tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12380553.post2588255454601291988..comments2024-03-29T04:57:26.162-04:00Comments on John Kenneth Muir's Reflections on Cult Movies and Classic TV: All's Well That Ends Well: Final Episodes, Cliffhangers and GoodbyesJohn Kenneth Muirhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15629979615332893780noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12380553.post-12368706468253418552009-10-03T22:54:14.176-04:002009-10-03T22:54:14.176-04:00Interesting choices. However, the BLAKE'S SEVE...Interesting choices. However, the BLAKE'S SEVEN one is all the more intriguing when you realise that the producers had set it up as 'just another' season cliffhanger, as they thought there would be a fifth season where the battle with the Federation would end for good. They were taken aback when the BBC dropped it after Season 4 got very good ratings.<br /><br />To that end, we actually avoided what could have been the biggest cop-out ending in genre history in favour of what is regarded as the most brutal (although I would put ANGEL's not far behind it).<br /><br />BABYLON 5 and DEEP SPACE NINE I would put forwards as good examples of shows that also had good endings.Adam Whiteheadhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11383677312079611311noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12380553.post-5894784994603163572009-07-23T14:56:57.586-04:002009-07-23T14:56:57.586-04:00Been a long while since viewing, but I loved the l...Been a long while since viewing, but I loved the last episode of the prisoner, metaphysical, but also very deep with regards to individualism vs collectivism & imagined self-identity. The faceless groups of 'anarchists' 'loyalists' etc... being enraged at not being able to pigeon-hole him. Themselves having lost true individual identity for adopting socially acceptable monikers. <br />And of course, No.1 being himself, IMO, can be construed to be that you are ultimately responsible for the mental prison you put yourself in. but of course that is one of many ways to interpret it, which I why I loved the finale. <br /><br />Just thought I'd also mention another British, (but hard to find) series much recommended, which you may enjoy, called 'Dead Head', scripted by Howard Brenton http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dead_Head_(TV_series)<br />More info here: http://www.startrader.co.uk/Action%20TV/guide80s/deadhead.htm<br /><br />on the RHS column. With a bit of searching you should be able to locate a copy, but the http://www.classicuktv.co.uk/ site where I got mine, seems to be not working anymore.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12380553.post-87826751452402526382009-07-22T13:57:35.150-04:002009-07-22T13:57:35.150-04:00I'd like to mention the ending of John Doe- a ...I'd like to mention the ending of John Doe- a finale that not only ended in the traditional cliffhanger, but was also the kind of ending that took everything we knew about the show and it's chracters, and "flipped it on its head", so to speak (that phrase sounds better in my native language, I know) - giving us a whole new perspective on the show.<br /><br />I didn't care much for the ending of The X-Files- it was pretty weak for my taste, but I did like the fact that the ending for The Lone Gunmen occurred on an episode of The X-Files - something that doesn't happen much in television. <br />It also had the coolest name for an episode- "Jump the Shark"- named after..well, you know the whole Fonzy thing. (-:Nirnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12380553.post-1027455230488550302009-07-22T12:31:40.714-04:002009-07-22T12:31:40.714-04:00The Prisoner remains my favorite television series...The Prisoner remains my favorite television series of all time, followed closely by Doctor Who in all of its incarnations. <br /><br />How about that last bit of "Survival," the last episode of Classic Who?<br /><br />"There are worlds out there where the sky is burning, where the sea is asleep and the rivers dream; people made of smoke and cities made of song. Somewhere there's danger, somewhere there's injustice, and somewhere else the tea is getting cold. Come on, Ace, we've got work to do."Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01954838068836802591noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12380553.post-43715968535066827462009-07-22T10:01:20.315-04:002009-07-22T10:01:20.315-04:00Another fascinating finale to a series that divide...Another fascinating finale to a series that divided fans and critics alike is, of course, TWIN PEAKS. I thought it was quite brilliant Lynch took us deep into the Black Lodge as Agent Cooper fought (unsuccessfully at it turns out) for his soul. We also catch glimpses of the fate of Leland and Laura Palmer along the way.<br /><br />I also appreciate it another context. At the time, Lynch had been away from the show and when he returned was shocked at how it had mutated since he was absent (Coop wearing lumberjack shirts?!) and he decided to end things in shocking fashion, throwing out most of the scrip that had been written and doing his own thing, nearly killing off half of the principal cast or leaving their fates unknown. I got the feeling that he knew the show had been canceled and this was big kiss-off to the network.<br /><br />I remember when I first saw this episode when it was broadcast and being absolutely blown away by it. Lynch had somehow brought an absurdist/surrealist quality to mainstream TV. Amazing stuff.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08164105442273577128noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12380553.post-89297323475068523742009-07-22T09:19:26.496-04:002009-07-22T09:19:26.496-04:00I wish more Tv shows had the stones to go full-fre...I wish more Tv shows had the stones to go full-freak like The Prisoner for their finales... c'mon, wouldn't a psychedelic weird-out have been a much better way to wrap up "Galactica" or "The X-Files"? <br /><br />BTW I think it's time for a re-appraisal of the Monkees' movie "Head"... it's very similar to "Fall-Out" in many ways. <br /><br />Also BTW, speaking of psychedelic weird-outs a note that the X-Files' "Jose Chung's From Outer Space" was clearly inspired by the work of John Keel ("The Mothman Prophecies), who passed away a few days back. He was the most prominent paranormal researcher to investigate the genuine "weirdness" that surrounds UFO phenomena (and I'm not talking about its fan base)DLRnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12380553.post-69566008756319884262009-07-22T07:02:39.238-04:002009-07-22T07:02:39.238-04:00I was watching Fall Out the other night, by coinci...I was watching Fall Out the other night, by coincidence, and I noticed something much more resonant now than it was then, such as to make the series almost nostalgic.<br /><br />The theme of the show, right there in the title, is imprisonment. Now, just to remind you, Leo McKern’s Number 2 walks back into Parliament, initially in his village outfit but in the last shot in civil service garb – bowler hat, briefcase, newspaper rolled under the arm, brolly.<br /><br />But what struck me as rather sad is that nowadays strolling up to the gates of Parliament and walking in the door is impossible. <br /><br />Because the Houses of Parliament are now surrounded by a twenty foot high reinforced steel fence set into concrete blocks, with big spikey bits on top to discourage trespassers. Worse, any suspicious activity within a kilometer of Parliament, such as wearing a t-shirt that says ex PM Tony was a B-liar or chanting loudly, can subject one to arrest. <br /><br />So parking a ruddy great lorry outside then jumping up and down in front of a policeman whilst a dwarf looks on is probably right out…<br /><br />What a pity Pat died earlier this year, he missed the ultimate joke. I live in a country in which Parliament has imprisoned itself out of cowardice, and watches the populace outside through cameras. The result ? A division between the country and its representatives such that they are currently soiling themselves about the results of the pending General Election because the public has discovered the extent to which it’s MPs have been embezzling public funds. Vox populi is at an all time high and they fear it…he’d have loved that.<br /><br />Oh, and next time you watch Blake listen to the final gun shots over the credits. Mary Ridge deliberately left us with more of an enigma than you might have thought<br /><br />Favourite ending – the saga of the Fifth Doctor. It caps the whole tone of the Davison era, a Doctor who regularly endures agony for those he intends to protect – so he atones for his early failure to save Adric by sacrificing himself for his latest companion, dying with the lost boy’s name on his lips.Gatchamandavenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12380553.post-68021289024180693602009-07-22T06:23:11.914-04:002009-07-22T06:23:11.914-04:00Hey Jmilesgran,
Thanks for writing. I'm a bi...Hey Jmilesgran,<br /><br />Thanks for writing. I'm a big fan of The Fugitive, it's just that I tried to keep the focus on sci-fi/genre shows, in keeping with the essay about Battlestar Galactica.<br /><br />thanks<br />John Kenneth MuirJohn Kenneth Muirhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15629979615332893780noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12380553.post-23849435666786870882009-07-22T01:08:46.949-04:002009-07-22T01:08:46.949-04:00Surprised that there is no mention of the first ev...Surprised that there is no mention of the first ever series finale: The Fugitive.<br /><br />Also, MASH and Bob Newhart had great endings. But The Fugitive remains my favorite all time show if not the best ending.Mrstormsurgehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08979442670384492209noreply@blogger.com