The Sopranos Final Episode
There are television shows, now and then, that etch themselves into your mind. But its fairly rare that a show goes beyond this level of attention paid and become indelibly burned into your mind. For me, The Sopranos is one of those rare shows.
So, I just finished watching the final episode of this unique series. What did I think? As the character Tony Soprano might say, "You're asking me what I think? What the hell am I supposed to think?".
Truly. The show ended on what surely had to be a cliffhanger ending, with Tony, Carmella, and AJ are sitting in a small restaurant as an apparent or possible (take your pick) gunman is sitting nearby.
Could it be that this is how Soprano ends? Who knows? We don't get to find out. But just as Meadow enters the restaurant, after a grueling campaign of parallel parking, and the maybe-if-gunman heads toward the restroom, the screen goes to black. And we can only wonder what the hell might happen next.
If there is to be a Sopranos movie, this was, without a doubt, the perfect setup.
...and if we never see a Sopranos movie, well, it's still a fantastic ending. Why? Good question.
Many, or most viewers, may be thinking, mumbling, or saying to themselves "What the f@#%!" And that's certainly understandable. Because there's A LOT we didn't get to find out, such as:
1. What will happen to Sil? Will he recover? Will he be an invalid? Will he take up his former position as Tony's right hand and Consigliere?
2. Has Junior slipped completely into alzheimer's land, never to return?
3. Will Janice manage to get her hands on Junior's stash, will she nab another husband? and will she manage to hold Bobby's kids hostage so that her own progeny may continue to bond with her half-siblings?
4. Will Paulie suffer an early demise by taking on a captaincy that he swears is cursed?
5. Will Dr. Jennifer Melfi ever counsel Tony again?
6. Will they somehow miraculously manage to hold an open casket funeral for Phil Leotardo (kind of hard when you consider that, after being executed at a convenience store gas pump, his head was crushed by the rear wheel of his wife's SUV)?
And, the most important question, from my viewpoint, is this: Is Paulie Walnuts overly superstitious, or is there something funny going with that damn cat?
Of course, this is why the final episode of this wonderful series is so great. Without the answers to these questions being presented, we can only wonder, and, thus, the show and its characters stay alive.
14 Comments:
That was the sorriest ending for a show ive ever seen. What a terrible ending. Whoever is in charge of that should be fired. I thought my dvr screwed up and i spent wasted time to find out the ending was just crap!!!!!!!
Maybe this was the perfect ending. Life goes on. I'm glad we don't know if Tony got whacked. But here we go--the kids seem closer to joining in, unfortunately.
I thought the way the finale brought up so many past characters was brillant. I kept thinking that the diner was not the sort of place you would see Carmela and the kids with Tony for a "Family Dinner". Is AJ being groomed for Chris's place? Too many questions and praying for a Movie!!
"I thought my dvr screwed up"
You know, for a sec, I thought the same thing. And panic set in, along with anger, which is probably the appropriate response for a fan of The Sopranos. Then the credits started to roll and I was like "Holy Shit. I can't believe this". I think they could have sweetened it a bit by having, as the final scene, Tony's hand moving toward his concealed piece. Then fade to black. Would have been a similar ending in some ways, but not quite as cruel.
I think, at the end, we saw that AJ, despite his "convictions", can be pushed in any direction Tony and Carmella want to push him. All it takes is cash and a cool car. Praying for a movie here as well.
A diner? I couldn't figure that one out either, unless it held some sentimental value for them as a family. And you're right about the characters popping up here and there. I only wish we'd gotten to see more of Little Carmine. Like Paulie Walnuts, he was one of the funniest and most memorable characters.
I'm the second anonymous. I will sooo miss this show. I can't believe how angry some people are at Mr. Chase on some of the other sites I have visited. Chase is so unbelievably creative. We all want tidy answers, but life isn't like that.
What is with the cats?? Are we like the cats. Why does Paulie dislike them ?? Almost as much as I disliked him.
Second anonymous,
I agree. Life's not tidy and for this show to have a "tidy" ending would have been totally out of character and ultimately disappointing. It's funny though. All over the blogosphere, I keep seeing variations of "WTF kind of ending was that? I'm canceling my HBO subscription tomorrow."
I don't know what the deal was with the cats, but the moment Paulie started complaining about the cat staring at the photo of Chris, I started laughing.
And then when Paulie told Tony that the picture of Chris had been moved and the cat had come over to the new spot and stared at the photo there as well, I burst out laughing. It was hysterical.
In the final scene that we get to see of Paulie, having the cat come near to where Paulie is sitting and lay down on the sidewalk is the crowning touch.
What did it all mean, the cat thing? I don't know. Maybe it was symbolic of "the life" following you no matter where you go, i.e. it ain't a job you can quit. You're in for life, no matter how queasy it eventually makes you feel.
But that's one thing this show was supreme at. Mixing extremely sophisticated bits of humor in with some pretty dark twisted material.
I think the loose ends is a way of saying that life goes on ... no big good byes or changes.
I think Tony is dead, the only question I have is whether he was shot in front of his family? Was that why they set the scene in a diner where they show them to be like common folk, as opposed to one their regular restaurants that have a more 'Soprano' setting to them?
We have been wacked, thats the brilliance of it. Think about, we were just as much a part of that crew as the characters.
We may have. I have to admit I was a little stunned when the screen went blank. I wonder if David Chase was laughing his ass off when the HBO site went down from so many angry viewers.
But, really, in a way it was a perfect way to end it. It ended just the way an episode might have ended (except for the cut to black). A cliffhanger.
If there was a movie coming out and everyone knew it, then that would take the bite off this. But I understand how hard it is for fans to take.
I am Anonymous III! I have thought and thought about this episode from the second it faded to black and I thought that just at that moment, my DirecTV had died.
I can only come up with the same conclusion that some of you have.
That life is going to be the way it is for people who are like the Sopranos. They will never be safe, and the "kill shot" can come anywhere, anytime.
I found myself laughing about Christopher, the cat, and Paulie, too. Paulie could never let go of his " thing " wiht Christopher, even after death, and that cat was just a living symbol of it.
I think we got wacked...
I felt like that when the screen went dark.
Right before that, I was surprised to find out how much I DIDN'T want anything to happen to any of them, there, in the dinner.
As much as I wanted Leotardo to go, I was shocked by the simple violence of what happened at that gas station, anyway.
I have to say that watching that show made me a lot more aware of my "limits" and vulnerablilites.
I have to say, I'm sort of shocked at how angry people are at the ending. The Sopranos has always been one of the most daring shows on tv, and for them to settle for a formulaic basic-cable ending would be an insult to the brilliant writing staff and to the fans. On one hand, I can understand fans wanting everything to end cleanly, with all the loose-ends wrapped up in a neat little package, wanting the writers to come up with one big ending that won't leave them in suspense. On the other hand, I think suspense is the entire theme. The goal (i felt) was to let the viewer know how Tony feels. We all knew the series was coming to an end, as Tony knew his rule was coming to an end. I thought the whole diner sequence was brilliantly executed. The excrutiating build-up of suspense. Every time the door opened, your heart jumped thinking "Is this it? Is this how Tony gets killed?". Every camera angle leaving just enough off-screen to make you think "someone is going to walk in and just pop him". Every glance from someone else in the bar, etc. Worrying about Meadow during the parking sequence. I'm not film student or anything, but I think the point they were making with the "ending" is, that's how Tony will live the rest of his life. Excrutiating suspense. Never knowing when it's coming.
"The excrutiating build-up of suspense. Every time the door opened, your heart jumped thinking "Is this it? Is this how Tony gets killed?"."
It was superbly executed (no pun intended as he may, in fact, have been executed moments later, though we'll never know).
"I'm not film student or anything, but I think the point they were making with the "ending" is, that's how Tony will live the rest of his life. Excrutiating suspense. Never knowing when it's coming."
Yes, I agree. I made that same point here---
"Its a Terrible Life" - Parting Thoughts on The Final Episode of The Sopranos
Also, heres' some interesting stuff about Paulie:
Paulie Walnuts
My Name Is David De Matteo And
Drea De Matteo Is My People So Fuk Y'all Niggaz!
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