What would you name as the best season (not series) finale that was not a cliff hanger episode?

I would personally go with the last episode of Mad Men's 1st season. That episode being "The Wheel." Between Don's pitch for The Carousel and then that ending scene where he comes home thinking he'll surprise his family by joining them for Thanksgiving only to arrive at an empty home and find they had already left. That was such a gut punch as the camera left us with Don sitting alone on the stairs with "Don't Think Twice it's Alright" playing into the credits.


You have this scene:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=suRDUFpsHus

and then it leads us to this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JSazEWslOAU

_________________
“When I walked in this morning, and saw the flag was at half mast, I thought 'alright another bureaucrat ate it.'" - Ron Swanson

Game of Thrones season six?

_________________

Leftovers season 2.

_________________

Any of the good '24' years ... particularly the first season. I think it was one of the best decisions they ever made to write Jack's wife getting murdered rather than him saving the day like pretty much everyone figured it would be when it first aired.

_________________
Power is always in the hands of the masses of men. What oppresses the masses is their own ignorance, their own short-sighted selfishness.
- Henry George

This didn't happen...No show kills off major characters early on.

_________________

Not a major character.

_________________

Yeah, I liked season 3, but the show would have been perfect if it ended there.

_________________
Anybody here seen my old friend Bobby?
Can you tell me where he's gone?
I thought I saw him walkin' up to The Hill
With Elon, Tulsi, and Don

Whines about me continuing the discussion. Continues the discussion in another thread.

_________________
You do not talk to me like that! I work too hard to deal with this stuff! I work too hard! I'm an important member of the CSFMB! I drive a Dodge Stratus!

The Walking Dead's season 1 finale was great. The group finally finds out the truth about the virus and the CDC scientist blows up the facility.

Season 1 of Game of Thrones was great as well. Having known how it was going to end from the books, they did a good job of setting in motion the characters' arcs for the next couple seasons. The scene with Tywin telling Tyrion to go to King's Landing to rule as Hand was one of the best scenes from the entire series. I kind of forget the show actually had good acting and writing when I look at the shit show it has become.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TThWZOlmIec

_________________

I first thought of The Pilot from Season 4, but I think The Opposite is even better:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Y_6fZGSOQI

_________________

is that you LTG? Is the whole board against you too?

_________________

"All Due Respect" capping off The Sopranos' 5th season was awesome.

Tony solves his issue with his cousin and convinces Johnny Sack to keep a lid on Phil, then miraculously escapes an FBI raid (what happened to "We don't run"?). The bear metaphor is finally paid off as Tony literally becomes the bear that was representing him in effigy earlier in the season when he and Carmella were separated.

The Van Morrison score throughout the episode was great, too.