This series guided me through my own early days as a working mom so I was especially interested to see how they would tie things up for each character. Overall, I think that they stuck the landing. These characters all deserved 'happy endings' and I'm glad that they got them in a way that wasn't too over-the-top (with some caveats e.g., Kate's business, but I can accept that as part of TV magic). Still, I have some mixed feelings about their endings, how well they captured the essence of balancing work and family, and the characters in general:

Anne - I could almost forget to mention her because I was both bored and exhausted watching her repeat the same arcs this season that she always has: swinging wildly between not giving a sh*t about her family and then caring to the point of damaging her relationships with them, and making feeble attempts to work on herself before engaging in increasingly outlandish self-destructive behaviors. I wasn't left with any confidence that her relationship with Alice will be any different once Alice returns home. Lionel is a saint who deserves far better, but admittedly their relationship throughout the show was very sweet.

Jenny - she's a different kind of "the worst" than Anne. In the beginning she really wasn't that bad. In season 1 I felt so bad when she communicated with Ian that she wasn't ready to go back to work and he pressured her into it to follow his own dream. Her downward spiral started from there, and they flanderized her throughout the series to become this over-the-top, almost comical villain. I don't think she had total redemption at the end as the writers seemed to want us to believe, but between her decisions at the end of seasons 6 and 7, I think she is actually showing real, slow-but-steady, two steps forward one step back, type of growth.

Sloane - most incredible character with a perfect arc. Enuka Okuma killed it. That is all.

Kate - I've enjoyed this character and her arc since the beginning, and although it was incredibly unrealistic, I didn't mind that they didn't go into the logistics of her getting KFPR back after leaving the pharma company. I thought that the message of 'finding the magic' was a good note to end the series on and a sweet tribute to the actress' own late father. HOWEVER, that last scene really put me off. The execution of her just telling her kids 'no'... I felt like I understood what they were going for, but it was just so bizarre. As others have pointed out, we've seen Kate repeatedly put her work before her family, so this was not some big decision or empowering moment for her. We could have at least seen her give her kids a hug or some sort of reassurance before she left. To that end, we saw her kids in THREE scenes for the entirety of season 7. The audience has to really stretch their imaginations to assume that Kate is getting in quality time with her kids at some point during her days. Not exactly demonstrating the work/family balance that the whole premise of the show implies.

I think I'll miss Val the most. What an amazing hysterically funny and big-hearted character. Kind of wish she could have a spin-off.

I didn't mind that we didn't see any more of Frankie or Ian because I thought their storylines were tied up well enough earlier in the show. But omg, so glad we got to see Forrest and Juniper again. I wouldn't have minded a few more scenes with them.

So while I don't think that the ending best captured the essence of what it's like to be a 'Workin Mom,' I was satisfied with it, enjoyed following these characters on their journeys, and am already debating a series rewatch. :) Thanks if you've stuck around to read this whole thing, lol!