Sopranos Imitate Life

After hearing critics and average viewers complain about The Sopranos final episode this past Sunday, I've come to the conclusion that there are smart Sopranos fans and, well, some that ain't so smart. Those who feel somehow cheated by creator and writer David Chase have not been paying attention to The Sopranos sense of irony and absurdity. After all, life is full of loose ends and unresolved conflicts, so why can't The Sopranos be as well? In honor of the location of our beloved mobsters, there are several comments posted at the New Jersey Star Ledger website today in anticipation of a full interview with Chase tomorrow, which really sum up my opinions about the final episode and those who were unhappy with it.

Posted by citizennyc on 06/11/07 at 11:39PM

The ending was great. The people who expected everything wrapped up with a nice little ribbon must have been watching a different show for the last 8 years, because Chase never followed any conventional rules of TV... and that's what made the show work.

The way they ratcheted up the tension throughout the episode, and then through that final scene, before pulling the rug out from under everyone was incredible. After 8 years, it was the first scene that truly encapsulated what it was like to be Tony... to have a looming sense of dread even when surrounded by family, and to never know when the end would come. (Remember the scene with Bobby talking to Tony about getting whacked, which they flashed back to at the end of the penultimate episode -- "When it finally happens, you probably never see it coming.")

Having an ending like Six Feet Under wouldn't have been appropriate for this show. For that show it was... Six Feet Under was all about the ultimate closure (death), so wrapping up everyone's story made sense. The Sopranos was about the uncertainty of things, and that's why it was right to end the show with the loose ends untied.

Posted by BabeRuth3 on 06/11/07 at 11:59PM

The ending was classic. For the whining critics who wanted a typical mob ending...go cut your own throats and pull your tongue through the palpitating gash. Then drag your own body across a butcher shop floor and into the back alley. Clumsily hoist your own dead, bleeding lump into the trunk of a black sedan and drive yourself off of a pier. That's the ending you poofters all wanted right? Not me...I'll take the fade.