So What Happened in the End? Quiz / Test | Things in Common

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1. The seven stranded castaways from the SS Minnow were always hoping to be rescued from "Gilligan's Island". In that last (98th) episode, did they manage to successfully get off the island?

Answer: No

The last episode, "Gilligan the Goddess", which went to air in the USA on April 17th 1967, finished with the castaways still on the island. The show was then canceled prior to any fourth series and prospective rescue. The seven did manage to leave the island in two, made-for-TV, movies "Rescue from Gilligan's Island" (1978) and the 1979 sequel "The Castaways on Gilligan's Island".

There have also been a number of spin-offs and reunions including a 1988 episode of "The Late Show" with Ross Shafer, which was the first time that the previously disgruntled Tina Louise (Ginger) rejoined her fellow cast members.

2. 'Danger! Danger!' and 'Warning! Warning!' were very common alarm statements given by the robot to the spaceship captain's son, Will Robinson, on this intergalactic comedy that ran from 1965 to 1968. In the final episode of the third series, the spaceship Jupiter 2 and its crew still didn't manage to get back to earth. They never had another chance as this show was then canceled. So what was the name of this show, which included the conniving Dr Zachary Smith as well as Major West and the Robinson family?

Answer: Lost in Space

The cancellation of the show after 83 episodes came as somewhat of a surprise. The show's ratings had been solid if not spectacular, finishing 32nd, 35th and 33rd in its three seasons (considerably better than "Star Trek", which at best rated 52nd). Several reasons were given for the show's demise.

These included a high budget, escalating costs and perhaps most importantly, a decreased lack of interest by the cast and crew. Nevertheless, some phrases from this show live on in the memory of fans (including myself), including the Robot's 'That does not compute' and Dr Smith's 'You bubble-headed booby' (directed at the Robot), 'Never fear, Smith is here' and 'Oh, the pain, the pain'.

3. TV series eventually come to an end. The most common conclusion is when the network decides that the show is not attracting sufficient ratings (or less frequently, don't want to meet the demands of the stars). Which of the following series was canceled NOT by the network but by the two main stars, who then moved on to a similar new series?

Answer: I Love Lucy

'I Love Lucy' starred Lucille Ball as Lucy Ricardo, Desi Arnaz as her musician husband Ricky, and William Frawley and Vivian Vance as their best friends Fred and Ethel Mertz. During its run on CBS from 1951 to 1957, it was the most watched show in the United States in four of these seasons and it won five Emmy Awards.

After the sixth series, both Lucy and Desi wanted to reduce the number of episodes they were filming, so using the same cast plus a guest star, they created the "The Lucille Ball-Desi Arnaz Show". Rather than the 26-35 half-hour episodes per year, there were thirteen one-hour episodes over the period 1957-1960. "The Lucille Ball-Desi Arnaz Show" was initially very popular but by 1959-60 the strain of their real life marriage collapse also played out in some strained performances and declining ratings.

4. This British comedy was set during World War II and featured the exploits of Captain Mainwaring, Sergeant Wilson and the rest of the Walmington-on-Sea Home Guard. This very popular and critically acclaimed show ran from 1968 until 1977 and spawned a radio version, a stage play and a feature film. The final episode featured Corporal Jones, the veteran of Lord Kitchener's Sudan campaign of 1896-1898, marrying Mrs Fox while tensions were high due to the suspicion of imminent invasion by the German forces. Which show was this, which also featured a final scene drinking a toast to the real Home Guard?

Answer: Dad's Army

Created and written by David Croft and Jimmy Perry, the humor in the 80 episodes was largely driven by the interplay between the major characters, all of whom represented classic British stereotypes. Key characters included Captain Mainwaring (Arthur Lowe), the local bank manager who felt it was his right and duty to lead the Local Defence Volunteers; the upper class second in command, Sergeant Wilson (John Le Mesurier); Private Frazer (John Laurie) the dour Scottish undertaker; Lance Corporal Jones (Clive Dunn) whose abilities and organizational skills didn't match his enthusiasm, and Private Pike (Ian Lavender), the kindhearted but not too bright young man who was overly protected by his mother.

Many battles were fought but these were typically against the Air Warden (Bill Pertwee) or the verger at St. Aldhelm's Church (Edward Sinclair).

5. At the time of its screening on May 6th, 2004, the final episode of "Friends" was the fourth most watched series finale in US television history. Several storylines were concluded. Which of the following did NOT happen in that episode, "The Last One"?

Answer: The six friends walked arm in arm back to their apartments

The 236 episodes of "Friends", created by Marta Kauffman and David Crane, aired on NBC from 1994 to 2004. The storylines involved the lives and loves of the six main characters played by Lisa Kudrow (Phoebe), Courtney Cox (Monica), Jennifer Aniston (Rachel), David Schwimmer (Ross), Matt LeBlanc (Joey) and Matthew Perry (Chandler). Gunther (played by James Michael Tyler), the manager at the Central Perk, was the other frequently appearing character (144 episodes) and who finally declared his unrequited love for Rachel in the final episode.

The show received a large number of awards including seven Primetime Emmy Awards, ten People's Choice Awards and the ASCAP Film and Television Music Awards Top TV Series award for every year of its run.

6. A commercial airliner crashed into a tropical island in the South Pacific and we then followed the survivors through six series of science-fiction inspired drama. Opinions on the final episode, which screened in 2010, were extremely varied. Some critics and fans provided lavish praise, while many others were disappointed that all the perplexing twists and turns were not adequately explained. What was the name of this show, featuring Jack Shephard and the Man in Black, which included an alternate timeline called the 'Flash Sideways' where the crash never occurred?

Answer: Lost

"Lost", based on a script by Jeffrey Lieber, was devised by J. J. Abrams and Damon Lindelof. There were 121 episodes which aired in the USA on the ABC network from 2004 until 2010, with the final double episode screening on May 23rd. The show always provided its multitude of fans with interesting issues of plot and character interpretation. Episodes were developed from the perspective of different characters and deciphering reality from personal perspective was always fascinating (and occasionally frustrating too!).

The final series (season 6) focused on the survivors but with the major plot variation that the crash did not happen - an alternate universe (the 'Flash Sideways') - this plot diversion and the main series line were resolved in the final episode; some viewers and critics loved it, others were dissatisfied and still left wondering what really happened.

7. Perhaps a fitting end to this show would have been the liberation of Stalag 13 at the end of the war but that was not to be, as it was canceled by CBS. The final episode ended with a redirected rocket blowing up General Burkhalter's house due in part to the expected ineptitude of Colonel Klink. So which show ended both with a bang and without a whimper?

Answer: Hogan's Heroes

Although set in the potentially grim environment of a prisoner of war camp, this show focused on comedy rather than the realities of warfare. The running gag was that the bumbling commandant, Colonel Klink (Werner Klemperer), and his assistant, Sergeant Schultz (John Banner), never had anyone escape from Stalag 13, but that was because the prisoners could achieve far more for the Allied war effort from within the camp than by escaping. Rather ironically, both Klemperer and Banner were both Jewish and left Europe for the USA prior to World War II. Sergeant Schultz's 'I know NOTHING!' is one of the most famous phrases in TV sitcom history. Several episodes showed Colonel Klink attempting to play the violin with horrible, screeching results. In real life, Klemperer was an extremely talented violinist and concert pianist; he was the son of renowned conductor Otto Klemperer. What turned out to be the final episode (#168) went to air in the USA on April 4, 1971.

8. This gritty drama, a BBC/Universal Studios co-production, focused on the lives of British and American officers who were imprisoned together under high security in a castle perched on a cliff, as these men had all escaped from other prisoner-of-war camps. The final episode showed the liberation of the camp by the American army on April 16, 1945. What was the name of this real life castle that was also the name of this show?

Answer: Colditz

Episode 28 ("Liberation") depicted the prisoners of war gaining their freedom. The show's stars included David McCallum as Flight Lieutenant Simon Carter, Richard Heffer as Captain Tim Downing and Hans Meyer as Hauptmann Franz Ulmann.

The real Colditz Castle in the town of Colditz, Saxony, dates back to 1046 when the Holy Roman Emperor (Henry III) gave the local burghers permission to build a settlement. Work on the castle didn't start until 1158. It was reconstructed in 1506, after a major fire in 1504. It was used as a sanitarium for most of the 19th century and up until 1924. As the TV show portrayed, it was used as a prisoner of war camp. There were many successful escape attempts but one of the most famous plans, the construction of a glider, never came to fruition due to the camp's liberation. The Russians took over occupation of Colditz in May 1945 and it became part of East Germany after the agreement struck at the Yalta Conference in February 1945.

9. Bud and Sandy were the sons of Chief Warden Porter Ricks in this 1960s TV series set in southern Florida. With the aid of their aquatic companion, the trio apprehended criminals and protected the Coral Key Park and Marine Preserve. In the final episode, Sandy was accepted into the Coast Guard Academy and Bud was heading off to a private school. A new family, the Whitmans, moved in but the network decided that was enough and didn't renew for a fourth series. Which TV series, famous for its great underwater cinematography, therefore showed this last and 88th episode in the USA on April 15th, 1967?

Answer: Flipper

This TV series was developed from the 1963 film "Flipper" starring Chuck Connors as Porter Ricks and Luke Halpin as his son Sandy. Halpin reprised this role in the TV series, but the role of Porter was taken by Brian Kelly. The scriptwriters added a second son (Bud, played by Tommy Norden) for the widowed Porter.

In a similar manner to the treatment of "Skippy the Bush Kangaroo" in that eponymous Australian series, the focal point of the show was an incredibly intelligent animal, in this case Flipper the dolphin. Each episode featured Flipper greatly assisting with the problem of the day as well as showing off the dolphin's amazing aquatic skills. Several different dolphins featured in this role but all were female, primarily to avoid showing the scars and other skin disfigurations normally suffered by males during their altercations with other male dolphins.

10. The four series of "Blackadder" featured the comic genius of Rowan Atkinson and a stellar cast including Tony Robinson (as Baldrick), Hugh Laurie, Stephen Fry, Tim McInnerney and Miranda Richardson. In that final, fourth series set during World War I, Atkinson played Captain Blackadder who spent most of his time scheming how to get sent home from the Western Front. In contrast to the hilarity preceding it, the final few minutes of the final episode were extremely poignant. What happened?

Answer: Blackadder and colleagues climbed out of the trenches to almost certain death

That final episode, "Goodbyeee", where Blackadder, Darling, Baldrick and George charge off into the mists of No-Mans Land and almost certain death, was part of "Blackadder Goes Forth", voted in at number 16 by the British Film Institute in the 100 Greatest British Television Programs.

The fourth series was certainly darker than the predecessors, which relied on farce, witty repartee and how the intelligent and conniving Blackadder dealt with the incompetence surrounding him. The fourth series persisted with these comedic traits but was also underlain by the harshness of life in the trenches and the inconceivable 'tactics' of High Command, exemplified by Stephen Fry's character, General Melchett.

Source: Author MikeMaster99

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor guitargoddess before going online.
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So What Happened in the End? Trivia Quiz

Your favorite TV series ended, perhaps many years ago. But can you recall what happened as the final episode drew to a close? Was the plot line resolved, perhaps in a surprising way or have you been left hanging? Let's find out! (May contain spoilers!)

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