That gondola ride was the first time I felt like we were about to start exploring some interesting concepts of what exactly is life for the Endless, whether they are alive and if they should continue to live, and address the weight of shutting them down. But I feel like we just hand waved all of that away with a "Well, we're on a time limit and also nobody really seems bothered to be erased?"

The only thing that made me feel actually bad was how Erenville was treated. He saw his whole past life get obliterated in seconds without knowing exactly what happened, and then was fooled into thinking his mom was okay, only to then being told she only exists in this weird memory state and he gets dragged around the last zone knowing they have to pull the plug, and it's just... handled so weird and rushed.