st elsewhere ending theory

Elsewheres bumbling Dr. Victor Erlich, offered the final diagnosis of his medical career. The Tommy Westphall universe hypothesis is an idea discussed among some television fans, it makes the claim that not only does St. This ending was not serious to me. Garry Shandling crossed over with The Andy Griffith Show (no, really!). Elsewhere was a show that got by largely on the strength of its ensemble, running for six seasons from 1982-88. If the universe of St. 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. Scan this QR code to download the app now. Other people didnt care for it at all. Elsewhere links to Doctor Who [PDF], hypothetically rendering the TARDIS a figment of Tommys imagination: Donald Westphall and two other doctors visited Sam Malones bar from Cheers; The Ending Of St. Elsewhere Explained - Looper The best answers are voted up and rise to the top, Not the answer you're looking for? Fiscus and Morrison and the death of Dr. Auschlander, I think itll have another life, he said, smiling enigmatically. Wolfram and Hart had another client, Weyland-Yutani, that made a weapons display screen for Firefly; Elsewhere. Ambiguous cut to black! What's he thinking about? And none of MTMs shows better defined quality television than St. Much of the humor between characters is gallows humor. In another episode, St. Eligius traveled 50 years into the past. He went on to create the acclaimed seriesHomicide:Life on the Street (in which a character fromSt. Embedded hyperlinks in a thesis or research paper. That kind of anguish you just cant transmit. Howie goes to the morgue, slides me out, says something to me and pushes me back in. 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. When youre finished, watch the cast reunion on Good Morning America and voice your own opinion on the finale in our poll. Birth! Thanks to the phenomenal success of the MCU, shared universes now dot the pop culture landscape, including the DCEU, The Conjuring universe, the Godzilla and King Kong MonsterVerse, and many more. But this television-changing theory doesn't stop there. Gow and Crowe, who still periodically update the grid, assert that episodes with real people playing themselveslike Trebek did on Cheersare exempt, as are cartoons and feature films. You can follow him on Twitter and read more at his blog. WebTommy Westphall, portrayed by Chad Allen, is a minor character from the drama television series St. St elsewhere ending theory. Elsewhere episode; Cheers spawned Frasier, a character who appeared on Wings; John Munch, the detective from Homicide, had mingled with the St. Eligius crew, and he has appeared on shows ranging from The X-Files to The Wire, effectively making him the Patient Zero of what's become known as The Tommy Westphall Universe theory. The series finale of the 1980s medical dramedy St. When NBCs hour-long hospital drama St. Birth! 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. It made me laugh actually because it just is so like those guys. Inside the globe was a tiny mock-up of St. Eligius, the medical center that was featured in the series. He gets Tommy up to wash up for dinner, and as he puts the snow globe on the TV set, the camera zooms in. Dedicated fans attempting to chase down every connection toSt. The The thing Im proudest of is the overall balance of the comedy to the drama; the counterpoint of that really grew and grew.. Does the 500-table limit still apply to the latest version of Cassandra? Dr Pepper includes an homage to Tommy Westphall's snowglobe in its 2021 advertising campaign. Birth! 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. What's he thinking about?". Eligius. St. Of course, every party has a pooper, and there are those that consider the Tommy Westphall universe ridiculous. . 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. ), I expect a very mixed reaction, Bruce Paltrow, one of the show's executive producers, told the Chicago Tribune in 1988. I think some people will think it's extraordinary and existential and quintessential St. 59K views 4 years ago. What symbolic value does either the globe or the snow have on the ending of the series? 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. Copyright 2023 Meredith Corporation. Elsewhere" Dwayne McDuffie at the Los Angeles premiere of "All Star Superman" Theyre more interested in the colossal mind-fuck that is the. 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. Toe-tagged. Elsewhere is Westphall's dream, it does not imply that all of the characters on the show exist only in his mind. Most of us failed. 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. rev2023.4.21.43403. We're often considered and thought of as robot-like people who have no emotions and who only see other people as objects. Elsewhere, an NBC drama about St. Eligius, a run-down Boston hospital headed by chief of staff Dr. Donald Westphall (Ed Flanders).His staff included Dr. Daniel Auschlander 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. More: Why The X-Files Season 12 Never Happened. So far, the included shows span from "I Love Lucy" in 1951, to today, with 26 listed shows still on the air. was a show that got by largely on the strength of its ensemble, running for six seasons from 1982-88. Death! If Cheers is not real, then is Trebek? Theyre more interested in the colossal mind-fuck that is the Tommy Westphall Universe. Meme Status Submission Year 1988 Origin St. After six seasons of letting those within the hospital doing the hard work of being human and showing humanity it was our turn. Is there a weapon that has the heavy property and the finesse property (or could this be obtained)? Specific to the Westphall Hypothesis, even if we accept that St. (referring to Tommy) He give you any trouble? Elsewhere through fictional crossovers and spin-offs, resulting in a large fictional universe taking place entirely within Tommy's mind. 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.. 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. 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. How's he been? The great thing about the show that even in its comedy, it was serious. John Hemingway of The John Larroquette Show once called into Frasiers talk show; ST. ELSEWHERE: Season 6 (1987-88) Clip - (The Final Scene) This is the final scene from "The Last One", the 22nd episode (137th overall) from the sixth and final season of NBC's 1982-88 medical drama Fan Theory Proves Almost All TV Shows Exist Within Same 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. ), At Willie Nelson 90, country, rock and rap stars pay tribute, but Willie and Trigger steal the show, Concertgoer lets out a loud full body orgasm while L.A. Phil plays Tchaikovskys 5th, Jerry Springer kept his aggressive cancer a family secret in his final months, James Corden gets a star-studded send-off on his final Late Late Show, Kim Kardashian is catching shade from Patti LuPone and Sharon Stone for AHS casting, Jonathan Majors accuser gets full temporary protection order ahead of court date, Review: The Russo brothers spy thriller Citadel has plenty of action and little else. I think a lot of the cast didnt care for it at all. Revisiting McDuffie's "Six Degrees of St. Elsewhere St. Mimsie the Cat has seen better days. Like their small but loyal band of viewers--who have already written at least 300 letters to MTM and the network protesting its cancellation--the St. But for others, it was a stroke of inspiration. 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). The implication was that Tommya character on the autism spectrumhad imagined the entire show, a fiction-within-the-fiction conceit that had angered viewers during the infamous dream season arc on Dallas five years earlier. Elsewhere storyline exists only within Westphall's imagination. St. Elsewhere (Series) - TV Tropes Craig, always a prissy sort, is absolutely beside himself with the prospect that his wife Ellen is taking a job in (gasp) Ohio. Beginnings and endings are important in all forms of fiction, but Id argue especially so in scripted television. The Westphall Theory of a Unified TV Universe, Explained Illustration by HuffPost's Alissa Scheller. At one point, St. Elsewhere. What were the most popular text editors for MS-DOS in the 1980s? They needed a way to end the show It was a provocative ending. 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. Elsewhere. Westphall sits down next to Tommy and says, "I don't understand this autism thing, Pop. They remember it because of young Tommy Westphall (Chad Allen)the autistic son of Dr. Westphall, who was a recurring character on the show. This will become important very shortly. 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. As for the snow globe, that was the focus of Tommy's attention. 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. Tommy Westphall - Wikipedia Goober and the Truckers Paradise [pilot only], Mrs Columbo/Kate Columbo/Kate the Dectective/Kate Loves a Mystery, use this link to the web that allows for zooming. Due to crossovers and shared universes between shows, almost every popular TV show exists within the dream of one character from the '80s. The best music, movies, TV, books, comedy and more. "[Fontana] was fond of putting in references to previous shows he worked on, including bringing characters from St. So what happens when an ending goes completely off the rails? If you've ever been riveted by the human drama ofE.R. Often, characters crossing over on the same network can ignite a connection, with shared brands or locations providing the connective tissue for others. Suddenly, we're taken to a small apartment where Tommy sits on the floor, playing with a snow globe. Elsewhere had been a product of Tommy Westphall's (an autistic boy) imagination, with elements of the above scene used as its own evidence. By clicking Accept all cookies, you agree Stack Exchange can store cookies on your device and disclose information in accordance with our Cookie Policy. 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. 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 remains one of the most famous examples of the "all just a dream" plot. An exterior camera shot of the hospital cuts to Tommy West ). St. One prominent critic, Professor Brian Weatherson, argues that just because St. The Marvel Cinematic Universe might seem like a huge landscape of interconnected shows and TV movies, but the Tommy Westphall universe has it beat. I think there was a period when last rites were being performed when we could have rallied, he said, his tone clinically matter-of-fact. A surprise to everybody. 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). Interpreting non-statistically significant results: Do we have "no evidence" or "insufficient evidence" to reject the null? Both shows took a grittier and more realistic approach to their drama. 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. Closing the Curtain on 'St. Elsewhere' Operation - Los Angeles Its just too big a leap. 2023 Paste Media Group. While that can sometimes describe. At the end of the ride it was now up to us to put effort into understanding other people, by showing compassion for an autistic boy. But I think now weve got the toe tag on, and were in the drawer, and its sealed and locked., St. A clip of the original credits from the series finale, with Mimsie the Cat on life support. Also, consider that each connection fromSt. But now, viewers are picking shows out to binge watch, and they want to know that their time investment is going to have some payoff. The first episode of a show has to hook viewers in for the long haul in a way totally unlike, say, the first pages of a novel. The series sported a large ensemble cast, with veteran actors Ed Flanders and Norman Lloyd anchoring the proceedings for most of its run as Dr. Donald Westphall and Dr. Daniel Auschlander, respectively, and it made household names of up-and-comers like Howie Mandel, Mark Harmon, and Denzel Washington, as well. We never answered any of the questions we posed. Through it all, time skips are marked off by a digital clock readout in the corner, and its the lightest touch that makes a world of difference in how the show goes over, marking the endless grind the characters face in tangible hours and minutes. WILLIAM DANIELS (Dr. Mark Craig): I was shocked, actually. Canceled. The complete list of shows is at the bottom of the article. ), 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.". In 1988, though, St. The Importance of the St. Elsewhere Ending : r/autism 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. The full list includes 419 shows as of 2016, the last time the curators of the Westphall theory updated its website. ", But despite the elaborate system, the two still doubt their methods from time to time. (On that series, Bobby Ewing was brought back to life after his "death" turned out to be just a bad dream. St. Cookies help us deliver our Services. Therefore, appearances from St. Why was it necessary for St. The Birdman of St. But I wasnt surprised that there were many people who didnt find it satisfying. What is the rationale/justification for ending the series this way? In the door comes Dr. Westphall, but he hangs up a construction workers hat. Can you still use Commanders Strike if the only attack available to forego is an attack against an ally? Elsewhere has fallen victim to economic pressures. 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. 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. That is quite a choice. They did very unusual, bold things and did it regularly. I thought it was interesting. Elsewhere carries a shocking implication NBC St. When not writing, Michael enjoys going to concerts, taking in live professional wrestling, and debating pop culture. Helen Hunt even appeared in a few episodes. Not necessarily because the serieswhich had earned 13 Emmy Awards during its runwas ending, but because producers opted for a highly unconventional finale. For all the latest TV news, reviews, lists and features, follow @Paste_TV. Like St. Eligius itself, St. I went, Wow. Just some of the other series that have ended up connected as part of the Tommy Westphall universe include Community, Seinfeld, Person of Interest, Malcolm in the Middle, and Married with Children. Entertainment Weekly is a registered trademark of Meredith Corporation All Rights Reserved. Ambiguous cut to black! After the "Fansville" characters exchange meta-humorous existential comments, the camera pans out to show that the characters in fact exist in a snowglobe sitting on Larry Culpepper's desk. St. , like basically every television series that is set in the present day, had crossover episodes or cameos with other popular shows. I really had very little to say about that episode because I thought it was a letdown. [1] As characters from St. For example, take thatCheers crossover. Wikipedia describes the content of the show as: Though the series dealt with serious issues of life, death, the medical profession, and the human effects of all three, a substantial number of comedic moments, inside jokes, and references to television history were included, as well as tender moments of humanity. And what about the real people who have appeared on the included shows, like Alex Trebek on Cheers? ", Father: "I don't understand this autism thing, Pop. They really wanted to kill the show. That series introduced the character of Detective John Munch (Richard Belzer), who went on to become a main character onLaw and Order:Special Victims Unit (and has made guest appearances in virtually everyLaw and Order series), and who has also popped up on shows likeThe Beat, The Wire, The X-Files, Arrested Development,and30 Rock. Westphall, Auschlander, and Gideon (Cox) are stressing about how they can possibly keep the hospital open. 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. The ending has become an infamous example of the "it was all a dream" conclusion that's appeared in dozens of movies and TV shows over the years. "I prefer character connections, myself," Gow says. 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. I think the reality of a hospital is much worse. One prominent critic, Professor Brian Weatherson, argues that just because St. There are no villains in this piece. You can barely please half the people most of the time. wouldnt exist in the form they did without. TV Shows That Were Actually All Just A Dream - Looper Nicknamed St. Elsewhere" that the whole show had been in the character It's not every day we see Plucky Comic Relief commit suicide. HOWIE MANDEL (Dr. Wayne Fiscus): I thought it was realllllllly interesting. Elsewhere were dreamt by Tommy Westphall, and thus, products of his imagination. The finale (if youre lucky enough to ever have a planned one air) might be one of the most watched episodes in the whole run of the show and the impression that lingers in the minds of most viewers long after the show ends. While that can sometimes describe St. Its been observed that much of American primetime TV has been about cops and the sex lives of doctors. It was all a dream! Not enough dollars, however, to keep the series alive for another year. Most scripted television shows end in cancellation, so theres something special about the ones that get the chance to go out on their own terms. Characters from Homicide crossed over with multiple series, including The X-Files, Law & Order, The Wire and Arrested Development, with Richard Belzer's John Munch being the most frequent culprit. The corporation that bought St. Elsewhere. 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. Through crossovers, spinoffs, cameos, or fictional brands or products appearing in more than one show, everything from Brooklyn Nine Nine and Law & Order to Everybody Hates Chris and Dr. Who were arguably all dreamed up by young Tommy. 2023 BuzzFeed, Inc. All rights reserved. St Airing for six seasons from 1982 to 1988 on NBC,St. There are two very important reasons why the ending is not only justified but important and even critically needed for a show like St. 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. Elsewheres Wednesday night time slot in the fall. [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 Show 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. Flashforward! 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. But [executive producers] Tom Fontana and John Masius and Bruce Paltrow didnt want just a normal ending. If the theory holds, then a large chunk of television is the direct result of one childs formidable imagination. The theory is called the "The Tommy Westphall Universe" and hinges on a reveal at the finale of "St. sign-off. He adds that, "while a controversial and maddening ending for some loyal viewers, the final episode of St.

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