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Freaks and Geeks

Name

Institution

Freaks and Geeks

1. Episode 18 of the Freaks and Geeks is a conclusion form of ending. Mittell describes the conclusion form of finishing takes place at the end of a series. In this case, Freaks and Geek can be termed as a conclusion since it has showcased the end events of the series. Most characters in the series end up trying new things which resulted in a conclusion. Also, the series has managed to showcase some sense of formality to the viewers. Resolution is another factor that is present in conclusion ending which has been displayed in the series. Due to the features discussed by Mittell, the series qualify with a conclusive ending. As further discussed by Mittell, a stoppage is a type of ending which takes place when series had to be abruptly stopped due to poor viewing of the program (Mittell, 2015). Wrap-ups take place when series display no clear ending which explains the fact that the program may have a possibility to be reborn or end up failing to be aired. Lastly, cessation is a type of ending which neither defines a conclusion of a series. The type of ending is known to create suspense among viewers since most questions go unanswered in the ending of the program.

2. Freaks and Geeks tend to leave an open possibility for a resurrection to take place. According to Mittell (2015), ‘resurrection’ proves to be the opposite of cessation which takes place when series have been returned on air. In other words, ‘resurrection’ is a state which occurs when a program or series had been stopped, but producers chose to showcase it back to viewers. In most cases, programs that are ‘resurrected’ are considered to have faced a wrap-up or stoppage. From this feature, the ending of Freaks and Geeks may make it possible for the program to be ‘resurrected' due to public demand. Viewers are considered to be the main factor that contributes to the stoppage, wrap-ups, and conclusion of programs. Hence, the series may have the possibility to be ‘resurrected' due to the viewer demand who seemed to like the program. Most viewers assert that the program had a good ending, but it can still pave the way for ‘resurrection’ since it had left some characters pending on their life decisions (Barnett, 2017). Also, the series can be ‘reborn’ as a new program but with the same storyline.

3. Compared to Lost, The Wire and The Sopranos, Freaks, and Geeks ending seem to be different as it has a conclusion ending while the rest have cessation. In cessation ending, a series or program is considered not to have a definite finality. Hence, Lost, The Wire and The Sopranos have a cessation ending because they let many questions unanswered. Additionally, the three series failed to deliver the promises that had been showcased in the ending. Mittell explains that Lost and The Wire are series which had showcased more pressure and promises to the viewers. However, the ending of the two series ended up disappointing viewers as they failed to deliver a final ending. On the other hand, the ending of Freaks and Geeks prove to have a different ending because it had not left many questions unanswered like Lost, The Wire, and The Sopranos. The series had also delivered most promises which had been showcased in the earlier episodes of the series.

References

Barnett, K. (2017). It’s Only Teenage Wasteland: The Home Media Revival of Freaks and Geeks. In Cult Media (pp. 85-101). Palgrave Macmillan, Cham.

Mittell, J. (2015). Complex TV: The Poetics of contemporary television storytelling. NYU Press.