The Ending

I agree with you 100%. Jackson does a sublime job of evoking an incredible amount of emotion from just a couple lines and a few facial expressions. In my opinion, one of the few moments captured on film that strikes the perfect balance between being moving without being maudlin. Very subtle & sincere.

You mentioned "bittersweet", which is the best way to describe the ending. The "bitter" part being the sense of loss of a life that "could have been" raising a family and being with Zach. The "sweet" part is that she also realizes she has achieved unconditional love and forgiveness. It becomes more important to her that Zach is happy in his new life than her own selfish needs.

[deleted]

I only just saw this last night and I think I fell asleep on the very end of it. What happens? The last thing I remember seeing is Kate Jackson going to some guy's house after finding his phone number in one of her husband's jackets that he left behind.

Dream is Destiny

Couldn't agree more... this moment was either missed or disregarded by critics at the time of the film's release, as many of them slated the movie for having a mushy 'happy' ending (amongst other things). Yes Zack has found happiness, and yes Claire almost has what she wanted - a happy marriage, a child. All's well that ends well? Not quite... Jackson plays the scene to show us just enough that she still loves her former husband, still misses him, perhaps still sadly thinks 'if only...' So kudos to Kate in probably her best performance (witness also Zack's confession scene, and Claire's terribly sad telephone conversation with her father for further evidence of this). TV's gains was cinema's loss, if you ask me.

What Hiller wants you to notice is the driveway that splits in two directions to emphasize the two different directions Zack and Clair are taking in life.