It’s over. 8 years of brutal murders, a marriage built on lies, and many scenes involving strippers came to an end tonight as “The Sopranos” concluded its spectacular run. After the bloodshed that marked the series’ penultimate episode many were expecting this finale to make SCARFACE look like a game of Uno. In the end, with the exception of a crushed head, the show went out with what could best be described as a tense-calm.Tony and his family will live on to keep making the same mistakes they always have. It’s the audience who is forced into closure. We’re the ones who will be trying to find a fitting close to these characters’ arcs. I don’t know what the overall reaction to the finale will be in the mass media, though my guess is it will be a Seinfeldian “That’s it?” response. I say fuck that, this show has never made things easy so why let it end that way?
“The Sopranos” is the show that made me believe in dramatic television. The big offerings of the 90’s like “NYPD Blue” and “ER” never grabbed me. I recall blind-buying the first season of “The Sopranos” on DVD and I was hooked from then on. TV has changed in a huge way since “The Sopranos.” It wasn’t the first dramatic show to come from HBO but it was one of the first to make its mark in the DVD age. This was key because no longer did you need to have pay cable to enjoy the program. If you walk the aisles of any Best Buy and linger at all the shows available on disc you can see its impact in spades.
There is a bit of sadness at the idea that I’ll never see Tony, Paulie, Christopher, Sil, and the rest of the gang hanging out at the Bing. But that sadness fades when I think about how television has embraced so many shows since “The Sopranos” premiered. From “The Shield” to “The Wire” to “Rescue Me” the spirit of “The Sopranos” will keep going strong.
6 comments:
i couldn't agree more. loved this final episode. it did provide some story resolutions, but it didn't try--nor should it have tried--to resolve the 'lives' of these characters or stuff them in some neat finale package.
there were some poignant moments, like tony with jr., or tony and paulie alone in front of the italian eatery. but i entirely agree that this episode was about saying bye to the characters, not the characters saying bye to each other. and i don't think for a second it was meant to hoodwink viewers--neither the lugheads who just want violence, nor the more serious fans who still might like a full story resolution. i wouldn't have been disappointed with such an ending, but the choice david chase made here immediately made sense in a superior (i think) way.
i dont watch the show, but I am also in the "that's it" crowd, only because its fun to shit on popular things!
david chase speaks (a little bit) right here:
http://blog.nj.com/alltv/2007/06/david_chase_speaks.html
that should end in "html"
I certainly don't think Chase owes anybody any explanations about why he ended his show on his terms.
Though I do hope he has a commentary during the last episode on the DVD set.
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