‘The Nanny’ Ending Explained: From Flushing to Beverly Hills
Far from her humble beginnings, Fran finally gets to start a new life.
As one of the highest-rated television shows in the mid-90s, The Nanny was responsible for making Fran Drescher into a household name. Initially starting as a budding romance between Fran and Broadway producer Maxwell Sheffield (Charles Shaughnessy), the show eventually explored the unending quirks of their respective families. Mix in Niles (Daniel Davis) and his deadpan humor, along with his long-running feud with the ever-scheming C.C. Babcock (Lauren Lane), and the show became a pop-culture phenomenon. Alas, all good things must come to an end, and in its two-part finale, the flashy girl from Flushing would shake things up one last time.
What was the Finale All About?
Fran Fine has come a long way from being a bridal consultant turned door-to-door cosmetic salesperson. She is pregnant with twins and has seen the tremendous growth of Maxwell’s children. Margaret (Nicholle Tom) is now married, Brighton (Benjamin Salisbury) is contemplating missing college, and Grace (Madeline Zima) is done with therapy. She and Maxwell celebrate their first wedding anniversary, and the romantic mood entices Niles to propose again to C.C., his worst enemy turned love interest. C.C. declines the proposal and runs away, prompting Fran to run after her. They get stuck in the elevator, and Fran panics while simultaneously going into labor. Fran convinces C.C. to accept Niles’ proposal, which hilariously gives the butler superhuman strength to open the elevator doors.
Fran is then rushed to the hospital to give birth, but C.C. also experiences nausea. Niles and Maxwell engage in a bit of banter about their current predicament, while C.C. accompanies Fran in her hospital room. She promises Fran that the day will be all about her and that she will not steal any of her spotlight. It turns out to be a lie, and in true Babcock fashion, takes away attention from Fran by holding her and Niles’ wedding ceremony right there and then, while Fran is giving birth. Fans are treated to the stunning reveal that C.C. actually stands for Chastity Claire, with a greatly infatuated Niles mentioning, “That’s a beautiful name”. Fran successfully gives birth to twins, and C.C. is eventually revealed to be pregnant. With the successful birth of their new siblings, Maggie and Brighton are now free to fly to Europe for a long trip. The Sheffield mansion is emptied as they prepare to move to California, with Niles and C.C. moving to a place of their own. Fran takes one last look at the house where the magic happened, and opens her cosmetics sales kit, triggering a montage of the show’s greatest moments. She takes Grandma Yetta (Ann Guilbert) out of the restroom, and they go out of the door towards a life in a completely different world.
The Finale Serves as a Collage of What Made ‘The Nanny’ Great
In its two final episodes, The Nanny beautifully gave viewers one last glimpse of what made it so great. Sylvia (Renee Taylor) and Grandma Yetta are still there as the bumbling duo that’s more exasperating than comforting to the Sheffield family. Val (Rachell Chagall) is still the stupid best friend, one whose comic relief delights the audience, but irritates Fran to the core. The ridiculous circumstances and slapstick humor reminiscent of I Love Lucy are there in boatloads, while still bringing something original to the table. More than these though, the most significant thing in its conclusion is the indelible mark of Fran Fine, and how she changed everything for the people inside the Sheffield mansion. The show’s magic was built on the charisma of Fran, who never let her humble upbringing get in the way of showing her true self.
The events that transpired in its conclusion was directly influenced by her approach towards all the other characters. Who would have thought that the wealthy and snobbish C.C. Babcock would eventually warm up to a bridal consultant from the not-so-affluent part of the city? As a matter of fact, one can say that C.C’s completely different demeanor towards the end was a result of Fran tirelessly implying that she will never be someone she is not. It’s this dynamic of opposite worlds that Max saw as peculiar, a feeling that then grew into love. It’s this bizarre but endearing personality that made Maggie a woman in control of herself, Brighton a far more-disciplined boy than before, and Grace a growing girl that is ready to face life’s difficulties. Of course, lest we forget, Niles’ marriage is also due to her endless pushing. Not bad for someone who six years earlier, was just the nanny.
A Final Image of The Nanny Named Fran
The most fascinating sequence in the entire finale is of an emotional Fran, sitting at the bottom of the stairs while fiddling with her cosmetics kit. Immediately, the viewers are brought back to when they first saw it in the pilot episode. The pink suitcase, more of a prop than a significant object, unearthed a plethora of memories not only for her but for the show’s multitude of viewers. It allowed its fans to once again revisit their feelings when they first saw her go through the Sheffield door, and how she got that job through sheer willpower, charisma, and a resume written in lipstick. More than fleeting laughs and gags, her journey inspired people. By fighting her way through all the social differences that were in front of her, she gave hope to those who wish to have a better life and proved that anything is possible. If overcoming being fired and dumped in one day was possible for Fran, so could it be too for everybody else.
Some may argue that the show’s luster faded when the romantic and sexual tension between its two leads was concluded by their union. All things considered, that is beside the point. Seeing all the main characters move on to something different in their respective lives was a picture-perfect ending. Life got in the way, but in this case, Fran got a much better life than what she expected. She had style, she had flair, and most essentially, she was there and made the most out of it.