Just for fun - could a finale have worked....

[Aticineto]

I have been a huge All in the Family fan since the very beginning (though I only watched Archie Bunkers Place for the first two seasons).

Killing off Edith negated a great finale, but, for the last season of ABP, could they have pulled off what Dallas did in making Bobby's death a season long dream?

If so, how would you have done a finale if they brought Edith back (the soaps had people returning from the dead all the time)?

Here's mine - over the course of the final few episodes - Mike gets an offer to teach abroad, and the Stivics return to New York to break the news to Archie and Edith. I picture Edith taking the news harder than Archie, and gets depressed, causing conflicting feelings on Gloria's part. Seeing Edith's depression, Archie decides to sell the house and the bar, and the Bunkers and Stivics all ride off into the sunset.