So I have to admit, when I first watched the final episode I thought it was the worst finale in television history. There was so much posturing and proselytizing that I hated throughout this final season, so much betrayal of so many of the characters they had carefully built up (the treatment of the Jane Davis character was especially egregious in its pathetic caricaturic transformation), all in the name of the worst kind of hipster political and cultural "cred". I could write a novel of everything I hated about the writing, character by character, all season long.
However, with all of that said, why on earth would I give this episode a high rating? Because the one character they were true to was Doug Stamper. Yes, that's why I think people are badly misreading what happened at the end. In his own words (paraphrased to past tense) "it didn't go the way you think." Now i would love to write a summary of my interpretation of what happened, but I don't think I'm allowed to do that here. Too much spoiler content. However, I will say that unlike lazy, completely ambiguous dreck like the endings of series like The Sopranos and Lost, all of the information necessary was laid out there in front of the viewer. This was more like the original ending of Roseanne, in that no matter how much horrible writing, shoddy characters, miscast actors, and generally acting that was clear it was mailed in over the entire last season, it all came back to its roots in the finale. I have always thought that Kevin Spaceys presence made the entertainment, but Doug Stampers character, with all of its complexities, made the show. Kelly was nothing short of a genius this entire series, and he was true to bringing us Doug Stamper right until the last few frames.
So all I can say is, if you are a fanatic about the first 2-3 seasons like I am, watch the last episode again, ask yourself what you think Doug would do based on all the information that you have and everything you know about this fascinating character over 5+ seasons...and then ask yourself if you don't see it staring right in front of you. To me, this was one of the worst final seasons of any series I have ever watched...but the finale actually reversed that opinion, rather than cementing it.
However, with all of that said, why on earth would I give this episode a high rating? Because the one character they were true to was Doug Stamper. Yes, that's why I think people are badly misreading what happened at the end. In his own words (paraphrased to past tense) "it didn't go the way you think." Now i would love to write a summary of my interpretation of what happened, but I don't think I'm allowed to do that here. Too much spoiler content. However, I will say that unlike lazy, completely ambiguous dreck like the endings of series like The Sopranos and Lost, all of the information necessary was laid out there in front of the viewer. This was more like the original ending of Roseanne, in that no matter how much horrible writing, shoddy characters, miscast actors, and generally acting that was clear it was mailed in over the entire last season, it all came back to its roots in the finale. I have always thought that Kevin Spaceys presence made the entertainment, but Doug Stampers character, with all of its complexities, made the show. Kelly was nothing short of a genius this entire series, and he was true to bringing us Doug Stamper right until the last few frames.
So all I can say is, if you are a fanatic about the first 2-3 seasons like I am, watch the last episode again, ask yourself what you think Doug would do based on all the information that you have and everything you know about this fascinating character over 5+ seasons...and then ask yourself if you don't see it staring right in front of you. To me, this was one of the worst final seasons of any series I have ever watched...but the finale actually reversed that opinion, rather than cementing it.