One of the best things to see in our favourite TV shows is how a season will end. Who lives and who dies. Its great and will always get us hyped for the next season even if its a year long wait. Having spent last month watch a number of Netflix shows, I can now make a list of season finales that I consider great and are of course, my personal picks. To avoid confusion with a similar post I did a while ago, this is season finales meaning that its a final episode of a show's season, not the final ever episode of the show as a whole. And for obvious reasons, expect there to be some major spoilers for some of your favourite shows. And to make things fair, one season finale for each show. So get the tissues out and whatever else you need as we count down my top 15 all time favourite season finales:
15 - Billy & Mandy's Jacked Up Halloween (Season 1 of The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy)
So well before I saw this episode, I actually played an online game of which is based on this very episode and I got to say, what a way to celebrate Halloween. The Jack O Lantern is one of those things that symbolises the holiday of Halloween and I thought it was great to have it as a fully fleshed out character in a show where the Grim Reaper is one of the main characters. Its funny, it shows that some things shouldn't be bought to life and its just a great Halloween special as well as a good season 1 finale of the show. Of course this was one half of Grim & Evil at one time, but the former proved to be more popular than the latter which led it to having its own show.
14 - In The Flesh (Season 1 of Xiaolin Showdown)
Since Xiaolin Showdown first started, one of the most talked about questions was what Wuya's true form is and the season 1 finale which ends on a cliffhanger, decides to answer the question and I got to say, it probably is what many of us expected it to turn out, but that plus Raimundo betraying his friends just makes this all the more exciting. I haven't watched the show in its entirety because life got in the way, but for the episodes I did watch, this was among my personal favourites as it sets up season 2 with the idea that all hope may be lost (or is it).
13 - Operation: G.R.O.W.-U.P. (Season 1 of Codename: Kids Next Door)
Aside from the final ever episode of KND and the TV film, this was another KND episode that I liked. It was the first full length episode as opposed to two stories per episode and it played on the scenario of what would happen if a kid suddenly turned into an adult. What could happen, how it can happen and the end result. The episode ends on a happy note in the end, but its just that scary thought that you may be a kid, but sooner or later, you will grow up and have to join adulthood. So enjoy your childhood for however long it takes. That's all I can say on that.
12 - The Pandorica Opens/The Big Bang (Season 5 of Doctor Who (Revival))
Since Doctor Who was revived in 2005, we've had a number of great season finales and some not so good finales as well. For me, it was a hard one to choose out of Daleks VS Cybermen, the return of The Master, the return of Davros and even the episodes that challenged the Doctor's mentality. In the end, I went with the series 5 finale which was split into two parts and was Matt Smith's first series as the Doctor. It had a moment where the Doctor makes his enemies shiver just by saying words, it had one moment where all or most of the Doctor's enemies (and even some enemies that were seen within the Whoverse as well) were all together and it plays on the idea of what would happen if everything went to extinction and of course we all know how that ended. Its a great season finale that will no doubt be among the best in the show's long history and one that really does give out the fan service more than anything else.
11 - Who Shot Mr. Burns? (Season 6 of The Simpsons)
Sometimes in a season finale, a character dies and its then done in a who done it matter. Who Shot Mr. Burns is one of the most well known episodes of the Simpsons mainly due to it being the only two part episode of the entire show and has the rare thing of killing off a major character in the show (though spoiler alert, he does come back), this case being Mr. Burns. Burns is widely known as one of the many villains seen in The Simpsons and practically everyone has a motive to kill him as seen in the episode. That is except for the true killer who if you don't know by now, you should get out of that rock you've been stuck in for the past 20 years and find out who it is. The Simpsons may be running dry in more recent times, but back in its early days, it was great episodes like this that made it one of the best and longest running cartoons to date.
10 - Final Showdown (Season 1 of Beyblade)
A lot of you probably won't remember Beyblade seeing as it was trying to follow the ranks of Pokemon and Digimon. But despite this, I remember watching the show, enjoying it and remembering the season 1 finale. Its memorable because its the one time where the spirit of the main protagonist's Beyblade actually talks for the first time and that plus the big fight made it a great season finale. Now after this season, the show did start to go down hill. But it was what season 1 had that made the show a good one for the time. Its a shame its not well known nowadays with Pokemon dominating the planet, but its still a great anime show nevertheless.
9 - Legacy (Season 3 of Superman: The Animated Series)
In the early days of the DCAU, most people would know of two DC heroes, Batman and Superman. Both heroes had a good run in their respective cartoons and when it came to ending Superman: The Animated Series, Bruce Timm and his team knew that there would only be one way to end it. Have Superman fight against Darksied while also introducing Supergirl. Its pretty much what many of us fans would come to expect in a show like this, but we knew that it wouldn't be the last we see of these great characters.
8 - Reincarnation (Season 6 of Futurama)
While it is a non-canon episode to the series, it was an interesting one that played on the idea of putting the Planet Express crew through three distinct variations. The first would be in the style of those old 1930s black and white cartoons with the second being in the style of 80s video games and the last one being in anime format. They all worked well and it kind of made me like this season finale despite it not being canon, but still its great. Its not often you get to see cartoons explore other means of animation.
7 - Mother's Mercy (Season 5 of Game of Thrones)
Most people have praised this episode for being the one that has Cersei who up to this point has been a widely hated character on the show (aside from her late son Joffrey who I despised more), finally get what's coming to her. She faces the consequences of her actions with some humiliation while Jon Snow faces his fate (though through various means, he does return in the next season) at the hands of his comrades. A lot of emotional moments as well as that one satisfying moment which makes this season finale a good one and makes the whole claim the throne game a lot more interesting as things go on.
6 - Welcome to the Tombs (Season 3 of The Walking Dead)
So long story short, this is the episode where Woodbury falls and things work in Rick's favour when more survivors go to him over The Governor who has posed to be a real threat to Rick's team of survivors and would no doubt play a big role in the first half of season 4. Its a very action packed episode with plenty of things going on, but it does end the season on a happy note where the future of Rick's group looks bright.
5 - The End (Season 4 of Teen Titans)
Throughout the course of the show, its been hinted that Raven's father may one day return to rule the world with an iron fist and as such, would use Raven as a means to make this happen. Slade who has been a long time enemy of the Teen Titans helps in this matter which has the world become pretty much like hell with only 4 of the 5 Teen Titans being the only ones that can stop it. Robin goes to find and rescue Raven in the hopes to bring this madness to an end while Cyborg, Starfire and Beast Boy do what they can to distract her father while also taking on their evil clones. It is in all honesty what the show's overall final story should've been because there is literally no way that this three part story can be beaten even if the final episodes of the show have all heroes of the world fighting against all their enemies. But for what it is, it is a fine ending to season 4 that for many people, should be the definitive ending to Teen Titans. Just a shame that the sequel show isn't as good as this show was.
4 - Starcrossed (Season 2 of Justice League)
In the last three part episode of Justice League (before Unlimited), the league take on their biggest challenge yet as Hawkgirl betrays them in favour of joining her people to destroy Earth which breaks Green Lantern's heart and makes Wonder Woman hostile towards her. In the battle that ensures, Batman sacrifices himself to save everyone on Earth while the others are tested to extreme measures to stop Earth's destruction. In the end, the league remain strong and Hawkgirl makes the choice to leave the league as they begin to rebuild. Its a very action packed story that as I said, has all members pushed to the limits of their powers and sees them take on a major threat to the world.
3 - Bread Will Never Be Toast Again (Season 4 of Orange Is The New Black)
Even though this is a much recent season finale, I personally feel that it still should be put in. Since I started using Netflix, I've seen a number of shows on there and one of them is Orange is the new Black. A show that talks about life in a woman's prison and the ups and downs of it. Most season finales of shows would see a beloved character die and then the start of the next season would see people deal with the aftermath. This isn't the case for Orange is the new Black as a beloved character is killed and then the next episode deals with the aftermath. In the episode, Caputo has to tell people about the death of Poussey Washington with the guard responsible who killed her by accident, being unaware that she is dead. Her friends and the rest of the prison all mourn her and flashbacks show her having the best night of her life. But despite this, some good comes out of it as Red is finally able to get some sleep, Caputo manages to show the guards and the press that he takes no bulls**t from anyone, Alex is finally accepted into Red's family along with Piper and Taystee starts a prison riot that ends the season with Daya acquiring a gun from a guard (they are not supposed to bring guns in) and pointing it to the heads of two guards with all the inmates cheering on. All of that ending with Poussey doing that smile that we all know and love seeing. It has been a pretty incredible season overall and this ending is the icing on the cake. Yes it does end on a cliffhanger and I look forward to the next season to see who lives and who dies.
2 - The Crossroads of Destiny (Season 2 of Avatar: The Last Airbender)
As much as I love Sozin's Comet, the other season finale of The Last Airbender that I like is this one. Its where we see Ba Sing Se fall at the hands of the Fire Nation and its the episode that has us look forward to how the next season will play out. We see a Star Wars like scenario where Aang chooses to return to Ba Sing Se to save his friends, only for Azula to almost destroy him and forcing him and his friends along with the king and his pet to flee the once great Earth city to fight another day. It does make the show end in a way that makes us hate Azula even more and also despise Zuko who has been trying to decide who he stands with, ultimately choosing the wrong side and betraying his uncle in the process. A great episode if you ask me.
1 - Face Off (Season 4 of Breaking Bad)
Breaking Bad as a whole is a fantastic series that shows us that even people who have perfect lives, can corrupt themselves into becoming something else. I think by the time this episode came along, everyone wanted to hate Gus Fring. While admittedly he is a great villain, the way he manages to be one step ahead of Walt and Jesse and the way he handles the business in the hopes to tear their worlds apart, makes him someone you love to hate and must be stopped. Ultimately, he is killed in a explosion triggered by Hector, another enemy to Walt and Jesse who being the last one standing in his family and drug business, ultimately goes with their plan and allows Walt to plant a bomb on his wheelchair that is triggered by his bell and then he and Gus die in the explosion where half of Gus's face is blown up, he straightens his tie and dies. Its a great way to end the series as its satisfying and just shows that Walt and Jesse and not to be messed with whatever it takes and all of that is why this is my number 1 choice.
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