Having waited so long, hoping for a resolution beyond the tragedy that ended the second series, finally we find out how it all ends. I won't say what happens of course, since fans will want to find out for themselves, and naysayers just won't care, but believe me when I say that you'll be smiling through the tears come the end of this most extraordinary of journeys.
Despite the moments of comedy genius we've all come to expect, this is actually a very poignant finale to a comedy/drama that truly deserves both of it's genre definitions. Genuine moments of tenderness appear from the least obvious places, and while the end might border on saccharine, there are still a couple of bittersweet pills to swallow.
While not as colon-splinteringly funny as the series it completes, this still must rate as highly as possible simply because it allows a work of art to burn out, rather than fade away. Like The Office before it, this final episode in an emotional journey gives a sense of resolution to the stories we've become inexplicably enthralled by.
And so we are bereaved again, thankfully without the spirit-crushing stupidity of a happily ever after.
Parting is such sweet sorrow.