Happy endings? Sad endings?

[WarpGirl]

I kinda like it that way.

[Asso]

I don't know. There are endless paths between these extremes.

[WarpGirl]

Sure but the extremes themselves can be quite breathtaking, and very entertaining!

[Escriba]

But I have to say I didn't mind the Dr. dying too much in your second movie, I mean his wife didn't deserve him! But I would have liked it better if SHE died after having the baby, so he could find someone who did.

See? See? That actually could work! But killing him for nothing? It made me sooo angry... The soundtrack is beautiful, though. I bought it.

I don't know. There are endless paths between these extremes.

It's the bad thing about labels, Asso, it's the bad thing about them.

[WarpGirl]

Oh Escriba! Nobody here makes me laugh the way you do. Nobody.

[Asso]

Sometimes laugh is not the better thing.

[WarpGirl]

Now I can never agree with that. Laughing is the most important thing, it keeps people sane.

[Silverbullet]

Otthelo could have had a happy ending but he did not Trust Desdeonda which is why Iago was able to influnce him so easily. Had he trusted his wife the ending would have been diferent .

Romeo and Julliet actually had a happy ending because they were joined at the end in Death.

Guess it is how you look at Sad and Happy.

[honeybee]

I loved the ending of Six Feet Under - since the show was about death and we learned at the end that the show was moving toward the planned death of its hero from episode one. Even before that, I thought it was really, really gutsy of Alan Ball to end things badly between the show's signature (straight) couple, Nate & Brenda. They were both such hot messes, it really didn't make sense that they would be happy. But she recovered from his death really well and did live happily ever after. I say that as someone who wanted them to be happy. But SFU was a somewhat realistic soap opera, with its relationships at its core. Trek shows, on the other hand, are about adventure and exploration and all that.

Sad/ambiguous endings have made for some of the most popular romantic films ever - Casablanca, Titanic, Gone with the Wind. I also love the English Patient. And there's of course Romeo & Juliet. (Can you hear the reviews? Such a contrived misunderstanding! What an unnecessarily bleak ending!)

In my story Implications I set out to write a doomed love affair for Malcolm, to explain what we saw in canon. It was hard, but ironic-ly I threw away canon without throwing away the doomed love-interest, because it felt right. On the other hand, with my story Family Secrets I'm determined to keep TnT happy & together for the whole thing and make it interesting. I did throw in some pain and jeopardy and but angst is reserved for other characters.

I do think people sometimes confuse cheap angst with real tragedy, the difference is good writing I guess.

I absolutely hate the filmmaker Lars Von Trier because he always creates likable characters and then tortures them for the rest of the film - and then says "look how deep I am". That was my problem with the BSG reboot. It started to feel like bad fanfic by the end to me, as nothing happy ever happened and most of the characters turned awful.

I guess my take is it depends on how good the writing is and how organic to the story the ending is. Make me believe its right, and I'm onboard for it.

[WarpGirl]

Thank you, for the mention of the BSG reboot. Truly there is a difference between bad things or obsticals to a couple (Home) and contrived pointless angst, (Harbinger) Speaking of good angst Bones is a perfect example of good angst.

[Silverbullet]

Re Malcom. Just because his countrpart on the other entrprise didn't get married and had kids doesn't mean that our Malcom won't. T-Pol said something to that effect whe she said to Trip that just because the TnT on the other Enterprise became a couple and married didn't mean that they would.

Casablanca. that did have a happy ending. Isle left with her husband to help him in his work which was battling the Nazi. Rick and Louis also was going to join the fight. Giving one another up was the best thing to do for Rick and Ilse. You had to be alive in those days to appreciate the story and the threat that Nazi Germany was to the world and the terror that the GESTAPO represented. People who were alive and young men and women said that Rick and Ilse did the right thing. Happy ending.

[WarpGirl]

OK Casablanca, is a classic example how doing what is right doesn't mean you're going to be happy. It was true in 1943 and it is true today, period. As for Malcolm, with him I can see it going either way, if he trusted someone to open himself up to a true deep connection romantically. He could be happy. And if he lost that woman due to life being inherently chaotic and unfair, he'll be miserable. But either way a happy or a sad ending would work written well. I just prefer a happy ending for Malcolm because his life has been pretty miserable.

[honeybee]

Re Malcom. Just because his countrpart on the other entrprise didn't get married and had kids doesn't mean that our Malcom won't

Never meant to imply he did. I was strictly speaking of the E2 world.


As for Casablanca, the central romantic couple does not wind up together - but yes they go on to good ends. I consider that an ambiguous ending, but a wonderful one that fit the story.

[Silverbullet]

Casablance was the Great Love Story of WWII. It almost did not get filmed. the producers never had an inkling that they made a Classic that still resonates today for some. My Daughter thinks it is stupd. What made it so good was the ending wasn't maudlin. Rick and Isle knew the choice they were making and made it. That is the kind of realism that I would like to see today.

[WarpGirl]

And yet you have a problem with T'Pol marrying Koss for her mother... OK yeah that makes perfect sense.