It's safe to say that the final episode, specifically the end scene, of St. BTW, in the Wikipedia article about the last episode, someone estimates that "90% of the shows existed in this kid's head" due to the many show crossovers. The Importance of the St. Elsewhere Ending : r/autism It only takes a minute to sign up. ). Also, consider that each connection fromSt. When youre finished, watch the cast reunion on Good Morning America and voice your own opinion on the finale in our poll. You can make up your own line what it means. Christina Pickles, whose character of Nurse Helen Rosenthal ended the series triumphantly by kicking a drug dependency, is the only one who believes that St. CYNTHIA SIKES (Dr. Annie Cavanero): Part of me likes that whole thing because its sort of an Orson Welles-ian Rosebud [ending]. In 1988, though, St. Gow and Crowe, who still periodically update the grid, assert that episodes with real people playing themselveslike Trebek did on Cheersare exempt, as are cartoons and feature films. "St. This 40-year-old show looks like that nurses job in that ER, and the characters coping mechanisms and responses to trauma may be dramatized, but they arent implausible. More: Why The X-Files Season 12 Never Happened. How's he been? But the notion isn't necessarily dependent on Tommy imagining anything: The connections still exist, whether they're considered a dream within fiction or just an interconnected television universe. were arguably all dreamed up by young Tommy. St. The thing Im proudest of is the overall balance of the comedy to the drama; the counterpoint of that really grew and grew.. I thought it was interesting. Howie Mandels Dr. Wayne Fiscus--who distinguished himself by having sex on an autopsy table during the shows first episode--experienced death through a fantasy sequence last season. What are the advantages of running a power tool on 240 V vs 120 V? I think itll have another life, he said, smiling enigmatically. Why was it necessary for St. Elsewhere to end the way it did? Syndication used to be the method by which we would see old scripted shows, and a shows rep needed to be good enough for you to stop flipping channels if you happened to land on an episode (ooh! They always tried to be out there, beyond the limits of what was being done before. Elsewhere, and I venture to say stuff like House or Scrubs, or even Greys Anatomy would not look or feel the same without its influence and success. In a way that actually sucks most of contemporary-set American scripted TV into the inside of a snow globe? But for others, it was a stroke of inspiration. Can I use my Coinbase address to receive bitcoin? CHAD ALLEN (Tommy Westphall): I remember the script arrived, I read it, got to the end, and I was stumped. That's the nature of a hospital drama, that's why we tune in. Elsewhere by the residents and the surrounding community, the place has a reputation as a rathole. He went on to create the acclaimed seriesHomicide:Life on the Street (in which a character fromSt. Michael Kennedy is an avid movie and TV fan that's been working for Screen Rant in various capacities since 2014. The most far-reaching regulation is that they "do not include any show that is not a narrative live-action program with a shared continuity from episode to episode. The original decision to include fictional product crossovers actually comes from the origins of the chart itself. As Gow told HuffPost, "St. Elsewhere" writer Tom Fontana began writing connections between his shows using fictional products and companies. The suggestion is that the entire series was a product of Tommy Westphall's imagination but if that's true, then what it implies is nothing short of jaw-dropping. Autism news, information and support. How Palm Springs ran out Black and Latino families to build a fantasy for rich, white people, 17 SoCal hiking trails that are blooming with wildflowers (but probably not for long! Fox doesnt think hell live to be 80: Every day its tougher. "You know, I still have the snow globe," he said. Elsewhere's final moments. You cant please most people most of the time. The camera slowly zooms in on the snow globe, which is revealed to contain a replica of St. Eligius hospital inside of it. One TV writer wants to put a copy of the grid on her office wall and put 'YOU ARE HERE' on the show she writes for.". At least that's the most widely held interpretation of St. Elsewhere 's final moments. The ending has become an infamous example of the "it was all a dream" conclusion that's appeared in dozens of movies and TV shows over the years. Elsewhere; by extension this hypothesis can be extended to include the science fiction program The X-Files and the Law & Order franchise (due to various crossovers with characters from Homicide, in particular Det. Like their small but loyal band of viewers--who have already written at least 300 letters to MTM and the network protesting its cancellation--the St. Learn more about Stack Overflow the company, and our products. What were the most popular text editors for MS-DOS in the 1980s? This expands the Tommy Westphall universe ever outward, to the point where over 400 shows now reside under its umbrella. Fontana wrote a fictional "Weigert Corporation" as an intergral part of both "St. Elsewheres Wednesday night time slot in the fall. Kenneth Lowe is a regular contributor to Paste TV. Since Dr. Turner and Dr. Ehrlich are figments of Tommys imagination that means when they visit the Homicide universe, that it too is part of Tommys world. Syndication used to be the method by which we would see old scripted shows, and a shows rep needed to be good enough for you to stop flipping channels if you happened to land on an episode (. According to the duo's notes, the only other non-US shows in the "Tommyverse" are "The 'Degrassi' shows (Canada), 'The Office' (UK), the 'Doctor Who' shows (UK), 'Luther' (UK), 'Jo' (France) and 'Paris Section Criminelle' (France)," which "is the only show not in English in the Tommyverse.". It made me smile when I heard about what they did because it was so them. Most scripted television shows end in cancellation, so theres something special about the ones that get the chance to go out on their own terms. And Ed Flanders, who portrayed Dr. Donald Westphall, made his last appearance before leaving the regular cast early this season (he returns in the final episode) by mooning the camera. A clip of the original credits from the series finale, with Mimsie the Cat on life support. Craig, always a prissy sort, is absolutely beside himself with the prospect that his wife Ellen is taking a job in (gasp) Ohio. The Marvel Cinematic Universe might seem like a huge landscape of interconnected shows and TV movies, but the Tommy Westphall universe has it beat. That is A surprise to everybody. And what about the real people who have appeared on the included shows, like Alex Trebek on Cheers? The last year, I put in a rug and a lamp. Not necessarily Even if you go to Alice in Wonderland, and he has the wonderful poem Life is But a Dream in it, still it was serious. And they figured out a way: Okay, we wont have any reunions, nothing like that. "That really solidifies things. But I wasnt surprised that there were many people who didnt find it satisfying. What's he thinking about?". If it were just a solid hospital show, it would be a popular back catalog binge watch, but its a part of TV history for two reasons: its novel approach to the hospital drama, and, Nobody is too interested in that, though. If it were just a solid hospital show, it would be a popular back catalog binge watch, but its a part of TV history for two reasons: its novel approach to the hospital drama, and. WebSt. The shows one truly lasting and iconic [3] An exterior camera shot of the hospital cuts to Tommy Westphall sitting in the living room of an apartment building alongside his grandfather, now being portrayed by Norman Lloyd (aka "Daniel Auschlander"). There are two very important reasons why the ending is not only justified but important and even critically needed for a show like St. It is underfunded, understaffed, crowded, and running on fumes. What symbolic value does either the globe or the snow have on the ending of the series? And I'm beat. Six years . Its been observed that much of American primetime TV has been about cops and the sex lives of doctors. Browse other questions tagged, Start here for a quick overview of the site, Detailed answers to any questions you might have, Discuss the workings and policies of this site. The show also has connections to series that cameafter it, largely thanks to one of its writers and producers, Tom Fontana. As Gow told HuffPost, "St. TIL That thanks to the series finale of St Elsewhere, and - Reddit Elsewherefollowed its flawed, relatable characters over multi-episode storylines and even season-long arcs. The best answers are voted up and rise to the top, Not the answer you're looking for? Characters from Homicide crossed over with multiple series, including The X-Files, Law & Order, The Wire and Arrested Development, with Richard Belzer's John Munch being the most frequent culprit. The ending has become an infamous example of the "it was all a dream" conclusion that's appeared in dozens of movies and TV shows over the years. . Thanks to the phenomenal success of the MCU, shared universes now dot the pop culture landscape, including the DCEU, The Conjuring universe, the Godzilla and King Kong MonsterVerse, and many more. Elsewhere" that the whole show had been in the character Elsewhere to a trivial mention in Fontanas biography, if not for the curiosity of a playwright named Keith Gow. Donald Westphalls autistic son, who was gazing into a snow globe containing a miniature version of the hospital. A Weyland-Utani ship is also seen in a spaceship graveyard in the British sci-fi series Red Dwarf.. 7. He sits there, all day long, in his own world, staring at that toy. So Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C., Mayberry R.F.D., and Make Room for Daddy/The Danny Thomas Show are gone. To me the last 10 minutes of the final Here's my son, I talk to him, I don't even know if he can hear me. Theres a lot to unpack: is it simply making a statement on the show as a fictional world? This is the final scene from "The Last One", the 22nd episode (137th overall) from the sixth and final season of NBC's 1982-88 medical drama I think reality is much more the smell of the hospital, the smell of death. Rather than case-of-the-week stories with infallible doctors and carboard-thin supporting characters,St. [3][5][6] According to Lindsey Freeman, the narrative framing of Tommy's imagination as within a snow globe occurs because, as an "oneiric and mnemonic gadget", a snow globe "often finds itself as a companion piece to the dream sequences found in television and movies". Tommy's father, still being portrayed by Ed Flanders (aka "Donald Westphall") arrives at the apartment wearing a hard hat. For a constant stream of entertainment news and discussion, follow HuffPost Entertainment on Viber. The whole circus is overseen by Dr. Donald Westphall (Ed Flanders), with Dr. Daniel Auschlander (Norman Lloyd) and Dr. Mark Craig (Daniels) rounding out the experienced older set of doctors helping the residents learn the ropes. I felt one thing when I read it and one thing when I saw it. Elsewhere were dreamt by Tommy Westphall, and thus, products of his imagination. After the "Fansville" characters exchange meta-humorous existential comments, the camera pans out to show that the characters in fact exist in a snowglobe sitting on Larry Culpepper's desk. Elsewhere, like basically every television series that is set in the present day, had crossover episodes or cameos with other popular shows. Cheers introduced Frasier Crane, of Frasier; Other people didnt care for it at all. Yet, none of those universes compare to the sheer enormity of the Tommy Westphall world, which traces back to the series finale of popular 1980s medical drama St. St. Airing for six seasons from 1982 to 1988 on NBC,St. "The first time I saw [the Tommy Westphall Universe theory] it just completely devastated me, because []We believed that our show was just a speck in the universe, and then it turned out that our show was the universe.". If the theory holds, then a large chunk of television is the direct result of one childs formidable imagination. These strings go on across multiple decades of television, with I Love Lucy being the earliest example. Elsewhere through fictional crossovers and spin-offs, resulting in a large fictional universe taking place entirely within Tommy's mind. Elsewhere cast reunion: It was a show that changed television, 'St. St. Eligius is a teaching hospital in Bostons South End (the building that appears in the title sequence is actually an apartment building there). Walter White and Rachel Green are no longer just characters in your pop culture-themed fantasy game of Clue, they're characters that could have bumped into each other on the street. St. In the door comes Dr. Westphall, but he hangs up a construction workers hat. The thing is, autism was - and still is - While the doctors of St. I said at the time we were shooting, This is a cheat. For me, it was a cheat. For all the latest TV news, reviews, lists and features, follow. Elsewhere was the designated comic relief for the first few episodes. What is the Russian word for the color "teal"? Elsewhere. rev2023.4.21.43403. How was your day up on the building? Elsewhere into Homicide.". I hear people, like Oh, what happened there? or Oh, I didnt understand that or Oh, I love that! You got all kinds of comments on it. Despite its high standing among TV critics, St. Elsewhere was known for its The show was a proving ground for actors you have seen in a million things before or since: Denzel Washington and Howie Mandel were easily the most recognizable, but there were also ringers like Mark Harmon, David Morse, Ed Begley Jr., Bruce Greenwood, Ronny Cox, and not only Mr. Feeny himself (William Daniels), but his wife (real and fictional) Bonnie Bartlett. While that can sometimes describe St. Elsewhere, the magic was in the tone, as it was with another show by the same production company, Hill Street Blues. Gow and Crowe have an elaborate system of rules for what shows can and can't be included in the list, which they shared with HuffPost and can now be seen on their site's latest update. Elsewhere" and "Oz," and, as Gow tells it, "It was that little connection that spawned a thousand other connections -- references to fictional airlines, companies, nods from one series to another.". The finale (if youre lucky enough to ever have a planned one air) might be one of the most watched episodes in the whole run of the show and the impression that lingers in the minds of most viewers long after the show ends. Elsewhere an autistic boy is shown to have imagined and created a vast and deeply human universe. The final scene of 30 Rock opens with a view of the eponymous building, which fades into a model of the same, in a snow globe, observed by NBC president Kenneth Parcell roughly a century into the future, as flying cars whiz past his window. But I thought it was wonderful. They remember it because of young Tommy Westphall (Chad Allen)the autistic son of Dr. Westphall, who was a recurring character on the show. Closing the Curtain on 'St. Elsewhere' Operation - Los Angeles This has led to dozens of shows using the same fake product, so in terms of the chart, "that's become an increasingly complex can of worms," said Crowe. English version of Russian proverb "The hedgehogs got pricked, cried, but continued to eat the cactus". Elsewhere to end the way it did? Observers of the theory take issue with the idea out of what they deem is a misunderstanding of an authors intent. Elsewhere in its final season owned the prison hospital in his series Oz.". Mandels character, though, gets the easiest metaphor of the episode. Helen Hunt even appeared in a few episodes. ), I expect a very mixed reaction, Bruce Paltrow, one of the show's executive producers, told the Chicago Tribune in 1988. I think some people will think it's extraordinary and existential and quintessential St. A FL native, Michael is passionate about pop culture, and earned an AS degree in film production in 2012. That fictional firm appears inDoctor Who, Red Dwarf, and of course, theAlien feature film franchise. Related: Crisis On Infinite Earths Solved DC Movies' Continuity Problem. Why did Sonny trust Carlo enough to introduce him to the family and then sour on him? Over time and with the help of reader contributions, The Tommy Westphall Universe grew to include shows as diverse as ALF, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Knight Rider, Melrose Place, Seinfeld, and dozens of others, much of it helped along by the character of Munch appearing in more than 10 series, and those series making reference to other characters and brands.
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