4400...will I be disappointed that there is no ending?

[Aldo]

I just recently (as in today) finished the third season, and I'm about to get the fourth from my coworker. I love this show and the intricate storyline that has been developing over the past 3 seasons. However I have read that it was canceled without warning, and the fourth season ends on a cliffhanger.

However, I've also heard that the producers knew ahead of time, and that the show does end with some semblance of closure.

Now without spoilers, am I going to be disappointed after the last episode of the fourth season ends and I get no closure? Or will there be enough closure for me to be partially satisfied?

 

[Joe Washington]

The end of Season 4 will leave you wanting more. You get the feeling that one chapter of the 4400 story has closed and another has opened.

 

[Greg Cox]

And far be it from me to mention that the story continues in the novels . . .

 

[MacLeod]

From memory part of the reason why there was no 5th season was due to the Writers strike

 

[Greg Cox]

Or will there be enough closure for me to be partially satisfied?

I think so. The series did NOT end on cliffhanger. It's more like it ends at a crucial turning point that could have beget more stories, but doesn't leave you hanging.

IMHO.

 

[defiantfan]

I think so. The series did NOT end on cliffhanger. It's more like it ends at a crucial turning point that could have beget more stories, but doesn't leave you hanging.

IMHO.

Agreed, the season is great and totally worth watching.

 

[Goji]

I agree, there are a couple things that feel unfinished, but on the whole if someone had told me that the final episode was written as a series finale, I'd have no trouble believing it.

The DVD set also includes a different edit of the last episode, which restructures the last few scenes to make it feel even more conclusive than the broadcast version. I've come to prefer this version, if only for a notable music change.

 

[sidious618]

It's a solid ending episode, I think.

 

[Christopher]

I agree, the finale works moderately well as an ending. It's the kind of ending that marks a new beginning, but that's how a lot of stories end -- with the sense that something fundamental has changed and there's a whole new world lying ahead.

And yes, there are two novels from Pocket that are set after the finale and serve as sort of a brief "season 5," wrapping up most of the stuff that wasn't wrapped up in the show.

 

[intrinsical]

And far be it from me to mention that the story continues in the novels . . .

You can't but I can. Greg has written two good novels for The 4400. They're worth reading if you miss the series after it was cancelled as the novels retain the feel and tone of the show.

 

[Locutus of Bored]

And far be it from me to mention that the story continues in the novels . . .

I had no idea the story continued after the end of the series, so I appreciate the plug. I just added all four 4400 novels to my Kindle, which should make a nice followup now that I'm rewatching the complete series for the first time on DVD.

Do I have the in-universe chronological order of the novels correct here?

Set during the series:

Wet Work (Ward/Dilmore)

v

The Vesuvius Prophecy (yours)

Set after the series:

Welcome to Promise City (yours)

v

Promises Broken (Mack)

Or will there be enough closure for me to be partially satisfied?

I think so. The series did NOT end on cliffhanger. It's more like it ends at a crucial turning point that could have beget more stories, but doesn't leave you hanging.

IMHO.

Agreed. Even though it leaves you craving more stories set in the significantly changed conditions of the finale, it also satisfactorily closed out the final chapter of the series.

 

[OmahaStar]

Now without spoilers, am I going to be disappointed after the last episode of the fourth season ends and I get no closure? Or will there be enough closure for me to be partially satisfied?

Not really. Think of it like this .... Every season was the last season. The miniseries, which is now thought of as the first season, was the end-all, be-all, there was never going to be any more. So they threw everything they could into making an awesome mini-series.

And then they got renewed.

The second season was going to be it, there wouldn't be any more, so they threw everything they had in there ...

Same with the third, and the fourth. It felt, to me anyway, like they wrapped up each season as though that was it and the series was done, before getting renewed each year. Even though it had been renewed three times previously, they didn't know if there would be a fifth season, so they wrapped up #4 just like they did the others. They leave room open for possible stories, but they don't end it on a "Who shot JR?" type ending.

 

[Greg Cox]

The publication sequence of the novels was Vesuvius, Wet Work, Promise City, and Promises Broken. I honestly don't know if Wet Work takes place before Vesuvius or not, but the first two books both took place during the run of the series. Mine is essentially a standalone squeezed into the second or third season. (I can't remember right away.)

The post-series books go in this order: Promise City, Promise Broken. And Dave Mack and I worked together closely to make sure we were telling the same story.

 

[Defcon]

Mine is essentially a standalone squeezed into the second or third season. (I can't remember right away.)

Third season, according to your interview with Dan for USF a few years ago:

“The book takes place about midway through the third season, shortly before Jordan Collier returns. The plot begins with Maia having a vision of Mount Rainier erupting, which sets Tom and Diana on a manhunt for a mysterious 4400 who may possess the ability to trigger volcanoes with his mind. Tom and Diana are the main characters, but Shawn, Isabelle, Richard, and Alana also figure in the plot.”

And for those interested we also talked with the other authors of the books:

An interview where Dayton Ward talked about his and Kevin Dilmore's novel.

And one with David Mack where he talked about his novel.

 

[Greg Cox]

^Thanks. I remember I squeezed Vesuvius in right before a big arc plot took off. It was pretty much the last place you could stick a standalone adventure, although I did try to fill in a gap with regards to Shawn and Isabelle's relationship.

Promise City, on the other hand, was all about wrapping up loose ends from the series--and setting things up for Dave's book.

 

[bigdaddy]

All I remember is being greatly disappointed by the last two seasons after so loving the first two.

 

[Locutus of Bored]

The publication sequence of the novels was Vesuvius, Wet Work, Promise City, and Promises Broken. I honestly don't know if Wet Work takes place before Vesuvius or not, but the first two books both took place during the run of the series. Mine is essentially a standalone squeezed into the second or third season. (I can't remember right away.)

The post-series books go in this order: Promise City, Promise Broken. And Dave Mack and I worked together closely to make sure we were telling the same story.

From the review I read on Amazon, Wet Work still has Dennis Ryland as the head of NTAC, which would make it either Season 1 or that brief period in Season 2 where he came back after Nina Jarvis was in recovery.

Thanks for the info about Promise City and Promise Broken. I'm glad to hear you guys coordinated it so the storylines matched up. I look forward to reading them.

 

[Kosh Naranek]

Go for it!

I became a fan during season 3. I went back and gobbled up the other 2 and was firmly in line for season 4.

It was great show and I liked the "ending."