# Is there anywhere I can watch the surprise ending of St. Elsewhere?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anywhere-i-can-watch-the-surprise-ending-of-st-elsewhere/330642
**Category:** Cafe Society
**Created:** [November 11, 2005, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anywhere-i-can-watch-the-surprise-ending-of-st-elsewhere/330642 "2005-11-11T22:13:08Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@andrewdt85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andrewdt85)
#### Post date: [November 11, 2005, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anywhere-i-can-watch-the-surprise-ending-of-st-elsewhere/330642/1 "2005-11-11T22:13:08Z")
You know, the surprise ending of the series in the last five minutes of the last episode. I can’t find any downloadable file on Limewire or anything on Google.
Just, like, see it.
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### Author:  [@Cliffy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cliffy)
#### Post date: [November 11, 2005, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anywhere-i-can-watch-the-surprise-ending-of-st-elsewhere/330642/2 "2005-11-11T22:42:30Z")
Hmm. The only place I’ve ever seen it since the day it aired is in my brain.
Do you know what happens?
–Cliffy
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### Author:  [@andrewdt85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andrewdt85)
#### Post date: [November 11, 2005, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anywhere-i-can-watch-the-surprise-ending-of-st-elsewhere/330642/3 "2005-11-11T23:19:43Z")
Yep, I just wanted to see it. Sounds so weird, but I have no interest in the show.
I’ll just get the dvd, I suppose.
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### Author:  [@World\_Eater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/World_Eater)
#### Post date: [November 11, 2005, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anywhere-i-can-watch-the-surprise-ending-of-st-elsewhere/330642/4 "2005-11-11T23:27:28Z")
Can someone put the ending in a spoiler tag or something? I feel so left out here. 😛
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### Author:  [@andrewdt85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andrewdt85)
#### Post date: [November 11, 2005, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anywhere-i-can-watch-the-surprise-ending-of-st-elsewhere/330642/5 "2005-11-11T23:48:16Z")
It turns out the entire show took place in the mind of an autistic child, who daydreamed the events for entertainment.
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### Author:  [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)
#### Post date: [November 11, 2005, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anywhere-i-can-watch-the-surprise-ending-of-st-elsewhere/330642/6 "2005-11-11T23:49:30Z")
> [@World Eater](#):
>
> Can someone put the ending in a spoiler tag or something? I feel so left out here. 😛
It turns out that the hospital and everyone in it really was the daydream of an autistic child.
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### Author:  [@World\_Eater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/World_Eater)
#### Post date: [November 11, 2005, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anywhere-i-can-watch-the-surprise-ending-of-st-elsewhere/330642/7 "2005-11-11T23:52:46Z")
That’s the most retarded thing I’ve ever heard of. You guys aren’t kidding me?
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### Author:  [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)
#### Post date: [November 12, 2005, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anywhere-i-can-watch-the-surprise-ending-of-st-elsewhere/330642/8 "2005-11-12T00:07:03Z")
> [@World Eater](#):
>
> That’s the most retarded thing I’ve ever heard of. You guys aren’t kidding me?
Interesting choice of words, but, yes, that’s how it ended.
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### Author:  [@andrewdt85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andrewdt85)
#### Post date: [November 12, 2005, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anywhere-i-can-watch-the-surprise-ending-of-st-elsewhere/330642/9 "2005-11-12T00:10:06Z")
Better not tell him about Bob Newhart. 😉
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### Author:  [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)
#### Post date: [November 12, 2005, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anywhere-i-can-watch-the-surprise-ending-of-st-elsewhere/330642/10 "2005-11-12T00:11:42Z")
> [@andrewdt85](#):
>
> Better not tell him about Bob Newhart. 😉
That was a great ending!
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### Author:  [@World\_Eater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/World_Eater)
#### Post date: [November 12, 2005, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anywhere-i-can-watch-the-surprise-ending-of-st-elsewhere/330642/11 "2005-11-12T00:17:07Z")
> [@Mr. Blue Sky](#):
>
> Interesting choice of words, but, yes, that’s how it ended.
Yeah I know, but retarded was the only word that did my thoughts justice. Let’s replace it with bizarre. Do I even want to know about Newhart?
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### Author:  [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)
#### Post date: [November 12, 2005, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anywhere-i-can-watch-the-surprise-ending-of-st-elsewhere/330642/12 "2005-11-12T00:19:20Z")
> [@World Eater](#):
>
> Yeah I know, but retarded was the only word that did my thoughts justice. Let’s replace it with bizarre. Do I even want to know about Newhart?
Newhart refuses to sell the inn to the Japanese. He gets hit in the head with a golf ball (his inn is now a hazard on a golf course) and when he wakes up, he’s in bed with Suzanne Pleshette on the set of the 70s Bob Newhart Show. The entire run of Newhart was a dream!
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### Author:  [@Alias](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alias)
#### Post date: [November 12, 2005, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anywhere-i-can-watch-the-surprise-ending-of-st-elsewhere/330642/13 "2005-11-12T00:30:43Z")
“I Love the 80s: 3D” showed the ending. I forgot which year it’s in, but if you watch the endless reruns, you’re bound to catch it eventually.
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### Author:  [@World\_Eater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/World_Eater)
#### Post date: [November 12, 2005, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anywhere-i-can-watch-the-surprise-ending-of-st-elsewhere/330642/14 "2005-11-12T00:39:26Z")
> [@Mr. Blue Sky](#):
>
> Newhart refuses to sell the inn to the Japanese. He gets hit in the head with a golf ball (his inn is now a hazard on a golf course) and when he wakes up, he’s in bed with Suzanne Pleshette on the set of the 70s Bob Newhart Show. The entire run of Newhart was a dream!
Newhart was a comedy though, the other ending just strikes me as seriously odd.
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### Author:  [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)
#### Post date: [November 12, 2005, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anywhere-i-can-watch-the-surprise-ending-of-st-elsewhere/330642/15 "2005-11-12T00:40:15Z")
> [@World Eater](#):
>
> Newhart was a comedy though, the other ending just strikes me as seriously odd.
I’ll give you that, but you have to give them credit for trying something different.
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### Author:  [@andrewdt85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andrewdt85)
#### Post date: [November 12, 2005, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anywhere-i-can-watch-the-surprise-ending-of-st-elsewhere/330642/16 "2005-11-12T00:56:02Z")
Absolutely- unlike w/ Dallas, when they just did the shower surprise thing to set things back to the way they were before that season. That’s lame.
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### Author:  [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)
#### Post date: [November 12, 2005, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anywhere-i-can-watch-the-surprise-ending-of-st-elsewhere/330642/17 "2005-11-12T01:01:56Z")
> [@andrewdt85](#):
>
> Absolutely- unlike w/ Dallas, when they just did the shower surprise thing to set things back to the way they were before that season. That’s lame.
Didn’t Roseanne “write” the last season of her show?
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### Author:  [@World\_Eater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/World_Eater)
#### Post date: [November 12, 2005, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anywhere-i-can-watch-the-surprise-ending-of-st-elsewhere/330642/18 "2005-11-12T02:19:39Z")
> [@Mr. Blue Sky](#):
>
> I’ll give you that, but you have to give them credit for trying something different.
That’s true. I now share the same desire as the OP to see the clip.
I’m curious here, was the ending a big deal? Was it all over TV guide or something? Or did people take it in stride?
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### Author:  [@Jinx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jinx)
#### Post date: [November 12, 2005, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anywhere-i-can-watch-the-surprise-ending-of-st-elsewhere/330642/19 "2005-11-12T02:32:13Z")
???At the very end, wasn’t the autistic boy staring at a snowglobe with the building of St. Eligias (sp?) inside it????
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### Author:  [@andrewdt85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andrewdt85)
#### Post date: [November 12, 2005, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anywhere-i-can-watch-the-surprise-ending-of-st-elsewhere/330642/20 "2005-11-12T02:40:32Z")
> [@Jinx](#):
>
> ???At the very end, wasn’t the autistic boy staring at a snowglobe with the building of St. Eligias (sp?) inside it????
Wikipedia says so.
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