Part of why the finale of Regular Show was so great is because of course, it was the final episodes, and many of its fans have invested so heavily on Regular Show throughout its 6 year run. So to see that kind of bond disappear can be gut-wrenching. This is seen in many finales from well-known TV shows over the years.
Recalling my review of the Regular Show movie, and reading some of the comments from my quick thoughts video of the series finale, the Regular Show fanbase can relate themselves to that of the characters, in particular, Mordecai and Rigby. Although the final season promoted Pops from supporting character to being the central character, he is still very much likable thanks to his persona. And despite all this, Regular Show has never forgotten that Mordecai and Rigby are the main protagonists and the finale shows the two playing a vital role in the fate of the universe.
We begin the final journey with the episode "Cheer Up, Pops", where everyone in the park, including some of their cosmic allies, try to do the said title to help Pops deal with the impending final battle. While this appears as a stand-alone episode, like what we've seen throughout the season, Cheer Up Pops is part of the ongoing continuity. Half-jokingly, we get to see what the complete series set would look like on Blu-Ray. But sadly, due to Cartoon Network no longer providing Season Box sets of Regular Show, a complete series set will forever remain a fantasy. So the only way for people to watch past episodes of Regular Show would be through streaming, which is ironically one of the villains of this series, and it turns out in the finale that Streaming is an ally of Anti-Pops.
We move on to the finale proper. Upon arriving on Lolliland, Pops's home planet, we meet three individuals known as the Kranuses. With Anti-Pops having an incredibly bad luck of being late to the final battle and having to hire a Space Uber to take him to Lolliland, the Kranuses show a tapestry that records Pops's past incarnations. The tapestry reveals Pops's real name being "Mega-Kranus", the ultimate evolution of all that is good. "Malum-Kranus", aka Anti-Pops, was made as a counterbalance to Pops. The tapestry not only records the numerous battles the two brothers had that resulted in the universe's reset, but it also reveals that everyone in the park have also been involved in all of these battles.
It's probably just me, but every time I look at Mushroom Guy, he looks less like a mushroom and more of an upside-down scrotum. If that's true, then hats off to Quintel and the staff for making a subtle joke that can bypass the censors. Another is Anti-Pops's motivation for destroying the universe - his incredible bad luck. After all, Pops gets all the good graces, whereas Anti-Pops gets the exact opposite.
Back to the story, Mordecai proposed a plan to defeat Anti-Pops using a series of traps. Obviously it was a futile attempt given that Anti-Pops has celestial powers, so he and Pops squared off while Mordecai and the gang battle Anti-Pops's lackeys and Streaming. Enter the Celestial Friends, including Death, the rest of the Space Park Rangers, and the Baby Ducks, for the epic semi-main event as they all combine into a giant mega robot. Benson has the bad luck of being on the
Although the Park Rangers are successful in defeating Streaming, Anti-Pops begins erasing portions of the universe. One by one, we see everyone being wiped from existence until only Mordecai and Rigby are left. Angered over the loss of his friends, Pops attacks at full force against his brother. Knowing the universe is about ot reset, Mordecai and Rigby made one desperate attempt to stop it by flying right between the two.
While I was watching the finale when it first aired, I was also chatting with a lot of people who are also watching the same. I can tell you we all gasped at the cliffhanger, as well as the shock with what Anti-Pops did to everyone. At that point, in my mind, I was already saying that Cartoon Network has somehow gave JG Quintel some free reign in this finale, by allowing several characters to be killed on-screen. I've said before that character deaths in American animation only apply if the said characters are either minor or supporting casts, they are villains, or they are killed only to be brought back as soon as the next episode. So at the same time, I knew those things still apply as it is just the end of Part 2 and there is still one episode left. So anything can still happen.
Then Part 3 began and, we all gasped as it featured "The Power", which was the first episode of the series. I would think those who caught the advanced screening back in LA had the same reaction. However, Rigby still retains memories of what happened with Pops and Anti-Pops and was able to convince Moredcai the same after unearthing the Blu-Ray Box Set. Turns out their interference caused a glitch, resulting in everything rewinding back to the very beginning, but everyone from Benson to Pops are omitted. It's worth noting animation-wise that the crew intentionally used scenes from The Power, but as soon as Rigby retains his memories, you can see the sudden change in the character designs.
Using The Power Keyboard, Mordecai and Rigby return to the final battle and tried their best to assist Pops, but to no avail. As Pops is beaten and later pushed back, we not only see a Fourth Wall Breaking by showing images of the world of Regular Show being pure fiction a la The Amazing World of Gumball, but Pops even went to the scene of JG Quintel's very first animated short "The Naive Man from Lolliland".
Now this is perhaps the one thing I have an issue with regarding the finale, at first. While showing scenes from Quintel's first short, and the notion that they're all fictional characters is a great Easter Egg, it doesn't really do much in terms of the overall narrative, or Pops's resolve. However, with regards to 'The Naive Man from Lolliland', if you actually watched the short, you can see a relation between that and the Regular Show finale. Pops's struggle in dealing with the bar staff over his naiveness to pay with lollipops is quite similar to how he deals with Anti-Pops - his biggest flaw being his naiveness. The short also explains in part as to why Pops is the central character in the final season - he was the very first character JG Quintel made.
After experiencing all of this, Pops had the realization that he's been fighting Anti-Pops the wrong way the entire time. So Pops chose to fight his brother another way as himself, the Naive Man from Lolliland. Pops's kindness removes Anti-Pops's aggression and power as the two flew directly to a giant star, essentially killing themselves. Pops said his goodbyes to Mordecai and Rigby while Anti-Pops, now feeling the kindness of his brother, regrets his 1-Star reviews and wished he could take it all back. Pops assures Anti-Pops they can still do that as they enter the star, creating a Big Bang-like effect while Mordecai and Rigby cry wishing they'd be reincarnated as animals.
And that's the part where I started crying. And I can tell everyone else also had the same feeling. Pops, for the lack of a better way to say it, never committed a sin throughout Regular Show's run. He is such a gentle person, you have to be extremely cold-hearted to ever wish him harm in any way. So for him to provide the ultimate sacrifice to save the universe and bring everyone else back, it's hard not to cry for Pops.
Pops's death is also a big deal because it breaks the rules with regards to character deaths in American animation. He's not a supporting character anymore and is promoted to being the central character. His death is not a temporary, but a permanent one. He's never coming back, so the loss of Pops will be there for the rest of time. It left such an impact that I cannot think of anyone from any other series past and present who made as much the same breakthrough and impact as Pops did.
The final minutes of Regular Show is an epilogue of what happened after Pops's death. Everyone was brought back and returned to Earth after spending 3 years in space. The gang celebrated with friends and family while Rigby and Eileen finally kissed. A statue of Pops was erected at the park in honor of his memory. Mordecai and Rigby have left the park and gone their separate ways. Notice that on Mordecai's car, there's a California license plate on it, suggesting the series does take place in California. Mordecai followed his dream of being a painter and is very successful. He would meet up with a fellow painter who would eventually became his wife.
So Mordecai didn't end up with either Margaret or CJ. It's probably to avoid any backlash to those who support either one. Another clue is the tie-in comic from storyboarder Madline Queripel (excuse my pronunciation), which during the 3 years the Park was in space, Margaret and CJ have established a relationship. While the comic does not specifically say it out loud that the two are more than friends, it's very easy to think they probably did.
Meanwhile, Rigby and Eileen moved in together and start a family. Benson and Pam got together again after their breakup earlier in the season and both now run the park with Skips and the new employees. Muscle Man and Starla still live in the trailer with even more kids. Finally, Hive Five Ghost and Celia became a DJ duo and also got married with a child.
Everyone with their families returned to the park for their 25 year reunion, sometime after Maellard passed away and his statue was erected right next to Pops's. After which, they all gather and took a commemorative photo - all while the song "Heroes", from the late David Bowie, played in the background. Mordecai and Rigby went off to play some old-school video games as the show ends, to which we hear Pops say "Jolly Good Show" as the tape ejects from the VHS. So Pops ended up in heaven of sorts and became us, the audience, watching Regular Show in its entirety and enjoying the final outcome.
Word has it JG Quintel worked really hard to get permission to use David Bowie's "Heroes" for the ending, as he had no backup plan. Thankfully he got it. But Bowie's "Heroes" was more than just a cool background music over the scenery. Often in these kind of things we would take it for granted. But the use of "Heroes". along with the ending, left as much an impact towards the viewer as it is with Pops's sacrifice. The lyrics and composition of the song blends so perfectly with the scenery. It just not sounds right, it IS right.
We've seen a number of animated shows in the US end their run in the past few years, But of all those endings, Regular Show is perhaps the most memorable and the most emotional of them. It actually makes the journey of watching the entire series worth seeing. It's not perfect, of course, and Regular Show has reached a slump at times, something that was acknowledged in-universe. But the staff did pull themselves together to make the final season, and the finale, an incredible experience that will be long remembered.
So to JG Quintel, the voice actors, the writers, and the rest of the Regular Show staff, thank you for the amazing 6 years of Regular Show. I'm going to give two ratings for this review - one for the finale, and one for the series overall. For the Regular Show finale, I give it a 5 out of 5. For the series overall, I give Regular Show, a 4 out of 5.
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