The Last Man on Earth Ended Perfectly, Even With a Cliffhanger
In the moments right before the finale cliffhanger, the gang is on their way to Cancun when Tandy sees an actual living dog in the distance — they hadn’t seen one in years — inspiring him to stop their train on wheels. He makes a plea to the gang: They should stay where they are. Who cares if it’s in the middle of nowhere? Wherever they go will just be another beachfront covered in dead bodies. All these characters have grown over the time of the show, but in that moment, they find inside themselves the most difficult thing of all — acceptance. True acceptance that this is their life. It’s a life filled with love and impending menace, where nothing lasts. Not resources or good times or life or TV shows. All you can do is appreciate them while they’re here.
See, I do in a way agree with this. “Good news, bad news, who can say? It all depends on where the story ends.” The swift cancellation makes Last Man on Earth’s ending into almost a Lady and the Tiger-esque one: is the gasmask army good or bad? Depends what you actually believe about good and bad. But all the same –
– there’s still so many loose ends, like Mike’s happiness and the two pregnancies and even little character details like Gail’s son. It could’ve ended so much worse, but it could also have ended so much better.
The Last Man on Earth Ended Perfectly, Even With a Cliffhanger