We all know and love those season ending cliffhangers that leave you wondering what the hell's gonna happen next.
One of my favorites has to be "Best Of Both Worlds" from TNG, with Riker ordering to fire on the Borg ship containing a Borg Picard. The pounding orchestra really drove it home at the end. Clearly the best two-parter in TNG history (I haven't followed DS9 or Enterprise).
well, I go back more than some, so the "Who shot JR" thing on Dallas has to be the one I remember. I know everyone I knew was talking about it all summer.
That being said, Without a Trace's cliffhanger of the two Agents (Martin and whazzizname) getting machine gunnned at the end of the seasonbefore last was pretty good -
Today, we know who is leaving shows because of the darn Internet, so cliffhangers are sometimes not so cliffy.
(see: Lost and Michael/Walt)
We'll be back right after order has been restored here in the Omni Center.
I agree. "Best of Both Worlds" was awesome. It was still early in the show's run, so it wasn't totally impossible to imagine killing off Picard, making Riker the new captain, and making Commander Shelby the new First Officer. Both episodes are ranked in the top 5 TNG episodes by users of TV.com.
More recently, The Office's "Casino Night" did a great job as well.
And who can forget "Cartman's Mom Is A Dirty Slut" from the first season of South Park. People waited more than a month to find out who Cartman's dad was, then got very angry when the next season started with an episode based entirely on Terrance and Philip. Too bad it turned out to be nothing more than a MacGuffin.
The nuclear explosion cliffhanger on "Sledge Hammer" is one of my all-time favorites. (No. Really.)
Though recently, I'm partial to the "One Year Later" mindf*ck that concluded Battlestar Galactica's second season. Especially since we had to wait EIGHT MONTHS for a resolution.
"Who Shot Mr. Burns?" on The Simpsons was good too...until we got the answer. Bleh.
(edited by SchippeWreck on 22.11.06 1328) My mom says sigs are bad for you.
End of the first season of "The West Wing". What Kind of Day Has it Been?.
It's wrapping up the first season with a nice little bow; Toby's brother's going to be fine, looks like the guy who got shot down over Iraq will be home safely, the town meeting is a success, and while the president is on the way to the motorcade, there's Jorja Fox as the Service Agent, "GUN!"
Shots ring out and (in case you're just waking up now) the scene fades and we hear on over a walkie-talkie, "Who's been hit?"
Two of my favorites were mentioned here: THE OFFICE's Casino Night episode, and The Best Of Both Worlds from Star Trek TNG.
If you want to talk cheeze, I loved the Green Ranger episodes from the original Power Rangers series. The first episode and their TO BE CONTINUED got me totally stoked as a kid.
The only one that I can recall, that I enjoyed is "Who Shot Mr. Burns"? from the Simpsons (thanks SchippeWreck)
I can't think of anyhting in recent years. Mostly because the Food Network doesn't really have cliffhanger episodes. Even Iron Chef goves you the secret ingrediant in the opening segment.
Rusty Shackleford is just the name he uses to order Pizza with.
I recall the end of Smallville Season 3, where as Lionel Luthor, with an evil look on his face, is having his head shaved while edited with:
-Chloe and her dad being blown up in their safehouse; -Lex collapsing from drinking poisoned whiskey; -Jonathan Kent having a heart seizure; -Martha Kent seeing a giant Kryptonian symbol burned into the lawn; -Clark being taken by Jor-El for his "training".
All the while, a very dramatic opera score is playing. I thought it was well done.
Originally posted by Brian P. DermodyEnd of the first season of "The West Wing". What Kind of Day Has it Been?.
It's wrapping up the first season with a nice little bow; Toby's brother's going to be fine, looks like the guy who got shot down over Iraq will be home safely, the town meeting is a success, and while the president is on the way to the motorcade, there's Jorja Fox as the Service Agent, "GUN!"
Shots ring out and (in case you're just waking up now) the scene fades and we hear on over a walkie-talkie, "Who's been hit?"
Torture.
It probably doesn't fit the classic definition of "cliffhanger", but the end of the 2nd season, "Two Cathedrals" would get my nod. The walk through the rain to the press confrence. Martin Sheen railing at God (in unsubtitled Latin, no less), and John Spencer saying "watch this" right at the end may have been what hooked me on that show.
(edited by kwik on 23.11.06 2052) For reasons of creative incompetence, this space will be left blank. Advertising opportunities are avaliable though!!! Contact (Number removed due to pending litigation) for details!
Just to add to the West Wing flood, the Season 4 finale where Zoey, OFB's then-TV-girlfriend, gets kidnapped (after the awesome "nightmare scenario" speech back in the first season), leading to President Bartlett temporarily leaving the office to the Republican Speaker of the House (the VP had himself resigned a few episodes prior). It was absolute torture to wait until Fall - and even greater torture to learn that it was Aaron Sorkin's last episode and the new people botched the storyline worse than anything this side of the WCW Invasion.
"That's my problem - I'm too frank. That's why my mother shoved me down the stairs. But then she is fat."
It wasn't a season ending episode, but the one where the Six Million Dollar Man fights Bigfoot was pretty traumatic to me as a kid. I don't remember ever getting that hyped up for a show, and see TO BE CONTINUED on the screen really pissed me off.
I was young when it happened, so maybe I was just too naive to realize it wasn't that great; but it seems like "Who shot Mr. Burns" captivated me for an entire summer.
And I am still waiting. I don't know if a final episode was ever taped or not. The last episode I remember seeing showed that Alf had been finally been discovered after so many years. Alf was on the run from the FBI. The scene closed with a spotlight shined on Alf cornered by the feds in the woods(?). I swear I remember a "to be continued" flash on the screen.
I even sat through the syndication a couple of years ago. The same thing happened. I've yet to see the final outcome.
Most people would probably list a favorite that provided some element of closure. Not me though. I've thought about this one way too many times over the years. To not list it as my favorite would be blasphemy.
And I am still waiting. I don't know if a final episode was ever taped or not. The last episode I remember seeing showed that Alf had been finally been discovered after so many years. Alf was on the run from the FBI. The scene closed with a spotlight shined on Alf cornered by the feds in the woods(?). I swear I remember a "to be continued" flash on the screen.
I even sat through the syndication a couple of years ago. The same thing happened. I've yet to see the final outcome.
Apparently the story was followed up...in 1996's Project: ALF.
And I am still waiting. I don't know if a final episode was ever taped or not. The last episode I remember seeing showed that Alf had been finally been discovered after so many years. Alf was on the run from the FBI. The scene closed with a spotlight shined on Alf cornered by the feds in the woods(?). I swear I remember a "to be continued" flash on the screen.
I even sat through the syndication a couple of years ago. The same thing happened. I've yet to see the final outcome.
Apparently the story was followed up...in 1996's Project: ALF.
No, I never heard of it either.
WOW! Who woulda thunk? Amazon.com has it for sale too! This is a must have for me. All you West Wingers Might be interested to know that Martin Sheen plays a major part in the movie (according to the description). Thanks Shippe!
(edited by The Guinness. on 24.11.06 2203) "In Soviet Russia, site fucks you." - drjayphd
I will second the nod towards the original Green Ranger storyline from my childhood. Damn but that was some compelling shit back then. Same goes for Dragonball Z, really, especially since they only translated, like, up to the really good part where Goku finally shows up to fight the Ginyu Squad. Ohhh was I pissed when it looped back to the beginning. I had my own personal ALF with Outlaw Star, mostly because half the time they'd show the final episodes I would always miss them. That did have a satisfying conclusion, though!