"Ed" - 4/11/03 (1 Viewer)

[Lee-M]

Perfect.

Absolutely perfect.

I cried.

NBC will not be broadcast in my house for a year if they see fit to cancel this terrific show.

I will, however, purchase the entire run on DVD, if it becomes available.... hopefully, they can work in that first hour that got edited out of the pilot that became the first episode...

 

[William Laughner]

Perfect. Absolutely perfect. I cried.

NBC will not be broadcast in my house for a year if they see fit to cancel this terrific show.

I must admit...I also cried.

Perfect end to a perfect show.

If NBC cancels Ed...I hope David Letterman gets CBS to pick it up.

 

[William Laughner]

DOUBLE POST.

 

[Clint B]

Great idea about CBS picking it up if NBC bails. I, too, thought it was an excellent episode. My viewing of the show has been somewhat sporadic, but I've always liked it. Hopefully the DVD's will come to pass and hopefully NBC will realize what a gem it has.

 

[David Dennison]

Awesome. Yes, perfect episode. Please don't cancel.

There were tears in my eyes as well. Then came the firework, and they became tears of laughter as I was rolling on the floor.

One advantage I did see to this being written as a potential series finale is that the show did not end with "I have made a decision". We got to see the decision without waiting all summer. That is usually one of my biggest pet peeves in season finales.

 

[Trenton McNeil]

Very good, very good. I don't remember Frankie being such a bitch in previous episodes, though. This relationship was hurried, but they pulled it off well.

Good points:

Eli and Phil were great this week. Both are learning and growing from each other. Very cool!

Carol looks damn hot with her hair long.

I liked how Ed made his decision with his brain and his stubbornness, then his emotions and heart made the decision of a lifetime. VERY cool.

The fireworks had me rolling on the floor. A very cool touch!

Bad:

Warren didn't get to be himself...just stupid comic relief trying to act cool. Not. Cool.

I felt that Dr. Mike's near-fling was a bit contrived and silly. Not likely to occur based on what we already know of him, especially in light of the sexual harassment episode earlier this season (or last? i can't remember...). I also thought his wife's reaction was a little too 'tidy.' Not cool.

 

[Todd H]

Could someone give me a summary of what happened? I missed the season finale!

 

[Daniel Swartz]

The fireworks scene was a terrific ending! I think I realized during this episode, however, what the show is missing. It needs longer secondary plot lines. One episode arcs for the secondary characters are fine for the most part. The Ed/Carol relationship is indeed the heart of the show. However, there needs to be a few 25%-33% of each season devoted towards multi-episode character development of the secondary characters. This, in my opinion, is what would make this show truely superb. If this was indeed a series finale, then I think it was handled very well. I just wonder what might have been if we knew Mike and Nancy better (Molly was given a fair amount of action in Season 2).

 

[Clint B]

Many of the major things are already covered in this thread, but to spell out what everyone wanted to know...

Ed basically said that while his head would choose Frankie, his heart would choose Carol, and the show ended with Ed and Carol hooking up.

 

[Thomas H G]

Great show. Great F-in show.

Loved it.

 

[teapot2001]

I think they should end the show with that episode. It's the perfect ending, and sometimes less is better.

Warren and his band were hilarious playing songs they didn't know.

I think Carol looks better with short hair.

That blonde college girl was hot. Did anyone else think she was going into the office to have Mike "examine" her?

~T

 

[Craig S]

If it's gotta end, I'm glad it ended like that. Ed's speech; the big kiss, and then the fireworks. A perfect "Ed" moment.

 

[Jeff_Standley]

I love this frickin show. What a perfect ending. I have not heard of them canceling is this something recent? I hope not because I look forward to this show every week.

 

[Patrick Sun]

If ya gotta go, this is the way to go. *Sniff*

 

[Roberto Carlo]

I also cried. In fact, I was so into the story that I found myself pacing during the scene besides the Duck Pond. (It was like having an out-of-body experience.)

Some random thoughts:

"Warren Cheswick Experience." 'Nuff said.

Shirley helping Eli. At least one hanky's worth.

It occurs to me that "Ed" is the heir to the great Romantic comedies -- like "His Gal Friday" -- of the 30s. Call it a 66-hour (hopefully "and counting") romantic comedy. THe only recent film release that comes close is "When Harry Met Sally."

My only concern was that the ending was too perfect. If there's a fourth season it's gonna feel like an epilogue. That's why the secondary plot arcs mentioned earlier are vital. You can move toward something like, perhaps, a wedding and tell us more about the others.

Still, bring on the DVDs. All three seasons at once. I'll mow my neighbors' lawns, set up a lemonade stand, etc.

 

[Ray Gutnick]

Have to agree...a great conclusion (hopefully not) to the series. I was smiling big time at the end.

 

[Lee-M]

I think some of the secondary characters on Ed were necessarily given less depth for the last few episodes... but if you look at the series as a whole, there were a lot of bits and insights thrown in for everyone. It's just that the EdCarolFrankie story had to demand more time.

If NBC (or someone else)continues with the show, I would like to see:

1. More of Warren, Mark, and Mark's girlfriend, whose name I can't remember because she was not on the last few shows. There has been some good teenage angst mined from these characters, and I liked Ed's "been-there, know-what-you're-going-through" role with Cheswick.

2. Back to Molly as principal, her relationship with that student's dad (the fireman), also abandoned in the last several shows.

3. I love the "dueling doctors", Mike and (damn, I can't remember the old guy's name)... the show this season with the sign, and the corporate conflict manager, was terrific.

4. Some more cases for Ed the lawyer, but not necessarily every episode... that tried to become too formulaic after a while.


Things I do NOT want to see:

1. Ed's old girlfriends (or ex-wife)posing a serious challenge to him and Carol's relationship... maybe some of them being a pain in the butt, but no more inner conflict (whom do I love, blahblahblah)... these two are together, and I can see potential for problems, but not too many, and none with other contenders, please... they have already gone through enough of that.
The same goes with Carol's old boyfriends.

2. No more Dennis Martino, or that Nick guy. Please.

3. We could go without a scheme-of-the-week from Phil Stubbs, but occasionally wouldn't be too bad.

4. Since my daughter watches, I really don't need to see too much from the bedroom between Ed and Carol... no Aids tests, or birth control controversy, or problems with impotence. Let's keep that crap on the crap (90% of the other)shows.

All in all, a great run, and I would be satisfied if it ended on this note; but I would REALLY miss this show, and these characters, if it and they are laid to rest.

 

[Craig S]

Well, there may be hope. Looks like "Ed" won its timeslot big-time last night:

http://nbcmv.com/release_detail.nbc/...twrapsits.html

If NBC was looking to the show's performance on Fridays to determine its fate, then it should be back. The ratings have been good the past three weeks.

 

[Patrick_S]

I though it was a very good finale and if it ends up being the end I'm fine with how they ended the show.

Since my daughter watches, I really don't need to see too much from the bedroom between Ed and Carol... no Aids tests, or birth control controversy, or problems with impotence. Let's keep that crap on the crap (90% of the other)shows.

If the show comes back, there is bound to be some sort of a shift towards more of an adult audience.

I'm not saying it's going to be a drama but certainly it should have more an adult slant with a 9pm time slot.

In past threads about Ed people have been stating how the move to Friday nights at 9pm was bad, I couldn't disagree more because Ed should have always been a 9pm show. (Certainly I would have preferred 9pm on Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday but 9pm on Friday beats 8pm on any day.) The limitations of the 8pm time slot probably limited the writers and producers more then most realize.

I did watch an interview the other day with Julie Bowen in which she basically stated that the 8pm slot was all wrong for the show and that the 9pm slot would prove to be much more appropriate for the show going forward. I tend to agree, of course she could have been arguing the nutritional merits of baloney and I probably would have also agreed.

 

[Marty M]

I hope this was not the last episode of the series. I heard of a Julie Bowen interview on WGN radio, today. According to her interview, NBC won't be making a decision about the show's fate until early May. I hope they decide to keep the show going.