Top Ten Thursday: TV Series Finales

[No worries, this is spoiler-free!] There are so many shows out there, yet so little time to watch all of them. We may choose to watch only popular or critically acclaimed ones, but the truth is regardless of whether a show has had a good or bad course, the last episode can always go the other way. There are bad shows with great endings, good shows with bad endings, and if I’m being honest I’m not sure which case is better. Here’s my list of favorite top 10 series endings till today (do note there are countless shows I haven’t seen).

• 10 – Lost

I’m listing this here not because of its greatness but because it marked this show’s end. Okay, jokes aside, it wasn’t horrible. It was something and it was likely the best it could have been after everything that happened in the previous seasons. This show got so complex, with double and triple meanings and “it’s up to you to decide what that is” that I was expecting it’d have a joke of a finale. And while the finale doesn’t really reveal much, it was decently done and managed to wrap up a series that should have ended way sooner.

• 9 – The Sopranos

I’ve previously mentioned (might not have been here on this blog but I’ve definitely expressed that previously) that this show wasn’t really my cup of tea — but I cannot deny that it was quality TV. Its finale was controversial, some people still aren’t over how it ended, but I believe it was a bold move and something unique. If you’ve watched it, whether you loved it or hated it, it’s definitely something you’ll remember.

• 8 – House MD

To be upfront here, I started hating this series because it got so ridiculously repetitive and lost all signs of a plot in it. It was basically running season after season because of the main character and his responses to those around him. Except in their final season it improved significantly, and managed to deliver a satisfying end to what was becoming a tiresome song on repeat.

• 7 – 30 Rock

I feel this show was starting to become slower as time went by, but it picked up the pace for its ending and it certainly delivered a quality finale. So many references, so many jokes, so many references to jokes, and yet it also provided a lot of sweet and touching moments. It was a refreshing episode that shows the spirit of the whole series.

• 6 – Buffy the Vampire Slayer

A fantastic wrap up, a lot of highly emotional farewells, and overall a great ending for a great series. I

• 5 – The Office

Small time jump, a reunion for all employees throughout the series, and a wedding. Maybe it’s all of those things that, maybe it’s the emotions, maybe it’s the humor, but the Office’s finale was a satisfying end to a very long (yet always funny and true to itself) series. I don’t believe it could have ended any better.

• 4 – Friends

Another comedy, another very long series, and another fantastic ending. Everyone takes their separate way (except Ross with Rachel and Chandler with Monica), some sad farewells are said, a final cup of coffee is to be taken at the one and only place, and we have a final look at the now-empty apartments which look so sad.

• 3 – Six Feet Under

I loved their series finale for two very simple reasons — it gave closure for all characters, but all of that was done by an episode completely different from how they ran the whole show. And it was the good kind of different. In many aspects I believe this show can teach every writer or producer a thing or two, because despite all their flaws it will go down in history as one of the best series.

• 2 – Parks and Recreation

This one just took place but it has strongly placed itself near the top. After their previous season’s final episode I thought they will never manage to produce anything better for a finale. That episode in itself was better than most series finales, making anything as good as that was mission impossible. Yet, they managed to accomplish said impossible mission and delivered a finale which not only wraps up everything, but provides a lengthy and detailed view at the happenings of many characters from the series (both leading and supporting ones). Humor mixed with sadness, laughter mixed with tears. Ron Swanson would likely say “crying: accepted at funerals, the Grand Canyon, and the series finale of Parks and Recreation.”

• 1 – Breaking Bad

There was a lot of talk about this one and it’s clear everyone didn’t enjoy it. But to me, it was perfect. It featured everything I think it needed to have, nothing less and nothing more. That’s how the whole series was, in my humble opinion, and I love that they stayed true to their goals. I had many scenarios in my head about which direction the show will take for the finale, but in the end I’m pleased with how things actually went down.

Of Friends & Foes

“I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.” ~ Martin Luther King

It has now been 50 years since the iconic speech of Martin Luther King, I Have A Dream, delivered on the 28th of August, 1963, at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C. Five decades later, and that dream still remains a dream, far away from reality. The racial discrimination has definitely sunk down since, but one can still see the ship right beneath the surface of the water. Even if racial discrimination is ever left in humanity’s past, what about discrimination based on age, sex, religion, sexual orientation, looks, disabilities, and all the other forms of this venom humanity has been using daily for millenniums now? Is there any possibility that every human being can live a single day without the fear of being treated differently? The answer to that lies within each of us, but only when everyone chooses the right answer it can truly become reality.

“The truth is, everyone is going to hurt you. You just got to find the ones worth suffering for.” ~ Bob Marley

We mark our lives and history with nothing but labels. If one is persistent to put a label on other people, then obviously some can be friends, some foes, and some can remain unlabeled. But are our friends fully “friends”, and are foes fully “foes? My personal opinion, which is similar to Marley’s quote above, is that there exists no human being who completely fits the description of a friend or a foe. Every human being we interact with will, eventually, in some way, hurt us and help us. We might not know how, we might not notice it, but sooner or later it is bound to happen and it is everything but insignificant. Every little details counts toward shaping our lives and with that shaping ourselves as a character.

People are going to hurt us, sometimes more times than they’re going to help us, because it’s how the world works. If they are truly our friends then it will always be unintentional, and if they are our foes then it will always be intentional. But the worst kinds are those in-between. Friends are great as they’re there to return to you the help you give them in times of need, and foes are brilliant as they’re there to keep us motivated and moving forward. But those in-between, there is nothing good in them and relying on them will surely bring you to your downfall. They’re not reliable, they’re never there where you need them but are always there when they need you, they’d never even have anything to do with you unless they didn’t have some use of you or see potential use and are simply keeping you around in case they need you. Those are the folks that would be happy to see your downfall so as long as it ensures they keep going up. Treachery and pain are their main skills, and they’ll use them often and freely.

“I’m not upset that you lied to me, I’m upset that from now on I can’t believe you.” ~ Friedrich Nietzsche

To trust someone means to be willing to put your life in their hands. It means trusting them with the greatest of all responsibilities — keeping you soul intact. But in this world that is nothing like the one Martin Luther King envisioned, how do you decide whom to give that responsibility to? How do we decide the worth of a human being? The answer is, sadly, you can’t. At least you will never know unless the opposite happens. The saying “innocent until proven otherwise” is how we often see people. We try to keep the best of them in front of us, we try to make friends before making foes. And, although many people say forgiving is all, doesn’t one have to be super naive and frankly a bit stupid to forgive everyone and for everything? Doesn’t that only lead to more pain and suffering? Or well, forgive, but do not forget. If you’re fooled once, make sure you’re not fooled twice.

As it happens, I tend to do the opposite method of seeing everyone as “guilty until proven otherwise”. This was not always the case, but over time in life you learn that nothing is as it seems, it’s usually worse and the worst has yet to come. I’m a Weeping Angel statue ready to send to oblivion anyone who turns their back to me, or even blinks (read: lies) to my face. Once, humanity’s goal was to work together and advance as a species, but nowadays we’re trying to advance our gadgets and technologies and while doing those upgrades we’re downgrading our value as species. We’re no longer what we are, now we are what society wants us to be. I only pity the dreamers such as Martin Luther King, who will likely never see their dreams fulfilled.

Sadness, Be Gone!

I’ve been a bit behind on both writing and reading blog posts, and I truly am sorry about that. I wish I had more time on my hands, but alas, I cannot travel in time. Anyway, this post is on request of a certain dorky person I love a lot. She’s been feeling sad, and I’m here to change that!

We meet new people on a daily basis, but when exactly do we classify one as a friend? From what point do we decide to allow ourselves to trust them? The only right answer here would be “it doesn’t matter.” What is important is to not become dependent on people. Friends are friends, they’re fun to have around, but it also hurts when they leave or turn their back on you. So one needs to be able to keep their distance, at least until they’re sure they have chosen the right company.

In my 20 years of life which seemed rather long, I have changed my group of friends a couple of times at the least. Even nowadays, with the friends with whom I’ve spent the last several years, I cannot consider everyone a true friend. The fact is that the more time you spend with people, you will discover more and more about them and their acts. By observing their deeds you can understand who is worth keeping around and who isn’t. You don’t need a dozen of fake friends in your life, you just need a close few who will be there for you no matter what.

Sure, the more the merrier, but only as long as you know them well and you are sure they can be trusted. Either way, you should never let friendship become a necessity. Support is great, but family should also be able to provide that, and even if it can’t, there is still no excuse for leading your life in the form of liability. Everyone has their weak and strong sides, you need to work on improving the first and channeling the latter to maximum. This way you will provide yourself with support, instead of relying on other people. Because if someone who trusts becomes someone who hurts you, you will find yourself in a bad place.

Yet not trusting anyone won’t do you any good, you need to open yourself to others. You need to let go of your stress and emotions in order to prevent a possible explosion in your head. But, you also must take care and never linger on the past or lost friends. Friends are like cookies – the really good ones are very rare. And you also need to work on those cookies if they are to become very good – your actions can influence others and make them better people (or well, worse people otherwise).

Basically, don’t feel bad if you break a friendship because that “friend” hurt you. If they were your friend they wouldn’t have hurt you in the first place. You are the tree of life, they are rotten branches – cut them off. No worries, you’ll grow new ones very soon. As long as the sun is shining and your feet are on the Earth, this circle will never end. Let the bad branches fall and spring new ones, better ones, show the old ones that it’s them who have lost, not you.

You are as radiant and beautiful as the sun is – act that way. Don’t let a few small rocks from outer space screw up your route. Let your ignorance burn them down, turn the way your true friends are. *hugs* 🙂