***THERE ARE SPOILERS FOR "THE OFFICE," "THAT 70S SHOW," "HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER," AND "FRIENDS"***
Before you read my angry worded article think about this question: have you ever been REALLY, TRULY, DEEPLY happy with any ending to any TV show you’ve been emotionally invested in (besides the obvious one, "Parks and Recreation")?
Take a step back first. When I say ‘emotionally invested’ I mean like the characters become your family and friends and you relate to the show on a spiritual level. Not like when I occasionally watch episodes of "Its Always Sunny in Philadelphia" when nothing else is on. I’m talking about when I’m home from college and I’m binge watching "The Office" until there are no more episodes left. The first ‘real’ show I was invested in was obviously "Hannah Montana," being a white girl born in the mid 90s. When she took that wig off in the Hannah Montana movie I thought I couldn’t handle anymore, BUT THEN the writers decided to send her to college/or to a movie without her BEST FRIEND FOREVER LILY. The first time my emotions were ever tugged at by fictional characters. (Real life fun fact, Miley Cyrus unfollowed Emily Osment on Twitter and Mitchell Musso got arrested for a underaged DUI.)
After my pre-teen years I started watching big girl shows like "That 70s Show," "How I Met Your Mother," "Friends," "Everybody Loves Raymond," "George Lopez," "The Nanny," etc. (it would be both time consuming and embarrassing for me to list all the TV shows I’ve watched through completion). But it took me until I reached this show, when I finished "The Office," to realize that TV show endings actually suck. Like really suck.
Think about the "That 70s Show" ending. First of all, the 8th season was a complete joke and insulting to the viewers without two main characters and bringing them back for the finale is the only thing the writers did right. It’s new years eve before the 80s and Fez and Jackie together which I have mixed feelings about thus making me unhappy. On one hand I totally shipped Jez like no other but Hyde & Jackie were my relationship goals for three seasons so it tugged at my heart a little to close for comfort. Also, they did bring Kelso back but he doesn’t have his daughter nor do we know much about his future at all…does he finally settle down? Have more kids? Move back? WHAT HAPPENS WITH MICHAEL KELSO? Same thing with Hyde, does he remarry? Ever move out? What about his sister and father? We were just introduced to them and didn’t get to see the relationship blossom. And Bob is moving? How about no how dare you think you could take Bob Pinciotti from us! FINALLY, ERIC FORMAN AND DONNA AKA BIG RED. What what what was that. So are they back together or NAH? They kiss but Donna is leaving for school so like ? Do they get married and have babies like any fan of the show always wanted? I understand that shows like to keep a little mystery but how about a quick glimpse into the future just for my sanity? It’s like leaving out the final chapter in a book.
And what about "Friends"? Another book missing the MOST IMPORTANT PART. Do Rachel and Ross stay together? How do Chandler and Monica do with the twins? Does Phoebe ever have kids of her own? WHAT HAPPENS TO JOEY? I WANT TO KNOW HE FOUND HAPPINESS IN LIFE. But I guess I’ll never know, huh? There’s a difference between leaving some of it up to the imagination of the viewer and just completely butchering an ending to an otherwise amazing series.
I don’t even want to talk about the "How I Met Your Mother" ending but I will. It was the worst ending to a TV series I have ever seen in my entire existence. TED AND ROBIN? ARE YOU KIDDING ME? I get it it’s supposed to be ironic and cute because thats why the show started but Barney and Robin were P-E-R-F-E-C-T for each other and you made them get divorced and then KILLED OFF THE MOTHER IN "HOW I MET YOUR *MOTHER*" and then insulted us with your not so witty humor of having Robin end up with Ted. I can’t talk about it any longer; I get too upset.
Finally, my realization. After watching Jim and Pam be cute one last time, the return of Michael Scott and all the others, and Dwight and Angela’s wedding I felt so unfulfilled. Like everything I had been wanting to happen had just happened and now I don’t even get to see it actually happen? Endings are not meant to ease our pain from the loss of an escape from our lives. No, they are only meant to please the feeble minded society we live in, expected to just ‘accept’ whatever ending they deem good enough. Maybe I’m the only one but TV shows become apart of who I am and my life. I believe as a loyal viewer I deserve closure in my made up reality, because more often than not we don’t receive closure in own actual reality. Every time a TV show ends it becomes just another memory of something that once was exactly what I wanted and needed.
DOES THIS POST EVEN MAKE ANY SENSE?
