The BSG finale was probably one of the better season finales that I have seen. I didn't like the Kara Thrace stuff, but I did find it fit thematically to the story.
I heard the argument that there was a happy ending to a dark story, but to see it as a happy ending is akin to seeing the arrival of the Europeans in "Apocalypto" as a happy ending; it was a prelude to horror. (Even if you don't buy that, the fact that the main character in the series (Admiral Adama) is basically a wreck by the end...)
