Endings are Hard

Well, here it is, My final post on the blog. 

I was thrilled to be invited here in 2021, and my first post was published almost exactly two years ago. My first appearance on here was about eighteen months before that, where I discussed our pandemic rewatch of the Star Wars films with Karissa Laurel and Mary Fan. It's been a fun two years, where I got to write about AI created TV shows, Jack Reacher, how to approach art from creators who are assholes, and introduce many of you to the cutest dog in the world. It's been great to have a place to share my thoughts on things that I didn't otherwise have an outlet for. 

 As this blog draws to a close, I got to thinking about what makes a good ending. We all have examples of  an ending that feels satisfying and endings that don't. (Hoo boy, do I have examples of shows that didn't stick the landing... Too bad the blog is wrapping up because I could write a few thousand words about Game of Thrones and how they screwed over Danerys and WTF with King Bran and... deep breath... cool blue ocean...)

But, in the time we have left together, let's focus on the positive. For me, one of the most satisfying endings ever came from the HBO drama, Six Feet Under. The show was good for about three seasons and kinda wonky for the last two, but the finale...

In case you are unfamiliar with this 20-year old prestige soap opera, it centered on a family-owned funeral home, Fisher & Sons, and the foibles of the staff. One of the hooks of the show was that the cold open each week would show someone dying, often in a fairly gruesome or macabre way (like the woman who stood out of the sunroof of her limo and got slammed by a traffic light). The episode would feature the staff preparing their funeral while their own personal dramas played out, giving you a bit of a window into the life the deceased had.

For the final scene, the daughter, Claire, is driving off to college. As she heads east through the desert, the episode flashed forward, showing glimpses of the lives of her family and their partners and children. And it also shows how each one of them will meet their end. Most live long and happy lives, some end unexpectedly (RIP poor Keith Charles' security guard character), but it absolutely feels true to the series. 

While the series may have gotten wildly off track in its last two seasons, the finale definitely nailed what fans liked about the show. Every character had their story completed, every arc was paid off in a satisfying way that was true to the characters. The subtext of the series about life at a funeral home was always that life can end unexpectedly, so treasure what you have. Especially those around you. 

Thank you to everyone who read my posts over the last two years. Thank you to this blog for hosting me. Thank you to Karissa and Mary for inviting me to come write. 

And if you want to follow me or more of my writing, you can find me at Instagram and Bluesky under the handle @vgcatano, and over at the pop-culture site TheWorkprint.com

And Dany will miss you all as well, so come and visit her on Instagram where you can see more cuteness.

Until we meet again.

Victor Catano lives in New York City with his wonderful wife, Kim, and his adorable pughuaua, Danerys. When not writing, he works in live theater as a stage manager, production manager, and chaos coordinator. His hobbies include coffee, Broadway musicals, and complaining about the NY Mets and Philadelphia Eagles. Follow him on Bluesky and Instagram @vgcatano and find his books on Amazon