It was the end of an era.
We all knew it was coming and we all expected tears, but Oprah’s finale show was surprisingly lacking in the drama department. Straight off the bat she told her guest audience that there would be no celebrity guests, no surprises and no cars to give away. Instead, her last show was her “love letter” to her audience and her fans. Which is sweet of course, but nothing says “I love you” like a car, right? (Kidding!)
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Instead, Oprah’s final show was filled with a lot of monologues on gratitude and success (we were reminded of a commencement speech), some flashbacks from waaaayyy back (who knew that Oprah’s show resembled Jerry Springer’s back in the day?), and plenty of big-name dropping (this is Oprah, after all). All set to the sounds of a somber song Paul Simon wrote and recorded specifically for her final hour.
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While things did get emotional during a short segment on child molestation/seduction/assault — an issue that has long been near and dear to Oprah’s heart — the rest of the show was clearly meant to inspire hearts, not tear ducts. Oprah discussed the importance of finding one’s calling, of using your reach to spread love and the power everyone has over their own life. Yup, typical Oprah stuff.
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While there weren’t really any surprises on the last show, it was still a good way to end a 25-year-run; it kind of felt like 25 years crammed into one episode. Except, there wasn’t much of this or any of this. And there will never be any of it ever again. (We’re getting weepy again just thinking about it.)
