Just take all of my tears.
I actually still hold the first Full Metal Alchemist's ending above Brotherhood. It seemed I'm SURE it was rushed, but I felt it carried it's theme strong all the way to the end; even though it wasn't exactly a happy end, it was perfect, in that it expanded our knowledge of the world and kept our hopes up, despite such a drastic turn of events.
Was I vague enough???
I can't forget how awesome Brotherhood was, however. FMA is one of my favorite story premises, in that it carried so well both the drama of the first series, AND the shounen action of the second.
The first anime was certainly good, but I think its ending is nowhere near close to Brotherhood's. Without the movie, the original FMA series has no sense of any resolution whatsoever. Not only that, it completely contradicts one of the show's themes, that being equivalent exchange. It may have carried the other themes well, but right at the end FMA 2003 decided to spit on the idea of equivalent exchange, one of the strongest themes in FMA. That moment left me quite unhappy as equivalent exchange is my favorite theme of the series.
The whole series was just stuffed full of quick wit, hilarious stupidity and cutting sarcasm. And then that ending, where it's all turned off, and you get a sudden dose of the dark reality of war... It's amazing.
Anime wise I'd probably say Cowboy Bebop.
Movie wise I'd probably say A Knight's Tale.
Videogame wise I would probably say Persona 3. I kind of hate the ending cause I don't like heroic sacrifices, but it fits the game so I have no choice but to like it.
I forgot to add anime and movies so I will do so now.
Anime: Hellsing and Cowboy Bebop rank among my highest.
Movies: surpsingly Frozen is one of those endings that made me glad that they didn't go with a bitter sweet one. And that movie just skyrocketed itself into my top favorite Disney animations of all time.
The Shield was good, true. It left you feeling VERY dirty. But I think my two favorite show endings would have to be Avatar: The Last Airbender, and Battlestar Galactica. Both had a story to tell, and told it masterfully, and both finales had emotion and punch, and left you both satisfied and wanting more at the same time. Perfect.
The first anime was certainly good, but I think its ending is nowhere near close to Brotherhood's. Without the movie, the original FMA series has no sense of any resolution whatsoever. Not only that, it completely contradicts one of the show's themes, that being equivalent exchange. It may have carried the other themes well, but right at the end FMA 2003 decided to spit on the idea of equivalent exchange, one of the strongest themes in FMA. That moment left me quite unhappy as equivalent exchange is my favorite theme of the series.
Ah, but the first series trodding over the concept of equivalent exchange for at bits is why I loved the ending...maybe I just have a few screws loose though.
Cut this rant down to just that FMA was equivalent exchange vs real life. Life seems just stomps over all of what the boys try to make right; getting their mother, then their bodies back, etc. And it's not like it should be impossible, with the power of alchemy. But the amazing thing about this series is that real life still 'shines' through even a very fantasy world. But yea, equivalent exchange 'failing' wasn't reserved for just the end.
I think we'll disagree about a lack of resolution in the first as well. I can see where you're coming from, though; it's not a typical, or perhaps a static resolution. Instead, it's one of continuing the journey; Alphonse finding a way to bring Ed back from the other side of the gate. Perhaps that won't be as exciting as the political intrigue caused by Dante's homunculi, but it was also a resonant point in the story as well; Ed is gone, but he did succeed in getting his brother's body back. As far as we the audience knows, there's also the hope Al will bring him back, since there is the aspect of the gate between worlds. It wasn't an ending of the crowd cheering after the big bad is vanquished and going home (As depicted in Brotherhood; as awesomely depicted as the leadup was, it was...at best just another shounen final arc. Very little resonance, at least for me in my point in life), nor is it a tragic end over the loss of Ed. It's just life being what it is; the path forward. Equivalency.
I'll say this too, though hindsight is quite the kaleidescope; if I hadn't seen the first series of FMA first, I doubt I would have enjoyed Brotherhood as much.
Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective.
It's a little complicated to explain, but it neatly solves every dangling plot thread, and makes perfect sense regarding the mechanics of the universe.
Man, dat plottwist about the true identity of the player..... Briliant.
Also Persona 4. It was just very pleasant to see everything wrap up like that. Even more so in Golden.
Cartoonwise I am going to say Avatar; Last Airbender. I guess I just like 'happily ever after's'..... even if the bit about Zuko's mom was a huge cocktease.
Moviewise I am going to say Fight Club.... forget what I just said about happily ever after's.
If you win on the allied side, you get the girl, spread for democracy, yata, yata yata. However,if you win on the SOVIET side, the ending is always so much better. The world enters a golden age, technology flourishes, and you basically rule the world... There where clearly communists on the RA2 team. I mean, allied ending: selfish, simplistic "get the girl, save the world" ending, while the communist one is along the lines of "Everybody's better off, AND you rule the world". Fun stuff.
Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective.
It's a little complicated to explain, but it neatly solves every dangling plot thread, and makes perfect sense regarding the mechanics of the universe.
The best one that comes to mind for me is a fanfic called 'Eternal'. Sonofabitch it's an amazing story and it's got some moments that just punch you in the gut with the feels.
This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register.
By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our use of cookies.
