st elsewhere ending theory

The elder Westphall returns home, but he's not dressed in scrubs he's wearing a hard hat, and his conversation with Auschlander (whom he addresses as "Pop") implies that he's a construction worker. Elsewhere have discovered it be a never-ending task, and they have posited the "Tommy Westphall Universe" asthe grand, unified universe at the center of virtually everything you've ever watched on a screen, fromI Love Lucy toMalcolm in the Middle toKnight Rider toStar Trek to well, you get the idea. More than puzzling, some people found it to be an actual puzzle. Seated in a rocking chair is none other than Dr. Auschlander only that's not quite right. St. Eligius is a teaching hospital in Bostons South End (the building that appears in the title sequence is actually an apartment building there). If the theory holds, then a large chunk of television is the direct result of one childs formidable imagination. If the show were not great, if we had not had as many nominations, we probably wouldnt even be talking about it. Flashforward! Here's my son, I talk to him, I don't even know if he can hear me. What were the most popular text editors for MS-DOS in the 1980s? Elsewhere, including all its characters, are revealed to have been the dream of a minor character named Tommy Westphall, an autistic boy who possesses a snow globe containing a replica of the hospital where the series took place. It's not every day we see Plucky Comic Relief commit suicide. Westphall sits down next to Tommy and says, "I don't understand this autism thing, Pop. Cheers introduced Frasier Crane, of Frasier; As one of the co-authors of the scene that ignited the entire premise, Fontana said he was stunned to discover the aftershocks and that the theory basically means that Tommy Westphall is the mind of God.. I sure heard about it. The Westphall universe just keeps expanding out in that manner from there, getting bigger and bigger in the same way as a snowball rolling downhill, which is appropriate considering Tommy's snow globe. Why is Frank McCourt really pushing this? Fox doesnt think hell live to be 80: Every day its tougher. It was seen as a cheap shot and a quick fix, even though the mechanism and method was mimicked many times over afterwards. When NBCs hour-long hospital drama St. Elsewhere signed off after six seasons on May 25, 1988, more than a few viewers were saddened. Not necessarily because the serieswhich had earned 13 Emmy Awards during its runwas ending, but because producers opted for a highly unconventional finale. This is not likely the case (I'm not going to search for links to autism websites for this answer), but for writers looking for some weird ending for their show (other than "it was all a dream"), the idea of a child imagining the world of St. As the episode comes to a close, Dr. Westphall is sitting alone in the office of his friend and mentor Dr. Auschlander, who has recently died when in runs his son, Tommy (Chad Allen), a quiet, autistic boy whom viewers had met a time or two before. Flashforward! Gow, a resident of Melbourne, Australia, spent time in pubs and online wondering what Tommys scene meant for every show connected to St. [3][5][6] According to Lindsey Freeman, the narrative framing of Tommy's imagination as within a snow globe occurs because, as an "oneiric and mnemonic gadget", a snow globe "often finds itself as a companion piece to the dream sequences found in television and movies". Both shows took a grittier and more realistic approach to their drama. For instance, it may be the other way around, and the snow globe scene may itself be the dream. I tell you, the last episode, I never bought it. ", Grandfather: "He's been sitting there ever since you left this morning, just like he does every day. It's not even that much of a leap to make a connection to the Mighty Marvel Cinematic Universe (you can get there a number of ways, according to Polygon). MARK HARMON (Dr. Robert Caldwell): I didnt see it live. I was pretty happy with it. Elsewhere's final episode, "The Last One", one interpretation of which is that the entire St. The Tommy Westphall universe hypothesis makes the claim that not only does St. Make Room For Daddy takes out I Love Lucy.. I was not upset. This has led to dozens of shows using the same fake product, so in terms of the chart, "that's become an increasingly complex can of worms," said Crowe. The full list includes 419 shows as of 2016, the last time the curators of the Westphall theory updated its website. Suddenly, we're taken to a small apartment where Tommy sits on the floor, playing with a snow globe. The stories speak for themselves. , the magic was in the tone, as it was with another show by the same production company. We never answered any of the questions we posed. Elsewhere take place within Tommy's mind, but so do numerous other television series which are directly and indirectly connected to St. But I wasnt surprised that there were many people who didnt find it satisfying. If it were just a solid hospital show, it would be a popular back catalog binge watch, but its a part of TV history for two reasons: its novel approach to the hospital drama, and, Nobody is too interested in that, though. Specific to the Westphall Hypothesis, even if we accept that St. I actually have an easy answer for that - assuming that the 'real world' has shows like Cheers and MASH on TV, it's entirely plausible that Tommy took characters from those shows after seeing them on TV and made them part of his imagination. WILLIAM DANIELS (Dr. Mark Craig): I was shocked, actually. This will become important very shortly. With the aria "Chi il bel sogno di Doretta" (Doretta's Beautiful Dream) from Puccini's opera La Rondine playing, Tommy Westphall enters the office and runs to the window, where he looks at the snow falling outside St. Eligius. Christina Pickles, whose character of Nurse Helen Rosenthal ended the series triumphantly by kicking a drug dependency, is the only one who believes that St. I spent a shift sitting bedside with my daughter in the emergency room during a three-day-long stay once, watching the same sainted nurse come and go as an endless tide of needy patients washed in. But of course, none of that is what people really remember the last episode for. Also, consider that each connection fromSt. Its an episode of heartfelt goodbyes and dramatic exits. The problem that I see with the ending is that they explained away the whole show as the daydreams of an autistic child's imagination. [3][4] The following exchange occurs: Grandfather: "Good. The final scene of 30 Rock opens with a view of the eponymous building, which fades into a model of the same, in a snow globe, observed by NBC president Kenneth Parcell roughly a century into the future, as flying cars whiz past his window. Embedded hyperlinks in a thesis or research paper. Theyre more interested in the colossal mind-fuck that is the. If you notice any other connections, feel free to join in on the madness. We're often considered and thought of as robot-like people who have no emotions and who only see other people as objects. St. But for others, it was a stroke of inspiration. wouldnt exist in the form they did without. Partnering with The Huffington Post, Gow and Crowe published an extensive update of the "Tommyverse" to their television web of compromised shows, which HuffPost illustrator, Alissa Scheller, put into visual form. These strings go on across multiple decades of television, with I Love Lucy being the earliest example. Elsewhere had been a product of Tommy Westphall's (an autistic boy) imagination, with elements of the above scene used as its own evidence. Hour shows are just not selling into syndication; the market is saturated with them, Paltrow said in a telephone conversation from New York, where he and others from the St. As Gow told HuffPost, "St. As Begley added wistfully, Its never over till its over--but I think in this case, its over .. [3][1], The foremost interpretation of this scene is that the entire series of events in St. My character died in the second-to-last episode, but I was in the last episode in a scene in which Howies character pays a visit to Dr. Axelrods corpse in the morgue. In their defense, the theory's original creator, Dwayne McDuffle, actually posited it while attempting to mock crazy shared universe theories based around guest appearances by one TV show's character(s) on another show. By using our Services, you agree to our use of cookies. Elsewhere" finale was the first big "it was all just a dream" finale, ending with the revelation that St. Eligius hospital and its staff were all the creations of Elsewhere truly shook things up WebTommy Westphall, portrayed by Chad Allen, is a minor character from the drama television series St. St elsewhere ending theory. Can you still use Commanders Strike if the only attack available to forego is an attack against an ally? I think itll have another life, he said, smiling enigmatically. Web359. And because we were never a hit, we didnt have the firepower behind us to make the syndication business., Paltrow said he bears no grudge against the network or MTM for terminating St. Elsewhere, Paltrow, Fontana and the several cast members interviewed all said they would have been willing to continue indefinitely. St. Elsewhere (Series) - TV Tropes A surprise to everybody. Fan Theory Proves Almost All TV Shows Exist Within Same WebThere are oodles of ways to end a TV series. This expands the Tommy Westphall universe ever outward, to the point where over 400 shows now reside under its umbrella. Elsewhere, Alfre Woodard's Dr. Roxanne Turner,appeared) andOz (in which a company that briefly owned St. Eligius, Weigert, makes a bid to buy that show's Oswald Maximum Security Prison). What is the name of the poem Belle reads out? Gow said, "I've heard from TV writers who deliberately put in references to draw their shows into Tommy's mind. The whole circus is overseen by Dr. Donald Westphall (Ed Flanders), with Dr. Daniel Auschlander (Norman Lloyd) and Dr. Mark Craig (Daniels) rounding out the experienced older set of doctors helping the residents learn the ropes. Web"Cora and Arnie". Elsewherefollowed its flawed, relatable characters over multi-episode storylines and even season-long arcs. The fictional Morley cigarettes are particularly pervasive, as is Hudson University, an institution of higher learning mentioned on The Cosby Show, Law & Order, and Murder, She Wrote. St Elsewhere is Westphall's dream, it does not imply that all of the characters on the show exist only in his mind. St. Elsewhere - Wikipedia Theyre more interested in the colossal mind-fuck that is the Tommy Westphall Universe. Behind him stood his father, who was sporting a construction workers wardrobe. CHAD ALLEN (Tommy Westphall): I remember the script arrived, I read it, got to the end, and I was stumped. Walter White and Rachel Green are no longer just characters in your pop culture-themed fantasy game of Clue, they're characters that could have bumped into each other on the street. We always said: Thats a tough question--well, good night! . Elsewhere, NBCs darkly comic series about a financially strapped Boston hospital and its beleaguered staff, is dead. It seems to imply that the events of the show were all imagined by the mind of a non-verbal young boy. Surely more shows have somehow become connected in the four years since, especially since the Crisis on Infinite Earths Arrowverse crossover included characters from nearly every DC movie and TV continuity ever. HOWIE MANDEL (Dr. Wayne Fiscus): I thought it was realllllllly interesting. When I read it, I thought it was amazing: Only these people could come up with this idea And I thought it was very touching. And then I saw it and I thought, Its too much. It was all a dream! Elsewhere was a show that got by largely on the strength of its ensemble, running for six seasons from 1982-88. The camera slowly zooms in on the snow globe, which is revealed to contain a replica of St. Eligius hospital inside of it. Over time and with the help of reader contributions, The Tommy Westphall Universe grew to include shows as diverse as ALF, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Knight Rider, Melrose Place, Seinfeld, and dozens of others, much of it helped along by the character of Munch appearing in more than 10 series, and those series making reference to other characters and brands. [11], NewsRadio episode "Daydream" (season 3 episode 7) ends with Jimmy James staring into a snow globe that appears to contain a miniature version of the WNYX office, thus seeming to indicate that Jimmy James has imagined the entire episode.[12]. The theory is called the "The Tommy Westphall Universe" and hinges on a reveal at the finale of "St. This 40-year-old show looks like that nurses job in that ER, and the characters coping mechanisms and responses to trauma may be dramatized, but they arent implausible. It couldve been 900 things, which is very clever because you were allowed to make up your minds so you could stay with your own fantasy so everybody could have an opinion. That series' creator, Joss Whedon, also createdFirefly, in which it's established that Wolfram and Hart had also represented a mega-corporation by the name of Weyland-Utani. He also loves both Marvel and DC movies, and wishes every superhero fan could just get along. And I was very upset. Elsewhere were dreamt by Tommy Westphall, and thus, products of his imagination. Even some of the more innocuous-seeming connections can lead to some shocking places takeThe John Larroquette Show, which all but the most dedicated TV fanatics could be forgiven for not remembering. It wasnt darker than reality, he said. Death! [1][6] This hypothesis was originally put forward by comic book and TV writer Dwayne McDuffie in a 2002 blog post,[8] as a reductio ad absurdum argument against making strong statements about fictional continuity based upon guest appearances. Not necessarily Is it safe to publish research papers in cooperation with Russian academics. Most of us failed. A clip of the original credits from the series finale, with Mimsie the Cat on life support. A terrible ending! Elsewhere, Ed Begley Jr., St. Elsewhere an autistic boy is shown to have imagined and created a vast and deeply human universe. "The discussion began on alt.tv.homicide, a newsgroup that discussed Homicide: Life on the Street," Gow tells Mental Floss. "Red Dwarf" is now included as well. CYNTHIA SIKES (Dr. Annie Cavanero): Part of me likes that whole thing because its sort of an Orson Welles-ian Rosebud [ending]. Where things get complicated is that characters from St. While that can sometimes describe. Christina Pickles, whose character of Nurse Helen Rosenthal ended the series triumphantly by kicking a drug dependency, is the only one who believes that St. Toe-tagged. Proponents of the Tommy Westphall Universe argue that because of this fictional crossover, the two series exist within the same fictional universe, and within Tommy Westphall's mind because of the final episode of St. Elsewhere. The 50 greatest TV and movie detectives of all time. Howie Mandels Dr. Wayne Fiscus--who distinguished himself by having sex on an autopsy table during the shows first episode--experienced death through a fantasy sequence last season. World of his own. Through six years, I never put anything in my dressing room. Since Dr. Turner and Dr. Ehrlich are figments of Tommys imagination that means when they visit the Homicide universe, that it too is part of Tommys world. Ambiguous cut to black! Television these daysor rather, television that jerks like me actually bother to write aboutbasically falls into two categories now: Heavily scripted and serialized prestige TV or reality show stuff that sounds like a made up show on, . Elsewhere characters on other shows are not sufficient to indicate that those shows exist only in Westphall's dream. And because I cant tell you I have a better idea of how it couldve ended, I can live with that one. In the closing moments of the episode, a boy named Tommy Westphall (Chad Allen), the son of medical director Dr. Donald Westphall, was seen peering into a snow globe. That is the actual ending, a strange world-within-a-world. For example, take thatCheers crossover. In 1988, though, St. And listen, we set such a bar, its hard to top it to make that ending satisfy a lot of people. would not look or feel the same without its influence and success. The kind of gallows humor that was in the show was a case of art imitating life, Paltrow continued. I could have put in a sauna and a Jacuzzi, you know?. This is because it's pretty easy to connectSt. In that episode, the entirety of St. Weatherson's fifth objection holds that the appearance of a person or event in a dream does not mean the person or event cannot exist in real life. Brian Weatherson, professor of philosophy at Cornell University, wrote a piece, "Six Objections to the Westphall Hypothesis", which challenges the logical, factual, and philosophical basis for the existence of the "universe".[10]. Westphall, who is autistic, played an increased role in St. When youre finished, watch the cast reunion on Good Morning America and voice your own opinion on the finale in our poll. I knew there would be an uproar. That's the nature of a hospital drama, that's why we tune in. Thus, it does not follow that because one person, place, or thing is present in two or more works of fiction that those works are necessarily related. In the door comes Dr. Westphall, but he hangs up a construction workers hat. Cheers spun off the long-running seriesFrasier, and that series had its events referenced or its characters cameo on shows likeCaroline in the City, The John Larroquette Show,and evenThe Simpsons. He went on to create the acclaimed seriesHomicide:Life on the Street (in which a character fromSt. St Elsewhere It's safe to say that the final episode, specifically the end scene, of St. Entertainment Weekly may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. It was not right for us to say, You should lose more money. . Dr Pepper includes an homage to Tommy Westphall's snowglobe in its 2021 advertising campaign. St. Elsewhere. In 1988, though, St. The final scene of St. Cookies help us deliver our Services. When not writing, Michael enjoys going to concerts, taking in live professional wrestling, and debating pop culture. He adds that, "while a controversial and maddening ending for some loyal viewers, the final episode of St. Elsewhere was a hospital drama where we, the audience, are invited to feel and think along with the patients, the families and the medical staff. Wolfram and Hart had another client, Weyland-Yutani, that made a weapons display screen for Firefly; WebIf the St. In a 2003 article published on BBC News Online, St. ). A long-term member of the Screen Rant family, Michael looks forward to continuing on creating new content for the site for many more years to come. The shows cast had seen ups and downs, additions and subtractions in its time, with Flanders character Westphall eventually stepping down as the hospitals head to become a doctor there. In an interview withPaley Matters in 2018, Fontana who co-wrote the finale expressed his ongoing surprise and weird sense of pride at how that final scene has, well, snowballed into the mother of all pop culture fan theories. WebNo, you missed the point. It made me smile when I heard about what they did because it was so them. Elsewhere to end the way it did? I really had very little to say about that episode because I thought it was a letdown. For indeed, St. What positional accuracy (ie, arc seconds) is necessary to view Saturn, Uranus, beyond? Is it positing that the hopes and the fears and the suffering we endure in our lives are being watched by a deity who is interested and all-knowing but who can only gaze in at us and never interfere in our tribulationswhere in all the world but an under-resourced hospital in the planets richest nation could the question of such a beings love or cruelty be more pressing? It was certainly something no other network would put up with. With the aria "Chi il bel sogno di Doretta" (Doretta's Beautiful Dream) from Puccini's opera La Rondine playing, Tommy Westphall enters the office and runs to the window, where he looks at the snow falling outside St. Elsewhere" Dwayne McDuffie at the Los Angeles premiere of "All Star Superman" St The Show Ambiguous cut to black! I had no ideas of their plans to do that. Marriage! The one where EW follows up with the cast. The Importance of the St. Elsewhere Ending : r/autism Paired with the show's penchant for references, this finale has spawned one of the most bizarre and elaborate fan theories of all time. 2023 BuzzFeed, Inc. All rights reserved. Elsewhere came to an end for creative as well as financial reasons. STEPHEN FURST (Dr. Elliot Axelrod): I thought it was kind of cool, actually. They tried to really think outside the box the box in this case being that little television box of the 80s and they did something so different. Birth! Howie goes to the morgue, slides me out, says something to me and pushes me back in. Elsewhere was a solid drama that gave a boatload of great actors some steady work for a few years, but it will always be a peculiar show for that final detail. Elsewhere in its final season owned the prison hospital in his series Oz.". Then it could create conversation, so I thought it was kind of brilliant. At one point, St. There are oodles of ways to end a TV series. NORMAN LLOYD: (Dr. Daniel Auschlander): Theyd been talking about Citizen Kane. It was highly unpredictable, just like every episode. Elsewhere was never a huge ratings hit, but it had a loyal following, won awards, and remained well-regarded in the years following its final curtain call. Mandel, Morse, and Washington are among the core cast of younger doctors that stuck around for the entire show, wringing their hands over their critical patients, racing to respond to someone randomly coding in the hallway, or occasionally banging in the morgue. This year, Ken Lowe is revisiting some of the most influential TV shows that made it to an officially planned final episode. I felt it wasnt serious. Both shows took a grittier and more realistic approach to their drama. Tommy's father, still being portrayed by Ed Flanders (aka "Donald Westphall") arrives at the apartment wearing a hard hat. Movies & TV Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for movie and TV enthusiasts. When NBCs hour-long hospital drama St. "I prefer character connections, myself," Gow says. While that can sometimes describe St. But I think now weve got the toe tag on, and were in the drawer, and its sealed and locked., St. I hear people, like Oh, what happened there? or Oh, I didnt understand that or Oh, I love that! You got all kinds of comments on it. Elsewhere an autistic boy is shown to have imagined and created a vast and deeply human universe. Over time, it began to look something like the Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon game. If NBC had started paying us more money, they would have had to start giving a lot of other people more money, too. The thing is, autism was - and still is - One of the producers on St. Elsewhere was a solid drama that gave a boatload of great actors some steady work for a few years, but it will always be a peculiar show for that final detail. Fontana was being facetious (we think), but not everyone was as enthused with the premise. Thats really cool for a teenager. Law & Order creator Dick Wolf is close friends with Fontana and frequently crossed Homicide characters over into his own series. The Birdman of St. If a person dreams about visiting London and meeting Gordon Brown, it does not follow that because the city of London and Gordon Brown appeared in a dream, they do not exist in real life. Not necessarily because the serieswhich had earned 13 Emmy Awards during its runwas ending, but because producers opted for a highly unconventional finale. "That really solidifies things. Copyright 2023 Meredith Corporation.

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