How do you end the greatest show in the history of television?
You don’t. Or rather, you can’t…
After my initial anger and dismay at the ending last night, I came to the realization that this is the only way you could have ended the series. There was no other way.
Any other ending would have degraded the series.
David Chase is absolutely brilliant.
Chase has made this series great by changing our expectations; expectations that have been formed by years of watching 90 minute movies and 60 minute television programs in which the plot conflict appears early and is fully satisfied by the end of the program.
But real life isn’t like that. In real life, Red doesn’t always walk up the beach to see Andy sanding a boat in Mexico. Sometimes important issues in our lives just don’t get resolved.
Furio just doesn’t come back. The Russian could be either dead or back in Moscow. Syl may or may not make it. We just won’t ever know.
The cynical element in me tells me that we need Tony and the family to make an appearance in a movie or in a spin-off. David Chase needs to make more money. But I’ve been programmed to think that by producers convincing investors they can make the magic happen again. Example; Sister Act or Look Who’s Talking Too!
Chase is smarter than that.
He knows that the Sopranos were the best thing to ever happen to television… It has changed the way we will forever be judging the programs that follow.
Television has now become a legitimate medium for art.
I know that he wouldn’t degrade his art to a cheezy “Paulie’s Place” sitcom in which Paulie runs his own own diner in Topeka after entering the witness protection program. (When the lady says “Kiss my grits”, you better f***ing kiss her grits!)
Tony and Carmella will die, but only Chase knows whether that will be by the hand of an assassin, or in a home like Uncle Junior probably will.
The same goes for the rest of us in real life. Most of us aren’t going to know. And if we were given the chance, would we want to know?
Would we be happier this morning seeing Tony’s brain matter splattered all over the inside of that diner with Steve Perry belting out “Don’t Stop Believin”? I don’t think so. Somehow, although that would have been something we have been programmed to expect by lesser programs, it just wouldn’t have been the proper ending to this series.
Chase has changed television forever, and for the better. He set the bar higher than we could ever imagine.
And I am one fan who thinks he got this one right.
And for that Mr. Chase, I thank you…
Greatest show on television? Not by a long shot.
I agree, great show, great ending.
Definitely got me with the ending. I thought my satellite went kaput and was thinking, oh great, now I’m going to miss the gory ending.
A little bit of a letdown I thought; certainly left door open for some kind of followup, like a movie or spinoff series.
I agree the show is brilliantly written with strong characters.
The closing has to be one of the few times an entire song is played right through…or at least until it “stopped”. I jumped from the couch thinking those idiots at Rogers Cable had screwed me over, only to realize just what happened. Feckin’ brilliant.
And Phil’s exit was priceless.
All options were left open in that ending….the man ominously walking into the bathroom….or more positively the family finally on the road to reconcilliation…..
Better left on their journey. Wouldnt call it the greatest, I was partial to 6 feet under, that had an amazing ending.
I confess I watched the ending a couple times. After the second viewing, I stopped believing that the ending is ambiguous at all.
In the second-last episode, Tony had a flashback to a conversation he had with Bobby while they were fishing. Bobby surmises that when a person gets whacked with a bullet to the head, he probably doesn’t even know it.
In the final moments of the show, we ride along for the final four minutes of Tony’s life. Time slows to real time, with all the inane conversation, time-killing and parallel-parking attempts that go with it.
The cut to black and silence is exactly what Bobby said it would be. And because we were in Tony’s world for those four minutes, like him, we will never know if it was the guy at the counter coming out of the bathroom (a perfect spot to launch an attack) or someone we didn’t even see. We won’t be sure if it was the culmination of the war, or maybe a coup by Paulie and Butch to take over the Brooklyn and New Jersey gangs. Or maybe Carmine isn’t the idiot we all thought he was.
Or maybe I’m wrong and it was just dinner. It was a great ending.
“exquisite ambiguity”
well done Mr. Chase.
“the best thing to ever happen to television”
Hmm..as far as best series goes I would give that to The Prisoner from the 1970s.
I didn’t love the ending, but I concede that this was the way it had to be. We can appreciate that Tony was in a good space at that moment, hanging with his family, with that fantastic Journey tune ringing in his ears. There are certainly worse ways to go (and Phil’s demise in the same episode proves it).
But I do agree, while some television series might have had some superior moments or what some might feel are more interesting aspects, there has never been a more compelling, better written, finely acting or broadly conceived series than the Sopranos.
It is high art for the 21st century.
Sopranos. Hmm. Never watched it, not once. Figured if I really wanted to see gangsters on TV I’d watch Question Period on CPAC.
I prefered Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Easier to tell who the bad guys were, and cute girlies too. Yes, I’m a nekulturny barbarian, too bad so sad.
These days now that Heroes is on hiatus I watch BNN. If there’s nothing on worth seeing I may as well make some money.
Fuggeddaboudit!
If I want to watch fat stupid Italians yell at each other, I’ll move back to Hamilton.
I could never sit through a whole episode. Too boring.
Now: “Cracker” with Robbie Coltrane. THAT’s a TV series.
Hey, how about a SPOILERS warning?
I’m with the Phantom. Never once watched it.
Greatest series ever is Homicide … Life on the Street. Great characters, great acting, great music.
Good ending, although I admit I jumped up and checked the Sat connection when the screen went black as Meadow reached for the door, There are other shows of quality on the screen, The Wire, BSG, Entourage, they all won’t have the same control, and great characters as The Soprano’s.
Never watched it either. Seemed too much like some Liberals I know.
“If I want to watch fat stupid Italians yell at each other, I’ll move back to Hamilton.”
That’s what I thought before I sat down and watched The Sopranos. It has a way of completely blowing away any preconceptions you came to the party with.
Seriously, it’s worth trying Kathy. Give it a shot before you write it off.
I couldn’t help it.
I woke up one morning and got myself a gun.
didnt Sheila Copps use the show as a basis for figuring where her campaign donations should come from?
also, I agree Cracker was the best. its harder to play a flawed cop then a flawed mafia. what we need is someone to play a flawed MP. should be easy we have 300 plus examples.
Didn’t see a single episode, having — perhaps foolishly — decided long ago to not watch any more Mafia glorificatin films. Of course, I never saw Seinfeld until re-runs and ended up thinking it was “the best show in the history of TV”.
Somewhere along the line I got the feeling that too many people thought TV and films were great if the production values were great, notwithstanding the content.
Geezer no dhimmi
I’m with Phantom and Kathy Shaidle on this one.
I never watched the show. Honest!
I knew it existed of course, one could not have but known, roughly, what the show was about, just from many publicly mentioned sources.
Knowing what was playing as makeup on TV, while in real life in much the same time period we were governed by a lot of crooked bastards whom were elected by the populace and were playing for keeps, so why would I want to bother with the fakes of real life?
For a double dose?
Im waiting for the politically correct CBCpravda version, Little Family in Hamilton. where the mafia bosses attend liberal fundraisers and say they will help enforce sharia law in Ontario.
I’ll have to disagree with many of the commentators here. I thought last night’s Sopranos finale was a tired, thoughtless end to a show whose final season has been just as tired and aimless. It was chock full of episodes that, while entertaining on their own, contributed nothing to the main plot lines. As evidence, I cite the episode featuring Uncle June in the psych ward, and the episode where Tony heads off to Vegas and takes peyote. What is it that he “finally gets?” Who knows?
The final episode reminded me of the finale of Twin Peaks. Incoherent and inconclusive. All that was missing was a midget talking backwards.
A few other criticisms: what’s with AJ harping about the war in Iraq one minute, and wanting to join the army the next? I know he’s depressed, but mood swings like that just aren’t believable. What’s the point of his SUV burning up? I could go on, but you get my point: for much of the last several episodes, there was no point. Call me a literary purist, but I like the idea of plot threads that actually come together and resolve. David Chase did nothing extraordinary last night; he pulled a cheap stunt.
I was speechless last night. Not to mentioned panicked that my box had screwed up and I thought I had actually missed the ending.
Today, while I can understand the artsy fartsy opinions about how life is like that, nothing ever fully resolved and stuff, … IT WASN”T REAL LIFE- IT WAS A F*$*$#@ TV SHOW!
I agree with Dennis.
This final “season” (which really was just part two of last year’s season) was very disjointed.
Up until this final season I thought it was the greatest tv show ever made. This final season end was no different than if it was ended knowing there would be another season next year. I’d bet the farm we’ll see a movie or some sort of mini-series in a couple of years. I’m very dissappointed.
Re: The Sopranos. Never watched it. Never wanted to. If the opening credits appeared on my TV screen, I couldn’t switch the channel fast enough. If it was great TV, so what? If I want life lessons, I sure wouldn’t take them from a mafia thug. Once upon a time, I had the romanticized image of the mafia: a criminal, yes, but in an urbane sort of way, calm, cool and almost polite when he whacked his victims. Then, I read a book about one our own homegrown “anti-heroes” (I wish I could remember his name), and that was it. Instead of polish and class, I got a rude, crude, schoolyard bully whose view of life was “I got a gun and you ain’t”. Quite the eyeopener. So I guess the thug did teach me something. The Sopranos are now history, and I can forget all about them.
also never watched it. k.s. cracker was pretty good
Watched about ten minutes of an episode about 4 years ago. That was enough glorification of the mob for me; haven’t tuned in since & won’t be tuning in to any reruns or spinoffs.
Let’s not go too far. “The Singing Detective” gets my vote for showing what TV could be.
Nice Shawshank allusion.
I love the pontificating from the people who are proud to be too good for a show like the Sopranos. Get off the high horses and admit the best drama comes from the unsavory.
There’s a reason they talk about shows like this as the best ever, because, well, originality, realness and rawness are more important than “aw shucks” demographics. The show was about a frail man who happened to be mafia, rather than a mafia family led by a frail man.
Now, The HoneyMooners was a show by cracky !
,
‘Greatest show in the history of television’!?! I don’t suppose that it has ever occurred to you, that there are simpletons out there who actually identify- and are influenced by- that vulgar, offensive, GARBAGE!
“The same goes for the rest of us in real life. Most of us aren’t going to know. And if we were given the chance, would we want to know?”
Except the rest of us aren’t psychopathic murderers like Tony Sopranos. He deserves to live in his psychopathic damnation. Cut the moral equivalence nonsense.
Now- if that show had been produced in Canada: A newspaer would out him. Tony would panic, and demand an Ambassadorship to the Vatican, (but the ‘big guy’ would make him Ambassador to Denmark instead? (And then- quietly appoint him to the Vatican, but the Vatican sez they don’t want him?) Bwahahahahaha!
(Can I go back to sleep now?)
Absolutely loved the ending. My wife was pissed, I laughed my ass off. Great show, well-written except years 2 and 3.
Absolutely loved the ending. My wife was pissed, I laughed my ass off. Great show, well-written except years 2 and 3.
I think David Lynch wrote the ending…I felt ripped off like I did for all the time I put in watching Twin Peaks to be screwed by the lack of plot resolution in the final episode.
“….the greatest show in the history of television?”
Get serious.
Bada bing bada boring!
I liked the Sopranos, but all in all it was never more than a soap opera for men.
Do you mean someone liked that TV show? With all those dirty words? I’m just glad I’m Canadian and can enjoy something wholesome and truthful from the CBC like ….. you know …. like the Seven Wonders.
I was with it right up until Alfonso Gagliano walked into the room with a sack of cash.
I’d like to thank all those people who expressed disappointment in the last episode.
Phil Leotardo got whacked – yay! – then he partially stopped an SUV with his face.
I thought the ending was brilliant. I’m with the Greek: “Furio just doesn’t come back. The Russian could be either dead or back in Moscow. Syl may or may not make it. We just won’t ever know.”
Beautiful.
It started out great, but for a couple of years it turned out to be an R-rated soap opera. I didn’t really like the ending either, although I do like LP’s theory.
“…the greatest show in the history of television”
…but but, what about Mr. Bean?
HBO shows are writer-driven and it shows. They keep interference from the suits and accountants to a minimum and the result is outstanding entertainment.
For my money, “The Wire” is the best show on television.
Cabin Boy starring Chris Eliot.
A deserving Oscar award winner, often overlooked.
I believe the great Coshmeister called this one the best.
“Television has now become a legitimate medium for art.”
Overstatement much?