One of my favorite shows of all time is Westworld — it’s a captivating story with mysterious futuristic concepts and a well-executed style of portraying the harmony between technology and humanity.

Except, the ending crashed and burned last year when it abruptly concluded due to… I’m actually not sure why. I think it wasn’t getting the ratings HBO wanted, so they cut the whole thing after the audience got deeply invested in the story. Ultimately, it ended in pretty much the most pathetic way possible — very rushed, clearly not planned, and disgracefully lackluster for the level of storytelling they'd showcased in the first few seasons. I'm extremely conflicted even saying it's one of my favorite shows because I think I blocked out the last season from memory, only remembering the good times.

Moral of the story: If you’re going to start strong in a project, make sure you also finish strong. It’s easy to lose steam and find yourself beginning to coast as the finishing touches are being reviewed — this is when you need to be your sharpest, as that last 1% makes all the difference between a good project and a great one.

…but even if you truly crash and burn, just know that at least it’s probably not as bad as Westworld’s ending.