Bad finales to a show you thought was otherwise great

Deleted member 12790 · Sep 12, 2019

The Fabled Englishman said:
I guess I'm the opposite. I love DS9 so I can sort of forgive the ending.

I thought DS9 was... alright, but I really hated that ending. I didn't like where they took odo, I hated how they used Sisko's "chosen one" status, everyone kept telling me Worf was going to be some badass but he gets his ass kicked almost the entire series. Funnily enough, my favorite characters were Obrien and Quark's nephew. That episode about Obrien going to the mind prison that's kinda like a very dark version of Inner Light crushed me.

It was at least better than Voyager. I'll take any chance I can to bring this back up: JANEWAY KILLED TUVIX. And, perhaps even graver sin, in doing so, she resurrected Neelix. Unforgivable.

cecilpaladin32 · Sep 12, 2019

skeptem said:
Dexter has to be way up there.

All of the last season disappointed me. I loved the second to last season and set myself up for disappointment with high hopes for the final season. The final ep was just the anti-cherry on top.

Halbrand · Sep 12, 2019

Maybe not a series finale but it could be, Sherlock. I'll never watch that episode again.

ColorMeImpressed · Sep 12, 2019

I mean really the last few seasons were bad, but the last episode of Dexter was such a completely stupid betrayal of that whole series.

Also of note, every 90s show abruptly cancelled with no real ending because that was just the thing back then. Millenium comes to mind as an especially big betrayal with no pay off.

electricblue · Sep 12, 2019

I liked The Killing a lot but the ending just seemed really wrong headed in several ways

ColorMeImpressed · Sep 12, 2019

Violet said:
Breaking Bad.

the thing is

- LOST never explained anything, the ending was totally in line with the show
- Dexter had been bad for a while
- Seinfeld's ending fits perfectly as a little goodbye
- BSG's emotional beats were really good
- Game of Thrones was more rushed than anything.

Breaking Bad was a legitimately great show with just a horrible ending

Breaking Bad's ending was incredible. I was unaware that was even a matter of controversy. What didn't you like about it?

Violet · Sep 12, 2019

ColorMeImpressed said:
Breaking Bad's ending was incredible. I was unaware that was even a matter of controversy. What didn't you like about it?

I think the ending portraying Walt as a genius and pitting him against literal Nazis (the only people that could possibly be the villains against him), while he totally wins and redeems himself, goes against the whole point of the show. I think the show should've ended after the penultimate episode. It's nearly perfect there.

Deleted member 14400 · Sep 12, 2019

More often than not TV series have bad finales

electricblue · Sep 12, 2019

Garlador said:
They followed up and retconned these last two episodes later, but for awhile, this was it.

I like it when viewed through the lens that Shinji is someone who has no empathy for others, and they only exist in his mind to make him feel validated, the End of Eva ending was a little too on the nose

Violet said:
I think the ending portraying Walt as a genius and pitting him against literal Nazis (the only people that could possibly be the villains against him), while he totally wins and redeems himself, goes against the whole point of the show. I think the show should've ended after the penultimate episode. It's nearly perfect there.

I thought the final scene kind of underlined how pointless his so-called victory was, it was like he won again but what did it ever matter

Azzanadra · Sep 12, 2019

Why are people saying Game of Thrones, when the whole second half of the show was bad? It's not like the show jut crapped out in the final episode or even the final season, seasons 5-8 were a massive step down.

ColorMeImpressed · Sep 12, 2019

Violet said:
I think the ending portraying Walt as a genius and pitting him against literal Nazis (the only people that could possibly be the villains against him), while he totally wins and redeems himself, goes against the whole point of the show. I think the show should've ended after the penultimate episode. It's nearly perfect there.

It would never even occur to me to watch that as some kind of redemption arc. Walt was his own worst enemy and that's what did him in.

Vic_Viper · Sep 12, 2019

Pretty much every finale that goes right up until the last minute, without showing what the characters lives are like afterwards. Like I much prefer shows that have an epilogue.

I just finished Buffy, and I liked the finale a lot but I really wanted to see a small glimpse as to what life was like after. At least in this case I have the Dark Horse comic seasons.

Violet · Sep 12, 2019

ColorMeImpressed said:
It would never even occur to me to watch that as some kind of redemption arc. Walt was his own worst enemy and that's what did him in.

Well the whole season to that point is his world falling apart around him. His marriage, his family, his friendships, his money, everything is wrecked and he has to reckon with the destruction of his life.

Then, in the finale

- He tricks Gretchen and her husband to get money and help his family

- (somewhat) reconciles with Skyler

- Gets Skyler out of possible legal trouble

- Walt kills Lydia

- Walt frees/reconciles with Jesse

- Walt kills Todd/Jack and all of the Nazis

literally every single thing magically goes well for him and he dies an anti-hero. In one episode!

ColorMeImpressed · Sep 12, 2019

Violet said:
Well the whole season to that point is his world falling apart around him. His marriage, his family, his friendships, his money, everything is wrecked and he has to reckon with the destruction of his life.

Then, in the finale

- He tricks Gretchen and her husband to get money and help his family

- (somewhat) reconciles with Skyler

- Gets Skyler out of possible legal trouble

- Walt kills Lydia

- Walt frees/reconciles with Jesse

- Walt kills Todd/Jack and all of the Nazis

literally every single thing magically goes well for him and he dies an anti-hero. In one episode!

See, I took this as Walt reckoning with what he had done. It isn't about redemption, it's about giving Walt that space to step back from himself and realize how terrible he's been. Nothing he can do at that point in the story can redeem him, but we want to see him look at what he's done. It's like deathbed regrets. And I don't think any of the characters really forgive him either.

If you thought the intent was supposed to be that we'd cheer him or see him as an anti-hero, then you saw that very differently than me.

Eugene's Axe · Sep 12, 2019

BDS said:
Game of Thrones is probably the only example where the ending is so bad that it retroactively ruins any desire I have to watch it again.

I bought the first season on Prime Day for like 2 dollars and couldn't even watch the first episode without thinking thinking all the time about the shitshow everything would turn into.

Violet · Sep 12, 2019

ColorMeImpressed said:
See, I took this as Walt reckoning with what he had done. It isn't about redemption, it's about giving Walt that space to step back from himself and realize how terrible he's been. Nothing he can do at that point in the story can redeem him, but we want to see him look at what he's done and own his mistakes. It's like deathbed regrets.

If you thought the intent was supposed to be that we'd cheer him or see him as an anti-hero, then you saw that very differently than me.

Yeah i mean, everyone has their own interpretation, but I don't see how moments like the "snipers" revealed as laser pointers are meant to elicit anything other than cheers

BladeoftheImmortal · Sep 12, 2019

BubbaKrumpz said:
Southland is one of my favorite shows and I've rewatched it multiple times but I didn't like the ending.

That's because it was supposed to have another season. Man that show just ended and it sucked

Blader · Sep 12, 2019

The show wasn't good anyway so this doesn't fit the thread, but I was recently reminded of how fucking stupid the finale of The Newsroom was.

They all joined in on a guitar sing-a-long at a funeral!

Deleted member 56065 · Sep 12, 2019

The last episode of How I Met Your Mother made me hate every single past episode

Aurongel · Sep 12, 2019

I know it's beating a dead horse but the ending of Game of Thrones was so bad that my inner fanboy was almost completely checked out by the halfway point through the season and the finale had me and my girlfriend both thinking "I guess we should be feeling something here...".

It's still so surreal to me that a show that monumental just came and went with such a dull thud. I've never seen collective disappointment quite like it before.

Anoregon · Sep 12, 2019

Azzanadra said:
Why are people saying Game of Thrones, when the whole second half of the show was bad? It's not like the show jut crapped out in the final episode or even the final season, seasons 5-8 were a massive step down.

Most of the people I know IRL who watched the show, myself included, were still enjoying the show overall until the final season. None of us were on the "D&D are hacks" train during seasons 5-7 like many era folks. Then season 8 happened.

Septimus Prime · Sep 12, 2019

It would take some serious talent and concerted effort to make an ending worse than How I Met Your Mother's. I don't know that it can even be done.

It was so bad that CBS cancelled the spin off that it's already ordered to series after that shit aired.

Deleted member 6173 · Sep 12, 2019

I thought Season 3 of Avatar the Last Airbender was a lackluster and sullied the legacy of the show. Season 1 and 2 were brilliant and Season 3 was a letdown for me.

Volcane · Sep 12, 2019

I also agree that Game of Thrones last season was so disappointing for me, the writing was so bad.

I disagree with LOST's ending being bad now, after binge watching it a few months ago. I think the ending was great now.

Dr. Zoidberg · Sep 12, 2019

III-V said:
Seinfeld

That one sticks out to me as just being a dull mostly unfunny episode. Not a travesty or anything but it was a weak episode to go out on and I don't care to rewatch it whereas most of the show is the opposite.

Volimar · Sep 12, 2019

Most of mine have been picked so I'll just say I didn't care much for the last scene of Angel. I wanted a resolution dammit!

Maintenance said:
Fringe, Chuck, Dollhouse, How I Met Your Mother, among others.

Finding a good / great finale is way harder, the majority of them are bad.

You didn't like the Dollhouse finale? The Epitaph episodes were some of the high points imo.

BubbaKrumpz · Sep 12, 2019

BladeoftheImmortal said:
That's because it was supposed to have another season. Man that show just ended and it sucked

Didn't know. Thought the last season on TNT was the finale. Lol.

grang · Sep 12, 2019

Violet said:
Well the whole season to that point is his world falling apart around him. His marriage, his family, his friendships, his money, everything is wrecked and he has to reckon with the destruction of his life.

Then, in the finale

- He tricks Gretchen and her husband to get money and help his family

- (somewhat) reconciles with Skyler

- Gets Skyler out of possible legal trouble

- Walt kills Lydia

- Walt frees/reconciles with Jesse

- Walt kills Todd/Jack and all of the Nazis

literally every single thing magically goes well for him and he dies an anti-hero. In one episode!

My dude. This is the same argument I make pretty much word for word whenever discussing the Breaking Bad finale.

I subscribe to the theory the keys weren't on the visor in the car he tried to hotwire and everything from that point on is a death dream.

Shodan14 · Sep 12, 2019

El Bombastico said:
I was literally yelling at my tv screen when that shit ended.

That last montage is a really hilarious fuck you to all the viewers.

DragonSJG · Sep 12, 2019

HIMYM. That ending was ass from start to finish

Rue · Sep 12, 2019

Agreed on HIMYM. I actually liked a lot of the final season because we finally got to see the titular, Mother in action. She was wonderful and despite so many seasons of buildup, she was perfect. I've never seen a show that could so perfectly destroy an entire series with just the finale. Sure, the last season wasn't the best but it certainly wasn't the worst. The fact that the finale immediately makes it a 100% waste of time within the first few minutes is what makes it retroactively terrible. Then afterwards it almost feels as if it was a finale to systematically ruin anything people liked that the series had built up for the sake of the "original vision" that had been outdated since season 2.

Robochimp · Sep 12, 2019

Violet said:
while he totally wins and redeems himself, goes against the whole point of the show. I think the show should've ended after the penultimate episode. It's nearly perfect there.

Walt doesn't redeem himself. He maybe sets one thing right, hell we don't even know if his actions stop anything(the blue meth) or actually gives Jesse a happy ending. Walt gets the death he deserves for being a selfish coward.

Zoe · Sep 12, 2019

Veronica Mars ends with the second book as far as I'm concerned.

Wein Cruz · Sep 12, 2019

Mr. Poolman said:
Game of Thrones.
Nothing has ended worse.

P
E
N
N
Y

DREADFUL

W
A
S

WORSE

mrmoose · Sep 12, 2019

DragonSJG said:
No one mentioned HIMYM. That ending was ass from start to finish

What thread are you reading?

DragonSJG · Sep 12, 2019

mrmoose said:
What thread are you reading?

Misread the title, sorry

BladeoftheImmortal · Sep 12, 2019

BubbaKrumpz said:
Didn't know. Thought the last season on TNT was the finale. Lol.

Yea. They had actually finished season 5 and then it got cancelled after the season finale. So literally the show just stopped on a huge cliff hanger

Mr_Antimatter · Sep 12, 2019

Yeah HIMYM was so bad it retroactively made the rest of the show suck.

ZeroX · Sep 12, 2019

It's funny how HIMYM went from being essentially the Friends replacement to either hated or forgotten immediately after the finale aired. Nine years of good will, just gone in an instant.

Masterz1337 · Sep 12, 2019

I liked the Sons of Anarchy finale, I can see why some people don't as it's not much the rest of the show.

Mayans is fun, it's still ramping up.

Travo · Sep 12, 2019

skeptem said:
Dexter has to be way up there.

Dexter, himself, became really stupid that last season. The season had promise with the discovery of the psychologist who knew about him.

Charizard · Sep 12, 2019

What the fuck was Castle's ending

Quinton · Sep 12, 2019

Not Game of Thrones. Season 8 has a lot of issues but the series finale itself was, against all odds, almost ridiculously good overall.

Quinton · Sep 12, 2019

The Fabled Englishman said:
I guess I'm the opposite. I love DS9 so I can sort of forgive the ending.

The Enterprise ending, on the other hand:

Is basically a crappy TNG episode. It's just a hamfisted way to insert Riker and Troi into Enterprise at the last second. Meanwhile, one of the main characters is just killed off because reasons. It is Shades of Grey-tier awful.

DS9's finale is my favorite series finale of all time, haha.

megashock5 · Sep 12, 2019

Chuck.

Possibly my favorite show ever, but that ending was BS.

JJH · Sep 12, 2019

SkyMasterson · Sep 12, 2019

Azzanadra said:
Why are people saying Game of Thrones, when the whole second half of the show was bad? It's not like the show jut crapped out in the final episode or even the final season, seasons 5-8 were a massive step down.

Sure, I guess internet smarks like yourself were "ahead of the curve" when it came to hating on Got, but most people enjoyed those seasons(save for the last).

Aurongel said:
I know it's beating a dead horse but the ending of Game of Thrones was so bad that my inner fanboy was almost completely checked out by the halfway point through the season and the finale had me and my girlfriend both thinking "I guess we should be feeling something here...".

It's still so surreal to me that a show that monumental just came and went with such a dull thud. I've never seen collective disappointment quite like it before.

Seriously. I actually enjoyed every single episode until the last three.

Pluto · Sep 12, 2019

TheFallenSaboteur said:
I'm also unfamiliar with How I Met Your Mother. Someone mind explaining what's so bad about that ending?

It reverted the characters back to their early season selfs so that they could use the ending they came up with early but didn't make sense anymore after nine seasons of character development.
The framing story of the show was also a father telling his kids how he met their mother (hence the title of the show), the finale reveals that he had another reason to do so, retroactively ruining the entire series because you now see the episodes through a different lense.

It's still a great show otherwise, I recommend stopping after season 8, the season 8 finale gives enough closure and works as a decent series finale.

Hollywood Duo · Sep 12, 2019

Septimus Prime said:
It would take some serious talent and concerted effort to make an ending worse than How I Met Your Mother's. I don't know that it can even be done.

It was so bad that CBS cancelled the spin off that it's already ordered to series after that shit aired.

I do whole heartedly agree that ending was probably the worst I've ever seen but if we're being honest the last several seasons stunk. I was just running out the clock to see how that idiot finally met the mother.

Travo · Sep 12, 2019

Quinton said:
Not Game of Thrones. Season 8 has a lot of issues but the series finale itself was, against all odds, almost ridiculously good overall.

I would agree with this. I think the problem was the rush to get to the finale hence plot lines that don't make a lick of sense.

Bad finales to a show you thought was otherwise great

User requested account closure

Alt account

Alt account

Alt account

Alt account

Thanked By SGM

Alt account

Alt account

Alt account

User-requested account closure

Attempted to circumvent ban with alt account

EA

User-requested account closure

volunteer forum janitor

Specialist at TheGamer / Reviewer at RPG Site

Specialist at TheGamer / Reviewer at RPG Site