Ever After (spoilers)

Well, that was... unexpected.

Perhaps I should elaborate. I understand what Scott meant when he said that it was going to be a controversial end to the series, and that some listeners may not like how the series concludes. Here's what I think, bearing in mind these are my initial thoughts based on only listening to the story once:

Spoilers hereafter:

At first I really wasn't sure what to make of the whole "Was Dorian Gray's life a deluded dream, or genuinely real and this is the dream" premise. That idea in general has always irked me as most of the time it is handled quite poorly.

Either because its supposed to be played as a mystery, but we already know the answer before we go into it, which is slightly self-defeating (e.g. Smallville: Labyrinth) or its entirely illogical and is just designed to act as a twist ending to the series (e.g. The Brittas Empire)

When I went into the story realising this premise, I expected the standard big reveal at the end with Dorian breaking free from Lucifer's dream, defeating him and getting Toby back (and admittedly, the sentimental side of me was half hoping for that ending). But thankfully, Mr Handcock was cleverer than that, and the story subverted my expectations in the way that this series does. Even though part of me wanted an answer, I realised that what I may have wanted might not have been what was beneficial for the story, and enjoyed the experience a lot more for that fact.

It uses those troupes that have been established time and time again (people in the 'real' world having familiar faces to those in the 'dream' world), all as a means of making you think the story is progressing to an expected conclusion. But when it doesn't, it knocks you for six when you realise that there not going to give you the answer. You have to make your own answer!

And I think that makes perfect sense for the final episode of Dorian. As a series, Dorian Gray means different things to different people. Some appreciate it more for the horror aspects of the series, some more for the romantic aspects, or as a vehicle to tell small supernatural stories. Even the character of Dorian himself can have multiple interpretations by audience members regarding his motivations and feelings. So its only logical that the final story would be one where the audience themselves have to interpret their conclusions about the ending.

In my mind, this is Scott Handcock saying "This is your series as much as it's mine. You can decide your ending for your Dorian Gray." And to be given that level of involvement from an audience point of view is the reason why being a fan of this series has been such a rewarding experience since the series began back in 2012. You feel like when you experience it, you own a small part of it. Its for that reason why I think The Confessions of Dorian Gray is the single best standalone series to come out of Big Finish, and this conclusion has proven a very satisfying final chapter to this series I have been committed to since it was first released.

Particularly bookending this series with a quote from the first episode that has resonance throughout the series was a beautiful touch!