How there is nothing like the feeling a story with a happy ending and just desserts for all will endow me with.

This topic is a strange one, and by "this topic," i mean kumquats. Well im not talking about kumquats I'm talking about happy endings in fiction (heck lets throw that blanket around non fiction too) Im going to focus in on Dollhouse in particular since its current...recent. Ive heard complaints about how lackluster this finale was. I say, all those complaints are ridiculous.

Anticlimactic? Of course it is. They practically ended the series with a boom the previous week, did everyone just forget about the whole building blowing up? This was meant to be an epilogue. This is what happens afterwords. (yes, thats the definition of epilogue) It also seems like people are forgetting that this is a show that got canceled. That means that the fact that we get an ending at all is worth more than a stupid climax (which already happened) can offer. Lets never forget that the series was canceled. They shoved 4 years of story into this and they demand something from the audience. They need us to fill holes they they feel we have the imagination to fill.

A similar situation had occurred last year with Harry Potter 6. People just expect things that are irrational. HBP is meant to be pure filler. its not an ending, it has no real beginning. Asking for anything else is moronic. With HBP i saw a well made high production valued filler flick that was quite enjoyable. Going back to Dollhouse, what I saw was a perfect ending that brought a close to very big questions. Id even argue that Ballard was the Main Character of the story. Sure sure Echo is yada yada, and Sierrtor are the most lovable couple but Ballard is central to the story. He is the engine while Echo is the fuselage. Plus his is the only story that has a beginning middle and end.

The other complaint i can see happening is that it didnt leave you in a shocked state like Angel or Terminator TSCC do. Im ok with this also. When comparing you will see that those other fantastic endings are not endings (ill just leave it at that) while this one is definitive. Its a bookend.

Let me swivel away a bit and focus on Happy ending. Now my definition of happy ending is disagreeable. Its when the most awesome characters come out victorious. I say its a disagreeable definition because its completely wrong and irrational. But. Whatever. Its satisfying, ergo Happy. I want all endings to be happy. No Babels and no Crash. I want to be able to root for someone and then something acceptably awesome o happen to them (for better or worse). The key is awesomeness.

Generally speaking, a good ending for this antihero (i just called myself an anti hero) is one that is simple, powerful, just, and awesome.

Side note to Joss Whedon: Some people like watching the guy (Wesley/Ballard/Mal...) be happy with the girl (Fred/Echo/Inara, of course you'd have killed her!..)