"Sopranos" finale is a non-ending
-
- June
- 11
After six seasons of giving fans the wonderfully unpredictable world of “The Sopranos,� creator David Chase delivered the ultimate plot twist in the series finale last night.
He gave us an hour of NOTHING.
Sure, there was one final whacking: Phil, in a gruesome good-bye that had an onscreen bystander retching.
But other than that, not much of importance happened.
That’s the way Chase wanted it, of course. And it was completely, utterly original: Who expected the last scene to simply cut off like that?
But all due respect, last night’s ending was a complete middle finger to the fans.
I understand that Chase hates tying up loose ends. And I could appreciate that he was toying with viewers throughout the final hour, playing around with the theories everyone’s had about how the show would go out.
That’s all fine with me. I don’t have a problem with the fact that Chase refused to give us a cookie-cutter ending, wrapping up the wonderful gift that this drama has been with a bow. I wasn’t one of those fans crying about how we never knew exactly what happened to the missing Russian in the Pine Barrens from a few seasons back: I thought the uncertainty was masterful, actually.
What I hated about the finale was the hostility behind it. It was as if Chase was saying, ‘You want more killing? You want someone in the family to die? Well, (insert expletive here) you.�
If Chase wanted to leave fans wondering, he could have ended the show last week and still accomplished the same goal.
The astounding penultimate episode blew away Bacala, put Silvio in a coma and said arrivederci to Dr. Melfi as she booted her most difficult patient out her office door.
And as a finale, it would have left us with that indelible image of Tony: Alone and nervous, separated from his family, clutching a gun as he went to sleep.
Genius.
That would have been a beautifully dark close to a complicated series. Would Tony ever reunite with his family? Would he or Phil win the mob war? Would someone burst into that bedroom and finally cap the big guy? We’d never know.
Instead, Chase gave us a final hour of random storylines and characters that had little to no impact.
Would Janice get her grubby paws on Junior’s supposedly hidden stash of cash and dump Bacala’s kids?
Why was that FBI agent so happy that Tony took out Phil?
Who was the made guy who flipped and will probably get Tony indicted? (For annoyed others who couldn’t remember who the heck Carlo was either, here’s a summary.)
We’ve been down the FBI rat route before, and with better people: Big Pussy, Adriana, etc. Even if Chase & Co. didn’t want to make Paulie a rat, you’d think they would have at least made the turncoat someone whose name fans could put with a face, like Patsy. (Wouldn’t that have thrown a wrench into Meadow’s wedding plans?)
And A.J. continued to be a spoiled brat, who uses his depression to serve his best interests (and is looking like he’ll be another sociopath, just like dear old dad). I thought the blown-up SUV subplot was hilarious, but finale-worthy? Hardly.
All of this might have been interesting on any other night. But for the finale, it all made me think, “WHO CARES?�
I’m sure that’s what Chase wanted, though. And I’ll give him this: The man is a master at building tension.
The last scene was a triumph, if you discounted the sudden cut-off to a black screen. My heart was literally pounding as the Sopranos clan arrived at Holstein’s one by one.
That guy at the counter kept looking shiftily at the family before heading slowly to the bathroom: Had Phil’s men pulled a double-cross?
The group of kids who noisily entered the restaurant: Was trouble around the corner, and would the family get caught in the crossfire?
And damn Meadow couldn’t parallel park her car!! Would she be the victim of a drive-by?
Nope, nope and nope.
As Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believing� played on the jukebox, Meadow sat down with the family and the scene literally stopped. It had my husband and I — and I’m sure many of you — briefly wondering if there was something wrong with our HBO connection.
Until the credits started rolling.
And that’s when, I’m sure, David Chase started laughing at us.
I’m the last one to argue with Chase’s brilliance. He’s given us one of the best shows in TV history.
But Chase is a TV writer, and an acclaimed one at that; he’s not an artist going unappreciated in his time. Fans — and HBO executives — loved his originality enough to keep the series going for six seasons and turn it into a cultural phenomenon.
Had “Sopranos� fans not been so loyal — and they stayed true despite more than a year between some seasons so Chase could flesh out his “vision� for the series — the show would have been just another well-reviewed, but short-lived, wonder.
And last night, the fans deserved better treatment.
Read these stories from around the horn:
From the Associated Press:
Despite ambiguous ending, here’s a final look at ‘The Sopranos’ characters.
‘Heartbroken’ cast of ‘The Sopranos’ gathers in Florida for series’ finale
From Bloomberg:
“The Sopranos” ends 8 years on HBO as Tony lives, pays 25 cents.
(Photos from HBO.)
This entry was posted
on Monday, June 11th, 2007 at 8:42 am by Heather Salerno.
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Yeah, I got some hate messages for calling David Chase a mediocre hack…
oh well.
i have my opinion, people have theirs. but, i'm with you.
who we should be mad at is the exec at hbo who gave the OK for this to hit air.
As I was screaming at the TV last night, thinking that my cable went out … and then hoping in vain that they put the last scene of the show would appear after the credits to lead into "John from Cincinnati" — that was a silly idea in retrospect — I could hear out my window in White Plains a chorus of "YOU"VE GOT TO BE KIDDING!" and "WHAT WAS THAT?!" No joke, I heard outraged yells up and down the street. Pretty whacky. I think people are going to write some letters to HBO.
What did you make of the songs Tony flipped through at the end? A code maybe to loyal fans?
Good Ending. I didn't see it coming but still masterful.
The movies could not let Tony Soprano go free or walk as
Television never protrays "Crime does Pay". That would
send the wrong message. Tony being wacked. I could not see
that happen. the witness protection plan. I do not know.
This ending was superb.
After watching it and some of the comments made by the other characters, you could see something different is going to happen.
1. Tony's lawyer says that there are subpenas flying
furiously. Tony will be indicted and appear before a grand jury. But Tony only has an illegal firearms charge against, so his lawyer says. He may get a few years in jail or no time.
2. Tony's lawyer says these types of cases are made to be won.
3. Carlos? will testify to the grand jury. How credible is he and he will be under the witness protection plan for sure. But any criminal activity against Tony Soprano is only circumstantial, except for the illegal weapons charge.
There you have. Tony Soprano, illegal weapons charge and he will serve 3 – 5 in state prison, there will be appeals and he will be released on good behaviour.
My take on the Sopranos
I'm in Tarrytown and you could also hear people in my neighborhood yelling out their windows.
I thought it was a solid ending: bleak and unconventional. We've always known that Chase hates this show and wanted to kill it off. I really like he Chase pulled off an Andy Kaufman move by making me jump up and run to another tv, thinking mine was broken. It was a big screw you to the fans, but in a poignant way. I cannot get that Journey song out of my head…
He died. That's why it went to black. The last thing he saw was her walking into the restaurant.
I think the ending tyed up loose ends just fine. They wacked phil .. made peace with the new york family .. AJ decided not to join the army … Tony has his final meeting with junior.
Yes i agree the story was random and all over the place at times .. but Chase has been doing that for years .. and we have always loved it.
So why should the show end any other way?
Fans have been treated to ten years of some of the best entertainment ever made .. and if that is not enough of a return on a time investment .. than i dont know what is.
Brilliantly frustrating. Chase treated us with contempt, like that stupid cat staring at the picture (TV) waiting for something to happen. At least those of us who just view the show as entertainment – not art. The art snobs are already saying it could have ended no other way. (Uh, yeah, it could have.)
In the end, it's like Livia Soprano said: "Life, it's all a big nothing." Yup.
Back at the first episode of the midpoint this season, Bobby and Tony are upstate in a boat and they're talking about what getting whacked would be like. Bobby says, paraphrasing, "I don't think you feel anything. Everything just goes black and silent."
So can we assume Tony got whacked? Or did Chase leave just enough wiggle room for HBO to shower him with cash for a movie?
Again, brilliantly frustrating.
OK…like the rest of you I thought the cable went out. I also felt like i had a crushing weight on my head as I listened to Journey and waited for something "awful" to happen. The tension was sublime, BUT PLEASE. I have been loyal, I deserve a little more. I don't require the ending to be handed to me as it was on the brilliant "Six Feet Under". I HOPE HOPE HOPE this is NOT a set up for a movie. Watching "The Sopranos" was like being part of a culture; either your'e in it or your'e not. I liked being one of the one's in "it". So, the possibility of "just anyone" with an hour and a half to "kill" hehe..being let in on our delectable secrets pisses me off. Just as Mr. Chase intended to do to us last night. Why does he hate us so much??
Ticked me off BIG time. "That's IT?" I asked my husband incredulously.
I was so tense in that last scene, waiting for "it" to happen — whatever "it" would be. But it didn't.
I know some are lauding Chase for leaving the end uncertain. But c'mon — that's not what we wanted. I agree with Heather that last week's episode would have been a better ending.
We still wouldn't have known what happened to Tony in the end, but having him holed up that way would have provided closure in a sense. Or ending it with Tony's attorney telling him of the impending indictments would have been OK.
This ending was just unacceptable.
Chase toyed with the fans of his series; we deserved better than he gave.
I think the ending was great … although it has left me thiking what happened when the screen went black. Maybe he left it like that so he could come back with a movie – who knows. I really don't think that Tony was killed when the creen went black – Phil is dead – who woul dhave ordered an hit on Tony?? They made peace and that is how Chase wanted it – all loose ends were tied up. Oh well – it is the end – I just plan on watching in the from the beginning again – I never get sick of that show :))
Well .. im obviously in the minority opinion here and that's ok. Not a place I mind being in. I can only give you my perspective.
I will say this.
The same type of thinking that got us hooked on the show in the first place is the same kind of thinking that went into ending the show the way he did.
I don't think he has any personal vendetta against the fans.
I do think he wanted to end his story the way he wants. And he has every right to do that. At the end of the day .. it is his show and not ours.
I feel like I got enormous returns on my time investment throughout the show's tenure.
Great drama, humor action and violence
And I have been telling my friends for weeks that the most explosive episode will be the one leading up to the finale and not the finale itself .. as Chase has done since he started the show.
So im not some art snob saying Chase did some masterpiece .. im just saying that Chase is a guy who was going to do his show his way .. and that has been a successful formula for 10 years. Why should he have to conform to what we wanted out of an ending? David Chase has given us fans everything we deserve
Life goes on …
I see your point, but given us everything we deserve? Debatable. How many people would not have even subscribed to HBO without the Sopranos. So the $12.95 a month we paid…that entitles us to feel like we deserved a little more. Maybe not a realistic expectation, but there nonetheless.
Have you ever left a movie pissed at the ending and wishing you could have gotten your $10 and 2 hours back? Think you were entitled to feel that way, or just chalked it up to the piece of art that the moviemakers chose to provide you?
I'm merely arguing the other side. I still think it was brilliant in its frustration. And that tension in the last scene was unlike almost any I've experienced on TV before. Worth the monthly fee in my book and the reason I'll still watch HBO – waiting for that next series that challenges.
(I'd be curious to see what the HBO subscriber churn is today. I'm guessing just a bit on the high side for people dropping their HBO…)
My first reaction was that my cable may have had an issue. Then after I knew it was the end I went back and watched it a few times. I think it was pretty brilliant once I figured it out. The characters in the diner were from Tony's past. The boyscouts were in the train shop where Bobby was killed, the two black gentlemen were the ones that tried to kill Tony and just put him in the hospital and I recognized others, but my memory doesn't recall specifics. I think they were simply trying to leave it up to our imaginations and either tell us that he was going down and that you can't escape who you really are or that everyone is tied together somehow. Anyway, armed with that knowledge maybe you can appreciate the ending a bit more.
I see your point as well.
That ending was controversial to say the least.
But there are actually several movies that I didn't like the endings .. but still watch to this day.
Goodfellas immediately comes to mind.
But yes of course you are certainly entitled to feel that way. I can only tell you how I feel.
This "life goes on" type ending is something that is indictitive of the message he is trying to get across.
Life is not hollywood and epic endings. Its often mundane and boring .. even when you think something big will happen. And some may say that he should have ended the story in a hollywood-type format .. but that honestly would have broken the mold of everything he has done to date. He did want his art to imitate life. I can't really fault him for that.
And whether I agree with the way he ended it or not .. Personally, I can't deny that Chase has provided me with hours of brilliant drama over the years.
Can you?
And if you answered yes to that question, can you say that the ending negates all of that?
David Chase succeeded. We will be talking about the ending forever – cause the show didn't really end, not yet anyway. Who knows what tomorrow will bring.
See the bumper stickers: Tony Lives or not
Remember, it's only make believe
If this wasn't meant to be viewed like a big Hollywood movie, then someone probably should have let the on-air promos and advertising dept's at HBO in on that.
All of the…
FINAL….
EPISODE….
EVER!!!!!!!
promos and ads certainly took us in another direction than the episode did.
Have I enjoyed the ride? Yes. And I get that life goes on. Or "on and on and on and on…" like the Journey song in the final scene says. I guess we just have to "hold on to that feeling" (Journey again) that we had with the other episodes we thought were perfect in their own right.
As they were gathering in the diner, I said to my husband, "Y'know what? This is a big tease. Nothing's going to happen. They end every season with the family gathering for a meal."
After sleeping on it, I realized what a brilliant move this is by HBO. This opens the door to getting very creative with the packaging of a DVD set. Maybe do an interactive "choose your own ending" thing.
OK, my "needs" aside, I would watch it all over again. DC is no doubt a brilliantly creative, web spinning, anxiety inducing, climax buliding genius. Now all I have to do is…shake….that…song…..that ….keeps …playing …in …my….head
I thought the ending SUCKED! It wasn't in the least bit clever. Clever would be the ending Heather came up with – the next to the last episode. Love that!
The last scene was an insult to my intelligence, especially the stupidity of watching Meadow try to park.
uuugggggggggggghhhhhhh
Couldn't agree with you more, Heather, about Carlo.
Hated the ending last night. Now, the more I think about it, the more it's growing on me… but it's still not amazing.
I offer the following grades for the Sopranos:
Seasons 1 and 2: A+
Seasons 3 to 5: B+
Season 6: C
Season 7: B+
Series Finale: C+
I think it was David Chase's "f__k you" to people who really wanted to see Tony get whacked. And who wanted the bodies to pile up like kindling by the end of the show.
In the last four episodes, you get Christopher dead, Tony curbing a guy, Bobby Bacala killed, Sil comatose, Phil Leotardo's dome crushed—and the last scene seemed to be taunting the audience: you want more people dead? Is that what you were really watching this show for all these years? (The answer is, of course they were.)
If you wanted more, you're missing the point of the entire series. These people didn't have to be mobsters: they could have been a family of janitors and we still would have watched because the show was so damn good and true to life.
Like many of you, I was totally bent last night when the screen just turned to black after the tension kept building and I was waiting for what would happen next. But within a few minutes I was calm. It was a great way to end things, with uncertainty. That's been the whole show. You never knew what was going to happen. That's mob life, as we've seen especially well this season. Pure tension. Anything can happen at any moment. I loved the show and am thankful for 8 years of incredible writing and acting.
Okay, here is what I was told. Doesn't make the ending any more enjoyable or any parallel parking exciting, but…
People in last scene, Nicky Leatardo, boy scouts from train shop from where Bobby was killed, trucker was brother of guy that was killed by Tony and Christopher over a truck full of DVDs in season 2, the two black guys are the one that tried to kill tony.
That is what I remember coupled with what I was told.
Ok Amy lets do what Jericho fans did. Send Marinara sauce to HBO LOL…
I think there is a deal made between writers and those who spend their time – you will get an ending or some sort of resolution. This is true for the most part for novels, plays, movies, TV shows, etc. A novel that seems to stop in the middle would probably not do well. This may set a bad president.
Best HBO series finale ever? "Six Feet Under." Actually, that's the best series finale ever, regardless of network.
I'd say "Deadwood" in advance, but that assumes that show will get the finale(s) it deserves.
The tremendous tension that Chase built at the end of the final episode evidences that Tony is destined to spend the rest of his days in a sort of purgatory, looking over his shoulder. Everyone is a possible threat. Even his cronies are a possible danger. As long as he is a source of info on terrorists, the FBI will safeguard him but that can change. They could give info about him to his enemies just as easily as they gave info to him enabling him to take out his enemy.
Life will go on for Tony. He will probably continue to hone his criminal skills with a new shrink, probably AJ's shrink.
But the family business "may" be winding down as Meadow pursues a carrier in law and AJ is working in the film industry with the aim of eventually owning a club like his father's. One wonders whether AJ is destined to be successor to the family business. Like his father, he suffers from depression. Like his father he will own a club. More importantly, the rush he got when his SUV exploded shows he has a taste for violence.
Everybody likes a nice tidy ending that ties up all the loose ends. In the real world the bad guys often don't get what they deserve and endings are not clean cut.
Fade to black was a masterful ending to a superb show.