Tuesday night’s series finale of NBC’s beloved comedy Parks and Recreation gave fans some much-needed closure by fast-forwarding to the future and revealing the fates of the characters fans grew to love over the show’s seven seasons. Written by co-creator Michael Schur and Amy Poehler, the hour-long finale gave each member of the award-winning ensemble cast some individual attention, as “a way of saying thank you for caring about them.”

Through a series of flash-forward scenes, fans got the chance to discover the fates of Leslie Knope and her various and lovable Pawnee workplace associates. Poehler’s central character served two terms as governor of Indiana and was given an honorary doctorate from Indiana University, and Ben Wyatt became a congressman, while Ron Swanson became the superintendent of Pawnee National Park. April Ludgate gave birth to Andy Dwyer’s son, Burt Snakehole Ludgate Karate Dracula Macklin Demon Jack O’Lantern Dwyer, while dressed as a zombie. Tom Haverford became a best-selling author/self-help guru with Failure: An American Success Story.

“I liked the flash-forwards because we could show a little glimpse of everyone’s life, just a small slice of each of their futures, because this cast demands such individual attention,” Michael Schur told Entertainment Weekly. “They were all so good, I wanted to give each of them his or her own spotlight.”

Poehler explained to EW that the flash-forward concept was their way of thanking the “people who care about the characters,” as it gave viewers a chance to say goodbye and acquire closure. However, she made sure not to give too much closure to her own character’s storyline, as she wanted to give fans a chance to picture Leslie’s professional fate for themselves.

“We didn’t really want to wrap it up in a bow because it isn’t quite our show,” said Poehler. “I have an idea of what happens, but I would rather the audience have a minute to guess instead of me telling them… I’d like to hear how people would respond to the finale and what they would think, rather than me telling me them what I think or what they should think.”