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. St. But the series managed to survive for six years on a powerful drug called demographics: The show attracted a relatively small but highly desirable audience of young, affluent viewers, and that in turn attracted plenty of advertising dollars to NBC. The doctors had visited the bar on Cheers in one St. ERIC LANEUVILLE (Luther Hawkins): I look back on it now and say Well, it kinda worked. When I first saw it, I had some real reservations about it. 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. , the magic was in the tone, as it was with another show by the same production company. 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. Elsewhere 's characters appear in Tommy's dream doesn't mean they don't also And I dont think that set of circumstances will ever happen again. That kind of anguish you just cant transmit. You never knew what was going to happen next. It's safe to say that the final episode, specifically the end scene, of St. St. That is the actual ending, a strange world-within-a-world. Elsewhere characters got the business from Carla while drinking at Cheers, the bar from, uh, Cheersand therefore, Frasier, a spinoff, must also exist somewhere in that snow globe. If NBC had started paying us more money, they would have had to start giving a lot of other people more money, too. If the theory holds, then a large chunk of television is the direct result of one childs formidable imagination. Donald Westphalls autistic son, who was gazing into a snow globe containing a miniature version of the hospital. Entertainment Weekly may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. 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. Halle Bailey, Melissa McCarthy, and director Rob Marshall share the tale behind making their underwater musical with a groundbreaking Disney princess. Gow and Crowe have an elaborate system of rules for what shows can and can't be included in the list, which they shared with HuffPost and can now be seen on their site's latest update. This expands the Tommy Westphall universe ever outward, to the point where over 400 shows now reside under its umbrella. Elsewheres Wednesday night time slot in the fall. By clicking Accept all cookies, you agree Stack Exchange can store cookies on your device and disclose information in accordance with our Cookie Policy. The thing is, autism was - and still is - largely not understood what goes on in a person's brain. Westphall sits down next to Tommy and says, "I don't understand this autism thing, Pop. You can follow him on Twitter and read more at his blog. WebSt Elsewhere Closing Credits Season 5 Lorenzo F 1.61K subscribers 47 Share 14K views 2 years ago #bumpers #tvthemes #televisionthemes WELCOME TO MY VIDEOS of little-known, forgotten TV gems. Elsewhere to a trivial mention in Fontanas biography, if not for the curiosity of a playwright named Keith Gow. As Dr. Fiscus struggles with the anxiety of leaving the hospital, his last patient at St. Eligius is the actress portraying a valkyrie in a Wagner opera who has, get this, laryngitis. Helen Hunt even appeared in a few episodes. And because I cant tell you I have a better idea of how it couldve ended, I can live with that one. One prominent critic, Professor Brian Weatherson, argues that just because St. Fontana was being facetious (we think), but not everyone was as enthused with the premise. All Rights Reserved, In the age of streaming in particular, I feel as if this is even more true than its been in the past. The series was also known for one of its more playful aspects: it was prone to dropping references and callbacks to other TV series. Connect and share knowledge within a single location that is structured and easy to search. Elsewhere production team are at work on Tattingers, a new NBC series from MTM slated for St. I think reality is much more the smell of the hospital, the smell of death. Web359. Yet, in the ending of St. And what about the real people who have appeared on the included shows, like Alex Trebek on Cheers? All of it, McDuffie said, proved his own Grand Unification Theory that everyone and everything seen on TVexcept for the few minutes viewers spent with Tommy Westphall in May 1988is just a daydream. It wasnt darker than reality, he said. What's the cheapest way to buy out a sibling's share of our parents house if I have no cash and want to pay less than the appraised value? Thats really cool for a teenager. [1] As characters from St. Elsewhere is not a great place to work or convalesce. Toe-tagged. Its just asking too much from all of us. But I loved that they took the leap, and that was in the spirit of the show. Meme Status Submission Year 1988 Origin St. Much of the humor between characters is gallows humor. Is there a weapon that has the heavy property and the finesse property (or could this be obtained)? God love him."[9]. Theres a lot to unpack: is it simply making a statement on the show as a fictional world? The episode marked the end of St. 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. Westphall, who is autistic, played an increased role in St. 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. Elsewhere Tags theory, tv, map, universe, autism, st. elsewhere, concept, 80s Additional References Urban Dictionary Wikipedia About. In the door comes Dr. Westphall, but he hangs up a construction workers hat. 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. 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. 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. Elsewheres bumbling Dr. Victor Erlich, offered the final diagnosis of his medical career. Behind him stood his father, who was sporting a construction workers wardrobe. Browse other questions tagged, Start here for a quick overview of the site, Detailed answers to any questions you might have, Discuss the workings and policies of this site. Elsewhere" and "Oz," and, as Gow tells it, "It was that little connection that spawned a thousand other connections -- references to fictional airlines, companies, nods from one series to another.". This year, Ken Lowe is revisiting some of the most influential TV shows that made it to an officially planned final episode. would not look or feel the same without its influence and success. Elsewhere. This is more interesting than interrogating the deeper philosophical or metaphorical meaning behind the very last scene of a six-season show! The thing is, autism was - and still is - Elsewhere, he was openly hostile toward any idea of a reunion special down the line and insisted that the series finale should be definitive. Thats All, Folksis a look back at televisions most unforgettable series finales. John Munch). The "St. CLARIFICATION: This article originally included a quote that incorrectly stated all of the non-American shows in the list. Elsewhere's final episode, "The Last One", one interpretation of which is that the entire St. The Ending Of St. Elsewhere Explained - Looper St. [3][1], The foremost interpretation of this scene is that the entire series of events in St. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. He also loves both Marvel and DC movies, and wishes every superhero fan could just get along. Make Room For Daddy takes out I Love Lucy.. The complete list of shows is at the bottom of the article. Elsewhere visited the Cheers bar, the creators of Cheers offered no consent to have their series thought of as imaginary. 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. A clip of the original credits from the series finale, with Mimsie the Cat on life support. Elsewhere is Westphall's dream, it does not imply that all of the characters on the show exist only in his mind. When youre finished, watch the cast reunion on Good Morning America and voice your own opinion on the finale in our poll. Elsewhere's characters appear in Tommy's dream doesn't mean they don't also exist in the show's actual reality, and thus the ending is being interpreted wrong, and by extension the universe theory is invalid. Elsewhere" -- the notion of which is a hated cliche, yes, but could it be the reality of almost every story arc you've ever loved on American television? According to the duo's notes, the only other non-US shows in the "Tommyverse" are "The 'Degrassi' shows (Canada), 'The Office' (UK), the 'Doctor Who' shows (UK), 'Luther' (UK), 'Jo' (France) and 'Paris Section Criminelle' (France)," which "is the only show not in English in the Tommyverse.". was a show that got by largely on the strength of its ensemble, running for six seasons from 1982-88. Composition by Dave Grusin The theory is called the "The Tommy Westphall Universe" and hinges on a reveal at the finale of "St. But I wasnt surprised that there were many people who didnt find it satisfying. 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. this link is to an external site that may or may not meet accessibility guidelines. If the show were not great, if we had not had as many nominations, we probably wouldnt even be talking about it. The common thread running through the last season (besides a consistent plot about a special new artificial heart) is that St. Eligius is probably going to close, right around the same time the hospitals residents (read: the younger main cast members) are all ending their residencies and about to head out into the depressing world of medicine. 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. The fictional brand or company thing is also Fontana's fault. [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. Elsewhere carries a shocking implication NBC St. I was not upset. 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. ", But despite the elaborate system, the two still doubt their methods from time to time. [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". Elsewhere, which established a defiant tradition of baiting the NBC censors, blurring the line between the real and the surreal, tantalizing the alert viewers with inside jokes and subtle references to literature, television and pop music lyrics, going precariously far out on a limb and then deliberately chopping it off. Elsewhere in its final season owned the prison hospital in his series Oz.". I really had very little to say about that episode because I thought it was a letdown. It was all a dream! Marriage! For indeed, St. Tommy Westphall, portrayed by Chad Allen, is a minor character from the drama television series St. For example, take thatCheers crossover. Paired with the show's penchant for references, this finale has spawned one of the most bizarre and elaborate fan theories of all time. If you're viewing this list on a mobile device, use this link to the web that allows for zooming. Elsewhere team enjoyed life on the series even when times were tough, which was always. But of course, none of that is what people really remember the last episode for. Elsewhere was a show that got by largely on the strength of its ensemble, running for six seasons from 1982-88. wouldnt exist in the form they did without. Fiscus (Mandel), Morrison (Morse) and Ehrlich (Begley) are all dealing with their own issues around their impending exits. 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. Paltrow noted that the shows bleak vision was deliberate. "[Fontana] was fond of putting in references to previous shows he worked on, including bringing characters from St. Syndication used to be the method by which we would see old scripted shows, and a shows rep needed to be good enough for you to stop flipping channels if you happened to land on an episode (. Observers of the theory take issue with the idea out of what they deem is a misunderstanding of an authors intent. Even if that's true though, thinking about it remains an amusing diversion. There is too much that is rich, that is still to be mined., Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, Get ready for the 2023 Met Gala: Heres when, and how, to tune in live, Tucker Carlson, Don Lemon blasted at White House Correspondents dinner, Tom Jones review: PBS Masterpieces latest period drama is laid-back and enjoyable, Michael J. So what happens when an ending goes completely off the rails? English version of Russian proverb "The hedgehogs got pricked, cried, but continued to eat the cactus". Arrow is also included, which means all subsequent Arrowverse shows also tie back to Westphall. As for the snow globe, that was the focus of Tommy's attention. For instance, it may be the other way around, and the snow globe scene may itself be the dream. Elsewhere, and I venture to say stuff like House or Scrubs, or even Greys Anatomy would not look or feel the same without its influence and success. Syndication used to be the method by which we would see old scripted shows, and a shows rep needed to be good enough for you to stop flipping channels if you happened to land on an episode (ooh! I sure heard about it. The first connection made in the Tommy Westphall universe is from St. Review/Television; Ed Flanders as Dr. Westphal in, "Six Objections to the Westphall Hypothesis", "Director Ben Wheatley Talks 'High-Rise', 'Doctor Who', 'Free Fire' and More at TIFF", "NewsRadio (TV Series) Daydream (1996) Trivia", Other arguments against the Tommy Westphall Universe, Association for Science in Autism Treatment, Simons Foundation Autism Research Initiative, Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee, Maia Chung Autism and Disabilities Foundation (Jamaica), The Accidental Teacher: Life Lessons from My Silent Son, Aspergirls: Empowering Females with Asperger's Syndrome, Freaks, Geeks, and Asperger Syndrome: A User Guide to Adolescence, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Everybody Is Different: A Book for Young People Who Have Brothers or Sisters With Autism, Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Tommy_Westphall&oldid=1148529078, Fictional characters on the autism spectrum, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 6 April 2023, at 18:38. I didnt dislike it. --Tom Fontana, former producer, St. Embedded hyperlinks in a thesis or research paper. 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. 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. DAVID MORSE (Dr. Jack Boomer Morrison): I felt two things. Are you and I??? Therefore, appearances from St. Elsewhere. What were the most popular text editors for MS-DOS in the 1980s? Somehow, a literal airplane has crashed into the hospital. Fontanas favored conclusion was a literal apocalypse, where the staff of St. Eligius would be standing by in the year 2013 while a toxic gas cloud passed over, the result of a corporate war between foreign factions. Michael Kennedy is an avid movie and TV fan that's been working for Screen Rant in various capacities since 2014. "I prefer character connections, myself," Gow says. Canceled. sign-off. It's not every day we see Plucky Comic Relief commit suicide. Elsewhere seemed like an easy out. 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. 2023 Minute Media - All Rights Reserved. If the universe of St. Rather than case-of-the-week stories with infallible doctors and carboard-thin supporting characters,St. Some people liked its provocativeness. Official crossovers between the "St. Elsewhere was a figment of Tommy Westphalls elaborate imagination, then wouldnt other television characters who appeared in the shows continuity exist only within Tommy's mind, as well? Westphall, Auschlander, and Gideon (Cox) are stressing about how they can possibly keep the hospital open. St. What's he thinking about?". Elsewhere into Homicide.". Part of HuffPost Entertainment. Remembering 'St. Elsewhere' 25 Years Later - HuffPost We're often considered and thought of as robot-like people who have no emotions and who only see other people as objects. Elsewhere made guest appearances on another TV series, and characters from that series in turn appeared on other series. ), Fontana did, however, recall that half of the viewer mail retrieved after the finale was positive, while the other half made loose reference to a desire to burn [the studio lot] to the ground.". Elsewhere; by extension this hypothesis can be extended to include the science fiction program The X-Files and the Law & Order franchise (due to various crossovers with characters from Homicide, in particular Det. One example: "Episodes where reality shows exist within a fictional sphere are not included (such as the 'X-Files'/'COPS' crossover and the 'Chicago Hope'/'Entertainment Tonight' crossover). BTW, in the Wikipedia article about the last episode, someone estimates that "90% of the shows existed in this kid's head" due to the many show crossovers. is not a great place to work or convalesce. Elsewhere characters Dr. Roxanne Turner (Alfre Woodard) and Dr. Victor Ehrlich (Ed Begley Jr.) appeared on Homicide: Life on the Street. Seated in a rocking chair is none other than Dr. Auschlander only that's not quite right. Its been observed that much of American primetime TV has been about cops and the sex lives of doctors. 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. St. Eligius is a teaching hospital in Bostons South End (the building that appears in the title sequence is actually an apartment building there). Elsewhere, the magic was in the tone, as it was with another show by the same production company, Hill Street Blues. Six years . Then the Birdman decides he's fed up with being in the mental ward and wants to fly away from the hospital, so he jumps off the roof. I saw it as a show about people struggling to answer lifes ridiculous questions--sometimes they would do it in a comic way, sometimes they would do it in a serious way, said Tom Fontana, one of the shows core group of writers and producers, who served as a creative consultant this season. Does the 500-table limit still apply to the latest version of Cassandra? I think the reality of a hospital is much worse. Of course, every party has a pooper, and there are those that consider the Tommy Westphall universe ridiculous. To me the last 10 minutes of the final When NBC refused to finance their ambitious plan, the idea for the snow globe was hatched. CHAD ALLEN (Tommy Westphall): I remember the script arrived, I read it, got to the end, and I was stumped. Elsewhere" Dwayne McDuffie at the Los Angeles premiere of "All Star Superman" 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 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. What world is Tommy imagining inside that snow globe, he wonders aloud. I think itll have another life, he said, smiling enigmatically. 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. The most far-reaching regulation is that they "do not include any show that is not a narrative live-action program with a shared continuity from episode to episode. Those two impressive achievements would have likely relegated the bizarre ending of St. In 1988, though, St. 2023 Paste Media Group. WebSt. I thought I knew what it meant, but it was so weird, especially for my younger mind, so I went running down the hallway and grabbed my mom and I was like, You have to read this. Interpreting non-statistically significant results: Do we have "no evidence" or "insufficient evidence" to reject the null? How was your day up on the building? 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. Scan this QR code to download the app now. Elsewhere was the designated comic relief for the first few episodes. Inside the globe was a tiny mock-up of St. Eligius, the medical center that was featured in the series. WebTommy Westphall, portrayed by Chad Allen, is a minor character from the drama television series St. St elsewhere ending theory. Elsewhere. Elsewhere's finale, titled "The Last One," aired on May 25, 1988, and the bulk of its narrative was concerned with the requisite deaths, departures, transfers, and tying up of loose ends that one might expect. Flashforward! The one where EW follows up with the cast. It was seen as a cheap shot and a quick fix, even though the mechanism and method was mimicked many times over afterwards.
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