Seriously, the least damaging way a tv show can drop an essential character (which we all knew was coming) is by making it happen story wise in as UPBEAT way as possible. Whereas the worst way is... well, the worst way is pretty much to go do it precisely the way they did it: Make us _think_ he's leaving on a high note, right until the very last seconds where they take it all away from you and end on the most DOWNBEAT note possible!! That's not plain stupid business planning, that's downright cruel.
All this is going to do is make the viewers miss him MORE, make them be LESS accepting of his departure and consequently less likely to carry on watching than they were already. Just how stupid can a TV network get that they fail so miserably to grasp this simple thing?!
Furthermore, the ending, within the context of the events of the rest of the episode, made no sense whatsoever. It made absolutely no sense that it would be that person who would somehow magically turn up at that place out of nowhere to finish "him" off for no discernible reasons at all. Nor did it make any sense that "he" would just stand there like the easiest target practice cardboard imaginable, without even trying to neither flee nor put up any sorts of defence. This whole debacle of an ending reeks of nothing but a very desperate "Need to make absolutely sure no one thinks he's coming back", as if anyone who's been seriously following this show didn't already know.
They didn't even try make transition easier on us, so I see no reason why I should give their future seasons anything either.
My two star rating go to the actor who got dumped, for still managing to resist phoning it in on his last appearance, and still do a stellar performance throughout, which I'm sure can't have been easy. A true pro in my book right there, regardless of what the tabloids may want us to believe.
Oh, and I feel almost sorry for the poor sucker that's going to step in next season, he's going to be so hated by the _former_ fans of this show - I hate him already!
