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Air - thoughtful analysis, thanks.
After rewatching the finale last night, I am convinced that I am satisfied with how the characters ended up.
As I stated above, my view has been that Nancy does have deeper feelings for Andy than merely platonic love. However, in the finale her anxious apprehension as to whether Andy will show in the first half of the episode comes across as desperation for the type of support and comfort he provided in the past rather than a genuine desire to have a true relationship with him. This is especially true in view of the Rabbi's recent death, and makes her sudden infatuation with Andy somewhat suspicious.
But their final conversation and the closing scene do leave the impression that there could be hope for them in the future - perhaps after Nancy faces herself. Nancy softly saying, "I missed you" to Andy is the only instance in the whole series I can recall in which she affirmatively stated what she felt about him (as opposed to the two previous instances in which she said "don't leave me," in Boomerang and Theoretical Love, and her saying that he was welcome to come with her in Thwack, occasions which at most implied some deeper feelings).
Nancy also tells him "it won't be like before, it will be better" - a minor confession that she had neglected him and not reciprocated his feelings and the implication that she wants him back not merely as the platonic Uncle Andy of their past.
It saddened me that she then essentially tried to bribe Andy by offering him part, and then the whole, of her business to try and get him back, which came across as somewhat crass. Andy, has never been terribly interested in money or business. In actuality, however, it was yet another way for Nancy to offer herself to Andy - to be a true partner rather than just a subordinate caught up in her vortex as he was in the past.
Not only was that conversation reminiscent of an inverted Van Nuys, it also mirrored other previous conversations between them. For example at the airport in Theoretical Love, Andy is babbling about how Nancy ruined his life and she says "stop" and hugs him before she boards the plane. Similarly, here Nancy is the one babbling about toboggans and such and Andy says "stop" before kissing her on the cheek and walking away.
I agree that Andy still has feelings for Nancy - as he admits to her. He keeps a guarded emotional distance from her until the final scene. But of course this is why he says he can't be near her - because he is afraid he will be tempted and sucked back into the unsatisfying relationship they had before.
In the final scene Nancy rejects the joint from Doug but then accepts it from Andy a few moments later. And there is the very deliberate stare (accentuated by the camerawork) between Andy and Nancy. This could be interpreted as them simply forgiving each other for their years of estrangement and whatever else happened between them in the past. But it could also have been a small signal of hope for them in the future. To that end, I agree with Air, that there was a concerted decision to have Andy not be married (yet have his own child) to keep the door open for them going forward.
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