With so much discussion over that cliffhanger going on with The Walking Dead, I thought I'd set up a thread just for discussion on cliffhangers in general. Mostly because it got me thinking about some of the best and worst examples, and how a cliffhanger can really make or break a show's fanbase.
So I'm interested in you guys's thoughts. Any cliffhangers that got you hooked or became one of your favourite moments in television, or even one that did nothing but massively infuriate you? I decided to post this thread here in Fedic Station because television arguably gives us the most regular examples, but if you've got any examples from other media, particularly literature or film, you might as well post them here.
(Also, probably shouldn't need to say this, but make sure to spoiler tag any examples, please.)
Never be cruel and never be cowardly. And if you ever are, always make amends.
You are a walking talking Doctor Who encyclopedia to me. - Melike
LOST was easily one of the best shows for cliffhangers. Especially for end of season ones. I think there's a particular knack for a truly satisfying end of season cliffhanger. In a good finale, especially in an arc based show, you want as much resolved as possible, but you still want the audience hooked by the time it comes back. That's why I'm generally not keen on end-of-season cliffhangers that end in the middle of things with the story for that episode only half done (although, having said that, "The Best of Both Worlds: Part One" is still one of the classics).
LOST was usually really good at providing satisfying resolutions to major story arcs with their finales while introducing something new to kick off the next season, sometimes within the last few seconds. Season 3's finale probably had my favourite cliffhanger of the show:
Spoiler:
"We have to go back!" Even though I had the surprise ruined for me by that point and I knew it was a flash-forward, that didn't stop it from being handled so brilliantly that it still had plenty of impact. Especially how it built towards something of a hopeful ending with Jack and the others having a real chance of getting off the island before crushing that hope with seeing how fucked up Jack becomes down the road.
It's another reason I'm a big fan of the concept of regeneration in Doctor Who. While it doesn't always come at the end of a season, it's still a great way to tell a story that resolves as much as possible and even provide something close to a "death" to the main character, while leaving the audience hooked on finding out what the new Doctor is like at the end of the story. It's very rare really that a cliffhanger at the end of a season that doesn't involve a regeneration matches it (although, it has to be said, season 7's certainly did just that. Definitely not my favourite season of the New Series, but that was one hell of a hook for the 50th anniversary).
Never be cruel and never be cowardly. And if you ever are, always make amends.
You are a walking talking Doctor Who encyclopedia to me. - Melike
Cliffhangers
The BEST CLIFFHANGER T.V. Show EVER! (60 cliffhangers in 120 shows.)
