19 Series Finale Callbacks To Pilot Episodes
[ad_1]
I love when things come full circle.
We recently asked the members of the BuzzFeed Community to tell us what TV series finale perfectly called back to their pilot episode. Here are some of the best ones:
Warning: Spoilers ahead!
1.
In The Nanny, when the Sheffields get ready to leave the house for the last time, Fran grabs her makeup bag that she brought to the house the first time she went there with the intention to sell makeup.
2.
In the Parks and Recreation pilot, Leslie tries to get a drunk man (played by Jon Daly) to leave the slide at a park. In the series finale, he comes back wearing a suit and asks the Parks and Recreation Department to fix a swing at his local park.
3.
In the pilot of BoJack Horseman, BoJack and Diane talk on the roof and she offers to help write his memoir. He says she’ll probably get sick of him and she responds, “I don’t think that’s going to happen.” The series finale ends with them on the roof again and he says, “Wouldn’t it be funny if this was the last time we ever talked to each other?” She gets quiet and doesn’t respond, making it clear to him that she doesn’t want him to be a part of her life anymore.
4.
Jim’s first and final interviews in The Office are almost identical. In the first interview, he complains about his job at Dunder Mifflin, but in the last one he says he owes everything he has to his job and it shows how much he grew throughout the series.
5.
In the first episode of Veep, Selina wants to address a recent scandal but Mike tells her not to because Tom Hanks might die and that would overshadow her scandal in the news. In the last episode, they show coverage on the news of Selena’s presidential funeral. She’s finally getting the attention she always wanted and then Tom Hanks dies and that news overshadows her funeral.
6.
In The Vampire Diaries finale, Damon greets Stefan by saying “Hello, brother,” after they have found peace. This is a nod to when they confronted each other in the first episode.
7.
In the Seinfeld finale, Jerry and George repeat the same conversation they had in the show’s pilot. The pilot starts with Jerry talking about the second button on a shirt and it’s the last thing they talk about in the finale.
8.
Crazy Ex-Girlfriend ends its pilot with Rebecca and Paula holding hands, facing each other, and singing “West Covina,” bonded together by the goal of getting Rebecca and Josh back together. In the finale, Paula sings a reprise of the song, but this time to tell Rebecca that what she needed to pursue all along was music instead of Josh.
9.
In the Sister, Sister finale, Tia and Tamera go back to the same clothing store where they met and see the same salesman who confused them in the pilot.
10.
In The Good Place‘s finale, Tahani becomes an architect and Michael gives her the same bowtie he wears in the pilot.
11.
In The Good Wife’s pilot, Alicia slaps her husband after he uses her for PR purposes because of his recent scandal.
In the finale, Alicia turns into all the things she hated about her husband and is slapped by a coworker she used for similar PR purposes.
12.
In That ’70s Show‘s finale, Kitty wears the same outfit at her NYE party that she wore at her party in the first episode.
13.
In the Once Upon a Time finale, Emma arrives late to the coronation and says, “Sorry. I’m late,” which is a callback to Regina saying the same thing when she crashed Snow White and Prince Charming’s wedding in the first episode.
ABC
“It was a perfect callback and showed how much the character grew within seven seasons!”
—nyrupamd
14.
The first episode of One Tree Hill
starts out with Nathan Scott playing a high school basketball game. The series ends with Nathan and friends in the stands watching his son Jamie playing in a basketball game on the same team.
15.
The last scene of the Gilmore Girls pilot ends with Lorelai and Rory talking over coffee at Luke’s, and the series finale ends the exact same way.
16.
Lost starts and ends with the same shot of Jack opening his eyes with the dog lying next to him.
17.
The opening scene of Pretty Little Liars shows Alison disappearing after a sleepover with her four best friends. The show ends with a girl named Addison disappearing after a sleepover with her four best friends.
18.
In The Big Bang Theory, Penny wears the same light blue floral top in the finale’s closing dinner scene as she wears in the first episode when she moves in.
19.
And in the series finale of That ’70s Show, Eric and Donna kiss in front of the old Vista Cruiser and then sit on the hood where they had their first kiss in the pilot.
What are some other TV series finales that had great callbacks to their pilot? Let us know in the comments
TV and Movies
Get all the best moments in pop culture & entertainment delivered to your inbox.