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Games

The Bittersweet Satisfaction of Finishing a Beloved Show

It feels pretty great to see a TV series to its conclusion. And also, a little painful.
Image courtesy BBC America

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In the last couple of days, I’ve finished up two TV shows I’d been watching for awhile: Boardwalk Empire, the prohibition-era gangster series, and Orphan Black, a mildly schlocky, truly lovable sci-fi show. While Orphan Black hit me harder (it’s a show I really fell in love with, after all), both series end on high notes, with fitting ends for their respective heroes (and anti-heroes, and villains).

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Orphan Black’s finale (which first aired last year, during the time I was just getting acquainted with the show) resonated hard, asking tough questions about “where do we go from here” when certain conflicts are no longer the driving force of a drama. When losses hit a little too hard. It’s an emotional, satisfying payoff for a series that always wears its very earnest heart on its sleeve, a particular delight when working in sci-fi.

As for Boardwalk Empire, well, the less I say about Nucky’s fate, the better!

Image courtesy HBO

With both shows, and with anything I like that ends, really, there’s a sadness too. That bittersweet feeling that a world I’ve enjoyed being in, with characters I like spending time with, is now closed off. Sure, I can relive those adventures. But it’ll never be quite the same.

I’m not sure if I’m a total weirdo, or if its frankly the point of great fiction (or simply, resonant fiction), but a good finale to a show I love has always had more impact on me than real-life events that are supposed to be meaningful. Like graduations. Weddings. The right fiction is nourishing in ways life can be cold, and there's a lot to be said for the fact that the right pieces are like chosen family, in some strange and important ways.

How about you, readers? What’s a series you’ve followed all the way to the end, to feel the bittersweet sting of a chapter closed?

Have thoughts? Swing by Waypoint’s forums to share them!