These TV Finales Left Us SPEECHLESS...
It's hard to say goodbye! Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for conclusions to television shows that had viewers at a loss for words — for better or for worse. Since we’re talking major plot points, this is a spoiler alert.
Transcript
00:00 I'm sorry I wasn't there when you needed me.
00:02 You were exactly where you were supposed to be.
00:06 Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for conclusions to television shows that had viewers at a loss for words, for better or for worse.
00:15 Since we're talking major plot points, this is a spoiler alert.
00:18 You can't take a picture of this, it's already gone.
00:21 Number 10, with "Open Eyes, Succession".
00:27 This star comedy series uses a power struggle as the backdrop for family dynamics.
00:31 I'll leave you alone, I'll go, if you just tell me how you're voting.
00:34 That's not backing off, you're still talking.
00:35 Just tell me how you're voting, man.
00:36 Come on, man up, man.
00:37 I need you to man up here, Roman.
00:38 I'm going.
00:39 The finale stays true to its themes of betrayal and bitterness, as members of the Roy family suffer under the weight of their ambition.
00:45 With a way star Roy co-acquisition looming, the siblings attempt to retain some control, which leads to stabbing each other in the back.
00:52 I can do this.
00:53 I don't think you'd be good at it.
00:55 What? I don't even believe you. I don't believe you.
00:58 I don't. I don't think that you would be good at this.
01:01 As a satire, the show seemed to have always been building to an inevitably bleak ending.
01:06 However, the twists and small character moments in the finale made a strong mark on audiences and critics.
01:11 And re-uh, re-re-uh-
01:14 Ken, Ken, it's done.
01:16 7-6.
01:19 We sell to Gojo, you don't have it.
01:22 Much like Kendall's last big scene, all we could do was quietly let the shock settle in as it all came crashing down.
01:28 Number 9.
01:29 Who am I? And Hello, Elliot.
01:31 Mr. Robot.
01:32 The protagonist's struggle with mental health tended to make the narrative of Mr. Robot difficult to follow.
01:37 I'm alive.
01:39 Which means, you are too.
01:42 Right?
01:44 Where are we?
01:46 However, the finale changes the perspective of everything that happens from the beginning to its final moments.
01:51 In this two-parter, Elliot Alderson thinks he's now in a world where his abusive past never happened.
01:56 Your father and I would never, ever hurt you.
02:02 We love you.
02:08 After killing his alternate self to claim the latter's life, he finds out that nothing around him is real, even the Elliot we followed for the entire series.
02:15 The real Elliot was trapped in his own mind by the mastermind identity, who was the point-of-view character of the show.
02:21 Even though we'll be gone, it's like Mr. Robot said, we'll always be a part of Elliot Alderson.
02:28 The mastermind ultimately let Elliot go, leaving fans to ponder a twist years in the making.
02:33 Number 8.
02:34 Whenever you're ready.
02:35 The Good Place.
02:36 Depending on how you see it, The Good Place ends on either a feel-good note or with a gaping hole of emptiness.
02:41 The characters each attain the fulfillment they need to move on, which means ending their existence in the universe.
02:46 You can sit on that bench as long as you'd like, and whenever you're ready, you just walk through.
02:55 I'm ready.
02:56 The show's creative team probably could have kept the story going or left room for the opportunity,
03:01 but the ending opts for a more definitive approach, with Eleanor finally passing through the door to finish things up.
03:06 It's anyone's guess, but as a very wise not-robot once told me, the true joy is in the mystery.
03:16 The Good Place has several bait-and-switch moments in its run, so a finale where everything is sealed with no going back is a bit unexpected.
03:22 It's a happy ending without a doubt, but this kind of absolute finality can be hard to digest upon first viewing.
03:28 Oh, my.
03:29 Look at that.
03:31 Oh, thank you.
03:33 Thank you so very, very much.
03:35 Number 7. Remember the monsters? Dexter.
03:38 I love you, Debra.
03:40 Ask a Dexter fan about this episode from the show's original run, and you'll likely never hear the end of it.
03:45 When his sister Debra is pronounced brain-dead from an attack by the villain, Dexter seeks revenge and ends his nemesis.
03:51 Foolish dream that I could have a happy life.
03:54 Is that why you're here? Tell me all this?
04:00 No, I'm here to kill you with that pen.
04:02 After ending his sister's life support, he drives into a storm in the ocean.
04:06 In the last scene, it turns out that Dexter is still alive, but now lives as a lumberjack.
04:11 And that's it. Fans and critics didn't really know what to make of the ending, since it gives no clue of Dexter's future.
04:16 Batista.
04:18 Dexter?
04:24 After watching the main character take out serial killers and evade capture for so long,
04:28 the abrupt and rather ambiguous ending was polarizing for audiences.
04:32 Topping the Breaking Bad finale was always going to be difficult, since that ending left audiences riveted by Walter White's demise.
04:41 Still, Better Call Saul arguably surpassed it with an ending that went against its established knack for trickery.
04:56 In the end, the titular character comes clean, pinning himself with blame for his misdeeds as Jimmy McGill, Saul Goodman, and Gene Takovic.
05:03 And a whole lot of other people would still be alive.
05:07 The fact is, Walter White couldn't have done it without me.
05:13 Ironically, the protagonist's incarceration gives him a sense of liberation that he never had as a free man.
05:19 The ending subverts the self-destructive tendencies of characters in the Breaking Bad franchise.
05:25 But... with good behavior?
05:29 Who knows?
05:31 Viewers might have thought that he had something else up his sleeve, but Saul growing a conscience was ultimately a much bigger surprise.
05:39 David Lynch's horror mystery series thrives on mind-bending plot twists.
05:47 It's me.
05:49 Caroline.
05:51 You must be in this again. I'm alive.
05:56 But the final episode of the second season, which seemed like the series finale for more than two decades,
06:01 hit hardest because of the seemingly perpetual cliffhanger.
06:04 Main character Dale Cooper heads into the paranormal realm of the Black Lodge, where he witnesses twisted and terrifying visions.
06:10 Be quiet!
06:12 You go.
06:19 The episode leads us to believe that Cooper survives along with his lover, Annie.
06:23 However, a twist in the last moments of the episode reveal that Cooper is a doppelganger controlled by a malicious spirit.
06:29 I need to brush my teeth.
06:31 Good idea.
06:33 The final shot of the false Cooper is a haunting sight for fans, mocking us for failing to see this twist coming.
06:38 The conclusion of the hit fantasy show Game of Thrones takes several significant U-turns with its characters.
06:46 [Speaking in Dothraki]
06:50 Those expecting to be wowed by the finale were largely disappointed.
06:59 The ending sees Daenerys Targaryen complete her sped-up villainous turn, devastating King's Landing.
07:04 A good world.
07:06 How do you know?
07:08 How do you know it'll be good?
07:12 Because I know what is good.
07:14 Her execution by Jon Snow leads to a mild power struggle and a slightly new form of choosing a monarch in Westeros.
07:20 The lack of justification for things like Bran's selection as king and Jon Snow's exile remains hard to believe.
07:26 First of his name, King of the Andals and the First Men.
07:30 Lord of the Six Kingdoms and protector of the realm.
07:35 While some have come to accept the finale since then, audiences generally have difficulty with such a disappointing end to a landmark show.
07:42 Number 3. The End. Lost.
07:44 Another finale that polarized its fanbase, Lost concludes with the characters moving on to the afterlife.
07:49 The central conflict between Jack and the Men in Black comes to an end, with Jack giving up his life for the sake of his friends.
07:55 I do have to.
07:57 No, you don't.
07:59 Let the island save you.
08:02 I can't. I can't.
08:04 It's also revealed that the flash sideways device at play throughout the last season is a kind of purgatory.
08:09 While an inventive idea, viewers were divided.
08:11 The finale goes for a peaceful resolution, but uneven execution of the unwieldy plot hindered the storytelling.
08:17 Then how are you here right now?
08:19 How are you here?
08:25 Responses range from confusion about whether anything that happened was real to wondering if the characters were dead all along.
08:31 That's why all of you are here.
08:33 Nobody does the lone Jack.
08:37 You needed all of them, and they needed you.
08:41 Most fans were still searching for answers even as the credits rolled.
08:44 Number 2. Made in America. The Sopranos.
08:47 You're gonna be part of my family now. Be good.
08:50 Prick.
08:53 You always know what to say to me, don't you?
08:56 I'm serious.
08:58 More than the overall episode, it's the final sting of this crime drama series that leaves fans speechless.
09:03 In the lead up to the ending, Tony Soprano sets about putting his affairs in order.
09:07 This starts tying up the loose ends of the story, ending the threat of Phil and showing Tony's last interaction with Uncle June.
09:13 You two ran North Jersey.
09:15 We did?
09:16 Yeah.
09:18 Well, that's nice.
09:22 But the biggest talking point is saved for the closing moments as Tony's fate is left up in the air.
09:26 His glances toward the diner entrance could be part of Tony's paranoia or a prelude to an assassination.
09:32 When the tension reaches its peak, the screen cuts to darkness.
09:35 Years later, the suddenness of the show's end still has us reeling.
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10:01 Few shows can claim a finale that satisfies everybody, but the acclaimed HBO series Six Feet Under came quite close.
10:13 I can't be at home right now.
10:16 Where will you go?
10:18 Here.
10:21 Oh.
10:23 The last episode sees the Fisher family come into terms with the early passing of eldest sibling, Nate.
10:28 It eschews plot twists and last-minute revelations for a humanized portrayal of people moving forward.
10:33 To Nate.
10:34 To Nate.
10:36 To Nate.
10:38 To Nate.
10:41 To my firstborn.
10:45 Of course, the part that takes the episode to another level is the final montage.
10:49 Set to the stirring track "Breathe Me" by Sia, we watch as every member of the family meets their end across decades.
10:55 By the end, viewers are encouraged to reflect on the show, but also take an introspective look at their own lives.
11:11 What TV finale left you without words? Be sure to let us know in the comments.
11:15 Take it sleazy.
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11:25 [music]