Open Thread: Sopranos Discussion
by Tyler Bleszinski on Jun 11, 2007 1:58 PM PDT
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PrintI was still enjoying the fact that the A's are now 8-2 in June (what is it about June that get the boys in green and gold all riled up every year), beating pitchers like Dice-K, Santana, Lindecum and Zito when I settled in last night to watch the final episode of the Sopranos. Talk about harshing my high.
For those who aren't Sopranos fans or don't care to talk about it, that's fine, and that's why I'm making this an open thread. But I've got to get this off my chest. Don't read on if you recorded the finale and don't want to have it spoiled.
The Sopranos finale was so very hyped and something I have been looking forward to for about the past two years or so since I knew they announced it was going to be wrapping up. And the worst part is that the episode before the finale was just incredible, getting me more hyped than ever about this week's ending of the HBO phenomenon.
My personal feeling is that the finale was a huge letdown. Yeah, I've read all the theories that Tony was actually whacked in that final scene which is why it cut to black so abruptly. But my question is, if Tony was actually snuffed out, shouldn't the final scene have been a look at Meadow coming through the door and not a shot of Tony looking up as the bell for the diner door rang?
Many others still seem to believe that it was left open because the characters on the show has always been morally corrupt and it wouldn't make sense for Tony to get whacked because the world isn't black and white. If any show ever taught us that (and was groundbreaking in doing so), it was the Sopranos. Tony was a bad guy that you were often disgusted by for his murdering, cheating, brutal ways, but you also couldn't help but feel for him when he'd sit down for his therapy sessions with Dr. Melphy. He had a psychopathic murdering father and a sociopath for a mother. What chance did he really have to be anything but what he became?
Thus we don't see our anti-hero extinguished. We can come to our own conclusions that the guy coming out of the bathroom plugged Tony as Meadow walked in or we can believe that David Chase, the creator of the critically-acclaimed series, just wanted to end the series in a mundane moment of family with the added tension of the fact that he was a mob boss only being felt by the viewer and Tony.
I mean the theories go on and on about what happened. Maybe the simple answer is that Chase wanted us to draw our own conclusions. Or he just wanted to leave it open to interpretation so he could go offer and make a mint off of Sopranos movies.
A part of me really liked the finale because it left it open to a ton of interpretation and I've already had a bunch of people who knew I watched the show emailing me saying they can't stop thinking about it today. But I was also left feeling like Chase decided to end it the way he did because he wanted to avoid doing what everyone anticipated happening, and that was Tony getting whacked. And to me, that isn't a good enough reason for closing it out the way he did. If you zig instead of zag for a reason, that's good. But if you zig just for the sake of zigging, then sometimes you can just pull right into oncoming traffic. That's why there are so many angry Sopranos fans out there today. I know Billy Beane is a huge Sopranos fan and I'm wondering what he thought of that conclusion. What do you, fellow ANers, think?
By the way, giambizombie finished up the design of the new AN tees and they're now available in the AN store. Go get yourself outfitted with some new AN gear. My personal fave is the "Small Market, Big Blog" which I'll be wearing proudly throughout Orange County.
And one last thing, we re-designed SBNation.com. It should give people a much better sense as to what's going on across the SportsBlogs Nation network all the time. My favorite is the Featured Post function where we go through and pick the best blog posts of any given day and promote it on that page. Go check it out.
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The final episode was weak
by 3Chavy3 on Jun 11, 2007 1:59 PM PDT reply actions
wait for the movie
followed by the three spin-offs:
- Sopranos vs. Transformers
- Meadow Soprano, Attorney to the Stars
- The New Adventures of Old Big Pu$$y
I have gone back and forth...
I was shocked and disappointed at first because the last 6-8 minutes were so tense and I expected somethign to happen. I actually thought Meadow was going to get hit while parking her car or crossing the street.
But thinking about it, I dont think any ending would have truly made me happy. Killing Tony would have been too easy and killing one of his kids just unnecesary.
I think the last 6-8 minutes were an excellent example of how stressful and tense Tony's life is..the fact that every stranger is potential danger and that he has to live with that day in and day out. Really created a feeling where the viewer could really feel what he goes through every day.
Oh..and the cat? Adrianna back?
Yeah
I'd read that a lot of people felt like it was Adrianna. My first thought when he was staring at the photo was that it was actually Christopher come back to life.
Regardless, I've also read other places where the cat was supposed to represent Tony's conscience, which is also why Paulie was so hateful of it because Paulie rarely ever showed a conscience.
Any way, I think Chase just wanted exactly what I, and many other fans, are giving it. A ton of overanalysis.
And I definitely do agree about the last 6-8 minutes. I also think that's why Meadow had trouble parallel parking because it helped ratchet up the tenseness of it all. Many have said that the reason she had the issue was fate intervening and letting the guy coming back from the bathroom shoot Tony. If Meadow didn't have any issues, then perhaps Meadow is blocking his shot on the way back.
by Tyler Bleszinski on Jun 11, 2007 2:17 PM PDT up reply actions
So true...
I can't imagine a way he could have ended it that would have attracted this much analysis and discussion, even though some of it is anger and disappointment. Every TV show and message board has been discussing it all day. If that was his goal, boy did he accomplish that mission.
by OaktownPower on Jun 11, 2007 2:26 PM PDT up reply actions
It's actually a great ending
When Tony is talking to Bobby in the beginning of the season out on the lake their talking about what happens when you get whacked. He says you never see it coming and every thing goes black. WE as the viewer got whacked last night. The song is signaling that everything in their life will keep going on and on and it wont stop but for us it's over, in a split second, and we didn't see it coming.
by Ben25 on Jun 11, 2007 2:04 PM PDT reply actions
They even flashed back
to that discussion in the episode prior to the finale, so you're probably right. They also didn't play music in the credits. But still, I think the fans wanted a more definite ending and not something that was open to interpretation which that most definitely was.
by Tyler Bleszinski on Jun 11, 2007 2:19 PM PDT up reply actions
I think that flash back to the conversation
is the biggest clue to what happened in the end with us getting whacked. In that last scene it kept cutting from Tony's view to the viewers view. In my opinion if Tony was killed right then the scene would have gone dark from Tony's viewpoint. Instead it happens from ours. It also leaves open the possibility for a movie.
by Ben25 on Jun 11, 2007 2:27 PM PDT up reply actions
I wasn't surprised
Chase always pulls this off and the thing I didn't understand was the cat, was that supposed to be some sort of reincarnation of Chris or what.
I'm pretty disappointed
The Sopranos started when I was 10 years old and my family never had HBO. Seems like it'd have been a hell of a show to watch.
**SPOILER ALERT--don't read this if you haven't
seen the finale**
First of all, I felt the same way about the build-up. I was so tense during the opening moments of the episode that I could not sit down--I stood in the middle of my living room during the entire episode, I was so tense--"Tony Soprano could die at any moment." It's safe to say I have never felt this invested in a television character.
Second, the scene in which Phil Leotardo got wacked definitely deserves special mention. Seeing him with his grandkids was a perfect tipoff that it was going to happen--since the Sopranos has always moved jarringly from the routine to the grotesque. Then it happens, and then the car drifting forward toward his head, and then the reaction shot of the guys who were standing nearby--that was one of the most disturbingly hilarious things I've ever seen.
I personally thought the last episode was going to be 45 minutes of dream sequences and then Tony getting wacked when he woke up. I think that could have worked, ending the show with the end of Tony's life. But at the same time, I think it worked just as well (if not better) the way Chase did it. After all, this show did not take us through Tony's whole life, since his birth. The show began with the formation of the therapist-patient relationship, and it ended with the dissintegration of that relationship. As for providing any other kind of finality--The Sopranos has never done that, with every season finale leaving threads unfinished, story arcs incomplete. It was determinedly realistic in that regard, and it remained that way to the end.
I thought the Phil
scene was awesome as well. I couldn't stand that character and I've talked with a few folks who actually cheered when it happened.
by Tyler Bleszinski on Jun 11, 2007 2:21 PM PDT up reply actions
FANTASTIC ENDING!
If you don;t get it then there is no need to explain. If Tony got killed then so be it, we didn't need to see it to know how it ends.
I'm not sure elese peopel would want. To me it answered more then people would like to think.
I agree.
Compare it to the ending of Six Feet Under (another great HBO show), which was very clever and revealed everything (literally for the next eighty years), but which was, IMO, way too neat and deterministic.
by GreenNGoldSooner on Jun 11, 2007 3:25 PM PDT up reply actions
not a big fan of the new shirts
your need to bring back the bill king one, i missed it the first time and its by far the best shirt
by scottieh14 on Jun 11, 2007 2:26 PM PDT reply actions
Life goes on...
I loved the last episode. Blez, you accurately proved the point that most people expected a blood bath for the final episode. Tony should have choked out Phil while crying about how they could have had the world. Everyone wants to see the "Communion scene" from Godfather. But this is a business. Organized crime is one of the largest industries in the country (world) and is not subjected to people dying or egos being bruised. What mattered in the last episode? It wasn't avenging Bobby's death, no one made a hero out of Silvio, it was all about what happens next. Who's the new captain? How do we fix AJ? Wedding plans for Meadow. A $ amount assigned to Bobby's life to be transfered to Janice by New York. Business keeps going. These people are not the family they're hyped to be. They're family as much as you and any of your coworked who spend more than 80 hrs a week together. There are really 3 outcomes to the episode. Tony is whacked at the Diner, Tony lives happily ever after, OR Tony lived and was indicted based on Carlo flip and goes to jail. Life goes on is the point. Nothing is as important as your favorite show (this was mine). I think the final position of Sopranos is "Why are you watching? We're at war, there's people dying everywhere, and biggest concern the USA has had the past two years is when is the final episode and what happens during it." I'm glad they ended this way to show that death, fighting, etc. are all just part of life, not some nice wrap up ending that will answer any and all questions.
PERFECT ENDING
It wasn't dramatic at all, really. The mistake made too often in series ending episodes is that the try to answer too much and resolve everything. The Sopranos finale took a page from the European, forgoing a conclusion which spells out in certain terms the fate of the Soprano family, and instead allowing the imaginations of spectators to fill in the rest. I know for many people there's something unfulfilling in this type of ending, but it would be even worse if they tried to do something too spectacular. I think a lot of people wanted the finale to top off the entire series, but what would that look like? Maybe everyone could die in an epic shoot out like a Tarantino movie. I think that would be completely inappropriate for a show that is at its core about family. As it is, the Sopranos' finale left us uncertain about Tony' fate, but everything else was life as usual. IMHO, the anti-climactic ending to the series was the best way to go.
I think it's pretty simple...
Tony and his immediate family weren't killed in the finale because that would make it more almost impossible for the movie franchise to flourish. It was left open as to what happened so they could go any direction they want with the initial film release.
It's all about the benjamins.
I am at least a year behind in
the Soprano episodes, maybe more. So I look forward to catching up slowy via netflix. But right now, I really like the HBO Rome series which from what I understand is cancelled with only two years done...catching up on that now.
my 2cents
I've already posted this on goodman's blog at the gate, (i know many are are regular readers, and if you've followed is weekly deconstructions of the sopranos, you know how much they are.)
For those keeping score at home, mark one more for: "I don't feel cheated by the ending".
It doesn't really matter if at the blackout something had happened to T. The last scene, more than any other in the series, put us in Tony's perspective so that we really feel the depths of his personal hell. (as a couple folks mentioned here - i'm with you on that one.)
It would be a mercy killing to whack T at that moment, at the height of his paranoia. This show had a significant theme of karma, with everything coming full circle (look no further than AJ's therapy setting...looks a bit familiar.)
Tony may have appeared "lucky" to the viewer after all these years by dodging prison, dodging bullets etc. But even after his "enlightenment" after his stay in the hospital last season, or even this season after the peyote, life doesn't change for him. After not making changes to his life, the universe catches up with him during every waking moment: we witness the world from Tony's eyes. Every person walking in the door is there to get him in some way. Every person at the counter is there to get him. He's constantly on edge. No wonder he had panic attacks. He'll probably get them again. After all, he really only went to therapy to make the panic attacks go away, treating the symptom, not the cause.
Yet, through it all, somehow Tony remains optimistic. It seems impossible, but in looking at all of the selections on the juke box (which were all given a lot of important camera time), he chooses the one I was most surprised at "Don't stop believing". He still believes that the ducks will come back. That one day, all this will be behind him and he'll be able to sit in a diner without surveying the door whenever the bell rings. There were brief allusions to this (T sweeping in the yard while admiring the sky, as if the storm had passed), the attempt to have a real family dinner ("I got onion rings for the table")...T is really trying to fit reality to his fantasy, and believes it'll still happen. He'll reconcile his two families, according to his fantasy...but I think the viewer understands this isn't possible.
I like the mention of the orange cat as a symbol of hope. Obviously there's a great deal of humor in that bit, but the cat was given enough screen time to make us think he's important. Remember, Tony wants to keep him around...and just seeing the cat hanging out in front of Satriales, licking himself, while Paulie sunbathes...wow, perfection on many levels.
And to go ahead and turn this into a term paper, I really got the feeling that Harris had no other motive than to feel like one of the mob guys. He just wants to fit in with Tony's crew, and I don't think he really wants to bring him down. There are others there to do that, and Harris admires "the life". I think it's a pretty simple motive, all summarized by his "go team" exuberence when he heard Phil got hit. "We might just win this thing yet!"? Harris certainly has some funny ideas about his team, and I don't think he'd deliberatly take tony down. He'd miss too much drama from his "fantasy league".
A few have compared this ending to Six Feet Under. I stayed with that show to the end, and it never inspired me to write about it (as I'm doing here.) I found the finale episode insulting, not only to my sense of fiction, but to the spirit of the first season of 6 Ft. Under, that showed so much wit. That show seemed to lose it's way, and for the ending to have been so neatly tied up with a written summary of each character's future...ugghh. Seemed strictly amateur to me. But hey, different strokes...
okay, nuff said...maybe I should get some work done today. I would like to add, how great is it that we can chat about The Sopranos on a baseball blog?
by giambizombie on Jun 11, 2007 2:53 PM PDT reply actions
ooops
(i know many are are regular readers, and if you've followed his weekly deconstructions of the sopranos, you know how much fun they are.
couldn't find the edit button
by giambizombie on Jun 11, 2007 2:57 PM PDT up reply actions
See I thought T
stopped to admire the sky because for one fleeting moment, he thought of the ducks. I was thinking ducks might make their reappearance at that moment.
But the other thing that I thought was interested was that at the end of the series, Tony had his flock all together. The way that he'd always wished. He'd finally gotten his kids on a path that he found acceptable. I mean, Meadow, how in denial were you about your father?
Any way, the truth is that there were so many layers to this show it was amazing.
by Tyler Bleszinski on Jun 11, 2007 3:20 PM PDT up reply actions
the beauty of the show...
there's more than one correct interpretation for that brief sequence. Maybe T felt like things were finally gonna come together again now that the NY flap had passed and he was looking for the ducks. I think yer right in noting the signifigance of the family gathering at the end, and how this is important to T.
I often thought he'd eventually flip to the Fed side and go into witness protection to protect his first family. But now I don't think he'll ever take a step like that.
Was Meadow in denial, or is she simply manipulating him? Giving him answers she knows he'll accept. She's just as smart as he is, if not more. But she is part-Carmella, who is in full on denial...so maybe there's some of that there. All so much fun to chat about.
by giambizombie on Jun 11, 2007 3:34 PM PDT up reply actions
Think you might be underestimating ...
... them both? I think Carmela knows full-well, and chooses to ignore The Life that provides her considerable comforts. I think she had a crisis of conscience a few seasons back and consulted her priest, who gave her the "dispensations" she needed to not face the inevitable. It lurks beneath the surface, however, and shows up occasionally -- like when she asks Tony at the beginning of the season "Is this IT?!"
I also think Meadow is fully adept at manipulating her way around the family. Her "We're Italian" line to AJ says all that. She's quite able to use her ample capabilities, subtly, to get exactly what she wants.
by The Dogfather on Jun 11, 2007 6:26 PM PDT up reply actions
yer right...
carmella definitely chooses to ignore where the money comes from, but I think she's still in full denial mode after the season where she seriously thought about leaving T (when she consulted the priest). That season showed us she fully understands the moral dillemma at hand, and when she finally turns her back on doing what's right I think it puts her squarely in the land of denial. But you could say the same of T. He certainly understands right from wrong, and I think we get a sense that he has a moral compass guiding most of his actions. But he's become comfortable with 'the life' as well, and what the hell else would he do to get himself the same kind of income/lifestyle? They all try to seek advice to help themselves, but in the end they don't want to change...a real indictment of our country as well (I think).
by giambizombie on Jun 11, 2007 7:51 PM PDT up reply actions
Re Agent Harris' "betrayal(s)"
Chase was forever showing us why we shouldn't like his characters, and I think this was his way of dehumanizing Harris.
He's revealed as (an adulterer, hence the "s") who's willing to reveal Phil's location so Tony, on whom he already has the goods, will do his dirty disposal work. So, both Families will now be crippled. Very Machiavellian. His glee upon learning that Phil's been (s)quashed reinforces the gamesmanship, and the sense that everyone who touches Dis-Ting-We-Got gets corrupted.
by The Dogfather on Jun 11, 2007 6:15 PM PDT up reply actions
Harris is no longer working on organized crime
He is working on anti-terror. I viewed his "we're gonna win this thing!" as a sports fan would - he was rooting for the North Jersey crew whom he has come to like. You got that he slept with the Brooklyn agent for Phil's location, right?
Why, Agent Harris. You SLUT!
Nope, I hadn't gotten that pillow talk connection. But, sniff, will you still grant that he's been corrupted?
Please? ;-)
by The Dogfather on Jun 12, 2007 7:40 AM PDT up reply actions
Great Analysis
One of the amazing things about this episode was how the family relationship of the four Sopranos was tied together: Meadow is dating within the "family", Iler does a brilliant Gandolfini impression in his scene with the shrink; Carmela is finally complicit with her husband. The show is called "The Sopranos" for a reason, which is why Janice had to have a scene, as did Uncle Junior. And because "The Sopranos" also includes the members of Tony's other family, we had to have Sil and Christopher (at least his picture) along with Paulie as well.
As for what happened: Obviously Chase left it ambiguous, but it's pretty clear that barring something weird happening in the diner, Tony is about to be arrested. Life is not going to go on as it has before, and yet as this episode demonstrated, following the loss of Tony's two most trusted henchmen, life will go on in one form or another.
And --- there won't be a movie. Gandolfini has said he will not be in a movie. That's it. I believe him.
by richwol on Jun 12, 2007 1:19 AM PDT up reply actions
Totally dug it
I saw the finale as more of an epilogue to the series. 'The Blue Comet' was a rush and what most wanted out of the finale. Pretty smooth move to just throw it in neutral and let it coast down the side of the hill. A few minor wrap ups (seeing Junior, setting up AJ, the truth about Meadow's desire to work in law) but mostly setup for whatever happens next.
Such is life.
People dissatisfied with the conclusion
as a result of its ambiguity aren't really understanding the show. They may watch it, but they don't really get it. The ending was subtle, smart, and very effective.
100% AGREE
by Vegas A's Fan on Jun 11, 2007 3:58 PM PDT up reply actions
Neither bad nor brilliant
To me the finale was neither as great as some people think or as horrible as others feel it is. Just like Billy trading Hudson and Mulder, the ending was a business decision.
All agree there is nothing definitive about the ending - does T live or die? If he dies who shoots him? (To me there were too many possible killers in the last scene to feel satisfied that Chase meant us to believe T was a dead man. You only need one shooter, not 4 or five, unless you're gunning for JFK). If T lives, how?
So why the "open ending?" Because it leaves it open for a million things: a follow up movie, a follow up season or two or three down the road, numerous spin-off possibilities . . . The fact is Chase didn't want to do anything definite because he didn't want to close any doors on the future. While the Sopranos mimicked a comic book in some ways, it is not quite a comic book. You can't kill the Green Goblin and find out he's alive 87 issues later.
So Chase made a safe business decision leaving open the possibility of making more $$ off the one of the best TV shows of our time.
AJ
I was laughing out loud at AJ's near sex scene in his SUV. Everything seemed to go right but just as it looks like all systems were a go (with a model--whoa!), poof, all hell broke loose.
AJ really is a screw up.
And, despite all his whining and worrying about life, the world, the superficiality of his family's existence, in the end he follows his sister and decides that he is perfectly happy spending his dad's blood money.
Count me as one who likes the ending.
by kaweahkaweah on Jun 11, 2007 3:54 PM PDT up reply actions
Never seen 1 Single episode
I was too busy watching A's games!
Cuz the A's play a lot of Sunday night games? :-)
by OaktownPower on Jun 11, 2007 4:53 PM PDT up reply actions
What? Think AND watch TV?
I can understand most people's frustrations - most people watch TV just to space out and digest; they don't watch to think and reflect - they just want to turn their brains off after a hard day's work. Open-endedness doesn't usually go over very well.
I think the final episode will gain respect over the years. to me, the whole point wasn't so much to see what happens to Tony, it was to "feel" Tony's paranoia. Even normal stuff like parallel parking being freaking intense! And the way Tony kept looking up nervously when the door opened - as a viewer I felt his paranoia, I gained insight into the whole "Tony" experience, and I think that was the point.
For anyone who's wondering "what happened to Tony?" - NOTHING happened to Tony. Tony isn't real. The Sopranos exist as an artistic expression. When I look at a painting, I'm not wondering what Mona Lisa ate for dinner that night. I'm just taking her for what she is. Do you feel me here?
Sorry for sounding preachy, my office cube is next to the breakroom and I've been listening to this chatter all day long.
By the way, apparently in the final credits, the guy in the bathroom was identified as Leotardo's brother.
I just read this on the ESPN Fantasy Chat
Fun Facts about the Sopranos last scene: #1 The guy at the bar is also credited as Nikki Leotardo. The same actor played him in the first part of season 6 during a brief sit down concerning the future of Vito. He is the nephew of Phil. #2 The trucker was the brother of the guy who was robbed by Christopher in Season 2. Remember the DVD players? The trucker had to identify the body. #3 The boy scouts were in the train store when Bobby was shot. #4 The 2 african-american actors that walked in at the end were the ones who tried to kill Tony and only clipped him in the ear in season 3.
And I am personally torn on who the cat is supposed to represent - It could be Adrianna or Chris - But the cat really didn't like Paulie, and it was obviously having a psychological on him - and we all know how well Chris and Paulie got along. But the way it was admiring the Chris picture makes me believe it was Adrianna.
But all-in-all I thought it was brilliant the second time I saw it, as the first time I was just way to confused - I actually thought my cable did go out.
I don't buy this
I've seen this posted everywhere and what makes me doubt it in its entirety is the 2 black guys thing. I have not rewatched the assassination attempt but it would be totally un-Sopranos like to do something that cheap. Besides, didn't one of the guys who tried to kill Tony die? Additionally, the guys in the diner are way younger looking than the assassination guys.
For all I know it could be Nikki Leotardo but I doubt that as well because he is credited as man in diner. Plus, he would not be hiding a gun in the bathroom, an obvious reference to the Godfather. Also, I believe the guy in the diner was drinking a coffee and obviously went to the bathroom as well. Why waste so much time if he's out to hit Tony?
For the above reasons it's not a foregone conclusion that TS is dead.
I remain a bit "miffled" by the parallel parking scene. Evidently, it did add tension to the end sequence. Also, I believe it reflects on themes such as the ducks & family (everybody took separate cars, TS has "family" issues, immediate and otherwise), as well as TS's mother & women issues. In Tony's chat with AJ's therapist, he says "I could never please my mother." Likewise, Meadow has disappointed him by not becoming a doctor - instead embracing the more traditionally female roles of wife and eventually mother - as well as the stereotypical woman who cannot parallel park.
this diner character theory..
got completely debunked on the goodman blog (sfgate.com - follow the signs to the bastard machine blog). someone tracked down all of the actors' names/characters and put this one completely to rest.
by giambizombie on Jun 11, 2007 7:41 PM PDT up reply actions
That's not right from what I can tell
I did an imdb search for the actor's name and he didn't show up. So I don't think that was not Nikki Leotardo. It was just some extra Chase plucked from NJ. Read this story.
by Tyler Bleszinski on Jun 11, 2007 7:45 PM PDT up reply actions
Cool Shirts!
(do I get a freebie since I came up with Small Market, Big Blog?)
by GreenNGoldSooner on Jun 11, 2007 5:55 PM PDT reply actions
I was befuddled by the opaque irresolution
So, OK, we've spent 6+ years getting to know this ruthless-yet-sentimental antihero, dissecting his faults, admiring his short fuse and charisma against our better judgment -- and then we're expected to be satisfied with a maudlin setup where he brings his dysfunctional "real" family under his wing?
Carmela Ken Macha, sitting there by his side after the various blowups and recriminations and splitups and reconciliations, still taking his "blood money" in her his own even more cold-bloodedly calculating way. AJ DePo, the malcontent young fuckup, coming grudgingly back into the fold? Meadow Forst still on the outside, trying to prove that she can navigate the family vehicle solo?
And, of course, the rank sentiment of seeing Uncle Junior Sandy in his dotage, and Sil JP riddled with bullets and on his (likely) deathbed?
Oh, wait, sorry -- thought this was the Beane open thread.
It's just da bizniz.
by The Dogfather on Jun 11, 2007 6:46 PM PDT up reply actions
Open for interpretation (or a movie)
I think most of the people who saw it thought there cable had just gone out.
I feel there are two possiblities, either we get to decide and there are several options. If this is the case I still don't like it because I want closure but I can see why some people liked it.
Option two this was all just a set up for a movie. If this is the case option 1 is out the window and it's just a very cheap way to end the series.
While I would love to see more Sopranos if they do do a movie it would ruin an already mediocre ending.
Chase knew this would be a polorizing ending, anyone notice he's out of the country.
Also in my opinion the first 3 years made this my 2nd favorite show EVER. Only behind "The Simpsons". The last 3 years have just been OK.
by Mr C on Jun 11, 2007 9:08 PM PDT reply actions
Brilliant, Absolutely Brilliant
Reminds me of a great Hawthorne tale where the ending can be ambiguous and work on so many levels. The greatest drama of my, albeit short, lifetime.
I just watched it now for the first time because I'm in Bumfuck, Ohio, and while a bloodbath would have pleased most people at first reaction, this was a far superior ending to the story in the long run, whether a movie or another season comes to fruition or not.
I'm ok with it now
I was initially disappointed but now it just has me thinking. It could have gone many ways. I'm just glad my TV didn't crap out as I originally thought it did.
Curt Young for President!!
by Sam Dracula on Jun 12, 2007 6:09 AM PDT reply actions
man i hate this
I can't even begin to express my hatred for the "cop-out" ending. The ending is the ONE thing that is supposed to be completely definitive in every story and I hate it so much when creators cop out in order to make their ending seem Edgy. It was edgy maybe the first 1,500,000,000,000 someone did it. Enough. Lame.
It's like watching the payoff pitch in the bottom of the 11th inning with the A's down one to the Angels in the ALCS with the tying run on third and the winning one on second. The count is 3-2 and here comes the pitch.
BLACK SCREEN
You telling me you wouldn't yell, scream and boo? How is this acceptable? It is absolute crap. They try and spin this off like it is edgy but in reality, they just choked on the most clutch play of the game. They struck out on three pitches looking.
72 hours of watching the Sopranos and you missed the ending. Nice. David Chase sucks.
Rome was way better than the Sopranos ever was anyway.
by Arkons on Jun 12, 2007 6:55 AM PDT reply actions
I still don't know how I feel two days later.
by ohtobe21likehuston on Jun 12, 2007 7:23 AM PDT reply actions
Don't stop!
Sing it, AJ!
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