oh that poor pitiful last episode? what happened to it? natalie had TWO lines, i mean, C'MON NOW! but i really liked the last 2 seasons, expecially around the 7th season when mrs garrett was stil there but evryone has matured.. slightly.

Actually, Natalie had 5 lines. 2 in the beginning, then 3 in the phone conversation at the end. (Yes, I counted.) Speaking of Natalie, when did she leave? I mean, at the beginning of the first part she was heading to the grocery store and at the end of the second part she was in Soho...

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"Well, Laverne is sort of childish" -Shirley

"Childish? Childish? Coming from a grown woman who throws tea parties for her stuffed cat!" -Laverne

"Well at least I don't sew L's on everything I wear!" -Shirley

"Well that would be pretty stupid considering your name's Shirley!" -Laverne

A wanna be school drop out had ten times the number of lines than one of the 4 main charachters... get real people!

I was wondering about that too, like when did Natalie ever tell him that she was moving to SoHo. It seemed like it was very rushed at the end, like this is going to be the last episode so we have to throw together a scene at the end that has no mention of what Blair's been doing in the past two episodes, but since its the final episode we need to do something. I actually didn't think it was a bad episode, not really good, but it was not a series finale. The actresses deserved something much better, as did the fans.

I think to them(the producers,writers,"fools",ect) Terry was a lead character. I bet the show was suppose to focus on Blair,Terry(Juliette Lewis),Adam(Seth Green),little "Blossom",the "new" Natalie,and Terry's roommate(a combo of Blair AND Jo,scary!).

It could have worked..
http://www.sitcomsonline.com/ubb/rolleyes.gif

i totally agree with you guys. i was very upset that the last episode wasn't better. i mean, these are the 4 girls that were on the show for what, 8 or 9 years and suddenly characters that have only been on the show for two or less episodes get more lines than them? how does that make sense? i never saw the unedited version of the last episode, but judging from the looks of the edited one, no wonder why the ratings were horrible! i can't believe that they actually aired that episode. if i were mindy, kim, nancy or even lisa i would have been livid! i think the actresses deserved a lot more!

The last episode wasn't much of a tribute to the many great years of FOL. I was wondering how Nat ended up back in SoHo when she was going to the grocery store in her previous scene. I didn't like how Tootie just hung up on Natalie in that last scene. Of course that final pose really sucked without Natalie. I still wish that they wouldn't have rushed Jo's wedding and just made that the last episode.

I have to admit I'm a little bummed that N@N will be starting from Season #1 and we'll have to wait until Season #2 to see Jo again. I also didn't like Blair in the first season.

I agree. What kind of finale was that?!?! It focused mainly on Blair. I dont even recall seeing Andy much either along with Natalie who was there from the series begining. They shouldve just focused on the main cast for the simple reason that it was the shows last 2 episodes. Instead they focus on those kids from Eastland, what the heck?!?!?!?! The show lasted 9 seasons but instead of going out with a bang it went out with a pop. I was very disapointed when I saw it.

They were banking a little too much on the spin-off prospect. So much that they forgot that they were saying goodbye to a very memorable show. The show might not have been so terrible. Although Blair stepped into that authority figure role a little too easily. And she had some good lines. A little too good if you ask me, she sounded more like Jo in a lot of that (but she was nicer about it) "I always cry when I see a big, dumb animal.... excuse me..." There was some good stuff in there, but it SUCKED as a final episode.

I think it was a good episode. *ducks* Wait a minute, let me explain! It was a good REGULAR episode. It was actually a great regular episode. It was a pretty good season finale. But a SEASON finale is much different than a SERIES finale. They knew it was the last episode of the season, but apparently they didn't care. So, if it was just another couple episodes in the series, it would be perfect. But it in no way is a good series finale.

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"Well, Laverne is sort of childish" -Shirley

"Childish? Childish? Coming from a grown woman who throws tea parties for her stuffed cat!" -Laverne

"Well at least I don't sew L's on everything I wear!" -Shirley

"Well that would be pretty stupid considering your name's Shirley!" -Laverne

well, actually. I think it was intended to be a "season finale" until Nancy decided she didn't want to do it any more. I suppose it was written as a season finale, but then rushed together a quick "goodbye" ending in the last 5 mins because Nancy McKeon announced she was leaving the show, and they decided to pull the plug with her. I've read articles dated Feb/Mar 88 that said that NBC was considering another year (it was still in the 30's in the rating, which wasn't THAT bad). Also, once I was at the library and was bored, so I looked up some old microfilm from May 88, and the local paper actually had the episode aired 5/7/88 (the final one) to be "Season finale". While the final Magnum P.I. aired the same week with "Series finale" next to it.

speaking of that tho. Couldn't they have gone ahead and made one farewell episode to air AFTER The Beginning Of The Beginning? Just cut the last 5 mins off, and make a one-hour sendoff with that?

There are too many shows that go off the air with these "We thought it was just the season finale, but then the show got cancelled so it's the series finale." I HATE THAT! Who else remembers the atrocious Full House finale? Michelle fell off her horse and got amnesia. WHO CARES! They never make any attempt to fix it.

Did anyone else notice that even like the music during the show and at the end was WAY different? It's like it was another show already.

It was just terrible! I won't repeat what everyone said again, but i agree with you all! I noticed the music thing too! What was up with that? They had never had that music play at the end. Poor Natalie...her best friend hung up on her and that's the last we see of her. Poor Andy, he disappeared! It was the worst series finale, ranks right up there with the worst wedding (Jo's) I really wish I could've been a writer on that show, at least give it a decent farewell.

Well, if they didn't know this would be the series finale, why were they moving Natalie to SoHo and marrying off Jo in the episodes leading up to the 'Blair takes over Eastland' eps? They must've had a clue that that Season 9 would be the last year because it would've been difficult keeping the same premise with Natalie out of town and Jo off living with her husband.

Makes you wonder when they were able to keep the show alive after Mrs. Garrett(Charlotte Rae) left but decided to pull the plug when Nancy decided to leave. Kinda tells you who the writers and creators truly thought was the star of the show.

Actually, i'm not surprised that the Producers pulled the plug when Nancy McKeon decided she wanted to leave. I mean, she was the most polular character on the show,and probably still is the most popular. So I think that was a right choice.
But that doesnt excuse the writers for doing a bang up job on the series finale. Ugh, I hated it. It was'nt even an 'okay' regular episode.
Oh ,and wasnt that guy in the Bar really, really ugly? He was scary(and he got more lines than Natalie!)

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"It was just like Saturday Night Fever, except it was a Friday."

had FOL gone on to season 10 (and didn't include the final 5 mins of the last episode), I could see Natalie getting evicted from the SoHo apt. and moves back in with Beverly Ann, and then Jo and Rick buy a house that is across the street from the house so they are over there so frequently that it's like they still live there. Blair would still live at the house tho she commutes to Eastland everyday and night, and we'd have a bunch of annoying regulars who would make Pippa look popular. And the final ep would probably have Tootie and Jeff marry. Ahh, just wonder what might have been, LOL!!! Maybe Charlotte could've returned as a guest star for sweeps also.

After reading your scenario, John, the mercy killing at the end of Season 9 doesn't seem so bad now lol!

Pippa seemed..(OH GOD NO! THE HORROR) kinda cool. I liked the "new" girls. They were just a bad repeat of Season 1. Something NO ONE ever needs,especially viewers.
The show just ends with that rushed,awful scene.

BTW,does N@N edit episodes? 'Cause end credits for FoL(even more so for Episodes 001-003) show scenes I don't recognize!

Being a tv/film history major,I think someone needs to write an extensive book on FoL. Starting from 1979 up until today(N@N's bad ideas!). Any ideas?

I am also a film/television major and I just wanted to say that I think that is a very good idea about the book. I would love to read something like that someday.

Abbey

Was Andy on the las episode? A comment was made earlier about "poor Andy" It's been a while since I've seen the last show. Was he on it? Also this is what I think the producers were trying to do as far as episodes go. Think about it the last episodes focused on individual characters. I know for a fact(and can back this up)for ex: the first of the last shows was focused on Tootie and that pendant, Then the next was focused on Natalie and her new life in NYC, then the next episode focused on Jo and her marriage to Rick and then the biggie the 2 parter focusing on Blair and eastland's fate. You see? they did an episode focused on each girl closing chapters sort of. NBC filmed the last four shows starting with Tootie all the way down to Blair. The same with the Golden Girls they filmed the last 4 eps starting with Sophia(accused of muder)then Blanche(throwing all men party), then Rose(suffering a heart attack) and then Dorothy(who we never thought would be)getting married and then the girls came together with a sad farwell sendoff for Dorothy.

Andy was in part one of the final episode in the first scene. Besides that, he was MIA the rest of the time.

Abbey

I didn't think that much of the last one either. http://www.sitcomsonline.com/ubb/frown.gif

Yup, i thought it wasnt that great either... i was kinda lost the whole time with blair going to the chugalug bar and seeing that girl (juliette lewis??), her becoming headmistress,and by the way, what was the point of that yellow chicken coming in with rick? the least the writers could do was have some flashbacks... (take growing pains: a two-part ending w/ nothing but flashbacks, take fol: blair becoming headmistress and dealing w/eastland kids)... and the photo at the end rick took ~ I swear, it wasnt the same w/out natalie!! if pippa and bev were in it, then it should have been natalie and mrs. g...
ok, i've said enough about the ending http://www.sitcomsonline.com/ubb/smile.gif