Following five seasons of characters Deborah Vance (Jean Smart) and Ava Daniels (Hannah Einbinder) oscillating between tension and friendship, the fan-favorite series ended May 28 with a finale befitting of its hilarious, heartwarming and Emmy-winning run.

After the episode began with Ava directing the pilot of her new comedy show and Deborah opening her new casino, the mood suddenly shifted to a more difficult conversation with Deborah revealing she has cancer that has spread.

Instead of seeking treatment, she reveals to Ava that she plans to visit an assisted suicide clinic in Europe. Ava—with an emotional performance—spends the entire episode attempting to dissuade her boss-turned-best-friend from her decision.

Of course, Deborah and Ava have their standard banter, too, which lays the groundwork for the episode’s final twist: Just as they’re about to board their last train to the treatment facility, Deborah changes her mind after realizing Ava makes her joke-writing better.

“I may not have 30 years,” Deborah tells her outside the train station, “but I think I have another hour. Will you help me write it?”

After Ava agrees to help with her next comedy special, the pair are seen walking down the streets of Las Vegas as Judy Garland and her daughter Liza Minnelli sing their mashup of “Get Happy” and “Happy Days Are Here Again.”

And don’t worry, Paul W. Downs and Megan Stalter got some love, too, as Jimmy and Kayla corner her dad into handing the reins of Latitude Management over to them.

While the HBO Max series’ last episode was satisfying—and emotional—for fans, the entire final season seemed to give viewers exactly what they wanted. Indeed, after Ava was hired in season one by a deceptive Deborah to be a comedy writer, the internet was filled with fan-fiction of the duo evolving from enemies to lovers.

So, series creators Lucia Aniello, Jen Statsky and Paul wrote an episode where Deborah and Ava made out while pretending to be girlfriends on a trip with Leslie Bibb and Cherry Jones.

“It was so funny,” Hannah told USA Today in an interview published May 7. “I thought they handled it beautifully. I thought it was true to the reality of the characters while also delivering what [fans] wanted.”

Meanwhile, Megan spent the season delivering instantly-iconic lines, like telling a respected actress, “You’re acting’s ass and you’re being outperformed by a dead corpse, mama!”

Plus, fans were treated to incredible guest stars like Jesse McCartney, Christopher Briney, Billy Baldwin, Trisha Paytas, Ann Dowd and Bob Mackie.

But while the cast has been vocal about the laughter they’ve shared during the six years of creating the show, Hannah—who won the Emmy last year for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series—has admitted how difficult it was to end it.

“I became ill,” Hannah told USA Today last month about filming her final scenes. “The second I walked out of where we were shooting, and I was doubled over. My body was shutting down.”

But the bond she built with Jean carried her through. As she put it, “Jean is such a loving, caring person who really does cherish the people around her, and we all get to feel that warmth.”

And the feeling is mutual for Jean, who said she could “always lean on” Hannah. Plus, she added, “She’ll always tell you the truth.”

Read on to see other shows that recently said farewell.