This week, a shocking season finale! You won't believe the cliffhangers! For the final season 1 episode of Enjoy Stuff, we look back at some memorable TV and movie cliffhangers of all time. Will everyone survive? Tune in next time...

We celebrate our season 1 finale by looking back on some other memorable finales and the origin of cliffhangers. Hang on for dear life as you Enjoy Stuff! 

News

Tom Hanks teams up with an old cast(away)mate to throw out the first pitch at the Cleveland Guardians game 

Netflix Releases Love, Death + Robots Season 3 Trailer

What we’re Enjoying

Jay is channeling his inner brick while playing the recently released LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga. As always, this LEGO interpretation of the films is fun and extensive. Shua finally got around to watching the latest and final season of the Netflix series Lost in Space. It’s tons of fun and another good interpretation. 

Sci-Fi Saturdays/MCU Location Scout

Be sure to check out Jay’s articles on Retrozap.com. This week he skips the decidedly non-sci-fi Groundhogs Day to check out the obscure 1993 film Nemesis, so named because “the inescapable agent of someone’s or something’s downfall” was too long for theater marquees. 

Enjoy TV!

Cliffhangers! These days they make us want to binge entire seasons of shows. But as early as the 70’s they gave us something to talk about in the long months leading up to the next season premiere. 

According to Master Class, “A cliffhanger is a plot device in which part of a story ends unresolved, usually in a suspenseful or shocking way, in order to compel audiences to turn the page or return to the story in the next installment.” It began in 1873 in a Thomas Hardy novel called “A Pair of Blue Eyes”. 

But in 1978, the writers of the TV series “Soap” saw it as an opportunity for audiences to be so intrigued at the outcome, that they will wait on pins and needles for the next season. Voila! Instant underground hype!

Fast forward to 1980 and the writers of the nighttime soap “Dallas” shot the main antagonist of the show and made just about everyone a suspect. ‘Who Shot JR?’ was on everyone’s lips in 1980 and is still one of the most successful cliffhanger endings in history.

Over the years many shows have used this technique to keep fans returning and to build an even bigger fanbase with word-of-mouth. “The Good Place”, “Friends”, “Walking Dead”...Even people who don’t watch the show could probably tell you about a memorable cliffhanger. 

In 1990 a syndicated show used this in a way that had never really been done before. “Star Trek: The Next Generation” created a memorable cliffhanger that may have contributed to the continuing future success of the entire franchise with one word, “Fire!”

Movies can use this method too. “Back to the Future part II”, “Avengers: Infinity War”, and of course, “The Empire Strikes Back” gave us months or even years to speculate what solutions could possibly be created to satisfy us. 

What are some of your favorite cliffhangers? Do they make you want to come back for more? Did you read all the way to the bottom? First person that emails me with the subject line, “I shot JR” will get a special mention on the show.  Let us know. Come talk to us in the Discord channel or send us an email to podcast@enjoystuff.com