Nate appears to most everyone in this episode; he taunts and insults Brenda, he eggs David to face his fears, he has a poignant chat with Claire. This is all quality, top-notch stuff, just the emotional and fitting tying up of loose ends you'd expect from a series finale. But what pushes "Everyone's Waiting" over the top to become the grandest of them all is a final montage, as we watch Claire drive to her new life in New York, of the deaths of every single major character, all set to Sia's beautiful "Breathe Me." It's an unprecedented move, and one that completely works within the context of the series; after all, the tagline for the season had been, "Everything. Everyone. Everywhere. Ends." The montage is a gut punch, one that hits you hard. Ruth dies with her family around her, seeing visions of Nathaniel, both Jr. and Sr.; Keith is shot to death, the only violent demise any of the characters face; David dies at a family picnic watching his sons play football, right after he sees Keith come up and catch the ball; Brenda dies as Billy blathers on; and Claire lives to be 102, blind, a cruel fate for a photographer. It is quite possibly the single most affecting piece of television I have ever seen.
One of the things that made Six Feet Under so great was that all of the characters were fully realized people, to the point that getting to look in on their lives felt like some kind of privilege. "Everyone's Waiting" conjures that feeling more than any other episode. The years of each character's death are listed after we watch them die, and there are times when I'll take a strange sort of comfort from knowing that somewhere out there, Ruth is still alive, and she's still got time. They may have been fictional, but these people were one hell of a family.
What were your favorite series finales? And if you're going to divulge spoilers, don't forget to give a little warning!
Article comments
— go to most recent comments1 - Will Penley
My favorite series finale would definitely be the long-slaved-over culmination of Clerks: The Animated Series, graciously provided to the series' creators by the wonderful network that is ABC.
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2 - El Bicho
You've left off quite a few classic endings that are legendary moments in television. Where's Newhart, St Elsewhere, The Fugitive, Howdy Doody, Mary Tyler Moore?
Nice to see OZ get a mention, but the majority of these fall into such a narrow timeframe and nerd mindset that who knows if some of your choices will be able to stand the test of time. Surely, that terrible BSG mess will long be forgotten for some bad writing that too many fans are sadly willing to overlook.
3 - Arlo J. Wiley
Well, these are totally subjective choices, and they're definitely the ones that mean the most to me.
I wouldn't really count a show like Howdy Doody on a list like this, by which I mean a show that didn't tell a story. If I did, the last episode of The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson would've made the cut. I can't say that I'm too partial to the other shows you mentioned (I keep meaning to watch The Fugitive, though).
And as for BSG, do you mean the series as a whole or just the finale? If it's the finale, I can certainly understand where you're coming from, and I've had discussions about its arguable shortcomings, but it worked for me.
4 - Wesley Mead
Stellar choices, AJ! "Six Feet Under" is certainly a worthy number one. What a stunning 75 minutes of television.
Good to see the likes of "Arrested Development" and "Buffy", too. Personally, I'd have found room for "Frasier" and "Cheers", but I can't disagree with any of your picks here -- well, of the seven I've seen. Great stuff.
5 - Rebecca
Whenever this topic comes up, I always think of "The Mary Tyler Moore Show." Even if you didn't watch the series, the final episode is so brilliantly written and acted, an undeniably amazing cap to a great show. Arlo, if you've never seen that one episode, grab a box of Kleenex and give it a whirl. You'll laugh, you'll cry, and you'll see what all the fuss is about (and probably replace something on your list, I'd replace BSG).
And kudo's for choosing "Oz" at all - totally underrated show - and "Six Feet Under" as number one. What an amazing ending.
6 - Baron
The Shield is absent. Really? It was far better than the majority, if not all, of these listed.
7 - Chris
was hoping six feet under was number 1... "wonder years" is right there though!!
8 - Rev
The Shield was by far the best series finale I have ever seen...just as their series blew the Sopranos out of the water, so did their finale...hands down.
9 - Rev
wonder years was a really good one, too.
10 - Jen
The finale of the West Wing is one of my favorites. The behind the scenes of inauguration day was cool.
11 - alastor
I'm a really emotional guy but I DO NOT cry easily. But Six Feet Under just blew me away, I cried all throughout the final montage of the deaths of all the characters. Though others say that that sequence was a bit over the top, I have to agree with you that it was fitting to end the series that way. As to its being number 1, I don't think I've watched enough shows to agree with you. :)
12 - Mike
Seriously, where was The Shield? Did the writer just not watch the show or was it just a mistake? I haven't seen a lot of these, but for as much as I enjoyed AD, The Shield's finale blows it out of the water.
13 - Mike
Newhart, Mash, Six feet Under, but what makes me mad are when networks like ABC terminate shows like Life on Mars, Pushing Daisies, Eli Stone, and only LOM's will get a proper ending
14 - Terry
The Twin Peaks finale is superior to most of these. In fact, all of these are from very recent shows. Is the writer sixteen-years-old?
15 - El Bicho
Everything is subjective, but if you are going to title something the ten best, you should have some sense of history. Throw out M*A*S*H and this would be better titled "...of the Past 10 Years."
The Shield was a very good one as well. I can't remember Twin Peaks.
In regards to BSG, the final season was an absolute mess.
16 - Bonkerz
If you really want to see compelling television, check out the finale of Wonder Showzen
17 - Sara
Um, no. We're forgetting "Friends"... the way they all walked out of the apartment one last time, leaving the keys, and onto a separate and more grown-up existence... plus Ross and Rachel finally reunited. It was exactly what the fans wanted (including great comedy), and there wasn't a dry eye when that finale aired.
18 - MissLobyt
Will & Grace : The Finale. To me, it was the best finale ever. Jack & Karen are the funniest couple in the tv history and that duet was really "Unforgettable"!!!
19 - John W
I think you already mentioned my two favorite season finales: Buffy and Angel.
20 - yinzer b
I can't believe no one has mentioned "The Wire" Amazing finale for an amazing show.
21 - Dr Dreadful
My favorite TV finale was Everybody Loves Raymond, because it meant that show wouldn't be on any more.
22 - Arlo J. Wiley
Well, sorry that almost all of these are fairly recent, guys. I considered adding the finale of All in the Family, but apart from that, I can't think of very many older finales that have meant as much to me as these do.
Also, I've only seen the first season of The Wire (which I loved to pieces), and as soon as I finish that, it's on to The Shield.
23 - Johnnycakes
Good piece but this nonsense about the Sopranos finale needs to stop. Please watch the scene again, Tony is as happy as he can be. He isnt paranoid at all. Chase has all but said Tony died. It's the greatest finale in TV history.
Below is an astonishing piece on the ending. Just read Part 2 of the essay linked below to fully understand the depth and beauty of 'the Sopranos'. Actually you should read the whole the thing but Part 2 is really a moving elegy to the show.
What is most impressive is that the writer has crafted a rather exhaustive critique of the conclusion of the final episode, while also providing a larger contextual view, of which the ending is a piece.
The writer also offers an analysis of the final scene and the sequence of shots that I havent read elsewhere. The essay also contains a fascinating look at the Kevin Finnerty coma dreams, the connection between Phil and Tony in the final season and of course, the meaning of those ducks and how they relate to the final scene.
What it expresses more than anything else is that David Chase created one of the great works of art of the last century. Reading this I want to watch the whole series again.
24 - alirai
good choices in general...Six feet under was definately AMAZING.im not ashamed to admit that i wept like a baby the last three episodes of that show.
another show i'd like to mention is 'the wire' which is arguably the best hsow of all time and the finale was definately up there and extremely fitting, quite possibly the best piece of television i have ever seen.
25 - alirai
its also great to see 'freaks and geeks' get the credit it deserves, probably the most underrated and overlooked show in tv history.