Wow. Sam Esmail has proved time and time again that he's a genius storyteller, but this might just take the cake. This episode hits the trifecta of things required for a truly perfect series finale; it's emotionally satisfying, narratively satisfying, and surprising. It's tremendously difficult to make something that you don't see coming but makes perfect sense; if it's perfectly logical, why wouldn't it occur to the viewer?
In recent years, many writers have become obsessed with the need to surprise the audience (after all, it's boring if there are no surprises, right?) and have decided to prioritize it over crafting a good ending. Narratives such as this can be fun in the moment, but often leave the viewer feeling shortchanged. The much harder path, the path this show opts for, is to create something that makes sense and then obscure it through clever misdirection, so the viewer never catches on but feels like they should have been able to once all is laid bare.
It's risky; too subtle, and it doesn't feel foreshadowed. Too blatant, and the viewer figures it out before the show reveals it (like when Reddit predicted season 2's big twist after one episode). This episode reveals the show's big final twist, and Esmail has been riding the line perfectly this whole time; all the way up to last episode, nothing made sense to me. But when the reveal happened in this episode, everything clicked AND it led to a fantastic farewell.
It's been an amazing journey; I reviewed the first episode on this site the day it came out, and I've reviewed every episode since. The show has helped me through some hard times, serving as the one constant in a sea of variables. Ever since IMDb removed the lower limit on the length of reviews, I've pretty much stopped writing them - but I had to finish this show out. Now that it's over, you may never hear from me again. If this is the last we meet, then all I can say is...
Goodbye, friend.
In recent years, many writers have become obsessed with the need to surprise the audience (after all, it's boring if there are no surprises, right?) and have decided to prioritize it over crafting a good ending. Narratives such as this can be fun in the moment, but often leave the viewer feeling shortchanged. The much harder path, the path this show opts for, is to create something that makes sense and then obscure it through clever misdirection, so the viewer never catches on but feels like they should have been able to once all is laid bare.
It's risky; too subtle, and it doesn't feel foreshadowed. Too blatant, and the viewer figures it out before the show reveals it (like when Reddit predicted season 2's big twist after one episode). This episode reveals the show's big final twist, and Esmail has been riding the line perfectly this whole time; all the way up to last episode, nothing made sense to me. But when the reveal happened in this episode, everything clicked AND it led to a fantastic farewell.
It's been an amazing journey; I reviewed the first episode on this site the day it came out, and I've reviewed every episode since. The show has helped me through some hard times, serving as the one constant in a sea of variables. Ever since IMDb removed the lower limit on the length of reviews, I've pretty much stopped writing them - but I had to finish this show out. Now that it's over, you may never hear from me again. If this is the last we meet, then all I can say is...
Goodbye, friend.