The finale of "Ed"
NBC
Most television shows can execute a season finale with a certain degree of finesse. There is, after all, always the option of using a "to be continued. . ." cliffhanger to ensure viewers return in the fall. Crafting an effective series-ending finale is a much more difficult endeavor.
A show that has enjoyed any kind of success has pressure to go out spectacularly, with a satisfying ending that ties up every loose end among its characters. Often that ending reminds you that even the best shows can go on long past their usefulness. Remember the putrid "Seinfeld" finale? The "M*A*S*H" finale 20 years ago was a cultural event, but bad television. Stretched to six times the show's usual 30-minute length, it relied on forced melodrama — such as Hawkeye Pierce in the loony bin — rather than the wry humor of its early years. When "Friends" finally hangs it up, there is a 100 percent chance the final episode will be awful.
But for every "Seinfeld" or "Friends" there are dozens of less successful shows that never know, as they end a season, if they will be returning for production in the fall. These shows do not feel the same pressure to end with a memorable bang as their more successful counterparts. Instead, they must consider the possibility that each season could be their last. As the season draws to a close, loose ends need to be wrapped up in case the show is canceled, but the finale can't be too cut and dried, in case the network orders additional episodes. Writers and producers in this uncertain position are afforded great creative freedom. Instead of tidy endings, they can write finales that wrap up development of their characters to a certain point, and give tantalizing hints of what may come.
The recent season (and probably series) finale of NBC's "Ed," was one of the most skillfully crafted endings in recent TV history. Airing April 11, the episode managed to satisfyingly tie up the series' loose ends while leaving the story's ultimate outcome to its viewers' imaginations. Although it is possible that NBC will bring "Ed" back next year, its sagging ratings and move to the Friday-night-timeslot graveyard make another season seem unlikely.
In a way, the show's relatively early demise is its own fault. The genesis of the plot is that after getting fired from his high-powered lawyer job and catching his wife cheating on him, Ed decides to leave the big city. Craving a fresh start, he moves back to his hometown of Stuckeyville, Ohio, buys a bowling alley, and proceeds to chase after his unattainable high school crush, Carol, now a teacher at their old school.
It's a tribute to the quality of writing and acting on "Ed" that the show could string out the will-they-or-won't-they-get-together question for three years and still be entertaining. The show had strong supporting characters, notably high school geek Warren Cheswick, who could ladle on the quirkiness a bit thickly but still came across as three-dimensional. Most shows tend to treat small-town people as idiots, but "Ed," made small-town living look so good it made you wish you lived in Stuckeyville.
But the ongoing will-they-or-won't-they eventually tried viewers' patience. As the third season wore on, the familiar back-and-forth grew tiresome and it became increasingly easy to tune out. Of course, the conundrum is that once the question is answered, the central conflict of the show is resolved, effectively ending the story. If the series continues, the writers will be forced to start again from scratch.
It was no surprise that Ed and Carol decided in the last seconds of the finale to be together, but the way they came to this all but inevitable conclusion was surprisingly interesting and satisfying. In the last few episodes, Carol, realizing she's been putting off Ed for fear of commitment or some crap like that, decided to pursue him, despite the fact that he had a girlfriend. But before Ed could make a decision, he had to come to terms with his feelings for Carol. Did he love the idealized Carol he put on a pedestal before returning to Stuckeyville, or the real Carol he got know in the three years he'd been back? This sounds like soap opera bunk on paper, but that it worked so well and came across so effectively on screen is a testament to the skill of both the show's actors and writers.
For the sake of the show's story arc, the closing shot of Ed and Carol arm-in-arm provided a perfect ending to the series. The mundanities of their impending domestic life would be sure to disappoint. Who wants to see an episode where Carol gets angry at Ed for putting her favorite sweater through the dryer or forgetting their anniversary? If the show continues, there is little doubt that the well-worn "new baby" plot device will rear its hackneyed head sooner than later. And what if Ed and Carol were to break up? It is unlikely that even the most patient and faithful of "Ed" fans could stomach three more years of flirtation and misunderstandings before these soulmates finally got back together. The central plot of the series was Ed trying to woo Carol. She has been wooed. The end.
A TV show that ends both when it should and how it should is an all-too-rare phenomenon. A fourth season of "Ed" would stretch the show's story past its logical and natural end. If the recent season finale of "Ed" proves to be the series finale, a solid and well-crafted show will have gracefully come to the dignified conclusion it deserves.
— Bob Cook (bobc@flakmag.com)
