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Greatest cliffhangers and episode endings
tiggerpooh
Posts: 4,182 Forum Member
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So. What does make a great cliffhanger? For a start, you want to make sure it's good enough to make your audience think, "Oh, gosh! I must tune in next time, to find out what happens." 
Also, for me, a good cliffhanger, is one reason a show lasts for years. :cool:
You get lots of cliffhangers with the 'Classic' era, but not so many with the 'New' Who era.
I think some of the greatest cliffhangers have been:
Caves of Androzani Episode 3: The Fifth Doctor seems to crash land, with Stotz trying to break into the pilot area.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JdLzNSV3bK4
Bad Wolf: Rose is surrounded by Daleks and the Ninth Doctor is seen on the video screen. He then says, "Rose?" She replies, "Yes, Doctor?" Then he says, "I'm coming to get you."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=QfkWiQnfb0Y#t=102
Human Nature: Joan is captured by Jenny, putting a gun to her head, and Mr Clark takes Martha. Baines gives The Doctor/John Smith an ultimatum. He says "Which one of them do you want us to kill? Your friend, or your lover?"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=nHZikk8oyQ4#t=65
Which episodes of 'Classic' Who and 'New' Who have the best cliffhangers and episode endings?
Also, for me, a good cliffhanger, is one reason a show lasts for years. :cool:
You get lots of cliffhangers with the 'Classic' era, but not so many with the 'New' Who era.
I think some of the greatest cliffhangers have been:
Caves of Androzani Episode 3: The Fifth Doctor seems to crash land, with Stotz trying to break into the pilot area.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JdLzNSV3bK4
Bad Wolf: Rose is surrounded by Daleks and the Ninth Doctor is seen on the video screen. He then says, "Rose?" She replies, "Yes, Doctor?" Then he says, "I'm coming to get you."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=QfkWiQnfb0Y#t=102
Human Nature: Joan is captured by Jenny, putting a gun to her head, and Mr Clark takes Martha. Baines gives The Doctor/John Smith an ultimatum. He says "Which one of them do you want us to kill? Your friend, or your lover?"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=nHZikk8oyQ4#t=65
Which episodes of 'Classic' Who and 'New' Who have the best cliffhangers and episode endings?
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Series 7 gave me some goods one when I saw them on airing, the revelation about Oswin being a Dalek, the War Doctor's appearance, and the saving of Gallifrey were just awesome.
But obviously, I don't think anything will ever beat the end of "The Natural History of Fear".
"Eight of course!"
The funny thing about that one though is that I accidentally spoiled myself on what that meant, but I didn't have the context on it. So in an oddly twisted way, it made the ending even better!
Oh yes. :cool:
I would also add Caves of Androzani Episodes 1 and 3, The Deadly Assassin Episode 2, Dalek Invasion of Earth Episode 1 (Extermiblubblub!) , Terror of The Zygons Episode 1 (I still jump!) Earthshock Episode 1 and The Silurians episode, um, 4? (The one where the Silurian bursts through the cottage door.)
Obviously not so many in C21, but particularly like the cliffhangers to The Empty Child, Human Nature, Utopia, The Time of Angels, The Pandorica Opens and The Rebel Flesh. (Seem to be in a very small minority, but whilst a bit clunky in parts, I do like the latter story; Part 2 with Matt interracting with himself is very enjoyable, IMO.)
For me though, The Caves Of Androzani has some of the best cliffhangers there's ever been. I agree Part 2's with the Magma Beast was not so good but Part 1 where you actually saw The Doctor and Peri being shot and Part 3 where The Doctor about to crash the space ship is just awesome. With Part 1, there is no pause before the firing, it's just a full on barrage.
I'm watching The War Games at the moment and the end of Part 1 with The Doctor in a similar position and about to face a firing squad is perhaps a bit more easy to guess as the command to fire isn't given before a shot is heard. There's no such fallback with Androzani's first episode. it's ready aim fire and that's it!
Other cliffhangers I enjoy are Davros's 'You will tell me' rant in Genesis Part 4, Earthshock's surprise Cyberman appearance and also Captain Tancredi's appearance at the end of City Of Death Part 2. I have watched this story more than any other and I still remember how shocked I was first time round. I think that's classified as a WTF moment!
In the New series, the Stolen Earth cliffhanger with the apparent regeneration still rules supreme for me. I'm not so keen of the Bad Wolf cliffhanger from Series 1, it seemed for me out of context with the situation. I'd rather Rose about to be exterminated or just something else, it just didn't feel like a cliffhanger to me, I felt there were other opportunities in that situation to have something better.
Others that I love from The New Series is The Cybermen two parter from Series 2 where The Doctor and co are surrounded and also the Human Nature one.
On a more general note, I always remember when Doctor Who was on twice a week in the early 80's that I never looked forward to a Part 2 cliffhanger. Part 1 and 3 you could see the very next night and Part 4 was always the last episode but Part 2 was always setup to be the best cliffhanger out of the bunch because of that gap.
I also agree with Caves 3 and Bad Wolf - both utterly brilliant.
I also really love Logopolis 3 - not a fan of the story as a whole, but The Doctor and The Master shaking hands ("One last hope...") was a brilliant moment. Mel's scream into the credits in the Vervoids section of Trial is also brilliant, as is the "Aaand.... CUT!" moment in Varos. And as rubbish as the following three parts are, the end of part one of Thew Space Museum is still surprisingly chilling.
Props must go out to The Name...'s cliffhanger, too, for possibly setting the internet ablaze with discussion more than any other cliffhanger in the show's history.
And on a more sentimental note, I will always be fond of the cliffhanger to Alien's Of London - I hate the story itself so very much, but THE DOCTOR WAS SCREAMING IN PAIN AS THE MUSIC STING CUT IN! There it was, right there on the screen - a BRAND NEW DOCTOR WHO CLIFFHANGER! For the first time since 1989!!!!!
Utopia, in its execution and fanboy glory.
The Leisure Hive where Tom has his limbs ripped off. Traumatised me!
And the double-whammy in Earthshock: ("Destroy them at once!") ("Oh bo- [Ka-boom!]")
Amy's pregnancy reveal is one of those - you think the situation's been resolved, the story is being wrapped up back in the TARDIS, and then BOOM! Why's the Doctor pointing the screwdriver at Amy? We're blindsided, but it ties into earlier plot elements perfectly. I just love those moments when the viewer is forced to change tracks.
The surprise meta-regeneration is also one of those. Being surrounded by Daleks, and then that happening out of nowhere, is something else entirely - the peril is almost forgotten. Although you know the Doctor won't die, you still don't know what it'll mean in terms of the show.
The Human Nature ending I'm less sold on. Having the characters put into mortal peril, such being trapped in a room with monsters advancing, or dangling from a height, isn't interesting because you know the main characters will escape. You know the Martha won't be killed, and there would be no value in killing off Joan at this point in the story, so the only question is the how, which is less interesting.
At the risk of being negative, the one cliffhanger resolution that stands out as being something I particularly disliked was Rise of the Cybermen. The 'sacrifice' of using the only hope they have to restart the TARDIS is dismissed in seconds, as it turns out the tiny fragile power source/Cyberman killing device can be recharged at any time.
Ooh, and Talons 1
Maybe The Daleks 1 and the one with the repetetive Daleks from Power of the Daleks
And Resurrection of the Daleks episode 1
I spent a week with a big inside voice saying 'no way is he changing for real, not possible without the media having got hold of it months ago' but also with a smaller voice in my head saying 'but maybe'
NuWho had some good cliffhangers like Utopia when the Master is revealed.
This is a great example actually along with all the others already mentioned doctor blue box
I do love the end of Utopia too and the end of Night of the Doctor with John Hurt wasnt half bad either when John Hurt turned round. I mean it was John Hurt ELEPHANT MAN how cool !!
The death of Rory in the Sulirian story i thought was shocking at the time because it was the real one but not sure if that counts as a cliff-hanger but a great episode ending.
Ref Classic Who the death of Adric in Earthshock was truly unexpected at the time so a great episode ending with no theme music afterwards to emphasise the event.
I really thought Rory was gone for good at the end of the Silurian two-parter. It was a shock to see him back in The Pandorica Opens as a Roman soldier.
This cliffhanger, I absoloutely love too!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m6ZzXDGD-_A
ALSO,
School Reunion (Sarah Jane and K-9)
42 (I don't know why but I really liked the last scene of this episode)
The End of the Time (regeneration)
Pandorica Opens (cliffhanger)
Wedding of River Song (very memorable dialogue with Dorian)
Time of the Doctor (regeneration)
It's so dramatic.
The end of Turn Left when Donna tells The Doctor "2 words." We all expected her to say Rose Tyler but instead she said Bad Wolf
I love the Vervoid story. The Ruth Baxter cliffhanger is fantastic.
That whole episode is just weird from start to finish, there's no companion to talk to so it feels very dream-like.
I love the cliffhanger of Invasion of the Dinosaurs ep 3 for that very reason, it's a real WTF moment.
I really like the Deadly Assassin story too! ;-) The ending to one of the episodes where a train is seen coming towards the Doctor, is good.
I also very much like cliffhanger ending to one of the parts of The Android Invasion, where Sarah is revealed to be an Android duplicate.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=Y8Tn7GiBkUo#t=54
Apparently, IOT was originally going to be a four part story, but at the last minute, the production team changed their minds, and turned it into a six-parter, instead.
I can well believe it:
lets have this unexpected twist...
OK, then what?
Um... they chase around the TARDIS for 15 minutes
EDIT: here ir\t is on youtube for those that haven't seen it want to see it again: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KgtnL6uMQkw