Snowflake Challenge 2024 - challenge 6

[meridian_rose]

Challenge #6 - share a favourite piece of original canon (a show, a specific TV episode, a storyline, a book or series, a scene from a movie, etc) and explain why you love it so much

This is a difficult one because how do I narrow it down to one scene, one episode, of one thing?!

So I'm going with the ending of "Hercules: The Legendary Journeys" (the show which spawned the spin off Xena: Warrior Princess and introduced me to Bruce Campbell as Autolycus and I've loved so much of his work since) because it's one of those rare endings I don't hate. At the end of the last episode Hercules and Iolaus decide to retire.

They sit down. Pause.

Okay, enough of that.

And off they go. There are more adventure to be had, we just won't see them.

(At least that's how I recall it. I can't find an English copy on Youtube but if you speak German you can watch it)

Watch on YouTube

None of the too often finales/epilogues in so many movies, tv shows, and books where everyone is dead or married with babies or dead after having babies. No the world ended or all the magic left the world or everyone forgoet all about their adventures so it basically may as well not have happened. No twisting or decline of the characters into unlikeable, unrecognisable, versions of those you fell in love with. None of the bs you often get which ends this is OVER and we've burned it, put it in a box, buried it, and salted the earth, stop thinking about it, writing fic for it or otherwise loving it - please watch our next show 'k thanx bye'

The original Leverage was another - so well done that despite the teasing of character death in this teaser trailer not only pulled its usual bait and switch to give a happy ending, but left things open for it's current resurrected form as Leverage: Redemption.

Watch on YouTube

I can name dozens of things I hate the ending of or noped out of before the last episode.

Hercules, and the original Leverage are two foremost examples where I can say I watched to the end and came away satisfied.

Comments

[wendelah1]

This is a tough one, isn't it? Let's see. The ending for The Americans was exactly what I would have written had it been my privilege to do so. But the entire series was so well-crafted, and they had their end goal in mind at the very beginning of the series. The ending for The Good Place was perfect. Wow. I got a little choked up just thinking about it. I think they also had their ending in mind before they started the series.

There's my two.

[luthien]

+1 for both these endings. I still remember that shot at the station platform as the train pulled away in the final episode of The Americans. Soooo well done.

I also want to add the ending of Blackadder to the list. It was very sad, and very, very much an ending, but utterly perfect: the show was always heading towards that moment. And even though it was an incredibly final ending, I am still thinking about it decades later, as are many other people who watched it at that time and since - so it's the opposite of the "stop thinking about it" type of ending. And actually, after I watched the final episode of The Good Place, the final episode of Blackadder was what immediately came to mind. Different, but similar, and really beautifully executed.

[meridian_rose]

Blackadder is so well done but so sad. Even now though I do wonder if there wasn't more Blackadder possible, another descendent we could see. (In the wonderful Christmas episode we see Future!Blackadders...)

[meridian_rose]

It's nice when an ending works and doesn't sour things for you :)

[brumeier]

I met Bruce Campbell at a Xena/Hercules convention back in...1999? He was awesome and funny, and I absolutely loved him as Autolycus! And before that, Briscoe County Jr. Legendary! ::grins::

[meridian_rose]

That's great! I met Bruce at a convention too in London but I can't remember the date off the top of my head. He was funny. Robert Trebor was there too and he was lovely; there was a meet and greet the evening before the convention and his pa made sure he met everyone and greeted us by name and he was an absolute darling and told some amazing stories :) Ted Raimi was there or at another I went to; I didn't meet him but he was very funny. A good bunch overall I'd say.
I never got to see Briscoe County Jr at least not to this day! But I remember fans talking about it and sharing screengrabs and quotes, etc - and we're back to my nostalgia for fansites!
I loved him in Burn Notice and I read an interview where he said he could see that as another resurrected show and how his character would work in it and I would watch the hell of it. (That's another show that ended with one more death than I'd have liked but was overall satisfying!)

[brumeier]

Briscoe County was so good, and so funny! And featured my boy John Pyper-Ferguson, who I love. Ahead of it's time, maybe.

Bruce Campbell was awesome in Burn Notice! I'd absolutely watch more of him in that role!

[luthien]

Xena was my very first online fandom, and the very first canon I wrote fanfic for. I have such fond memories of Bruce as Autolycus! And of course the first time my partner saw him in the role, he was all "That's the guy from the Evil Dead!" - so he wound up watching with me.

I also have really fond memories of that fandom because of the Ksmithares mailing list (aka KSA) - that's where the fannish conversation was for all things Ares - where I met two people who are still among my closest friends now.

[meridian_rose]

Aww, it's so nice when people share where they first got into fandom and the Xena fandom was always so nice from what I remember. Ares was such a great character, and Kevin Smith such a tragic loss.

[under_the_silk_tree]

I loved both of those shows and those endings. They were both great shows. Good examples!

[meridian_rose]

Thank you :D They're the foremost examples that come to mind :)

[meridian_rose]

Sorry, but thinking a bit more and seeing your Librarians icon on the other post, that last season of Librarians was a bit out there with some major retcon but that wasn't a terrible ending, as far as I recall?
I read via the Leverage/Dean Devlin comm that they're working on a new Librarians themed show url and I really hope the cast can return in guest spots!

[under_the_silk_tree]

I agree it was a bit out there but not terrible. I heard about the possibility of a new Librarians' show. I am very excited and would totally love it if the original cast got a chance to return as well. I have been missing how involved I was with this show. I wrote so much fanfic and just all-in in a way I haven't been with another fandom since then.

[meridian_rose]

You wrote so much fic! :D Sometimes a particular fandom just grabs you. I hope you find such inspiration again soon :)