bebop

So, on this blog I try to stick to fanworks and discussions of writing. So I wanted to talk a bit about open-ended endings.

Confession - I hate open-ended endings, with very limited exceptions. This is my totally subjective and non-academic opinion, but they just feel lazy to me. I personally feel the storyteller's duty should be to tell the story they want to tell and tell it clearly. Now that does not mean say everything, it does not mean stare at the reader and mouth message at the big moment or big speech. It means give enough evidence on the page or screen so the reader at least understands what happens. How they interpret that is up to them and outside of the author's control, but the what happens should be agreed upon.

Now, in my mind the most obvious exception to this is the ending to Inception. When the credits start to roll, we don't know whether or not Cobb's token falls over. We don't know if the children he runs to are flesh and blood or figments of his imagination. But the entire point of the movie was that debate - does it actually matter? Is a dream more real than reality when the dreamer wishes it to be? It was asked MULTIPLE times, stated out loud and shown through the plot, so in the end it does not matter. Those are his children because he chose them. He was home because he chose to be. The end. The token falling or spinning into eternity has no baring on that ending.

The ending of Good Omens, I would argue, is not open at all. Universe remade, no angels, no demons, no god, no satan, everything left to chance. True free will. And then there's the Asa and Anthony scene, which makes no sense whatsoever if we trust the sacrifice made (which we have to, or the whole thing is even worse). They look the same, find one another again, are instantly attracted to one another and then go to a pub where every cast member of the show was present at that moment. The whole thing is statistically impossible. So in my mind, this was fan service. Angels and demons in human bodies? Jesus, born 2000 years ago, alive in London in present day having beer with Adam? Arthur and Deirdre would have Warlock Young. Adam would not exist.

BUT - INTERLUDE - Elizabeth Berrington can serve me drinks any day she wants.

That whole ending made no sense. Soulmates? Okay, but that clearly destroys the point of the sacrifice. Where is free will if someone is cursed to not feel fulfilled until they find their match? The demon Crowley who sacrificed his existence to free humanity would be devastated if this were the world that grew from that sacrifice.

So, needless to say, this "open-ended" ending fails because it not only does not live up to anything that was set up before, but it blatantly contradicts and negates it. Whether you liked it or not, the fact is it is not open ended in the least. It's confusing. It's contradictory. It is storytelling and fan service at its worst because it leaves the viewers arguing over which part of the end is more important based on their feelings or personal beliefs. And it's caused a rift in our community because of its negligence.

That is it's gravest cruelty.