I believe there is a universal need for a happy ending.
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| Title: | I believe there is a universal need for a happy ending. |
| Creator: | Elaine Landman |
| Date(s): | May 1991 |
| Medium: | |
| Fandom: | Beauty and the Beast (TV) |
| Topic: | |
| External Links: | |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
I believe there is a universal need for a happy ending. is a 1991 essay by Elaine Landman.
It is in the form of an letter of comment to Tunneltalk v.2 n.3.
The essay was written in the midst of The Beauty and the Beast War.
Some Topics Discussed
- happy ending
- Beauty and the Beast (TV)
- hope that the Beauty and the Beast franchise would be as muscular as the Star Trek one
Excerpts
I believe that there is a universal need for a happy ending. Now, some of my favorite movies have tragic or bittersweet endings. Romeo and Juliet, West Side Story, Camelot, and Casablanca are just a few examples. Interestingly, they have much in common. They are all love stories of epic proportions, and they each deal with some universal moral issue. I dearly love these movies and get caught up in them all over again with each viewing. But every time I watch them, part of me fervently wishes mat they would end differently. Even so, I accept the endings of these classic films for three reasons:
- 1) The endings were valid and consistent with what went before.
- 2)The tragic or bittersweet conclusion was "necessarily" the end of the movie.
- 3) My emotional investment in these movies was two hours, not two years. Also, I didn't spend a great deal of time, energy, and money trying to insure their survival. (Fortunately, no one has yet tried to "retool" Casablanca in order to attract a larger male audience.)
But the desire for a happy ending is pervasive in our culture, and it is to the benefit of society as a whole that this desire exists. Almost every medical, technological, economic, and humanitarian advancement has been accomplished by people who were strongly motivated to make their world a better, hence, "happier" place in which to live — people who were not willing to merely accept the status quo and say "Oh well, that's life." These kinds of people have often been labeled, somewhat derisively, idealistic, liberal, unrealistic, and "naysayers."
Yet it is this type of idealism that has been the catalyst for everything from the Salk vaccine to the telephone to our revered Declaration of Independence. Even Thomas Jefferson felt that "the pursuit of happiness" was a vital component of freedom. I suppose he could have written that we have a right to be miserable, but somehow I don't think that would have sounded nearly as inspirational. And when it comes to our own ultimate destiny, most of us hope that death itself is more than just an unhappy ending. Belief in an after life, in something beyond this existence, crosses all cultural and geographic boundaries.
Television is a reflection of society—our hopes, dreams, and fantasies—and Beauty and the Beast truly is "something that has never been." All other "great love stories" can be found only in books that are read in a relatively short period of time, or movies and plays that last just a couple of hours. There are other television shows that have been about romantic reladonships, but this was the very first time that such a powerful, mythic, and unique relationship had ever been explored in series television. The relationship between Vincent and Catherine had the luxury of gradual development over the course of two years, which resulted in a love story of unprecedented depth and intensity. Moreover, the chemistry between Linda Hamilton and Ron Perlman was so tangible, the viewer was treated to a palpable sense of honesty and intimacy whenever these two people were on screen together. Consequently, the emotional investment on the part of the fans was enormous.
In life, tragic things happen that we cannot control. Leaders are assassinated, a spaceship explodes, and children die. When tragic events of this magnitude erupt, the first response is often one of denial. Initially, there is a surreal sense of wrongness, that this isn't the way if s supposed to be, that this terrible thing can't really be happening. These events have a profound effect on all of us. They sadden and sicken us, but eventually, we accept them because we have to. I am all too aware of the tragedies of life. As they occur, we deal with those tragedies as best we can and go on with our lives. But because we spend so much time dealing with the day-to-day realities of life, with all its inherent trials and tribulations, many of us seek some respite, relief, and yes, escape in the entertainment we choose. I loved experiencing Beauty and the Beast once a week, and the thrill of being totally "swept away." It was a wonderful feeling that I still long to recapture.
Personally, my fantasy is that Beauty and the Beast will successfully follow in the footsteps of Star Trek. The phenomenal success and staying power of Star Trek has been due in no small measure to its underlying themes of optimism and self-determination. Hopefully, like Star Trek, there will be a number of Beauty and the Beast feature films down the road. Then, at the conclusion of the very last movie, I want to be rapturously immersed in the sheer bliss of watching this luminous love story "shut very beautifully." Until that time I intend to continue voicing my desire for a happy ending — not for Vincent, not for Catherine, but for me.
"God grant me the serenity to accept what I can't change, the courage to change what I can, and the wisdom to know the difference."