It's better to do something no one expects than to try an appease the brainless idiots out there who complain about endings like this.

Dallas (one of my favorite childhood programs) was very good about surprise endings....one season was all a dream sequence, so characters would be killed and then the next season oh it was all a dream they are all back....it was really shocking at the time.....as well as WHO SHOT JR? That was a big season ender too