The End

I watched the season finale and last show of Charmed yesterday evening. And it was absolutely marvelous. And yes, I shed a tear. It wrapped everything up nicely. Happy endings. Threads all tied. And just so you know...they were tied up in the last six minutes of the show. I checked my clock. Each sister had two minutes. And it worked.
The End is a powerful thing. Done right...the reader is either asking for more or satisfied with the turn of events. Done wrong...the reader chucks the book at the nearest passerby and curses the author's existence. Fine line.
Because reader's have LONG memories when all is not well in the literary world.
Many writers love the beginning of the book. All the ideas and characters are new and shiny. Life is wonderful. The sun is smiling down on their world with shades on. The possibilities are endless.
But The End? Just as important. Maybe more so. Same characters...unless you've killed your darlings. And for romance, the sun should be shining again. What can I say? That's how it works.
The End is a summation of all your hard work. Threads tied. Characters happy. And your reader damn well better be pleased, also. We, as writers, don't have the last six minutes of the show to illustrate that everyone will live happily-ever-after. Our The End starts well ahead of that usually. We draw the threads tighter and tighter until our literary darlings are nice and cozy. And that feeling of comfort should spill over to the reader.

The beginning? Yes. Important. But The End? Just as, if not more so.
What season or show finales did you like? Which absolutely irritated you? 'Tis the season. And I have to say...Charmed rocked. Grey's Anatomy was pretty good. But the last minute of CSI? Priceless.
Grins*