(S09E12 / S09E13) Last month, I wrote a post praising The King of Queens for not making their 200th episode into any kind of "special" episode, just doing the same goofy but funny comedy the show has always done. There was no character development, no great revelations, no massive earth-shattering changes, and no story arcs. I expected them to do the same for the finale; just show another day in the life of the Heffernans and fade to black.
We got none of that; in fact, everything I listed above was exactly what we got, not only in this one-hour finale, but the two episodes before that. Drama isn't this show's strong suit, and it made for a finale that was wildly out of character in comparison with the rest of the series.
For those who haven't been keeping up -- and why would you have needed to, given this show's history? -- Carrie moved to Manhattan to the apartment she always wanted (it took ten years for it to become available... damn rent control), but Doug stayed behind in Queens, causing a rift in their marriage. In the meantime, one-time diva Eva St. Claire (played by Lainie Kazan) asks Arthur to marry her, and he moves out of Doug and Carrie's house. While the Heffernans are separated, Spence helps Carrie get situated in her apartment and temporarily falls in love with her in the process (WTF?). Doug and Carrie settle their differences and agree to fly to China and adopt a baby; Doug agrees to get a better job, and Carrie agrees to get rid of the apartment. However, in a fit of jealousy, Spence calls Doug anonymously and tells him that she's still using the apartment.
Why did I go through all this plot summary? Because I just wanted to show you the soapy silliness that was used to set up the finale. It was so unlike how the show always operated, it just made it feel like I was watching a different show than the one that had been on during the previous nine years. In the finale, we see Doug being pissed at Carrie to the point where he gets drunk and stalks around before Arthur's wedding sans pants, Arthur get dumped by Eva because he's not gay, Arthur marrying Spence's mom as a substitute (always good to see real husband-and-wife pair Anne Meara and Jerry Stiller play scenes together. They've always had great chemistry), the Heffernans breaking up and racing to China to see who would adopt the baby, a big speech by Leah Remini, and the Heffernans making up in time to adopt the baby and find out that Carrie's pregnant... on the same day.
Ye gods. That was way too much character development to cram into an hour, and that seems to be a big weakness of many sitcom finales; the writers make so many changes to the characters' lives, they forget to write decent jokes. King's companion show, Everybody Loves Raymond, is a good example of a show that ended the way it began: with a day in the life of the Barones. This is what King should have done. There were less laughs in this episode than there are in a normal King episode, and that's because the laughs would have squeezed out the drama.
In the realm of series finales, this one wasn't awful; Seinfeld's finale pretty much takes the cake as the worst one ever. But the writers would have been better served following the lead of their friends at Raymond, and kept to the spirit of the show. I'll give this one a 3.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
5-14-2007 @ 11:38PM
popcultureidiot.blogspot.com said...
The plus side is that they didn't kill off Arthur, I thought they might have. Those loose ends sure were tied up. Although I could have done without the song and montage, I did like seeing Jerry Stiller back with his suitcase in hand. I would have ended it there...
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5-14-2007 @ 11:43PM
trachein said...
One other bit of irony. When it was announced that this was the final season and speculation began about how it would end, Leah Remini was quoted as saying that she would be unhappy if the show ended with her being pregnant (I can't find the article in which the quote appeared, buy Ausiello referenced it recently in his "Ask Ausiello" column when he mentioned that she was not going to be happy with the outcome of the finale).
So, given that the series ended not only with Carrie being pregnant but with her and Doug also having adopted a baby, she must have been very upset. However, not upset enough to stop her from submitting the finale episodes for Emmy consideration (according to GoldDerby). Guess she wasn't that unhappy.
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5-14-2007 @ 11:52PM
Angelo said...
Don't know what show you watched but this was classic King Of Queens and a great way to end one of the funniest shows ever made!
Probably the least dramatic drama a show could have, just like they always do. Just when you think its getting serious they throw in some crazy funny line to lighting things up the way they always have.
SO LONG KING OF QUEENS!!! YOU WILL LIVE ON THROUGH MY DVD'S!!
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5-14-2007 @ 11:56PM
modenadude said...
This is somewhat unrelated to The King of Queens' finale, but I'm curious why Seinfeld "pretty much takes the cake" when it comes to bad finales. I thoroughly enjoyed reliving the series through a court case showing how demented the group is. And I love how the ending has nothing to do with the story in Seinfeld's case... that's what the show is about... nothing. I think it suits the series very well.
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5-15-2007 @ 1:44AM
steve said...
i agree about the seinfeld finale, well i agree with modenadude, that was classic larry david, a finale about nothing really. what else could they have done, season finales are tough to write cause no matter what someone will complain. its nearly impossible to write a finale for a show about nothing
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5-15-2007 @ 6:45AM
Josh said...
I totally disagree. This episode wasn't too dramatic. It was hilarious throughout. From Doug and Deacon getting to the wedding, to the wedding itself, to the race to China. It wasn't sappy. Not that there weren't emotional moments, it is the series finale after all. But all in all, I say it was a great ending to an great, funny, underestimated series.
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5-15-2007 @ 9:09AM
Rogphi said...
I loved it too. A great send off. Thank you King Of Queens, the ride was great!
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5-15-2007 @ 3:18PM
paul said...
I like when sitcoms end the way they should. The King Of Queens ended with the two main charaters moving onto the second part of their lives, with kids. Yet, they are still the same two people we met in episode one.
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5-15-2007 @ 11:56AM
David said...
I think what Everybody Loves Raymond did was lame, you need something different. But that was a bad show so whatever.
But now the new thing to do is start a fight between the main charaters right before the show ends, Will and Grace did that and the show had one of the worst ending in TV history.
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5-15-2007 @ 12:01PM
mitzi said...
i thought the finale show was great. i have been a devoted fan of "king of queens" since day one. i hoped for it to continue . but as they say all good things must come to an end!!
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5-15-2007 @ 1:26PM
Rob said...
I loved King of Queens and was sorry to see it end. I was hoping they'd come back for one more season just to make it an even decade, but from what I've heard Leah wanted to but Kevin James did not.
As far as bad finales go, Night Court (my all time favorite TV show) had a pretty bad finale. Unfortunately, the original creative team left NC after season 7 and the final 2 seasons were written as well by the new staff).
I am really going to miss KoQ. I feel like a good friend has left forever, never to be seen again. Its a mourning period. At least, we have the DVD's.
Thank you, KoQ. It was a great ride.
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5-15-2007 @ 1:49PM
Donna said...
The King Of Queens was the one show I would NEVER miss.I thought they were a great couple.I loved that Carrie never wanted kids(sorta like Mad about you-we all know how that ended!)I hated every time they spoke about kids,some people live happily ever after with out them! (like me)I just don't understand why they all have to go there!? Then they give them 2,what's that about? Like some said the show will live on for me with the dvds!
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5-15-2007 @ 3:00PM
Mel said...
I haven't watched K of Q for a while. I was a bit confused about Carrie talking about her childhood dreams after her mom died when Carrie was young. I thought the 1st episode was her mom's funeral and she was a grown women with Doug in her life and she had somewhat of a wayward sister and her father was going to move in with Doug and Carrie so he wouldn't be alone. Am I the only one who recalls this or am I confusing this show with another?
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5-15-2007 @ 3:38PM
Henry said...
Best show ever thanks>>>>>>>>>>>
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5-15-2007 @ 2:53PM
Jill said...
Does anyone know the song (artist & title) that was played during the montage at the end of the show??? Cant find it and I really liked it..... help?
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5-15-2007 @ 3:04PM
Aaron said...
I think the King Of Queens was the best t.v. series of them all and I think Kevin James is hilarious and Leah Remini is sexy and awesome. I wish they would have kept going with the series.
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5-15-2007 @ 6:17PM
cagney said...
My husband and I have literally no overlap in what we enjoy watching on TV but there was one thing we could agree on -the KoQ was funny. I was disappointed in the last episode; I too felt like I was watching a different series- it didn't have the same feel of the other episodes which are often laugh out loud funny. It got me thinking of the Seinfeld finale which I too felt was out of character for the show in general. I was pleased about one thing, though. In the montage, I kept saying, hope they show Doug pole dancing, and there it was was! Oh another great thow away line, the reason Doug had a passport? He heard they still had the McRib in Canada.
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5-15-2007 @ 3:37PM
Teresa said...
I only watched part of King of Queens last night, i have it taped, but what i watched, i'm not sure i liked. King of Queens has been one of the best shows on tv in ages, i will always love watching the reruns, and of course my dvds, but after seeing what i saw last night, it goes against what Kevin James and Leah Remini have been saying for years now....that bringing a baby, or kids into the show, would dull the show, and Doug and Carrie. I know the show was ending, so not much to 'dull', but to me, i think bringing in the adoption and Carrie being pregnant, went against their characters all through the nine year show. I myself wanted the show to stick to it's same ole theme throughout the nine years. I was a Everybody Loves Raymond fan, and i loved how they ended that series, i only wished King of Queens would have stuck with what has worked for them the past nine years. I thought it was cool to see Arthur get married, but as for the China trip, adoption, and pregnancy, that just bored me, what i saw.
I for one, will miss Doug and Carrie. King of Queens has been a great series, and thank God will live on in reruns.
As for endings of tv series, i was not happy with Roseanne's ending, and Will and Grace's ending, they went too far off the shows original theme, and i don't like watching those reruns now on tv, and i'm afraid i will feel the same way seeing the King of Queens finale.
Thanks King of Queens, Kevin James, Leah Remini, Jerry Stiller, and the rest of the KofQ cast for making a wonderful series, that i have enjoyed watching for nine years, and always in reruns.
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5-15-2007 @ 3:55PM
Jade said...
Why on earth did this show end? Why would you end such a good show, cancelled is the word?So few, actually none at all like KIngs and Raymond. Won't get hooked again to anything else on ABC.
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5-15-2007 @ 4:29PM
John said...
AS SOON AS YOU GET TO LIKING A SHOW THEY DROP IT!! MORONS!
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