M*A*S*H* is the #1 most watched series finale in television history, and also considered to be one of-if not the best-series finale in television history. Since then, it could be said that that show tricked people into believing that finales are important.
They aren’t.
At least, not in the way we seem to think that they are. Yes, they matter, but not to the degree that we hold them to. Once again, our hypercritical state of mind in 2013 puts us as the judge, jury and executioner. You have to understand that first of all…they don’t write this for YOU. Most of these shows-especially these serialized shows-are written by people who want to tell a story THEY THEMSELVES want to hear. They rarely do it for the audience. When you sign onto watching something, you’re almost signing a contract that says, “I know I’m not going to be happy with some of this, but let’s do it anyway”.
Art isn’t about making other people happy. Art is about making YOURSELF happy. Somewhere along the way people got lost and started thinking that series finales had to tend to their every whim and desire. No. If anything, all it really HAS to give you is closure, and it doesn’t even HAVE to do that. You’re not entitled to JACK SHIT. You’re watching THEIR show. You want to write an ending to something? Make YOUR show. For this reason, I am not letting myself get hyped about the series finale to Breaking Bad. Not because I’m not interested in what’s going to go down (because I AM) but because I’m sure I’ll love some stuff and I’m sure some stuff will just be sort of “meh”.
But stuff is sort of “meh” in shows even BEFORE a series finale, so why does the finale get all the hate when a show may have ticked you off or made enormous mistakes episodes or SEASONS earlier? Is it because it’s the last episode and they won’t be able to fix what they’ve done that you consider a problem? Honestly, I think a lot of it comes from the fact that they’re losing something they love and that’s it. They don’t want the program to end. A lot of people say “Man, if only this show could’ve lived on!” when a great series gets canceled, but do you REALLY mean that? Would you want to see it go downhill? Because it probably would happen.
I truly, honestly believe a lot of it stems from the fact that they’re just angry the show is OVER.
But on the other hand, it’s even stupider when you stop and realize that it really has no consequence to your life at all. It won’t affect your future or how you live day to day. And saying, “Well I stuck it out even though it got bad because I wanted to see how it ended!” is a cop out because you admit it ALREADY GOT BAD. Why stick with shit you HATE? At that point, you’re just LOOKING for a reason to be angry, as far as I’m concerned. I’m fine with the LOST finale, I’m fine with the ending of Harry Potter and I’m sure I’ll be fine with the ending to Breaking Bad as well.
Why? Because as long as it’s entertaining, it’s succeeded. That’s all they’re meant to do. Entertain. Even if it isn’t perfect, but is entertaining at least, it won. It succeeded. Game over. End of fucking story. And the next day I’ll get up, I’ll get dressed and go on about my life whether I loved the ending to Breaking Bad or not because dwelling on something as stupid as the ending of a fucking TV SHOW is absolutely INSANE.
People create petitions to change the endings to video games and they send death threats to writers, but nobody gives a FLYING SHIT that at any moment we could be 1 second away from another world war? Is THIS what we have come to? A society of hypercritical socialites, attacking any little thing that we hate JUST BECAUSE WE HAVE THE RIGHT TO? Freedom of speech wasn’t put on the bill of rights just for YOU to be a whiny bitch.
Finales suck. Get fuckin’ over it.
The end.
They aren’t.
At least, not in the way we seem to think that they are. Yes, they matter, but not to the degree that we hold them to. Once again, our hypercritical state of mind in 2013 puts us as the judge, jury and executioner. You have to understand that first of all…they don’t write this for YOU. Most of these shows-especially these serialized shows-are written by people who want to tell a story THEY THEMSELVES want to hear. They rarely do it for the audience. When you sign onto watching something, you’re almost signing a contract that says, “I know I’m not going to be happy with some of this, but let’s do it anyway”.
Art isn’t about making other people happy. Art is about making YOURSELF happy. Somewhere along the way people got lost and started thinking that series finales had to tend to their every whim and desire. No. If anything, all it really HAS to give you is closure, and it doesn’t even HAVE to do that. You’re not entitled to JACK SHIT. You’re watching THEIR show. You want to write an ending to something? Make YOUR show. For this reason, I am not letting myself get hyped about the series finale to Breaking Bad. Not because I’m not interested in what’s going to go down (because I AM) but because I’m sure I’ll love some stuff and I’m sure some stuff will just be sort of “meh”.
But stuff is sort of “meh” in shows even BEFORE a series finale, so why does the finale get all the hate when a show may have ticked you off or made enormous mistakes episodes or SEASONS earlier? Is it because it’s the last episode and they won’t be able to fix what they’ve done that you consider a problem? Honestly, I think a lot of it comes from the fact that they’re losing something they love and that’s it. They don’t want the program to end. A lot of people say “Man, if only this show could’ve lived on!” when a great series gets canceled, but do you REALLY mean that? Would you want to see it go downhill? Because it probably would happen.
I truly, honestly believe a lot of it stems from the fact that they’re just angry the show is OVER.
But on the other hand, it’s even stupider when you stop and realize that it really has no consequence to your life at all. It won’t affect your future or how you live day to day. And saying, “Well I stuck it out even though it got bad because I wanted to see how it ended!” is a cop out because you admit it ALREADY GOT BAD. Why stick with shit you HATE? At that point, you’re just LOOKING for a reason to be angry, as far as I’m concerned. I’m fine with the LOST finale, I’m fine with the ending of Harry Potter and I’m sure I’ll be fine with the ending to Breaking Bad as well.
Why? Because as long as it’s entertaining, it’s succeeded. That’s all they’re meant to do. Entertain. Even if it isn’t perfect, but is entertaining at least, it won. It succeeded. Game over. End of fucking story. And the next day I’ll get up, I’ll get dressed and go on about my life whether I loved the ending to Breaking Bad or not because dwelling on something as stupid as the ending of a fucking TV SHOW is absolutely INSANE.
People create petitions to change the endings to video games and they send death threats to writers, but nobody gives a FLYING SHIT that at any moment we could be 1 second away from another world war? Is THIS what we have come to? A society of hypercritical socialites, attacking any little thing that we hate JUST BECAUSE WE HAVE THE RIGHT TO? Freedom of speech wasn’t put on the bill of rights just for YOU to be a whiny bitch.
Finales suck. Get fuckin’ over it.
The end.
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