"And crawling on the planet's face, some insects called the human race. Lost in time, and lost in space...and meaning."

– The Criminologist in Rocky Horror

The end of Rocky Horror is perhaps one of the most interesting, provocative mind fraks I've ever seen. Indeed, even after seeing it done three different ways (if you count Glee's), I'm still not entirely sure what it means.

Frank says something about taking the aliens, and Riff-Raff interjects that only he and Magenta will be going back home – to the planet Transsexual, in the distant galaxy Transylvania. But then there's the line about transporting all of Earth to Transylvania, so the ending, with Brad and Janet crawling around in fishnets, is kind of confusing. Are they still on Earth? Did they escape the mansion in time for it to disappear and transport to Transylvania, or did Riff-Raff, in fact, move all of Earth to a distant galaxy? I guess the question is did he change his mind? Or perhaps he simply meant that he was going to kill the other aliens first (or at least Frank) before transporting Earth to Transylvania.

In any case, I love an ending that can make me think, and even more so, I love an "unhappy" ending. That's not to say that everything should end tragically because, while I think happy endings are good for some shows/stories, others require something with a little more meat. More risk.

I have ideas for three different television dramas that each tie together, and each one would ideally end in a similar fashion to Rocky Horror: in a sort of what-the-hell-just-happened kind of way. Back when LOST ended, I was kind of in that mode but not necessarily in a good way. It was such a shocking ending because it seemed like the ending should have been more substantial that it was. With a little time to think about it, I decided that I really did like it; it just wasn't what I had expected. And I know that ending was incredibly divisive among fans, some of my friends included.

As such, I don't ever want to end a story quite like that, but it makes me wonder: where do I draw the line? What exactly is it that makes one "frakked-up" story ending amazing and another one bullshit?

Does anyone out there have any opinions? What makes a good story ending? What makes a bad story ending?

"It's astounding / Time is fleeting / Madness takes its toll..."

– From The Rocky Horror Show's "Time Warp" (here, performed by the cast of Glee)

Until last Monday, I was a Rocky Horror virgin. I'd always wanted to watch it and just hadn't ever gotten around to it. But with Glee doing a Rocky Horror episode last week, I decided it was time to take the plunge: I streamed The Rocky Horror Picture Show via Netflix on Monday night, watched Glee on Tuesday night, and then went to a live production of the show on Friday night, in Brooklyn, MD.

I loved all three shows.

The differences from version to version are interesting, but I think that what's always the same, always front-and-center, are the music and the "for outcasts" nature of the production.

I loved the movie version because, aside from the quirky, fun, weirdly entertaining storyline, we have Tim Cury's amazing performance as transvestite and leader of the aliens Frank-N-Furter. And while Susan Surandon (as Janet) isn't particularly phenomenal, she doesn't exactly suck either. Well...she might have sucked in that scene with Frank, but that was kind of vague. ;-) Anyway, I won't talk about the whole cast, but I will just say that, generally, it is a good one. Moving on...

I liked the Glee episode because, as usual, they managed to tie the themes of the music into the themes and storylines of the TV show itself. Emma's rendition of "Toucha Touch Me" is one of my favorite covers from the episode; I think she kind of stole the show, actually. Who knew actress Jayma Mays could do that? As far as I can remember, she hasn't sung on the show until this episode. And, of course, having Britney and Santana step in as Columbia and Magenta was just perfect!

Finally, while the movie and Glee versions are great to watch and even sing along to if one feels so inclined (and knows the words), the live show is a whole different beast. It's completely interactive. You get a prop bag and have to do things like pop a balloon, cover your head with a newspaper, wave a glow stick in the air, throw a sponge on the stage, and so on. You'll hear people in the audience shouting out lines and talking to the cast, and the cast will shoot witty responses right back. And you'll get to do the Time Warp, which, while I'm not a fan of dancing, is kind of fun to learn if you're a newbie.

Going into this week, I've still got the songs stuck in my head. I imagine they'll fade with time, but come next Halloween season, I'll be ready again.