Cliffhangers: a devilish device used by any fiction creator to keep an audience on the edge of seat or stay tuned in. Cliffhangers are very popular in television, especially at the end of an episode leading up to a break or hiatus in episodes. Writers lover them and audiences love to hate them. Many shows have figured out clever ways to keep audience members dialed in, even when they are on the verge of quitting. We all have that one show we keep watching because at the very last minute a major plot point is revealed, story flipped flopped, secret spilled, or story arch you've been waiting for finally makes a break through. A good show will space out their cliffhangers strategically with a nice blend of closure. In my humble opinion cliffhangers can be good, but there are definitely spots were they do not belong.....such as at the end of a movie, book, or any other place where it is supposed to be a finale. When cliffhangers are used in movies and books they appear to be there only to hook the audience in to want more so they will come back for the inevitable sequal.....which was only made as a money trap.
Listen up media world: use cliffhangers wisely. I want to be amazed when the screen goes blank and the credits roll, not annoyed.
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