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All Due Respect … Sopranos Ends in the Dark
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Leave it to David Chase not to end “The Sopranos” easily or conventionally.
Heck, he didn’t exactly end it at all.
The build-up to the series finale had been intense, with everyone from Vegas oddsmakers to the annoying guy in the cubicle next to you at work obsessing over who would live or die. And watching it felt like the emotional equivalent of being trapped in a minefield. Any time a door opened onscreen or a car drove by a key character, you found yourself tensing and thinking “This is it. This is where Tony finally gets whacked and we all spend the better part of the next few years arguing about whether it was a good or bad ending to TV’s most overanalyzed series ever.”
Instead, Tony’s archrival, Phil Leotardo, got popped. Literally. First he was shot dead in front of his twin baby grandchildren, then run over ear-to-ear by his own SUV, so that his head practically exploded under a tire. Remember, kids, mobster or no, this is why we always set the emergency brake. (And what’s wrong with me, that I actually jumped up and cheered when Phil died, figuring that, in the words of the terrorists-hunting FBI agent, “We’re gonna win this one.” Meaning, to my way of thinking, that Tony, the brutal gangster with a heart of (undoubtedly stolen) gold, would probably live).
Unless … The tension kept building despite (or perhaps because of) all the little moments. Maybe it was only going to be a matter of time before Tony went out in even more gruesome fashion. Instead, the show — and the series — ended in the most banal way possible, with the family Soprano (the nuke-lee-er one, as Tony had so aptly put it earlier to his suddenly widowed sister, Janice) eating onion rings in a diner. You’d have thought they were the Cleavers stuck in the more innocent 1950’s — until you saw all the racially diverse faces in the diner and remembered that “Cleaver” was the name of the very successful slasher flick Tony helped finance with the earnings from his various criminal enterprises.
Was Chase trying to make an ironic point here? Or a deeper one, about how we all are the Sopranos and the Sopranos are all of us? (The episode title was “Made in America,” after all). Was this all to suggest a Mob hit just waiting to happen? … Or was it about something much bigger than all of that?
And then, just like that, before these or any other questions could be answered, it was over. The screen went to black and I’m sure I’m not the only one who started cursing the cable for going out at just the wrong moment when, surely, someone important (Tony? Carmela?) had been shot, or a bomb had gone off (there was so much talk of terrorism in this episode and, indeed, the entire season) or … SOMETHING awful had happened! It took me a good minute to realize that nothing had gone “wrong” onscreen. That that was exactly how it was supposed to end, with us thinking everything was fine … except, who knows, maybe it wasn’t. Any minute now, something terrible could happen. You just never know these days.
Did the series actually end?
Will it ever really be over?
Made in America, indeed.
Comments
Commenting is now closed for this entry.
By chainshaw
June 10, 2007 11:05 PM | Link to this
Goodbye HBO! I am cancelling, tomorrow.
By who_really_cares?
June 10, 2007 11:29 PM | Link to this
C’mon people. Chase has said repeatedly he’s not into nice, pat, clean endings! If you’ve read anything he’s said, he’s been warning folks that the ending will NOT wrap things up and turn out to be a morality play.
I knew they wouldn’t kill Tony off…it’s up to us to decide…jail, no jail, death, life…
Loved it; in mourning that it’s over!
By who_really_cares?
June 10, 2007 11:29 PM | Link to this
C’mon people. Chase has said repeatedly he’s not into nice, pat, clean endings! If you’ve read anything he’s said, he’s been warning folks that the ending will NOT wrap things up and turn out to be a morality play.
I knew they wouldn’t kill Tony off…it’s up to us to decide…jail, no jail, death, life…
Loved it; in mourning that it’s over!
By who_really_cares?
June 10, 2007 11:29 PM | Link to this
C’mon people. Chase has said repeatedly he’s not into nice, pat, clean endings! If you’ve read anything he’s said, he’s been warning folks that the ending will NOT wrap things up and turn out to be a morality play.
I knew they wouldn’t kill Tony off…it’s up to us to decide…jail, no jail, death, life…
Loved it; in mourning that it’s over!
By who_really_cares?
June 10, 2007 11:29 PM | Link to this
C’mon people. Chase has said repeatedly he’s not into nice, pat, clean endings! If you’ve read anything he’s said, he’s been warning folks that the ending will NOT wrap things up and turn out to be a morality play.
I knew they wouldn’t kill Tony off…it’s up to us to decide…jail, no jail, death, life…
Loved it; in mourning that it’s over!
By Wil
June 10, 2007 11:39 PM | Link to this
It was “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” all over. They didn’t die, or at least you didn’t see them die. Personally I think the whole family Soprano got mowed down Bonnie and Clyde style. That would make a better ending, but it looks like the actors are keeping a back door to a re-start open in case their careers start to smolder after the checks stop coming.
By zombieboy
June 11, 2007 8:16 AM | Link to this
The finale was a joke.
And to those that keep defending it are art house existential wannabe movie critics.
‘nuff said.
By mike
June 11, 2007 8:20 AM | Link to this
the ending has lef tthe door open to the Sopranos. A movie deal would not be a stretch
By Stephanie
June 11, 2007 8:21 AM | Link to this
With Phil dead, I believe that they went into witness protection. I was extemely disappointed with the finale. It was a lot of hype with no BANG.I think it’s time to cancel HBO.
By Mark
June 11, 2007 8:23 AM | Link to this
Talk about ending in the dark! At 9:12 our cable really did go out. Ouch Comcast, that hurts!! Did anyone else lose their signal shortly after the first scene? Cable didn’t come on until about 10:40. I ended up staying up for the HBO West showing so now I’m doubly cursing Comcast.
By ANNE
June 11, 2007 8:26 AM | Link to this
WELL AT LEAST IT WASN’T A DREAM SEQUENCE!!! I CAN KEEP DECIDING HOW I WANT IT TO END.
By Brian Hunt
June 11, 2007 9:19 AM | Link to this
I’m disappointed. The only ending that would have made me happy was seeing Tony arrested. Instead of seeing it, we are left with just the suggestion of it.
By Jennifer
June 11, 2007 9:25 AM | Link to this
Funny….nobody predicted or expected this ending. That’s what I love about it. I was hoping for a surprise, and I definitely got one!!!! I really didn’t want Tony or his wife and kids to die. I like them too much. The Journey song was awesome. It gave such a great feel to that scene. The more I think about it, the more I really like how it ended.
It just felt good.
By Mark Young
June 11, 2007 9:30 AM | Link to this
I thought it was brilliant - as usual. HBO is trying their best to maintain now “We’re just getting started”…ummmm. We all thought the resturant was going to explode, but it didn’t! Tony won! Now is has to figure out how to deal with more New York - or go on a long vacation. Funny how it became more evident that the FBI guy is part of his crew. I did want Paulie to get whacked, however. I could see a film or “conclusion” piece of some kind.
By John
June 11, 2007 9:32 AM | Link to this
Like so many, I thought my cable went out. At first, I was disappointed in the ending but after I thought about it, the ending is left up to the viewer. How better to end it…… You make the ending.
By fishtales
June 11, 2007 9:56 AM | Link to this
This isn’t real life…that’s why we watch tv shows. I expect good writing and plot and character development. It shouldn’t be up to me to figure out what happened. The last two seasons were a cop-out by David Chase. If I invest 8 years of my life reading or watching a story…I want an end to it…logical or not. That’s why I pay my HBO fees…so they can come up with good endings to their stories…NOT ME!!! Very weak and lazy I thought when SO much more could have been done.
By Abrams
June 11, 2007 9:58 AM | Link to this
sorry its over, but I loved the ending. david chase is brilliant.
By junior soprano
June 11, 2007 10:06 AM | Link to this
Chase? You S.O.B.!!!! LOLOL….Was it just me or did you all think your service was interrupted??? Looks like you succeeded in setting us up for the movie??!!!
By Zap
June 11, 2007 10:09 AM | Link to this
After the first 4 seasons, Chase just didn’t put out as good of a product. I love all the analysis that people KNOW what happened, it’s all subjective.
Chase owed some type of ending to the viewers. So, after 8 years of the program, we returned to square one. Tony has psychological issues, the mob is the mob, and every family is screwed up in some way or the other.
For those who think the family was wacked, you can take another take on the black. When Bobby says “you won’t hear it when it happens.” That’s right, we didn’t. You thought the cable went out, something happened. At that moment, it (the show) was over, for us, the viewer, not The Sopranos family.
By L
June 11, 2007 10:25 AM | Link to this
I feel like I prepared last week for the funeral of a close friend. I have remained loyal to Chase, HBO and the entire cast since the beginning. When I really couldn’t afford HBO, I cut back in other places so that I didn’t miss it. But, last night when I went to the funeral, the circus showed up and I did not feel the closure that I was expecting. I do not think David Chase gave last night as well as he got from his loyal viewers.
By Koala
June 11, 2007 10:27 AM | Link to this
OK, I forked out for three months of HBO so I could see the final season. The whole season sucked. It was nothing like the earlier seasons, which were far more entertaining and realistic. What a WASTE of my time and money!
By Paul
June 11, 2007 10:29 AM | Link to this
A recurring them in the show has been that mobsters end up in one of two places - dead or in the slammer. Chase left the audience to draw its own conclusions about where Tony would end up. The guy that went into the restroom could be seen as a hit man who would waste Tony. However, one could also come to the conclusion that Tony is going to end up in the slammer given the conversation he had with his lawyer at the Bing.
I didn’t expect David Chase to tie up all the stings in the final episodes, but I did expect there to be more excitement.
By karen g
June 11, 2007 10:37 AM | Link to this
My first reaction was “WTF?!!! But, after watching several explanations on tv, I realized that it really was an ingenious ending! It was up to you to determine if the entire family was about to get whacked, or was it just trying to show that they were a “family” and would remain so. Who knows- a Soprano movie may follow!
By Paul
June 11, 2007 10:42 AM | Link to this
I stopped watching the “The Sopranos” last year and last night’s final series show reminded me why. It was one hour of my life I will never get back and who do I see for a refund? They should have added actor Christopher Walkin to the series and he would demanded “I must have more mob hits”.
By made me wanna kill somebody
June 11, 2007 10:42 AM | Link to this
You have gotta be S&*@# me !! What kind of fracklenackle bull is that?!? Guess we will all have to shell out $9 bucks at the theatre to see what is actually going to happen to the Sopranos. Talk about major disappointment. Now I need AJ’s shrink! HBO should be ashamed to let the writers get away with this kind of work. If not for Deadwood, I would boycott!
By Bigredd
June 11, 2007 10:45 AM | Link to this
I loved it!
What better way for Tony to go out then in the shroud of mystery. As ‘Zap’ said earlier, if you paid attention to the conversation between Tony and Bobby, they alluded to the fact the when your time is up, you do not see it coming; you never hear it or see it. His last moment was sitting with his family watching his daughter enter to join them. He got comfortable to soon. We all saw the strange man at the bar make his way into the bathroom behind Tony.
In addition, I think there was something very symbolic about Meadow not being able to park her car. Maybe she never fit into the family like everyone else over the years but with the coming marriage between her and Patrick, she was assimilating into the life hence she was finally able to park.
I’ll miss the Sopranos. I’ve been watching since I was 19 and this will be a hard habit to break.
By vmracer
June 11, 2007 10:47 AM | Link to this
Ended perfectly and as expected. Life goes on, watch your back. Melfi and her colleages were slime.
By Gayle Abbott
June 11, 2007 11:15 AM | Link to this
The ending was a disappointment to the viewing audience used to being led by the hand. These people want everything wrapped up in a neat little package so they don’t have to think. Thank goodness for David Chase and the clout he built up with HBO. Those expecting the big “hit” in Holsteins (it is not a diner by the way, but an old fashioned ice cream parlor), were adding their own perceptions to the images and pacing given in the show. Don’t be angry because you were asked to think.
The best ending is one that does not end. We leave the family in pretty much the same shape as we found them 8 years ago. The ending says that things go on. Just like the lives that all of us lead who have written here, the same goes for the Sopranos. I’ll miss them, but there is no place further for this program to go.
By Tom
June 11, 2007 11:15 AM | Link to this
It was insulting to the long time fans. They should be ashamed of themselves-obviously they lacked the skill to craft a quality ending so they just copped out. I cancelling HBO today.
By T Mac
June 11, 2007 11:23 AM | Link to this
Everyone who expected closure on the serious obviously is not a true Sopranos fan. Watch the series from the beginning and you’ll see Chase has never ended a season with any kind of closure. Originally the show was slated for one season with the season finale being the end of the series. It ended in the same way. If you’re so disappointed than go watch some cookie-cutter drama like Grey’s Anatomy that doesn’t require any thinking.
By Dr.Doom
June 11, 2007 11:24 AM | Link to this
Tony should have gone out with guns blazing, like a true gangster would. Him not doing so, the killing of Phil(a mobster ten times the power of Tony), and no detriment to the Soprano family whatsoever is a result of pandering to the evergrowing overlysensitive female audience.
Please stick to “Lifetime” ladies so that reality can return to the gangster genre.
By eschloss
June 11, 2007 11:24 AM | Link to this
I thought it was terrific. The suspense in the diner was great (I was yelling at Meadow to get her stupid car parked), and I loved Tony’s choice of the Journey song “Don’t Stop Believin’” Also, the writing was very clever — Patrick and Meadow talking about working on bid rigging cases was smooth.
By Shure
June 11, 2007 11:25 AM | Link to this
Remember folks its just a t.v. show. People make such a huge fuss about shows ending. Cheers, Friends, to name a few, all had these overly dramatic endings. So what better way to end the one of the most popular shows in t.v. history. I thought it was a great way to end it, leave the people guessing!
By Kris G
June 11, 2007 11:26 AM | Link to this
This was no insult to longtime fans. Some people didn’t appreciate the nuances of the Sopranos. For you, there was the Leotardo hit. Some people enjoyed the whole of the Sopranos, not just the flashy gore. For us, there was the Tony Soprano hit. Film language is not random. A cut to black is very definitive here. He never saw it coming, he simply never saw it coming.
By Dr.Doom
June 11, 2007 11:27 AM | Link to this
eschloss’s post proves the point I made at 11:24.
By T Mac
June 11, 2007 11:29 AM | Link to this
Exactly Kris, The Sopranos is a character drama, not an action show. It’s always been about Tony and his interactions, not about violence.
By eschloss
June 11, 2007 11:30 AM | Link to this
Dr. Dumb’s comment is interesting, since I’m not a female and don’t watch Lifetime. Maybe Dr. Doom needs to get in touch with his feminine side courtesy of Dr. Melfi.
By Dr.Doom
June 11, 2007 11:31 AM | Link to this
Kris G,
What Tony Soprano hit? That’s the whole point of the controversy idiot! A cut to black does not a hit make. There’s nothing definitive because nothing happened. Please get a clue.
By TB
June 11, 2007 11:31 AM | Link to this
“This was an insult to longtime fans.” Hmmm…I’m a longtime fan, and yet I curiously don’t feel the insult. It’s actually an insult to anyone who didn’t understand the show and hasn’t been paying attention. I read a lot of predictions leading up to the show…Carm dies in a car bomb, Meadow dies, AJ tries to kill Tony only to get gunned down by Agt. Harris…and they made me wonder if any of the people making them had ever WATCHED an episode. The last scene summed it up perfectly. It certainly wasn’t what I expected, but when you think back on it, in the context of the previous 84 episodes, it really shouldn’t have ended any other way. So long, Sopranos…you’ll be missed.
By Dr.Doom
June 11, 2007 11:36 AM | Link to this
eschloss,
Female, gay male, what’s the difference? The point is, this final episode was designed not to make all the wittle girls cry. That includes guys who think like them as well.
By Tom
June 11, 2007 11:37 AM | Link to this
And if people are arguing about whether or not Tony got hit at the end…that’s exactly what David Chase was hoping for.
By eschloss
June 11, 2007 11:40 AM | Link to this
Dr. Dumb, Not gay either. Dr. Melfi just called to confirm your appointment (and since she’s an M.D. she can help you with that pesky E.D. problem!!) Party on!
By Dr.Doom
June 11, 2007 11:49 AM | Link to this
eschloss(that’s a dumb handle),
Going back to your original point, what good is suspense without it leading to climax? This was the last episode for crying out loud! I still stick to my previous assertion that it was designed not to hurt sensitive estrogenic feelings. Desperate Housewives was not on so they knew there would be an increase of female viewership and did every thing they could to keep the wittle girls from crying at the expense of the show’s realism.
By Bunky
June 11, 2007 11:56 AM | Link to this
I was disappointed in the ending, too, until I had some time to think about it and now I’m appreciating the beauty of it. The Sopranos was never trying to be The Wonder Years and it was never going to wrap up like that series did (and my dad died of a heart attack and mom took over the business and Winnie and I split up) even though in some ways, I think we all wanted that kind of closure. I think leaving it to us to write our own ending based on our perceptions of the series was pretty ingenious. We all know that Tony will always be surrounded by danger of one sort or another. I think they were making sure we know the family can survive without him (Carmella’s business success, Meadow getting a job offer before she even went to law school and A.J. getting a job in a shallow, self-absorbed business which suits him perfectly). I don’t need a movie. I am satisfied.
By DKrisG
June 11, 2007 11:56 AM | Link to this
Doom, you’re telling me to get a clue? I’m the guy who knows what happened at the end of the Sopranos, you’re the guy can’t figure out what it means when the mob boss looks up and the screen cuts to black and dead silence. Five seconds before the credits roll, no less. I don’t get the controversy. Chase has never been one to spoon feed you, either you follow him or you get lost.
Dr. Doom, I think you look at a stripper’s pasties and don’t know what’s underneath them. Draw a conclusion, you moron. And don’t hurt yourself on the computer.
By FM Fats
June 11, 2007 12:06 PM | Link to this
A lot of people seem to be really miffled about the finale.
By Dr. Doom
June 11, 2007 12:08 PM | Link to this
Kris G,
I see. So there’s no way possible that he noticed Meadow walking in right at the time of the blackout right? Also, Mr. expert, who whacked him, then? Enquiring minds want to know. Please indulge us with your artificial intelligence. Chase never left us guessing this way idiot! If somebody got whacked, he showed it. He didn’t leave it to interpretation so that brainless “geniuses” like you would have to explain it to the rest of the world.
If thinking you have the answer makes you feel that special then more power to you, but I think I would prefer to discuss this with someone who is a little more in thouch with reality. Thanks.
By garcia
June 11, 2007 12:16 PM | Link to this
To me, it wasn’t about whether Tony gets it or not. The story could end with him in a nursing home and dying like Michael with an orange in his hand. Or, he could die in a bloody mess at the diner. No one knows.
I thought the ending was right because it made me feel like I was in the family. The tension present in the mundane visist to a diner was overwhelming. I found myself sizing up every person that came through the door or that passed the table on the way to the restroom.
I don’t know about you, but when I eat at a diner, I just eat. I feel peaceful and content that my waitress will bring me what I want and that the apple pie is the best in the area. For Tony, it is a whole other matter. He is constantly wondering if his next bite is his last.
Tony orders onion rings for the table and proclaims that they are the best in Jersey. By doing that, he turns a basket full of greasy veggies into something much more. The family joins him and a full-measured shot is spent on each one of them taking a ring and dropping it on their tongue. I couldn’t help but see the similarities to the “Last Supper.” Just as they ate, I thought to myself “get ready, they are about to blow up.”
I had already imagined his daughter luckily arriving too late to the scene. As a budding lawyer, she would carry the trauma for the rest of her life…tortured enough to drive her to head a new-age family (a new nuclear family). A crime sindicate that would feature meticulously dressed men and women taking the country by storm with their white-collared crimes.
Or, could it be that the Sopranos survive? They grow up; they grow old. Life in Jersey marches on. The sociopaths rule. Tony’s business interests branch into movies and his son becomes the family’s top earner.
The uncertain conclusion echoes the daily uncertainty of life. Tony knows that he is the kingpin, but at any moment, it could all end. Isn’t that really what his son has been obsessing about? Although there is uncertainty for us all, isn’t it supers-sized in Tony’s world? Doesn’t that remove the glamour of the mob?
Isn’t this the reality of how these people live? And die?
By Bigredd
June 11, 2007 12:23 PM | Link to this
The strange guy at the bar that kept an eye on the family the whole time carried out the hit. Did no one else see this guy?
By Dr. Doom
June 11, 2007 12:27 PM | Link to this
Bigredd,
We all saw the guy. Did you see the hit, dumba$$?
By BigBill
June 11, 2007 12:45 PM | Link to this
Hey, I thought as many others that there would be and explosive ending but, Ha! It looked to me like the writers had run out of ideas. I was really disappointed in such a nothing ending to a very intense series.
By Tigertummy
June 11, 2007 12:47 PM | Link to this
Loved the cat (Christufuh reincarnated?) - best thing about the whole sorry episode… kinda glad it’s all over so I can stop caring
By paulfromatlanta
June 11, 2007 12:50 PM | Link to this
Great ending. It reinforced how real the show has become - its an alternate world that continues but our viewing time is up.
By chawak
June 11, 2007 12:51 PM | Link to this
I’ve always hated this type ending to any story. Ever since I read the “Lady or the Lion” in grade school I’ve tried to avoid movies, plays, stories, whatever that did not have a conclusive ending. ADR to the writers and the originator this ending stunk.
By chawak
June 11, 2007 12:52 PM | Link to this
I’ve always hated this type ending to any story. Ever since I read the “Lady or the Lion” in grade school I’ve tried to avoid movies, plays, stories, whatever that did not have a conclusive ending. ADR to the writers and the originator this ending stunk.
By chawak
June 11, 2007 12:52 PM | Link to this
I’ve always hated this type ending to any story. Ever since I read the “Lady or the Lion” in grade school I’ve tried to avoid movies, plays, stories, whatever that did not have a conclusive ending. ADR to the writers and the originator this ending stunk.
By DKrisG
June 11, 2007 12:53 PM | Link to this
Yeah, talk to someone more in touch with reality, Doom… you realize the Sopranos is make believe, right? But sure, find out if the “REAL” Tony Soprano is dead.
The guy who went to the bathroom. Much like the Godfather. Also notice they went out of their way to show where the guy went, and show you the layout, that he had a clear approach to Tony from there.
You don’t want to see what’s right in front of you, fine. Like I say, I know what’s underneath the pasties. Might all look different, but I know what’s there. Guys like you run around confused, because if no one tells you or shows you directly, you’ll never be sure. So you attack those of us who don’t have a problem drawing an obvious conclusion and moving on.
Just to lay this out for you, and other less hostile individuals who don’t get it, the show is about a crime boss. People get hit all the time. It’s the last episode of a show that can be anticlimactic, but always ends with a slow fade to black, followed immediately by credits. But this one, where Tony is living under threat, ends when the show suddenly cuts to black and dead silence after a mysterious figure enters the bathroom directly to Tony’s right.
Sudden nothingness.
Just understand the concept of film language. It’s not always clearly spoken or understood, but when they do something unusual, there’s a purpose. You know that, you know Tony’s dead.
Yet, available just in case Chase and Gandolfini want to make more money off the show.
By diana
June 11, 2007 12:57 PM | Link to this
I think we were robbed,all week we were teased about the dark side,and innocents were to be killed,now this!There must be a movie coming.
By chawak
June 11, 2007 12:57 PM | Link to this
I’ve always hated this type ending to any story. Ever since I read the “Lady or the Lion” in grade school I’ve tried to avoid movies, plays, stories, whatever that did not have a conclusive ending. ADR to the writers and the originator this ending stunk.
By Dr. Doom
June 11, 2007 1:04 PM | Link to this
KrisG,
Obvious? If that were the case, this blog wouldn’t be here, or at least it would be of another tone. We know what happened in the ‘Godfather’ because it actually happened in the ‘Godfather’. Not because some dolt of an AJC poster wants to feel he’s something he’s not by hallucinating. Not because some ignoramous is to stupid to realize that ‘the Sopranos’ and ‘The Godfather’ were written by two entirely different individuals, and thus would have two entirely different conclusions. The mysterious figure could have been someone hired to build a case against Tony for the upcoming trial. He actually could have been anyone.
Your opinion is filled with the same substance the show ended with: blank nothingness.
By KrisG
June 11, 2007 1:21 PM | Link to this
Doom, it’s killing you that some guy is content with the ending isn’t it? Are you crying while you type? Because judging from your 5 name-call minimum per post, you’re clearly taking this pretty hard.
I’m drawing that conclusion now.
By Coming around to it
June 11, 2007 1:23 PM | Link to this
Like Dr Doom, at first I couldn’t stand the ending. The more I sit back and read other folks feelings and thoughts the more I realize it was a great ending. If you think back to the flashback of Tony and Bobby sitting in the boat talking about what its like to get hit Bobby says he didn’t think you feel anything everything goes black. Well did it happen or not?
By me
June 11, 2007 1:40 PM | Link to this
Did any one else noticed that the last show will not be on Comcast on-demand?
By die hard Soprano Fan
June 11, 2007 1:45 PM | Link to this
WHAT A BEAUTIFUL ENDING TO AN AMAZING SHOW!
For a moment I thought my satellite went out and I was about to raise hell with Directv! lol
But Tony got shot by Phil’s nephew..
Go back to season 6 and u will see the same guy that was sitting at the counter all nervous and shocked beyond his own good and went into the can to get the weapon so he could do the deal as a self-payback ( if Phil didnt order the hit on Tony then who did??)
Chase pull a Shakepearse on us
I aint mad….and I sure as heck aint cancelling my HBO… i gotta get my entourage and wire fix on
By Ms.Simon
June 11, 2007 1:56 PM | Link to this
To sum it up, the ending sucked. If I’m paying for HBO, I want to know and see exactly how someone was killed.
I don’t want to have to guess…….
I will miss The Sopranos. It’s the only reason I suscribed to HBO.
By Ms.Simon
June 11, 2007 1:56 PM | Link to this
To sum it up, the ending sucked. If I’m paying for HBO, I want to know and see exactly how someone was killed.
I don’t want to have to guess…….
I will miss The Sopranos. It’s the only reason I got HBO.
By Lei-lei
June 11, 2007 2:01 PM | Link to this
No one in the world expected the “Sopranos” series would end with no conclusion. But your own! Is that an O’Henry ending or what? Now, everyone in HBO land, and that is in the zillions, is, and will be drawing their own conclusion for years to come. Like everyone else, I thought the cable had gone out until we realized that was tne end. Period. I was a complete wreck, knowing Tony, Carmela, Anthony were about to get it any minute. And Meadow would be a witness to the whole thing. And I can’t believe they reneged on their truce with the New York family, but hey, they’re gangsters and shot Phil! And then the car ran over his head. I screamed. And what is it with the cat? And looking at Chris’ picture on the wall? Is he Chris reincarnated or did he have a device implanted by the FBI to keep up with the Ton’ and the boys? And was Ton testing Paulie to see if he was playing both sides when he asked him to take the job? Hey, we’ll never know unless there is an HBO movie in the future and now being written by Chase. Wonderful series. I loved every episode, of course, some better than others but altogether it was super. Now whata we gonna watch on Sunday nights next winter? Not the “Sopranos.” Lei-Lei
By Ronzino
June 11, 2007 2:25 PM | Link to this
I thought the ending was classic!!! Tony has no crew. He has no therapist. And everytime a door opens, no matter where he’s at, he’s got to wonder if his time is up. All he has left is his family. I thought it was SWEET! I did wonder, however, if my cable went out when things went dark at the end - I almost threw my Miller Lite thru my Sony HD. Thank god those credits rolled when they did!
By Peachy
June 11, 2007 2:28 PM | Link to this
I’m still a little undecided about what happened, and I can certainly see the support for alot of the arguments here, but I was a little let down because it wasn’t the type of series finale I’m used to, with everything wrapped up. Then again, it wasn’t the series I’m used to either…
I do like how they left it open for a movie but I think we’ll be waiting a while. Maybe it’s best to let sleeping dogs lie.
I’m not cancelling my HBO subscription but Sunday nights won’t be the same without Big T.
By Danny
June 11, 2007 2:35 PM | Link to this
I’m so sick of hearing the Chase apologist suck up to the worst ending episode in TV history.
To borrow a line from, “Along The Waterfront”, it could have been a contender. It could have been somebody. Now it’s just a nothing.
That sucked so bad, I’m still fuming.
Sure, Chase lead us week by week with new lead-ins, but there has to be a payoff someday.
Chase owed his loyal fans some closure — any closure. What he did was line us up, make us wait for a long time, then walk away. It was more like having a monkey at the zoo throw his excrement at you when you walk by.
If any author submitted a book to a publisher without an ending like Chase did, the publisher would kick him to the curb.
Chase basically thumbed his nose at his loyal fan base with a poor, poor leadin to a Sopranos movie.
Well, this is one guy that Chase will no longer get any of my time nor money.
By MK, Atlanta, GA
June 11, 2007 2:40 PM | Link to this
I thought the ending was fantastic. The tenion of the last three minutes brought us into Tony’s world in a very direct way. Even in the most banal situation, he has to be suspicious of everyone, his family is never safe, and he never knows who might walk through the door.
Well done!
By Larry
June 11, 2007 2:40 PM | Link to this
I think that all of the handwringing regarding the “last” Soprano’s episode is reflective of the behaviours that TV Land has ingrained in the masses. The expectation of conflict and resolution does not reflect what is reality in this day and age. The beginning season of the Soprano’s did not start at the cradle, nor did the final season take everyone to the grave. The series was a sampling of the life & times inside the respective families and their effect on everyone around them (collateral damage). The brevity of Phil’s demise last night was to steer away from the “Grand Finale” that most viewers expected. No triumphant “mano on mano” showdown between T & Phil, just a bullet to the head and a radial to the cranium. Life goes on and there will always be someone to take his place, just like he took Johnny’s. Traditionally final episodes (M.A.S.H., All in the Family, Dallas etc) have provided “closure” in the end for the actors, their roles and the viewers. The fact that it did not occur last night makes it stand apart from the all the other shows, which is what made the Soprano’s a “must see”…
Woke up this morning got myself a gun…
By Don Vito
June 11, 2007 2:40 PM | Link to this
It is obvious that David Chase wanted to spoon feed the beginning of an ending that the viewer brings into fruition; in the mind, that is. One must draw ones own conclusion here based on the events that are transpiring in the final five minutes of the show. For me, I see Tony getting whacked in the end and he never sees it coming, nor does he hear the gunshot. The man is dead instantly and there is nothing but darkness. Woe is me, but RIP Tony.
By Bigredd
June 11, 2007 2:45 PM | Link to this
WOW Dr. Doom, is the name-calling necessary?? I have yet to call you a name so please hold your tongue until provoked. We are trying to have a friendly debate about whether we thought the ending was sufficient or if it lacked something. Please refrain from your juvenile method of debate…your message is lost when you result to such measures to make your point.
By fishtales
June 11, 2007 2:55 PM | Link to this
Danny…I’m with you. Every week after each episode we got these VERY dramatic “on the next Sopranos” teasers. Then when the episode finally rolled around…there was about 5 minutes of drama and 45 minutes of AJ whining about everything under the sun. Snore.
I understand the point some of you are trying to make about figuring it out for yourself, so don’t act like you are that insightful, artsy or intelligent, we get it. But would you feel the same way if a book pumped you up for 85 chapters and then left the last few pages blank for you to surmise the ending for yourself? Does that mean you need the ending “spoon-fed” to you?
By Bunky
June 11, 2007 3:09 PM | Link to this
The only thing that disappointed me was that AJ didn’t get blown up in his SUV. Was he the most annoying character EVER? I have to admit the kid turned into a pretty good little actor, though.
By Kurtis
June 11, 2007 3:25 PM | Link to this
I’m beginning to come to terms with the ending, although I would have surely chosen a different one. I don’t think that the whole black screen was him getting whacked, I think it was to make us do exactly what we are doing, discussing it, whether we liked it or not.
I will say this though…..EVERY TIME Tony sat by a window (at the safe house) or was out in the open (when he and Paulie were sitting at the table on the sidewalk), I was screaming for him to get to some cover. And there at the ice cream parlor, I couldn’t understand why in the world he would sit out in the middle of everyone, especially with him being the first one to get there. I wanted him to get a corner booth and put his back to the wall.
Not the ending that I was expecting, but I would not have wanted an ending with me seeing him shot in the head or shackled and sent to prison. As far as I’m concerned, T is alive and we’ll have to wait for the movie to see what happens to him next.
By jc_atl
June 11, 2007 3:37 PM | Link to this
Rewatch the show on OnDemand and then view the credits. One of the guys in the restaurant is listed as Nick Leotardo, aka Phil’s nephew. I can’t take credit for this interpretation but it’s the best I’ve heard. The show, every episode, was about Tony. Even if he wasn’t in the scene, the events taking place were directly linked to Tony. Tony was the center of The Soprano’s universe. When he was snuffed, the universe ended.
I thought the last scene was brilliant. Chase knew what people were expecting, and he built the tension in that last scene to be as tightly wound as possible and then, presumably as the front door “dings” Meadow in, it goes black. Of course, anything could have happened, and I’m not naive enough to believe that there might not be movie rights in the future, I just hope that David Chase stays involved if they go to the big(ger) screen.
By MT
June 11, 2007 3:43 PM | Link to this
My 2cents:
Tony was not killed. His crew is decimated, but he survived the war against Phil Leotardo. His family (splitting apart throughout the seasons) finally has come back together in the end to form some form of unity. Everything has come full circle.
In the end, it was no longer our time to peer into their lives, and we were whacked (cut to black). Regarless that we are gone, life goes on for the Soprano Family.
By TS
June 11, 2007 3:53 PM | Link to this
I thought the ending sucked…My initial thought was that something was wrong with my TIVO.
By jc_atl
June 11, 2007 3:53 PM | Link to this
One of the things that people are missing here is that for the story to be believable, the characters couldn’t behave as if this is the “last show”. Viewers expected mayhem like never seen before on the Soprano’s but no matter how you do an ending like that, it gets picked apart and criticized. What we see instead is the remnants of “the family” going about their daily lives after Phil is out of the way and his underlings are now on Tony’s side. Life goes on, or does it? Chase leaves that for you to decide. It had to end, but it didn’t mean that Tony had to die in a bloody puddle, or in handcuffs, or with plastic surgery mowing the lawn in Nowhere, USA.
By Mafiascum
June 11, 2007 4:02 PM | Link to this
Who gives a damn about a group of fictional mob scumthugs except fools who live in fantasyland?
Oh yeah, how many soldier heros died today that these fools (fantasylanders) cared about?????
By Debbie
June 11, 2007 4:17 PM | Link to this
To Mafiascum -
Shows like Sopranos and all the other fictional stories are out there so we have a diversion from reality for alittle while.
If all we thought about were the problems of today, we’d all be killing ourselves … our worse, we’d all turn into angry cynical people like you!!!
If you don’t like the shows, don’t watch them. And if you don’t watch them, then stay off the blogs written about them.
As for the ending - I thought it was good. It just showed that life goes on - even in fantasyland.
By Cal Cal
June 11, 2007 4:21 PM | Link to this
I’m really disappointed in the ending. I think SIX FEET UNDER HAD THE BEST ENDING IN HISTORY!
I was hoping the Sopranos eded somewhere along those lines…but oh, well…
By Cal Cal
June 11, 2007 4:23 PM | Link to this
I’m really disappointed in the ending. I think SIX FEET UNDER HAD THE BEST ENDING IN HISTORY!
I was hoping the Sopranos eded somewhere along those lines…but oh, well…
By SopranoFan
June 11, 2007 4:35 PM | Link to this
Anybody who says “nothing happened on the Sopranos” is completely missing out on the ending! This is NOT a life goes on ending! And anyone who thinks so should go back and watch it again.
Watch the last scene of The Blue Comet (the 2nd to last episode) first. As Tony sits on the edge of the bed he contemplates his demise.
Then, there’s the flashback to Tony and Bobby in the boat discussing being whacked, “You probably never hear it coming.” Remember when Tony was speaking with Bobby…basically saying that you don’t see or hear death? It just happens and you would never feel it…..aka fading to black…..
Fast forward to Tony in “Made In America” final scene.
So, the point would have been that life continues and we may never know the end of the Sopranos. But if you pay attention to the history, you will find that all the answers lie in the characters in the restaurant.
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.
As Tony walks in the door of Holstein’s he looks into the diner and sees nobody from his family. He is the first to arrive. The there is a very odd cut. The camera cuts back to Tony’s face looking into the diner and then cuts back to the diner where, if by magic, Tony is now sitting.
This odd cut is provided to show us that “cut to Tony’s face means the audience = Tony’s perspective.”
Fast Forward to AJ arriving. The are two black youths weren’t these guys the ones who tried to kill Tony and only clipped him in the ear, circa season 2 or 3?
And the “Members only” guy at the bar. This guy is credited as Nicky Leotardo. The same actor played him in the first part of season 6 during a brief sit down concerning the future of Vito. That wasn’t that long ago. Apparently, he is the nephew of Phil. Phil’s brother Nicky Senior was killed in 1976 in a car accident.
Tony takes a look at both. After the “members only” guy walks to the restroom we see a close-up of Tony anticipating Meadow to walk through the door - again - Tony’s perspective. Absolutely incredible!!!! There were three people in the restaurant who had reason to kill Tony and then it just ends. This was Chase’s way of proving that he will not escape his past. It will not go on forever despite that he would like it to ……”DON’T STOP” —- BELIEVING….
Suddenly CUT to black, music stops, black screen for several seconds. Tony (and the audience) got WHACKED - and he didn’t hear it coming. It is crystal clear and not open to interpretation. WE GOT WHACKED! Chase is showing Tony’s perspective.
Tony’s finished…and Chase is truly rewarding the true fans who pay attention to detail.
By Bigredd
June 11, 2007 4:54 PM | Link to this
SopranoFan, that was a wonderful interpretation of what happened. I agree completely…I just wouldn’t have been able to say it as eloquently. Thanks for that!!
By Ah-Ha
June 11, 2007 5:26 PM | Link to this
Yes, yes, thanks SopranoFan for the in-depth… I was stunned when it happend after the tension-filled last scene - and the more I ponder, the more brilliant the ending is.
By alex
June 11, 2007 6:53 PM | Link to this
I’m with most everyone else……the more i think about it, the more brilliant the ending was.
Kudo’s to one of the best TV shows of all time. I’d watch the whole thing again, every season from start to finish in a few years.
Thankgod Rescue Me is starting on Wed! atleast we have that to look forward too. :)
By Dr. Doom
June 11, 2007 7:13 PM | Link to this
Without resorting to any direct namecalling, Doom must say that anyone who likes this ending is a freaking idiot! No offense. Unlike some of you, I prefer endings to have endings. No matter what Chase did, you would have excused him because you are all a bunch of “follow the leader” pansies. Chase punked out and so are you. The greatest show in TV history deserves a little more than the garbage it ended with.
By Amanda
June 11, 2007 7:21 PM | Link to this
I broke my damn remote control,the ending was not expected at all. I still the Sopranos and always will, its the best hbo show ever made.
By Dr. Doom
June 11, 2007 7:29 PM | Link to this
SopranoFan,
You obviously have way too much time on your hands. Doom doesn’t have the time or desire to verify your identifications of characters because there’s this little thing called Life that I have to continue to live. Be that as it may, if your correct, then I respect the case you have presented.
By I'm in no mood...
June 12, 2007 9:39 AM | Link to this
We spent much of the episode on edge, wary of every person and situation. We worried endlessly about the people we have come to know and love—Tony, Carmela, Meadow, Sil. Even in the last scene—a “Father Knows Best” tableau in the diner—we worried. No rest for the weary. We knew, if just for that one hour, how Tony feels all the time. Never knowing, always on guard.
I think when the screen went black, WE were the ones who got whacked. We lived like Tony for an hour, and we died like Tony may yet. In an instant, in the most mundane of circumstances.
David Chase, we are not worthy.
By I'm in no mood...
June 12, 2007 9:40 AM | Link to this
We spent much of the episode on edge, wary of every person and situation. We worried endlessly about the people we have come to know and love—Tony, Carmela, Meadow, Sil. Even in the last scene—a “Father Knows Best” tableau in the diner—we worried. No rest for the weary. We knew, if just for that one hour, how Tony feels all the time. Never knowing, always on guard.
I think when the screen went black, WE were the ones who got whacked. We lived like Tony for an hour, and we died like Tony may yet. In an instant, in the most mundane of circumstances.
David Chase, we are not worthy.
By I'm in no mood...
June 12, 2007 9:40 AM | Link to this
We spent much of the episode on edge, wary of every person and situation. We worried endlessly about the people we have come to know and love—Tony, Carmela, Meadow, Sil. Even in the last scene—a “Father Knows Best” tableau in the diner—we worried. No rest for the weary. We knew, if just for that one hour, how Tony feels all the time. Never knowing, always on guard.
I think when the screen went black, WE were the ones who got whacked. We lived like Tony for an hour, and we died like Tony may yet. In an instant, in the most mundane of circumstances.
David Chase, we are not worthy.
By meg
June 12, 2007 10:37 AM | Link to this
after the initial shock…..i realized the brilliance of david chase…..NO ONE predicted the ending, just as it should have been….how many times had chase led us down one path, only to end the path altogether or to never explain why we went down it in the first place??….it was the perfect ending…..i choose to believe the family lived, just as i wanted them to….then again, if you wanted them to get whacked, then you can believe that happened!….i never watched episodic tv until ‘the sopranos’…i may never again
By meg
June 12, 2007 10:37 AM | Link to this
after the initial shock…..i realized the brilliance of david chase…..NO ONE predicted the ending, just as it should have been….how many times had chase led us down one path, only to end the path altogether or to never explain why we went down it in the first place??….it was the perfect ending…..i choose to believe the family lived, just as i wanted them to….then again, if you wanted them to get whacked, then you can believe that happened!….i never watched episodic tv until ‘the sopranos’…i may never again
By Rick
June 12, 2007 4:56 PM | Link to this
For all you people saying that we are supposed to choose our own ending, blah blah blah… When you go out to eat, do you go back into the kitchen and bring out your own food? No. That’s why you went out to eat. For someone to serve you. That’s why I watch tv, to see what the show is about.