For a long time I really didn't like these episodes as the finale of a landmark 80s sitcom that was on for 9 seasons. It lacks the core 4 as the focus. The core 4 that made this show successful for 9 seasons. The 2 part finale primarily features Blair as it was meant to be a back door pilot for her character. The fact that the episode preceding these 2 is also a back door pilot for the character Natalie prolongs the core 4 absence. (Word is NBC was going to renew for a 10th season of FOL but McKeon & Fields wanted to move on). As a big fan it leaves you feeling a lack of cohesive closure.
If you think about the real world, we don't always get closure. We have close friends in our youth & there comes a time that in order to grow up we move on and away to new things. So while it's realistic in life it's not the tied up in a neat bow kinda tv happy ending with all the girls together for 23 minutes to say goodbye to.
Most bothersome is the actual final scene. It's a group photo missing Natalie & with Jo's husband in it!?! I would have loved an additional episode as the true finale to give us this ending where in the final scene it's the core 4 & they're saying goodbye to each other as Tootie heads to London & Natalie to the big city for good. Jo packing her stuff up after finding her new place. A quick photo (Polaroid) of the core 4, Blair looks at it places it on the table grabs her bag to go to work, door closes room is empty for a beat before a close up shot of the photo. End scene, End series. 💕
If you think about the real world, we don't always get closure. We have close friends in our youth & there comes a time that in order to grow up we move on and away to new things. So while it's realistic in life it's not the tied up in a neat bow kinda tv happy ending with all the girls together for 23 minutes to say goodbye to.
Most bothersome is the actual final scene. It's a group photo missing Natalie & with Jo's husband in it!?! I would have loved an additional episode as the true finale to give us this ending where in the final scene it's the core 4 & they're saying goodbye to each other as Tootie heads to London & Natalie to the big city for good. Jo packing her stuff up after finding her new place. A quick photo (Polaroid) of the core 4, Blair looks at it places it on the table grabs her bag to go to work, door closes room is empty for a beat before a close up shot of the photo. End scene, End series. 💕