2019: The Year of Endings (2)

****SPOILER ALERT: This post contains information about the endings to the Big Bang Theory, Into the Badlands, and Game of Thrones****

2019: The Year of Endings

Over the last decade, I’ve become a fan of so many great TV shows.  I’ve enjoyed watching my favorite characters get into and out of sticky situations, held back tears when they lost loved ones, and even lived vicariously through them as I tried to get through some rough patches of my own life.  I expect all of you can also relate to your favorite shows, but all good things must come to an end, and in 2019, it just so happens several of my favorite shows ended within weeks of each other.

While most people would be sad, I was excited!  I LOVE endings, and I am a firm believer that every great story should be written and told with the ending in mind.  

Don’t get me wrong, endings can be both a glorious cherry on top that ties up loose ends or a catastrophic failure that ruins the show forever.  Whether a show goes out on its own terms after 10+ seasons or gets cancelled after 2, endings are a way give the audience closure. Let’s look at some of the different ways my favorite shows have ended this year.

Big Bang Theory – The Soft Ending

After 12 great seasons, the cast of the Big Bang Theory decided to call it quits, and as far as endings go, I think the show writers got this one exactly right.  Sheldon and Amy won a Nobel Prize for their work on Super Asymmetry, Leonard and Penny are pregnant, and the infamous elevator has finally been fixed!

Did they leave questions unanswered? Yes.  Did it leave me feeling incomplete? Not really.

We leave this group of friends much like how we found them 12 years ago, happy, healthy, and enjoying the thing they love most, being together.  There was no sad drawn-out goodbye because someone was moving away, no broken 4th wall where the cast stands up and thanks the audience (they had the sense to do this separately from the episode itself), and most important, Penny didn’t wake up from a bad dream sleeping next to her husband Zack and say “I just had the weirdest dream”.  

Farewell, my nerdy friends.  I will enjoy the many hours of reruns long after today.

Into the Badlands – The End?

I’m not really sure how I feel about this one.  It’s a little unfair to compare to Big Bang since Badlands ended by cancellation.  To make it worse, the rumors about the show possibly getting picked up by another network put the writers in a difficult position.  Do they close the book for good? Leave it wide open? Try some awkward mix of both?

Answer: awkward mix of both.

One thing I think all fans were anticipating was a dark eyed Sunny going full Bruce Lee on Pilgrim and his followers single handedly.  In the end, Sunny sacrifices himself to rid the world of a power-crazy Pilgrim, the army of dark ones is eradicated (mostly), and the Badlands appear to be entering a time of lasting peace for the first time since the show began.  

Sounds like a standard ending, right?  Almost.

After a short funeral, we see Sunny entering an afterlife-like realm where the Master tells him his journey is not over yet.  Then, Eli (who have barely gotten to know) finds a revolver in the mud. Add in Cressida’s escape from Nathaniel Moon, and we have the makings of a possible season 4 that seems unlikely.

I feel like I’ll just have to imagine where they were planning to go from there or hope they can finish this new story line in another entertainment medium.  Regardless, it’s hard to say this was even an ending.

Game of Thrones – The “I Could Have Done Better” Ending

I will admit, I have read several fan theories prior to every episode and thought, “wow, wouldn’t it be awesome if this crazy fan theory came true?” only to feel a little disappointed when all those theories were just a waste of time.

Of course, Daenerys wasn’t going to transform into a giant dragon and the Stark family wasn’t going to come back from the dead to fight for Winterfell.  At least the real twists still took viewers by surprise: Arya killing the Night King, The Clegane bowl ending with Sandor taking out his walking dead brother by tackling him through a brick wall to a fiery demise, Daenerys going full “Targaryen” on a surrendering King’s Landing.  

There are some legitimate complaints from fans including overlooked filming mistakes like the Starbucks Cup and Jaime Lannister hand, but it’s not like Jon Snow was walking around King’s Landing talking on his cell phone in episode 5.  

Whether you hate it or love it, the fact is, the story appears to be heading towards a definitive ending.  

It’s hard to say how close the show’s finale will be to the book series’ finale (if George R.R. Martin ever finishes them), but I trust the writers will leave the viewers satisfied.  

And if they don’t, maybe one of the spin-offs will make up for it.  Because those are usually big hits…not!

Conclusion – The Year of Endings

Endings may not always be the best part, but they are always significant.  Chances are if you make it to the end of a show, you have watched every episode, and you have a high level of expectation.  We all want that “wow” moment in the end that makes us want to re-watch the entire show. Sometimes we get that and sometimes we don’t, but at least the show is over and you can move on your life.  That is just one more reason why I love endings.

How do you feel about endings?  Which TV shows were you sad/excited to see end this year?  Was it everything you wanted? Let us know in the comments below.