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The one thing more terrifying than starting a story is ending one. Especially for writers of popular serial stories, the planning and execution of a mind-blowing finale is a daunting task. Yet in many ways, a story’s ending is dictated by the story itself, not by the writers. All endings, subversive or not, require careful buildup and strong foreshadowing. A clever plot twist can absolutely catapult a story to greatness, but it requires planning and balance, not last-minute surprises that go against the narrative grain.
In fact, fulfilling audience expectations is often a good thing. If predictable endings are consistent with the story and characters, then audiences will feel satisfied, not bored. Ignoring foreshadowing and consistency for the sake of shock value makes for a less fulfilling finale than sticking to the narrative’s logical path, even if audiences see it coming.
What Is Foreshadowing?
Foreshadowing is the storyteller’s way of leaving clues as to what will happen later on in the story. Bits of dialogue, snippets of plot information, or even parallel cinematography can be used to hint at events to come. These stray puzzle pieces may not turn heads when they are introduced, but they are responsible for that sublime epiphany in the audience when the picture finally comes together. Effective foreshadowing requires that the writers plan their endings far in advance so that they have time to build up to it.
Leaving clues like this also means that some audience members might be able to piece together what is going to happen before it does. Does this ruin the grand finale? Not at all. Satisfying endings rely on foreshadowing to create an emotional payoff and make sure the finale makes sense in hindsight. With predictable endings, audiences will feel satisfied knowing that the finale was consistent with the story. In subversive twists, fans will look on in awe and wonder how they didn’t see it coming. However, this latter strategy can be risky when writers mistake shock for satisfaction.
The Pitfalls Of Surprise Endings
Subverting audience expectations can be a great way to comment on genre conventions and avoid cliches. Unfortunately, some writers try so hard to be unexpected that they end up sabotaging their own stories. Look no further than Game of Thrones’ final season, which was bizarre and generally despised by fans. Of all the issues with Season Eight, one of the most controversial was Bran’s ascension to the throne.
Bran as the king does make some logical sense, but there was no storytelling devoted to setting up or justifying his rule. He was even absent for an entire season while the audience became more attached to other characters. There were no hints that he might take the throne and no indication that he would even be a decent leader. In fact, he even becomes less sympathetic through his cold treatment of other protagonists.
Another major problem was his total passivity. Of all the characters that could have taken the throne, Bran is the only one that did absolutely nothing to earn it, meaning the audience gets no satisfaction when he becomes king. Bran wasn’t the only character to have his personality butchered in the final seasons of Game of Thrones, but he was the only one that was never established as a potential leader for Westeros. His sudden ascension to the throne was subversive and surprising, but the total lack of foreshadowing made it unfulfilling.
The Value Of Shock
Even though a narrative surprise can be disastrous when poorly planned, unexpected scenes can definitely elevate a story. The key, as always, is foreshadowing far in advance. An excellent example is in Game of Thrones Season Six, where Cersei uses wildfire to destroy the Sept of Baelor and her enemies with it.
The scene itself is utterly brilliant, but the reason it was so successful was because of the extensive foreshadowing throughout the series. The clues stretch all the way back to Season One, where Cersei’s capacity for cruelty is quickly established. In Season Two, the show reveals the explosive power of wildfire, noting that Cersei has control over its production. As the series progresses, unrelated characters mention that there are stores of wildfire beneath the streets of King’s Landing. As Cersei loses more and more power, backed into a corner with enemies on all sides, it becomes clear that she will either do something drastic or face serious consequences.
When she finally smirks over the rubble of the Sept, it makes total sense and feels appropriate to her situation and character. The audience doesn’t wonder why she would do this or how she had the resources to pull it off. All of those questions were answered by the show long before fans even asked them, making this shocking scene impressive rather than confusing.
Surprise is a valuable tool for enhancing the emotional response to a scene. However, a grand moment without foreshadowing will undermine the impact of the event. For this reason, a formulaic but consistent finale is often the better choice than a sudden twist ending.
Predictable Endings Can Have Greater Payoff
When writing surprise endings, skilled storytellers will foreshadow far in advance, leaving clues throughout the story. These hints are often subtle, discreetly laying the framework for the big reveal later on. But fans are clever. Especially since the Internet makes it so much easier to collaborate and share theories, it has become harder and harder for storytellers to pull off something unexpected. However, this does not mean writers should add inconsistent and unrealistic twists just to keep things exciting. In fact, predictable endings often have stronger payoffs due to their emotional weight and logical consistency.
Audiences derive satisfaction from watching characters shape their own fate through agency and action. When a likable character struggles to accomplish something important, the audience will want to see them overcome their fears and complete the task. Waiting for characters to reap what they sow creates anticipation, and seeing it finally happen creates an emotional payoff. Even negative character arcs are satisfying because we can see the role the character played in their own downfall.
But when fans follow a character’s growth through a story just to see them fail at the last minute, it just feels disappointing, no matter how deep these endings try to be. The logical payoff makes a story more satisfying, not less. Endings that fulfill expectations are generally popular because they reward the audience for their investment by showing the characters achieving their goals or facing the consequences of their actions.
Straightforward Finales Don’t Have To Be Dull
For example, Avengers: Endgame was overall a very predictable movie. Many fans anticipated that the remaining heroes would go back in time to save their friends, that they would defeat Thanos’ forces in a massive battle, and that Tony Stark and Steve Rogers would die (or at least become unavailable for future movies). These things all happened, but the film was far from boring. Endgame was satisfying because it earned these moments through years of buildup, and watching the characters finally complete their arcs was immensely fulfilling.
Even if storytellers want to do something unexpected for their endings, this doesn’t mean they have to scrap narrative consistency for a bit of novelty. Writers can add tension in other ways to prevent the conflict from getting stale. An excellent example comes from Avatar: The Last Airbender. As a kid’s show, there wasn’t much of a question as to whether Aang, the protagonist, would defeat Fire Lord Ozai. The genre essentially guaranteed a happy ending in which Aang saves the world.
Instead of subverting this idea, the showrunners introduced a new question. Rather than asking whether Aang would defeat Ozai, the main conflict in the finale is whether Aang, a pacifist monk, would be able to defeat the Fire Lord without killing him. This allowed the writers to maintain tension in the final battle without going against the narrative tone of the series.
Character Endings Are Important, Too
While the plot might get the most attention upfront, the fate of the characters is arguably the most important part of the finale. Foreshadowing and consistency are just as important when wrapping up character arcs as they are when executing plot twists. As evidenced by Avatar: The Last Airbender and Game of Thrones, the setup can make or break a character. These very different shows have characters with similar paths: Zuko and Jaime.
Both are antagonists at first, get separated from their powerful and villainous family, and become more sympathetic through their interactions with a traveling companion. They eventually separate from that companion and rejoin their family, but they find that they aren’t content. After getting disillusioned with their previous lives, they decide to leave home and join the protagonists. Both characters, having previously been villains, must convince Team Good that their conversion is sincere and then participate in a major battle.
Given all these similarities, it seems odd that Zuko’s arc is considered a gold standard whereas Jaime’s was up in flames by the end of the series. The problem, once again, lies with inconsistency and a lack of setup. When Zuko defects and leaves his home to join the Avatar, it feels natural because much of the show was spent making him sympathetic, and it is well-established that he isn’t happy or safe in the life he thought he wanted. When he finally becomes a protagonist, it is clear that he is in a better place. He feels comfortable telling jokes around his new friends, earns their trust, and finally learns to let go of his anger.
Character Actions Require Setup
Jaime’s turn to Team Good also feels justified. Despite his initial struggle convincing others of his good intentions, he ultimately fits in. He feels comfortable telling jokes around his new friends, earns their trust, and finally learns to let go of his toxic relationship with his sister, Cersei.
With all this, it seems completely out of the blue when he suddenly decides he wants to be with Cersei again and leaves. The move could have been justified as a mission to assassinate her, or even Jaime being compassionate and wanting to comfort her in her final moments, but instead, he calls himself ‘hateful’ and leaves to be with her romantically.
Jaime’s story doesn’t follow the lines of an effective negative arc, so this last-minute switch is jarring. There was no significant sign that he was unhappy with his new surroundings, and his abrupt turn happened even after he learned that Cersei had sent a sellsword to kill him. Instead of a tragic flaw within Jaime, this sudden betrayal reads more like the writers trying to make a cynical comment about human nature in a show that is literally a cynical comment about human nature.
Once again, a lack of foreshadowing and consistency turns an unexpected moment into the frustrating erasure of a complex character arc. Writing effective endings is tricky, and pressure from fans can sometimes make storytellers feel as if they need to do something unpredictable for the finale. But the closer a story is to its end, the less control the writer has. Logic begins to dictate, and there is only room for surprises if the evidence has been planted beforehand.
There is nothing wrong with subversive endings, but foreshadowing is absolutely essential for making these twists seem meaningful rather than disappointing. And if the story doesn’t have room for a major plot twist, that isn’t a bad thing. A predictable ending doesn’t relegate a story to mediocrity, and a subversive one isn’t automatically clever. Of all the factors that go into the conclusion of a story, foreshadowing and consistency are the most important, not shock value.