10 Most Awesome Season Finales Of All Time

4. The Wire - 'Final Grades' (Season 4)

Breaking Bad Walt Jesse Face off
HBO

The Episode:

After blowing the lid off the police, seaport and street game system in this show's first three seasons, creator David Simon chose the fourth chapter in his urban odyssey to cast an eye over Baltimore's school network.

'Final Grades' is a culmination of his best efforts, introducing us to young pups Dukie, Randy, Michael, and Namond, as well as seeing new player on the corner, Marlo, stamp his authority over the streets in the wake of the Barksdale empire crumbling.

As rewarding as it is emotional, this one isn't for the faint heartened, offering a dour end for the majority of its characters and a death that hits harder than Wallace's shocking demise in season one. School's out.

Best Moment:

As the episode draws to an end, former pit dweller, Bodie, refuses to kneel at Marlo's throne and stages a futile standoff against his hired guns. A sad end for a character we all thought was turning a corner.

Contributor
Contributor

Shaun is a former contributor for a number of Future Publishing titles and more recently worked as a staffer at Imagine Publishing. He can now be found banking in the daytime and writing a variety of articles for What Culture, namely around his favourite topics of film, retro gaming, music, TV and, when he's feeling clever, literature.