MovieChat Forums > Dad's Army (1968) Discussion > Ending

Ending

posted 8 years ago by chrisseeu
5 replies | jump to latest

Still enjoy watching the repeats of this classic comedy. Never tire of it. Even my Dad watches this and he's not a fan of much on television at all.
I do not recall ever seeing the final episode? I've read a summary on here. Does seem a shame it wasn't ended with the end of war celebration. Maybe it's end was not planned to be that one ? I'm not sure . Just a pity.

[–] NotAmyMerrick 8 years ago

Jonesy get married to Widow Fox and the cast slip out of character to toast the home guard, It was very much supposed to be the last episode.

I think the choice to end it was right, Jimmy Perry and David Croft were growing concerned for the health of the cast (Notably Laurie and Lemesurier) at that point and considered it the right thing to do.

[–] Floss-Is-Boss 8 years ago

Theres a very good timeline thread on this forum someone has done up that places the last series about 1942 so it would require a time jump but as the series was never locked in a set in stone timeline this wouldn't be too hard.

I agree it would have been nice to see them make it to the end of the war (and perhaps an episode when they go back to their old life) but the breaking the 4th wall ending we got was good.

Coincidently I watched the final Blackadder Goes Forth episode last night. Now thats how you end a wartime sitcom!

[–] 8 years ago

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[–] jock_tamsons_wee_brother 8 years ago

but the breaking the 4th wall ending we got was good.

I thought the speech beforehand was great when they piped up after the Wardens sarcastic comment about them being walked all over if the Germans did invade. It did some up the series which from what I've read the incompetence and bumbling mirrored real life but despite this they genuinely volunteered to fight for their families and home and would have in the event of invasion.

On the subject of a hypothetical German invasion of Britain and the role of the Home Guard in it, there has been a lot of talk like the Warden that the Home Guard would have stood no chance against highly trained and battle hardened German troops. That most likely would have occurred but I reckon if the Germans did not enjoy early success they would have been stalled by the Home Guard due to the WW1 trench warfare experience, knowledge of the terrain as well as being highly motivated due to what I had mentioned in the previous paragraph. Of course it would have depended on what equipment and firepower the HG would have had at the time. That's my opinion of course but I'm not expert on the subject.

[–] louiseculmer 8 years ago

Most comedy series in those days tended not to have big dramatic endings. Also, the Home Guard was disbanded i think some time before the end of the war, which would have been a bit of an anti climax. in fact i think Hodges would have triumphed in the end, since he would have been an air raid warden up until the end of the war, after the home Guard had ceased to be active.