Written by Ian Brennan & Ryan Murphy
Directed by Jessica Yu
Jack (in character): "I'd like to go to Dreamland."
Rock: "I'll take you there."
Seven episodes and it's all been leading to this particular moment. After the cliffhanger of the penultimate episode saw Meg destroyed, it only turned out that the delightfully snarky editor who couldn't stand Henry had actually made a copy, and thus managed to save Raymond's bacon. Oh I wish I saw that one coming. Oh wait, I did.
The rest of this episode then led to the build up of Meg breaking box office records and of course, bagging some Academy Award nominations with the likes of Camille, Archie, Anna May and Raymond all scooping awards. Jack lost out to Santa Claus (more on that in a bit) but it's nice that he saw the funny side to that one, even if Ernie didn't.
There's been no getting away from the fact that the series has been a wish fulfillment and that's been divisive with audiences in that regard. This finale really ramped up that aspect with the award ceremony and the public outing of Archie and Rock's relationship, both met with boos/death threats but also support from the studio/Avis. Cheesy as it might be, I have really enjoyed the relationship with Archie/Rock while at the same time getting why the creative liberties taken with the latter have not been as well received.
As for Henry, his obnoxious side came out during Archie and Rock's public outing as a couple before a heel turn at the last minute saw him apologise for his predatory behaviour with Rock while offering the latter a lead in a gay themed movie with Jack. In terms of "beginnings", it was a nice note to end this series on I guess. I also don't blame Rock for not forgiving Henry even if the latter did seem surprisingly sincere with his apology.
As for Camille, there was a focus on her win and I really enjoyed her conversations with Hattie McDonald in this one. I wished the latter and Anna May Wong had been used a bit more in the series but they were excellent with the screentime they had as was Jeanne Crandall, who also returned to present Anna with her award.
In terms of Jack and Claire - they sped up the relationship, but it worked though. I thought the proposal was rather sweet and I also liked the pairing with Ellen and Ernie as well. Even Dick seemed to have a rather nice relationship with John but it seemed rather underdeveloped. I wasn't keen on Dick being dead in the flashforward but I am glad that Ernie survived and that Avis seemed committed to more diversity at Ace Studios.
- Jack lost out to Edmund Gwenn from Miracle On 34th Street. Of course Santa Claus was going to win this one.
- I noticed that Hedda Hopper appeared in this episode but alas a different actress so my hope of this miniseries existing in the same universe as Feud: Bette And Joan got dashed here.
- Standout music: Dinah Washington's A Slick Chick and Lee Wiley's You Do Something To Me.
- Chronology: I'm guessing the years 1947-1949 here with the awards being during 1948.
A Hollywood Ending offered a nice, comfortable ending to this wish fulfillment miniseries. I really don't think it should come back for seconds but obviously most of these actors are people you want to (and will likely) see in future Ryan Murphy productions. Overall, a very fun series.
Rating: 8 out of 10
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