Yahoo News 5 of the most brutal final TV seasons
What is it about final seasons that bring out the brutal side of showrunners? Is it because they've got so many loose ends to tie up, is it a case of 'these are my toys, I don't want anyone else to play with them,' or is it simply that they know their audiences are hungry for blood?
Whatever the reason, if you hear that your favourite gritty drama is coming to a conclusion, brace yourself for a LOT of death.
We haven't even included anything from our cast massacres feature, but that still leaves this lot...
1. Breaking Bad – season 5
Ignoring the plane-crash season (because who cares about a bunch of faceless passengers?) Breaking Bad's final season had the highest body count and contained arguably the most impactful deaths. Not least Walter White's.
The final season was so disturbing, it made one of the cast members cry. Andrea (Emily Rios) is killed as part of Todd's (Jesse Plemons) revenge mission against Jesse. Ian Posada, who played her son Brock, was allowed by his mum to watch the scene, for some reason. Rios said: "His mother texted me right after the episode they killed me off, because she let him watch, and he was crying because they'd killed off my character. I felt so bad."
We were more moved by the deaths of Hank, Mike and, yes, Walter (even if he was a bit of a dick towards the… Well, throughout the entire series).
2. Black Sails – season 4
So many key characters died in the final season, but the one that concerns us the most is Black Beard (Ray Stevenson). Firstly because it was a surprise, and secondly because it was insanely gory.
As far as we were concerned, it was easily the nastiest death of the series as a whole, and creator Jonathan Steinberg agrees. "This was a 10 out of 10 in terms of what we could stomach," he said. "We watched this episode with some of the cast, and in unison they looked at us and asked what was wrong with us.
"I don't enjoy it but you needed to understand that his body was destroyed and there was this will that just wouldn't go away. I don't know how to tell that story in any other way, and for Rackham to see this."
3. Bates Motel – season 5
Doesn't have the biggest body-count, but it's got the most violent kills, with Norman finally tapping into his 'mother' side and unleashing his stabby rage. The final season of Bates Motel was full of surprises and subversions (Norman kills Sam Loomis in the shower, not Marion Crane), with the biggest shock saved for the final episode.
Forget what happens in the movies, in the telly version of the Psycho story, Norman dies and is buried next to Norma, which is sort-of a happy ending, but also pretty brutal. Not that we're saying Norman should have been allowed to carry on killing people, but has anyone on this show heard of prison?
4. Sons of Anarchy – season 7
Whooooah, boy. We can't possibly list everyone who dies in the final season of the biker gang drama because we'll be there until we reach the end of our natural lifespan, but let's just say 111 people meet their makers in the shocking final season and leave it at that.
One death stood out though, arguably the most jaw-dropping kill of the entire series, even if it did make total narrative sense. The moment where Jax (Charlie Hunnam) kills Gemma (Katey Sagal) was inevitable, but still super-disturbing.
And not just for us. "Those last moments, when I'm walking out to the garden and he's following me - before every take, we were both just crying and hugging each other," Katey Sagal said. "It was very sweet. It makes me cry to think about it. Because it is Jax and Gemma, but it's also Katey and Charlie and seven years.
"There's a lot that goes into those moments. Charlie and I were bawling. That's what was happening right before we played those scenes."
5. Spartacus – season 3
Okay, okay – Spartacus was pretty much constantly violent, to the extent it's hard to categorically state that any season is more brutal than the last, but seriously you guys, season three contained multiple crucifixions. The screams of anguish from Agron (Daniel Feuerriegel) as the nails are hammered in while horror film music plays will haunt us until the end of time. As for the sight of Kore (Jenna Lind) hanging from the cross with nails in her wrists, Jesus Christ.
Oh, and as the title character also gets killed off via a couple of spears to the back, we'd say it definitely counts.
Want up-to-the-minute entertainment news and features? Just hit 'Like' on our Digital Spy Facebook page and 'Follow' on our @digitalspy Twitter account and you're all set.
You Might Also Like
