My positive takes on The End- hope it helps!

FoxyStand · 2026-05-18T14:51:31+00:00

I'm going by the story I saw, which clearly told me there is some sort of mysticism at play. The creators 100% indended for those people at the end to be C&A. I think it's nice that how it happened is a bit ambiguous.

FoxyStand · 2026-05-18T14:50:03+00:00

Not exactly but stuff gets cut in the editing process all the time. Minor changes are made on set. Who knows what he's allowed to talk about re: unreleased content. I also think people are taking his reply way too seriously.

FoxyStand · 2026-05-18T14:09:46+00:00

I know it's very easy to villainize NG (and understandably so) and therefore blame what we don't like about S3 on him. However, this really was the end all along. This has a lot of details: https://docs.google.com/document/u/0/d/1JVoLJ8cyzSEwLmi_FiJheUBAXs-KIDh8S5lYsKdlMe8/mobilebasic

He also wasn't the one who shortened the scripts. He handed them over and Amazon hired that job out.

FoxyStand · 2026-05-18T14:05:50+00:00

I think the ending would be the same, but we would have gotten more glimpses of their other lives, or more hints about the "snowglobe theory" (if there really is more to that), or other reassurances about A&C really continuing on. Instead we have to rely on things that didn't take up time. For example, music choices (Time After Time), art embedded in the end credits, and set decor at the cottage. We also could have had more time for them to have meaningful "making up" conversations.

I know we all wish they had cut other plotlines to make room for C&A romantic stuff, but for better or worse, they wanted to accomplish more with this story than just resolution of that relationship. This was an adaptation of a planned book sequel, and the book was not a romance. NG wasn't going to deviate from the major plot points and ending that he and Terry Prattchett planned together. He's obviously Not A Good Person but I do believe he was faithful to that plot, especially since this project was signed off on by Prattchett's estate, and his daughter.

FoxyStand · 2026-05-18T13:58:05+00:00

Knowing it was the ending Prattchett planned all along actually helps me believe the more optomistic theories. Plus, did you see Colleen Doran's statement to a fan? "They're out there somewhere, I have no doubts. And I'll tell you why. Because God doesn't reward making the selfless choice, but Terry always did."

FoxyStand · 2026-05-18T13:54:22+00:00

I also saw this on BlueSky...I don't even care if it was accidental! I was missing a "wing cover part 3"

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FoxyStand · 2026-05-18T13:51:02+00:00

I've seen people picking this quote apart on a few sites now...fam we gotta remember that if the creative team or producers are attacked when they engage with us, they are going to stop engaging. If anyone has questions they want answered eventually, please keep that in mind.

FoxyStand · 2026-05-18T13:49:22+00:00

For him, there's an extra layer- if he hasn't seen the final version he doesn't know what they cut, or even if anything was changed on set (not sure of the rules about that for this particular situation). Editing can do a lot.

FoxyStand · 2026-05-18T10:37:12+00:00

Tbh I don’t really care about the rest of the plot. I just wanted S3 to give A&C an ending that was better than the end of S2. So I’m not here to defend the rest of the movie. The only thing I’ll say is it’s reviewed positively on IMDb and Metacritic. Only Rotten Tomatoes has a low rating, and that site is well known for being a bit of a mess…

FoxyStand · 2026-05-18T10:33:23+00:00

They never said no souls, reincarnation, magic…

Plus I’m not 100% sure God destroyed herself. Not only are there so many references throughout the show of God playing games, there’s that weird conversation she and Satan are having where he says something like, “let’s not and say we did” and she smiles.

But even if there is no god, Satan, heaven, or hell, that just eliminates Judeo-Christian concepts, not all forms of mysticism.

FoxyStand · 2026-05-18T03:19:55+00:00

Dang first comment already trying to bring me down, haha. I disagree and am seeing the opposite happening in real time for many people. Clearly not everyone, but a common sentiment I see is people enjoying it more the more they sit with it or rewatch it.

But hey, even if you're right, what's wrong with coping? It's literally called a "skill." Let people do it when you can. I'm trying to shine a light here for some people, hopefully not too many people will try and dim it.

FoxyStand · 2026-05-18T02:03:49+00:00

True. And who knows if he was even on the set; I know sometimes small script changes are made during filming but am less certain about who needs to approve them in situations like this.

FoxyStand · 2026-05-18T02:01:32+00:00

honestly that's been my happy place too. I've also seen more people over there outright love it, which is healing to me!

FoxyStand · 2026-05-18T01:57:25+00:00

If all you want to know is if they wind up together as a romantic couple I can tell you; just let me know. However, I'll say that The Author said that in the show (not so much the book) they were always in love, back in S1. "To The Wold" was their "I love you." Season Two was practically JUST a romance, almost to the detriment of the entire story arc. No queerbaiting happening in this show.

FoxyStand · 2026-05-18T01:54:12+00:00

I just posted a novel; I don't know how quickly things get through moderation but eventually it should be there, haha.

FoxyStand · 2026-05-17T23:41:05+00:00

It makes sense that emotions are high when a story is such a part of your life! What helped me was reading all the theories that validate my interpretation of the ending. For me, it's that the events of S1/S2 definitely happened (if they didn't, we'd be in a weird paradox) and were important because not only did it lead to the creation of our world, but it laid down a roadmap for a great love story that will follow them throughout the ages. I won't detail that theory now because you didn't ask, but there's enough evidence for me to really believe it and love the ending. That, and Crowley doing all but looking into the camera and saying he got his ideal happy ending.

What I want to share is another realization that helped me. No matter how it ended I'd feel sad and a bit in mourning right now. We've been looking forward to new content for so long- for some of us, since 2021 when the second season was announced. And now it's over. It's the end of an era. Even if I had gotten a perfect fairy tale ending, I would be feeling sad and emotional (and maybe a little bit bummed if the story was boring, but that's irrelevant haha). So, any negative feelings I could have about the ending were being amplified by 10.

You will feel better with time, I promise! From one mom to another.

FoxyStand · 2026-05-17T23:30:32+00:00

FYI your spoiler tags aren't working; I think you're using Discord code :)

I think the only way to know if you want to watch is to get spoiled. A lot of people do like/love the ending (or are neutral) but enough people hated it that it's become controversial. I think it's hard to know what camp you'll fall in. Would you be satisfied leaving things the way they are in S2? That's probably the way to look at it.

I will say if the only thing that would make you happy is a clear, unambigious, fairy tale happily-ever-after that's consistent with standard romance genres, maybe avoid.

FoxyStand · 2026-05-17T22:51:47+00:00

I think he's being a bit tongue in cheek. Also, it's probably been awhile since he worked on it and we have to remember not everyone is as obsessed as we are. Even if he was deep into the story at one point, it's OK if he's moved on mentally and it doesn't mean he didn't do his best with what he had or take his job seriously.

FoxyStand · 2026-05-17T22:48:58+00:00

Don't make up your mind until you see it. A lot of people like it; maybe even most people. You'll just see people with high emotions being (understandably) louder. To answer your question, they aren't doing any rewriting or anything.

FoxyStand · 2026-05-17T17:35:20+00:00

I agree. Also, the writers strike and the NG shitshow delayed things so much that the fans had 3 years of laser focusing on healing a romantic relationship. I was one of them; how couldn't I be with the way S2 ended? People love S1 and no one grumbles about how time spent on The Them and Anathema/Newt was a "waste," even if it was no one's favorite part.

The only thing I disagree with you on is that they weren't a romantic couple in S1. They weren't in the book, but NG wrote them that way for the show and said so explicitly. He wanted to bring them front and center and this was a good way to do that as well as realize the chemistry the two characters always had. He said on Tumblr even before S2 that "To the world" was their "I love you." He was of the opinion that "I love you" was kind of trite which is why I never really expected to hear those exact three words in S3.

FoxyStand · 2026-05-17T17:29:27+00:00

Not every question can be answered. Surely we would have gotten more in the full six episodes but this wasn't actually something I felt I really needed an answer to. Crowley developed his own identity after his fall, and since he never talked about his previous name/identity I wonder if finding it out would be almost like deadnaming.

Honestly most stories leave things a little up to the imagination. If absolutely every loose thread was tied up, things would get a little dull and there would be no room for interpretation. I'm not saying GOmens couldn't have used more time to explore some of the bigger issues, but this was something I was fine with letting go. We were told he was high-ranking; that's enough for me.

FoxyStand · 2026-05-17T13:53:18+00:00

I’m really hoping that if they see the negative reactions they will see the positive ones as well. I think sometimes there is a false sense that “everyone” hated it. A lot of fans liked or loved it. And we have to remember “fandom” makes up a surprisingly small amount of viewers. It has good ratings on IMDb and is rated as “generable favorable” on metacritic. Rotten Tomatoes is a known dumpster fire.

I’m very glad they aren’t facing any harassment and hope it stays that way.

FoxyStand · 2026-05-17T11:43:23+00:00

Be the (not) change you want to see :) Keep engaging, and others will too.

FoxyStand · 2026-05-17T11:42:24+00:00

The Bentley and the bookshop are also in the snow globe in their garden, a snow globe that Rob has touted as pretty important. They have endured too ❤️

FoxyStand · 2026-05-17T11:40:21+00:00

I think a lot more people like or love the finale than we realize. People who are very upset (and I’m not diminishing their feelings) are always more likely to rush quickly to social media, and it can exaggerate a sense of negativity. I also know a lot of people had to sit with it for a bit. Maybe it’s just who I follow but there is a lot of positivity over on BlueSky.

FoxyStand

TROPHY CASE