So your work has reached the conclusion of its StoryArc -- maybe even its entire MythArc. The main characters have faced off the BigBad, saved the world, and have achieved their HappilyEverAfter. TheEnd, good work everyone. Off to the next project!

Except [[SomethingWeForgot there are still a few rather minor loose ends]]. Oh well, if they're really ''that'' important, and we've got another season in the works, we can take care of those then. Now onwards to the wrap party... wait, what do you mean that was just the penultimate episode? We still have one more left to write? Huh. Good thing we didn't tackle those last few plot threads, then.

A Dénouement Episode is when the final episode or entry in a work isn't the actual conclusion of a story arc; that was handled in the episode just before this one. Rather, it is a {{denouement}}; an epilogue that follows the excitement of the main story's end with a tale that is much calmer in terms of action (but incredibly emotional to compensate), and covers any lingering questions and plot points that may still need to be answered. If this is in the context of a SeasonFinale instead of a GrandFinale, then this may also be where you get your SequelHook for the next season.

In terms of SeasonFluidity, this trope obviously does not apply to episodic works that don't have any sort of story arcs to speak of. A work at least needs something akin to a Myth Arc to have its final installment qualify as this trope, as something is only a denouement if it's wrapping up loose ends after a major plot event. And you can't wrap up loose ends if there was no central plot-line from which loose ends could arise from.

See also {{Denouement}}. Related to WhereAreTheyNowEpilogue. If the episode takes place far in the future instead of the usual timeframe, it is a DistantFinale.

'''Ending trope, spoilers.'''
!!Examples:

[[foldercontrol]]

[[folder:Anime and Manga]]
* ''Anime/SailorMoon S'' (consisting of episodes 90--127) had a GrandFinale in episode 125. Episode 126 was the {{Denouement}}; episode 127 was the SequelHook.
%%* ''[[Manga/NegimaMagisterNegiMagi Negima!?]]''[='=]s last two episodes were this.
* This is standard procedure for the ''Franchise/LyricalNanoha'' series. The big battle ends during the penultimate episode of the season while the last episode deals with the aftermath of the incident, showing what the various characters are doing now and where they plan to go in the future.
* The penultimate episode of ''Anime/GhostInTheShellStandAloneComplex'''s first season was a big cliffhanger--but then the next episode involves all the characters, post-TimeSkip, wrapping up all the loose ends via several conversations.
* Both seasons of ''VisualNovel/{{Clannad}}'' resolve their respective halves of the overall narrative by the penultimate episode, with the de facto last episode(s) being either recap, {{flashback}} or SugarWiki/{{WAFF}} episodes.
* ''Anime/DragonBallZ'' finishes off the final villain with time to spare; the last few episodes are light filler followed by a TimeSkip and a very brief TournamentArc to wrap things up.
* The last ''Manga/FruitsBasket'' book is all resolving people into marriage, college, and other ways to settle their lives forever.
* ''Manga/FullmetalAlchemist: Brotherhood'''s final episode comes post BigBad fight, and features emotional resolutions for most of the characters.
* ''Anime/JewelpetTwinkle'': The villain is defeated in the penultimate episode. The last one is about seeing the results of the TournamentArc, the magic academy students saying their goodbyes and where they will go from there.
* ''Literature/TheGardenOfSinners'' is a weird case. Shiki kills the BigBad in episode ''five'' (out of seven), and the remaining two contain the denouement for the unresolved mysteries of the series, such as the circumstances of Shiki's coma-inducing car accident and the true identity of the serial killer in the series-spanning investigation arc. That said, the final episode alone is almost as long and contains almost as much plot material as the fifth.
* ''Manga/{{Monster}}'''s final episode follows Tenma's ultimate confrontation with Johan, showing how the lives of everyone involved went after then. [[spoiler:It also ends with the implication that Johan recovered and escaped.]]
* A staple in ''Anime/PokemonTheSeries'', as every series has between one and four such episodes after the League[[note]]or in Kalos' case, the Team Flare Crisis,[[/note]] wherein (most of) the party members' outstanding plot threads are cleaned up[[note]]some of the ones that aren't are saved for [[TheBusCameBack reappearances]] and/or [[ADayInTheLimelight character-specific side episodes]][[/note]] and Ash returns to Pallet Town to get ready for the next adventure and[[note]][[EarlyInstallmentWeirdness starting with Johto-Hoenn]][[/note]] [[RevolvingDoorCasting drop off his Pokemon]][[note]]apart from [[MascotMook Pikachu]] and a handful of other exceptions.[[/note]] [[DiscardAndDraw to make room for the new squad]]. Even the ''[[Anime/PokemonTheSeriesBlackAndWhite Best Wishes]]'' saga, which had a long {{Filler}} arc after the Team Plasma arc, qualifies as Iris and Cilan part company with Ash in the second-to-last episode. The final episode takes Ash back home, has him drop off his Unovan Pokemon and Charizard, and sets up the ''[[Anime/PokemonTheSeriesXY XY]]'' saga.
* ''Literature/{{Shimoneta}}'':
** In the manga adaptation, the main conflict between [[YourTerroristsAreOurFreedomFighters SOX]] and Gathered Fabric gets resolved at the end of Chapter 12, with Ichinose's defeat. Chapter 13 is a side story which has Ayame take her friends on a trip to the countryside to visit her adopted mother, Nadeshiko, at their family's ousen resort.
** The anime adaptation's main story ends with episode 11, which correlates with the manga's 12th chapter. But instead of visiting her mother afterwards, the next episode involves SOX and Anna being lured to a spa in the mountains by a new minor villain called, "Black Base".
* The final episode of ''Anime/{{Simoun}}'', "Their Portrait", is set years after the main bulk of the series and resolves many of the on-going character arcs, such as [[spoiler:Alti and Kaimu's semi-incestuous love-hate relationship]].
* ''Anime/TenchiUniverse'': The BigBad is defeated in episode 25, and episode 26 is essentially an extended WhereAreTheyNowEpilogue, as all of the characters have gone back to their old lives.
* ''Anime/YuYuHakusho'' wraps it all up post Demon World Tournament with an episode wherein everyone but Yusuke is hangin' around, reminiscing...[[spoiler:and then Yusuke shows up and he and Keiko kiss, d'aaaaaw!]]
* ''Anime/TransformersCybertron'' finishes the the main action in "End" (black hole stopped) and "Unfinished" (Galvatron defeated.) Then there's one more episode, "Beginning," that shows what's next for everyone.
* ''Literature/TheDevilIsAPartTimer'': After Sariel's defeat at the end of the first season, we get one more episode, which follows many minor plot threads.
* Has become a recurring trend in ''Anime/PrettyCure'', from ''Anime/MahoGirlsPreCure'' onwards. Said episodes usually show the protagonists as adults and include cameos from the next season's lead Cure.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Comic Books]]
* The penultimate volume of ''ComicBook/TheSandman1989'' sees Dream/Morpheus confront his (many, many) failings and half-conscious DeathSeeker tendencies. It turns out that much of the story so far has been him playing chess against himself and setting things up so this incarnation will have no choice but to die and give rise to a RedeemingReplacement. The ''final'' volume consists of Morpheus's gigantic funeral, the new incarnation settling in, and send-offs to the recurring cast.
* After the climax of Creator/JonathanHickman's ''ComicBook/FantasticFour''/''ComicBook/{{FF}}'' run, the following issues until its end focus on tying some loose ends and a few less relevant stories.
* ''ComicBook/{{Transmetropolitan}}'' resolves its main story in the penultimate issue, with Spider Jerusalem bringing down the Smiler. The actual final issue has Royce going up the mountain to visit Channon, Yelena and a (supposedly) ailing Spider, where he and the readers get filled in on what the trio have been up to since the Smiler's downfall.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Fan Works]]
* The final ''Fanfic/RubyAndNora'' story aptly titled ''Ruby and Nora'' comes after the final battle [[spoiler: against [[BigBad Salem]] and [[GreaterScopeVillain Void]]]] and is a short epilogue which shows what became of most surviving characters.
* Season 1 of ''Fanfic/TheNewAdventuresOfInvaderZim'' wraps up its StoryArc with a three-part climax, in which the fight for control of [[LostSuperweapon Project Domination]] ends with [[spoiler: its destruction and [[TheStarscream Norlock's]] death]]. This is then followed by an epilogue, in which Dib's team recovers from the fight and prepares for whatever comes next, Gaz gets some LaserGuidedKarma for her actions in the climax, Tenn is assigned to stay on Earth with Tak, and Zim prepares his next plan [[spoiler: by taking on the persona of a masked revolutionary]].
* Following the big battle against Scion, ''Fanfic/AnEssenceOfSilverAndSteel'' is wrapping up with an arc that's literally titled Denouement, going back to characters seen over the course of the story and settling their plot arcs over one last series of chapters.
* The final chapter of "Shadow of the Eagle", the fourth story in the ''Fanfic/SixesAndSevens'' series, is quite low-key after the explosive chapter before it. The first part is a brief recap of the events of ''Dracula'' and how Edith ties into it, as well as her personal history with the Class of '38. The latter half is Edith being recovered by the Fidonisi party and brought to the Villa Layla to debrief and destress before everyone's next mission.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Film]]
* ''Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse'':
** ''Film/IronMan3'' while often touted as the start of Phase 2, acts like this to Phase 1, which started with ''Film/IronMan''. The film deals with then end of Tony's initial character arc and his PTSD from the events of ''Film/TheAvengers2012'' and to act as a BookEnd he gets the shrapnel removed from his heart that was put there from the inciting incident of ''Film/IronMan''.
** ''Film/AntMan1'' is this to Phase 2; it's the final movie in that phase, as opposed to ''Film/AvengersAgeOfUltron'', though it is mostly a stand-alone episode (with just a little bit of set up for ''Film/CaptainAmericaCivilWar'').
** ''Film/SpiderManFarFromHome'' is this for Phase 3 and the Infinity Saga as a whole, as it focuses on the fallout of the much more climactic and [[GameChanger game-changing]] ''Film/AvengersEndgame''.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
* The series finale of ''Series/{{Sliders}}'': after having defeated the BigBad of the final season, Dr Oberon Geiger, the Sliders come to a world where they are given the means of liberating universes from the Kromaggs, the {{Big Bad}}s of the previous season.
* ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'': "[[Recap/BuffyTheVampireSlayerS4E22Restless Restless]]". Adam is dead, and the episode is about Willow, Xander, Giles and Buffy sleeping. And dreaming. [[spoiler: And the spirit of the First Slayer trying to murder them in their dreams.]]
* ''Series/{{Angel}}'': "[[Recap/AngelS04E22Home Home]]". The BigBad was defeated in the previous episode, and in this episode Angel Investigations must decide if they join Wolfram & Hart. But there's still Connor...
* Coincidentally enough, another ''fourth'' season finale. Of ''Series/{{Charmed|1998}}'' this time. All of the incarnations of the BigBad were permanently and definitely killed, and in this episode the Angel of Destiny gives the Charmed Ones a chance to give up their powers and their destiny as witches.
* The sixth season finale of ''Series/That70sShow''. Eric and Donna's wedding (the main story of the season) was called off in the previous episode, and this episode is mostly about Kitty finding out Bud isn't Hyde's father.
* The second season finale of ''Series/HowIMetYourMother'' only reminds us of the season's StoryArc because the main characters are celebrating Lily and Marshall's wedding (who are married since... right, the penultimate episode) , but it's mostly about Ted and Robin's breakup.
** In addition, while it did have its fair share of big moments, the Season 4 finale came directly after the climactic reunion between Ted and [[spoiler: his ex-wife Stella]], which is even more important in hindsight as it ends up shaping pretty much the rest of the series.
* The fourth season finale of ''Series/BabylonFive'', "The Deconstruction of Falling Stars". The [[{{Precursors}} Vorlons, Shadows, and other First Ones]] have [[TheMagicGoesAway buggered off beyond the rim of known space and left the younger races to their own devices]], Earth and its various colonies have been liberated from [[PresidentEvil Clark's]] regime, Sheridan's found himself at the helm of the new [[TheFederation Interstellar Alliance]]. Sounds like everything's already wrapped up, right? Well, it is, and the whole episode can be described as a series of [[FlashForward Flash Forwards]].
** Which is more RealLifeWritesThePlot as the series was on shaky ground and JMS scrambled to write something that would both satisfy the fans if it wasn't renewed and provide a plot for another season if it it was.
*** Actually, the true ending of season 4 was the season 5 ender "Sleeping In Light". As the show was uncancelled at the last minute at the end of S4, JMS had to write a filler episode.
*** "Sleeping in Light" is ''also'' a Denouement Episode for the entire series—no plot conflicts, just the characters taking some time to say goodbye to each other and Babylon 5.
* A staple of Takara's {{toku}} series. ''Series/MadanSenkiRyukendo'', ''Series/TomicaHeroRescueForce'' and ''[[Series/TomicaHeroRescueFire Rescue Fire]]'' all indulge in it.
* Slightly cheating, but "Moebius", the two-part finale of Season 8 of ''Series/StargateSG1'' fits the bill. The previous three episodes had resolved essentially all of the series' story arcs up to that point. "Moebius" was a pretty standalone pair of episodes, though it was very good.
** It was actually a much bigger part of the spin-off's ''Series/StargateAtlantis'' story arc than SG-1's.
** Even "Threads" was a bit of a denouement episode, dedicated mostly toward resolving the remaining story [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin threads]]. "Reckoning" was more of the big GrandFinale that ended the central conflict of the series. So really, there were ''three'' episodes after the climax.
* ''Franchise/KamenRider'':
** The final episode of ''Series/KamenRiderDouble'' jumps ahead a year after the GrandFinale, showing the audience how the characters are doing and Shoutarou continuing to protect Futo City as a detective and Kamen Rider [[spoiler: without Philip, who had [[TearJerker disintegrated]]]]. It ends [[spoiler: when Wakana pulls a HeroicSacrifice to bring Philip back, reuniting the HeterosexualLifePartners]].
** ''Series/KamenRiderGaim'' ends its plot in its penultimate episode. The final episode takes place [[TimeSkip some time later]] and has the [[spoiler: remaining]] characters confront a mysterious new villain [[spoiler: who turns out to be from the NonSerialMovie.]]
** ''Series/KamenRiderSaber'' ends with a one-year TimeSkip after [[spoiler: the battle with Storious and Touma's WorldHealingWave]]. It starts with an explanation of what the swordsmen have been doing since - all while the show's PowerTrio react to the appearance of a new threat faced by [[Series/KamenRiderRevice the next protagonists]].
* The climax of Series/OneTreeHill's fourth season takes place in the second and third-to-last episodes, with [[spoiler: Lucas confronting Dan at gunpoint, Karen delivering and almost losing her baby, Dan being arrested for Keith's murder, most of the cast graduating from high school, and Haley giving birth.]] The final episode of the season mostly takes place at a graduation party and cleans up loose relationship threads.
* The second-to-last episode of season 2 of Series/TheVampireDiaries deals with the ritual to break the curse on Klaus. The last episode is about [[spoiler: Damon nearly dying from a werewolf bite he sustained the night before.]]
* The fourth season finale of ''Series/MadMen.''
** To some degree, the first season finale as well. The penultimate episode, "Nixon Vs Kennedy" resolved the main story arc of [[spoiler: Don's secret life]], so the finale mostly dealt with the loose ends.
* The fifth season finale of ''Series/TheOfficeUS''. In the second half of the season, Michael quits and creates the Michael Scott Paper Company, which is then bought out by Dunder Mifflin. The following episode has Michael deal with the aftermath of the buyout, and in the one after that, Michael uses the MSPC office for other purposes. The final episode however is about Michael and Holly, and sets at least two season 6 storylines in motion, with no reference to MSPC or Jim and Pam's upcoming wedding (which also was an important story arc during that season).
** The last few episodes of Season 7 felt like this, since [[spoiler: Michael Scott had already left]]. These last few episodes were mostly about finding a replacement.
* The night before Johnny Carson's tenure on ''Series/TheTonightShow'' ended, also the last taped before a public audience, there was a huge bash with Creator/RobinWilliams and Creator/BetteMidler. The final show on May 22, 1992 was hosted privately with specially invited friends and family as Carson hosted a ClipShow highlighting guest stars and other memorable moments. It also included a behind-the-scenes look at the making of an episode.
* The third season finale of ''Series/{{Community}}'' managed to be both this and as SeriesFauxnale. The BigBad had been thwarted the episode prior, and the finale itself was about the group (but mostly Jeff and Abed) coming to terms with changing and moving on.
* ''Series/GameOfThrones'' has a variation of this trope since nearly every season has the penultimate episode being the one where most of the major events happen and the final episode deals with the aftermath of said events. In order we have:
** Baelor: [[spoiler: After the events of the previous episodes Lord Eddard Stark bends his knee to King Joffery and (falsely) says that he tried to take the throne for himself. It looks as if he will be allowed to live but be forced to take the black... before Joffery decides to cut his head off instead.]]
** Blackwater: [[spoiler: Tyrion manages to hold off Stannis' fleet long enough for Tywin to return to King's Landing and arrive with reinforcements from House Tyrell. Also Tyrion sports a new scar that runs down the length of his face after a failed assassination attempt from a member of the Kingsguard.]]
** The Rains of Castamere: [[spoiler: Robb Stark and his Bannermen have arrived at the Twins for the wedding of Edmure Tully. It appears that Rob will not have enough Bannermen to take Casterly Rock away from Tywin... and then his wife is stabbed to death in the (pregnant) stomach, he gets shot with arrows, and finally both he and Catelyn get killed by the treacherous House Bolton and Frey with whom they were allied.]]
** {{Averted}} in the fourth and fifth seasons. The final three episodes of Season 4 are full of huge, impactful moments across the board, including an episode-long battle at [[spoiler:the Wall]], and the ball doesn't stop rolling until the last few minutes after [[spoiler:Tyrion murders his father and lover.]] Season 5, likewise, keeps the shocks and climaxes coming until the very final scene, with many of the stories ending on cliffhangers.
* ''Franchise/BreakingBad'' has a few.
** The last two episodes of [[Series/BreakingBad the main show]]. The third-to-last, "Ozymandias", is an absolute DramaBomb and has also been called one of the greatest episodes of television ever made where the consequences of Walt's actions catch up with him and he burns all his bridges. The following two, "Granite State" and "Felina", while hardly drama-free, are more of an epilogue.
** TheMovie ''Film/ElCamino'' functions as an epilogue showing what becomes of {{Deuteragonist}} Jesse Pinkman, whose story was left open-ended in "Felina" and [[ImmediateSequel picks up immediately after]] the last shot of him.
** The GrandFinale of the {{Prequel}} series ''Series/BetterCallSaul'' also serves as one to the whole franchise, closing out the story of the series' resident AmoralAttorney and PluckyComicRelief Saul Goodman and of a few other characters.
* Several ''Series/{{Frasier}}'' finales ended up like this:
** While the last few episodes of Season 4 focused on Niles and Maris' [[spoiler: marital problems]], the season finale focused on Frasier's own dating life.
** The last few episodes of Season 5 were partly about [[spoiler: Roz's pregnancy]], while the season finale was about [[spoiler: Frasier getting everyone fired.]]
** And while [[spoiler: Donny's proposal]] was arguably the climax of Season 6, the actual season finale mostly tied up all of the loose ends.
* The SeriesFauxnale of ''Series/ArrestedDevelopment'', titled Development Arrested, was arguably a denouement since the main plotline of the series, [[spoiler: George Sr getting out of prison]] was resolved in the previous episode.
* The main story arc of Season 5 of ''Series/ThirtyRock'' was about finding Tracy Jordan and bringing him back to TGS before the 100th Episode. However, the 100th Episode was two episodes before the season finale. These last two episodes were a mostly standalone, self-contained arc that didn't really have much to do with the rest of the season.
* ''[[Series/TheWalkingDead2010 The Walking Dead]]'':
** Season 9's penultimate episode, "The Calm Before", depicts the horrific pike massacre committed by Alpha. However, there's still one episode to go, "The Storm", which is a much more lowkey episode showing the survivors coping with the long-term fallout of the massacre. It does have some big plot developments like the Kingdom becoming uninhabitable and Negan making major efforts towards a HeelFaceTurn, but the Whisperers don't even menace the survivors in the episode and it's more something of a grief episode to reflect on what's happened.
** Season 10 was originally going to avert this before real life changed plans. It was going to end with the climactic "A Certain Doom" which functioned as a pretty conventional season finale. However, then the UsefulNotes/COVID19Pandemic struck, shuttering post-production on the episode and by extension the next season, and the episode was forced into an indefinite delay. As 2020 progressed and it became evident that the pandemic was still a ways off from ending and production on the show could not resume as it did before, things changed. A six-episode extension of Season 10 was ordered that were mostly [[BottleEpisode small-scale stories focusing on a meager handful of characters]] to tide fans over, since the production delays meant Season 11 (which was intended to introduce a massive community which would not be logistically possible given the highly transmissible virus afoot) would not come until a year after "A Certain Doom" finally aired. The six-episode extension became a Denouement Arc, as they don't really move the story forward and instead focus on the aftermath of the Whisperer War while planting a few seeds for what was coming in Season 11.
* ''Series/TheWestWing'' wraps up its final major conflict in [[Recap/TheWestWingS07E17ElectionDayPartTwo "Election Day, Part Two"]], in which [[spoiler:Democratic candidate Matthew Santos]] is elected as President Bartlet's successor. The remaining five episodes are more subdued in tone and deal with the transition to the new administration, as well as the lingering aftershocks from [[spoiler: [[TeamDad Leo [=McGarry's=]]] sudden death on the night of the election]].
* ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'' does this with its final season. The penultimate episode ties up the MythArc by showing the Winchesters' FinalBattle with [[spoiler: [[GodIsEvil God/Chuck]]]]; the series finale then shows them going about their lives afterwards, tying up a few loose ends [[spoiler: and ending with them both eventually dying and being reunited in Heaven]].
* The Christmas (and later, New Years) episodes in the relaunched ''Series/DoctorWho'' function like this. Standalone episodes that don't heavily rely on a season's arc, or a series arc, which allows for general more levity and the Doctor working through some issues with friends. Unless it's you know, time to be KilledOffForReal and TheNthDoctor to step in...
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Music]]
* ''Made in Heaven'', the fifteenth and final studio album by Music/{{Queen}}, acts as this. While the album was recorded shortly after 1991's ''Music/{{Innuendo}}'', it wasn't released until four years after its predecessor, long after lead singer Music/FreddieMercury's death of pneumonia exacerbated by AIDS. As ''Innuendo'' was a rumination on Mercury's rapidly-approaching demise and culminated in the bombastic finale "The Show Must Go On", ''Made in Heaven'' is put together to act as a considerably quieter epilogue.
* The 2017 Music/DavidBowie EP ''No Plan'' fills a similar role to ''Made in Heaven'', being composed of the final three studio tracks Bowie had recorded before his passing just two days after his GrandFinale album ''Music/BlackstarAlbum'', also an examination of the artist's mortality. The gap between releases was considerably shorter though, with ''No Plan'' coming out just a year after its predecessor.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Video Games]]
* ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedRevelations'' functions as this for the series in that it wraps up Ezio's and Altair's stories while setting up the next numbered title in a new time period. Ezio has finished all his personal battles and we get to see parts of Altair's life after the end of the first game.
* ''VideoGame/TrailsSeries''
** ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfHeroesTrailsInTheSky The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky The 3rd]]'' serves as this for the ''Sky'' trilogy, mainly focusing on giving the characters closure on all their personal arcs, while also being an arc for Kevin Graham, the one party member who wasn't fully explored in the previous games.
** ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfHeroesTrailsIntoReverie'' is this for the ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfHeroesTrailsFromZeroAndTrailsToAzure Zero/Azure]]'' duology and the ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfHeroesTrailsOfColdSteel Cold Steel]]'' tetralogy, being an epilogue and tying up loose ends for both games. It also set up plot hooks leading to the next ''Trails'' game, ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfHeroesTrailsThroughDaybreak''.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Webcomics]]
* In ''Webcomic/DresdenCodak'', the final part of the Hob arc sees Kimiko adjusting to her new ArtificialLimbs and running into the guy with the FM-2030 book again.
* ''Webcomic/BittersweetCandyBowl'' did this a lot at the end of its volumes. The Acapulco Arc ended with a flashback, and Volume 2 ended with a Halloween special. While the second-to-last chapter of Volume 3, December, was a huge DramaBomb, the last chapter had more of a focus on the side character, Abbey.
* The second-to-last chapter of Year 2 of ''Webcomic/{{Housepets}}'' dealt with Peanut and Grape's Will-They/Won't They relationship. The last chapter was about some of the side characters.
* The second book of ''Webcomic/GunnerkriggCourt'' ended with a flashback.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Web Animation]]
* ''WebAnimation/RedVsBlue'': The penultimate episode of Season 11 has [[spoiler: the Reds and Blues being stuck in the middle of the war on Chorus, with roughly half of the main characters being potentially killed off]]. The season finale focuses on setting up the next season's story arc with [[spoiler: the remaining survivors joining the New Republic Army]].
** Season 12 does the exact same thing, with the final battle being in the penultimate episode, and the finale resolving plot points and setting up the major conflict for Season 13.
** Similarly, the final battle in Season 10 takes place during the second-to-last episode. The season finale resolves the more personal conflict of [[spoiler: Epsilon & Carolina Vs The Director]].
* ''WebAnimation/BrawlOfTheObjects'' is going to get one.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Western Animation]]
* ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague'' season four - and very nearly the entire Franchise/DCAnimatedUniverse - ended with one of these. After defeating Lex Luthor and Brainiac and saving the Flash, the League looks like it's going to disband, only for Green Arrow to convince them to stay in the fight, and there that episode ends. The next episode picks up sixty-five years later, towards [[WesternAnimation/BatmanBeyond Terry McGinnis' prime as Batman]], and ties together [[FullyAbsorbedFinale many threads that were left unexplained in his series]] and many that were still somewhat unresolved in JL, and finally closed the series off with a BookEnd, hearkening all the way back to the first ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'' episode, "On Leather Wings." And then [[PostScriptSeason they got one more season.]]
* ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse'':
** "Full Disclosure" opens in the aftermath of "Jail Break". It deals with things slowly starting to get back to normal after the traumatic events of the previous episode, and Steven's difficulty coping with his fears of how the more dangerous aspects of his life might affect his family and friends.
** The final episode of Season 2, "Log Date 7 15 2", focuses on Peridot learning more about the Earth in a series of flashbacks when the previous episode had her renouncing Homeworld after she failed to convince Yellow Diamond to spare the Earth.
** The main conflict of ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverseFuture'' is resolved in the penultimate episode, where [[spoiler: Steven's trauma turns him into a monster and his loved ones bring him back.]] The very last episode, of ''Future'' and the series overall, is set a few months later, showing Steven [[spoiler: [[ButNowIMustGo saying his farewells as he moves out of Beach City]].]]
* ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitans2003'' does this for its series finale, "[[Recap/TeenTitansS5E13ThingsChange Things Change]]". The [[Recap/TeenTitansS5E12TitansTogether previous episode]] wrapped up the season's main conflict with the Titans forming a giant, HeroesUnlimited team to take the [[BigBad Brotherhood of Evil]], who had been recruiting countless villains to try and capture every hero. In contrast, "Things Change" sees the core group of Titans return from Paris only to be confronted with, well, the city changing. New unfamiliar villains, the fact that many of their favorite local stores have been replaced with office buildings and a BittersweetEnding focusing on Beast Boy trying to connect with a girl who may or may not be Terra [[BackFromTheDead having come back to life]].
* ''WesternAnimation/CodeLyoko'': After XANA is defeated, we get one last episode about shutting down the supercomputer, and how do they approach it? [[ClipShow With stock footage.]] You could say the series poetically comes full circle, given how much stock footage was used in season 1, but that probably wasn't the intention.
* ''WesternAnimation/Castlevania2017'':
** The FinalBattle between the heroes and Dracula occurs in the penultimate episode of Season 2. The actual SeasonFinale deals with the aftermath, as Trevor and Sypha go their separate ways from Alucard and [[AndTheAdventureContinues off to have new adventures]], while elsewhere Carmilla and Issac are [[BigBadEnsemble individually]] plotting to [[EvilPowerVacuum fill the void]] left by Dracula's death, [[SequelHook setting up]] the next season.
** Season 4 does something similar, with the FinalBattle against [[spoiler:[[GreaterScopeVillain Death]]]] taking place in the penultimate episode, and the actual finale tying up all the loose ends and [[EarnYourHappyEnding giving everyone a happy ending]].
* ''WesternAnimation/OKKOLetsBeHeroes'' has this for the series finale. The previous double-length episode wrapped K.O.'s development in regards to his SuperpoweredEvilSide. The series finale starts out with KO suddenly going through various new memories and life seemingly passing by. Turns out it's an allegory for growing up and how life passes you by with the end of childhood. KO finds peace and he and his associates live life to the fullest, with the last minute showing KO [[DistantFinale now in his thirties]] running the bodega and being ''Level 100.''
* ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' has its final episode, "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS9E26TheLastProblem The Last Problem]]". The episode is a DistantFinale taking place "many moons later" after Twilight Sparkle ascended to the throne to become the ruler of Equestria. When her personal student Luster Dawn questions how important friendship really is if all of her teacher's close bonds seem to have disappeared in the years since, Twilight explains via a series of flashbacks that this is far from the case.
* ''WesternAnimation/BoJackHorseman'' does this pretty much every season, with the penultimate episode being the devastating climax and the finale dealing with the fallout.
** Season 1 ends three months after [=BoJack=] gets high while trying to rewrite Diane's memoir. It focuses around [=BoJack=] and Diane figuring out what to do now that the memoir is published.
** Season 2 similarly ends with [=BoJack=] returning and readjusting to his life in California after he spent two months destroying his relationship with Charlotte and her family in the previous episode.
** The Season 3 finale deals with the fallout of [[spoiler:Sarah Lynn's death]].
** While Season 4 ends on a more traditional finale, it does come after the devastating Time's Arrow where we learn all about Beatrice's past.
** Season 5 ends with [=BoJack=] going to rehab after he loses control and [[spoiler:chokes Dina]] in the penultimate episode.
** The first half of Season 6 resolves all of its major plotlines in the second-to-last episode, with all of its characters having some sort of happy resolution. [[spoiler:The half-season finale focuses on all of the women that [=BoJack=] harmed, with none of the main cast even appearing.]] The second half follows the pattern as well, [[spoiler:with the third-to-last episode finishing everybody else's plotlines, while [=BoJack=] hits his lowest point, relapses and is about to kill himself, the second-to-one is a symbolism-filled DyingDream that ends with [=BoJack=] facing UncertainDoom, and the finale seeing [=BoJack=] getting a day off of prison to attend Pricess Carolyn's wedding a year later, discovering what his friends have been up to in the past year and getting closure.]]
* ''WesternAnimation/IceAge'' concluded the franchise with a short animation showing [[ThrowtheDogaBone Scrat finally eating his prized acorn in peace.]]
* ''WesternAnimation/TheLionGuard'' ended the series with the Lion Guard finally returning to the Pride Lands from the Night Pride's kingdom following [[CatsareMean Makucha's]] defeat. Said episode serves as an epilogue to the second film.
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