So after a week of anticipation of what was to come, the groundbreaking and award winning Sopranos series on HBO completed its run last night with an abrupt, unexpected and initially unsatisfying conclusion. It wasn’t what anyone was expecting to be sure. Conventional wisdom had the show’s expected ending falling into 1 of 3 categories. Tony dead, Tony alive and in charge, or Tony alive in the witness protection program.
In the end, creator David Chase left us all to wonder what happened forever (I hope). Just as the intensity and anticipation was brought to its peak, we were seeing credits on a black screen, and many of us were no doubt seeing red. Rumor has it that HBO’s website crashed as the finale concluded, flooded with angry viewers looking for ways to file a complaint.
The final scene was classic Sopranos, Tony and his family together preparing for yet another meal, great music playing in the background, shady characters all around. As we awaited the guy in the hat in booth number 2, or the mafia looking fellow in the bathroom preparing for what looked like a hit, the bell on the front door clangs, Tony looks up and fade to black, roll credits.
What are we to make of the finale? I spent about a half hour last night cursing David Chase for letting us down, but as the minutes passed, I slowly came to grips with it. This is what David Chase does. He defies convention. And he makes his viewers think. Now we’ll be thinking forever. And I suppose it’s warranted.
Chase was in a no-win situation. If he took one of the expected paths, he would have been panned for lack of creativity. That’s not his style and I’m glad he had the courage to break form.
I won’t spend time writing on what I think happened as the credits hit the screen. It’s pointless. There were clues in the run up and signs in the final episode that pointed to “all of the above”. That’s how Chase wanted it.
Instead I’ll look back at the series as a great one that was full of twists, rich in irony and symbolism, and always providing a commentary on the frailty and complexity of the human condition.
I for one hope the loose ends were not there to set up a movie deal. The series should end just as it did. But there is no way you can trust Hollywood not to mess with it, especially if the opportunity is there.
The ending was abrupt and unconventional, just like the show itself. This was no whacked-out and uninteresting ending a la Seinfeld. This was a finale that stayed true to the greatness of the show. Apply your own thoughts to the ending, they’ll be with you forever, unless there’s a movie.
6 responses so far ↓
1 DaveD // Jun 11, 2007 at 11:45 am
It was a pretty disappointing end Marty, although was glad to see Leotardo get his. AJ’s one chance to get his life together by joining the military, and his selfish parents talk him out of it to work on producing films. That’s pathetic. In the end though you can’t help routing for Tony. No matter how sick and evil he is, you want him to come out on top. That’s the kernel which made the show great, and which made me come back each week. That and the acting. Gandolfini and Falco were tremendous each and every episode, especially Falco who mid-way through the series almost took over as the primary protagonist. Anyway, a great show just the same, but would have wished they did a two-hour finale and brought the whole thing to a more satisfying conclusion. But, such is life. -dd
2 mdroney // Jun 11, 2007 at 12:56 pm
Dave:
A 2 hour finale would have been great. No doubt. I still like the way he closed it out. Maybe I’m sick for the torture of wondering what happened next. But it’s enoyable to me to conjure up potential next scenes. I saw rumor that when they release the DVD for part 2 of season 6, it will come with the ending we never got. That would be quite the sales tool for the producers.
I disagree with you on AJ. His weak personality would never have made good on his intentions to go into the military. The real comedy in it all was that they were berating him for totaling a $30,000 Nissan SUV. Then they end up buying him a $50,000 BMW M3 as a replacement. I loved the scene of AJ justifying it because it gets 23 mpg. Too funny. Did you catch how horrible the premise of that script Tony got for AJ to work on? Something about a guy getting sucked through his dataport and into the internet to fight crime.
I’ll leave you with one morsel of food for thought that i caught in a column this morning. In last week’s episode, there is a flashback for Tony to his boat ride with Bobby on the lake earlier in the season. They are having a talk about what it’s like to get whacked. Bobby makes the hypothesis that it simply fades to black: “you wouldn’t even know it had happened: everything would just go black”.
…..Much like last night’s ending. Maybe Tony got whacked after all.
3 DaveD // Jun 11, 2007 at 1:37 pm
Yes, I remember that scene with Bobby, but I don’t think he got whacked, although that would be a great sales pitch for the DVD’s, your right about that. I think Chase ended it that way to keep his options open and to keep people talking, which I think he was successful in doing.
4 Anon // Jun 11, 2007 at 3:14 pm
I think you are missing the larger point about AJ. While to me the primary theme throughout the series was family relationships – there are also a constant thematic point against american commercialistic, me-first attitude and the hypocrisy the goes along with it. Last night, AJ was the holier than thou american – so serious about the global threat of terrorism, complaining about the celebrity culture, etc. He goes so far as to be ready to join the military. In the end, of course he doesn’t have the will as his parents lure him away from making a sacrifice for a noble cause – playing the role of a tempting Satan if you will. AJ succumbs to the temptation but is able to justify his actions – 23 mpg – he’s doing his part.
It reminds me of how Tony was able to justify his actions through the series – to Melfi and to himself. Killings, mistresses, etc. – can all be justified. Just blame your mother – again last night “I had a very unhappy childhood”.
Or if you get in trouble, buy your way out – a new house for Carmela, a car for AJ, etc. There’s no end to the way someone can justify their actions.
As Dave said – you can’t help but rooting for Tony. That to me is a larger issue around the show – how does this killer, misantrope, evil person get people around him (and viewers) to identify with him. He’s just a regular guy with regular family problems? Right. What does it say about us, the viewers?
I guess it was an insult for Chase to not deliver what the viewers wanted – closure. I personally think any abrupt ending to the series – his murder, jail, etc. would have felt a little forced and disappointing. Sure everyone (myself included) wants to know what happens to Tony (I was hoping for some after credit text “Tony was sentenced in 2009…. and died in prision in…”) but it would have changed our perceptions. “Tony got what was coming to him” or “Tony got off scot free” would have forever changed your view of the character. For me, better to leave it focused him as a person throughout the series than on him as the person based on his end (in a way like everyone talked about Chris after his death).
5 mdroney // Jun 11, 2007 at 4:22 pm
Mentz:
I never thought about post credit finishing thoughts. That would have been interesting. not sure if you ever watched the HBO series, “Six feet Under” another one of my favorites. But I was incredibly impressed by the way the writers handled the finale to that show. They essentially used the same mechanism that they started each show with ( a death) for each major character, showing each character’s death scene in a way that brought closure to how each character’s life turned out. Some with new partners, jobs, etc. It really provided amazing closure for the viewers and kept consistent with the theme of the show no less.
6 Anon // Jun 11, 2007 at 5:13 pm
I liked the Six Feet Under ending and thought it was a consistent mechanism. I thought the build-up in drama was put in for the fans – really the end was similar to many of the endings of shows – just the family with its special dynamics.
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