The Sopranos

[Coffin Surfer 0]

The whole point of the series was Tony overcoming the fear of death and losing his family. "No More Hiding" At the end, we see Tony in a public place enjoying himself with his family. It doesn't matter if he died or not(or was possibly even busted or went to jail); he's not scared or worrying anymore. Or at least that's how I see it. The same goes for AJ and his paranoia this season.

[C Dubya 04 0]

Yeah, fuck that noise. If they wanted everyone to infer Tony was dead, show a gun at some point, or someone who we would know is putting a hit on. Then have the black. They left so he can either say he's brilliant, or get a movie.

 

There really was no one who would be posing an immediate danger to Tony. Who at this point would have put a hit on? Assuming he was shot makes no sense.

[Mike wanna be 0]

I don't even watch the show, and that ending sucked.

 

First I thought the guy that went into the bathroom was going to blow the place up; then I thought (stereotypically, I admit) that the two black guys were going to shoot the place up (the one DID go for his shirt at the waistband, though), and that was why there was such a production out of parallel parking; she'd be the only one to survive. And then nothing. Laaaame.

[The Truthiness 0]

Someone posted this at another board so I cant take credit but something to ponder anyways:

 

The more I think about it, the more I realize that this was a great ending. Remember when Tony and Bobby where on the boat and and he asks "what do you think happens when you die?" and he replies, "nothing, it just goes black"

 

Tony is dead. Great ending.

 

Naw the exact quote was something like Bobby saying "You probably don't even hear it when it happens" and Tony replied "Ask your friend, the one on the wall" talking about a deer Bobby killed hunting. The whole "You probably don't even hear when it happen" thing was shot too shit, because Bobby heard and felt it happen to him at the train store.

[RonL21 0]

Someone posted this at another board so I cant take credit but something to ponder anyways:

 

The more I think about it, the more I realize that this was a great ending. Remember when Tony and Bobby where on the boat and and he asks "what do you think happens when you die?" and he replies, "nothing, it just goes black"

 

Tony is dead. Great ending.

 

Yeah but that didn't show blood. So it's a shit ending, of course. That's exactly what happened. AJ made it obvious when he said something about remembering the good times. Tony's last image would be seeing Meadow. Seems only appros.

That's not the point...Blood didnt have to be shown....It's just didnt feel like a series finale except for the anticipation

 

It's not like this show wasnt made made on blood and violence

[Mik 0]

Yeah I just can't see classifying that ending as brilliant.

 

There are just too many conclusions one would have to draw to assume he got shot and the last thing he saw was Meadow.

[strummer 0]

Anyone else think the supposed "killer" might have been going into the bathroom to get a gun to kill Tony? Right out of the Godfather

[The Truthiness 0]

Hawk, the fact that there was no blood is not the point. There was no closure. There is no reason for ending a series finale on a cliffhanger. It's not brilliant. It's not ingenious. It's lazy writing. Chase couldn't come up with a satisfying ending on his own -- should I kill Tony or should I not omg i dunno -- so he suddenly "left it to the viewer" to make the decision on their own. I say it again: lazy writing. Oh and to have viewers think that their cable suddenly went out is a cheesy device as well.

 

If people really thought their cable went out, they might be a bit retarded...Just saying.

[Coffin Surfer 0]

Again, everybody is missing the point. Eh.....

 

The theme of the show was laid down in the first pilot and this was a fitting way to close it.

[The Truthiness 0]

Again, everybody is missing the point. Eh.....

 

The theme of the show was laid down in the first pilot and this was a fitting way to close it.

 

Yeah it was a ode to I dream of Jeanine Cusamano, but that was a happy ending. This ending was building to a murder of sorts.

[Hawk 34 0]

I never thought nor said it was genius but it wasn't horrible. It had meaning and there's nothing wrong with letting the viewers made thier own interpretation of what really happened and what the purpose was. People harping on the supposed lack of closure should realize that this show could never give you complete closure. It required to leave things in the dark.

[NYU 0]

The whole point of the series was Tony overcoming the fear of death and losing his family. "No More Hiding" At the end, we see Tony in a public place enjoying himself with his family. It doesn't matter if he died or not(or was possibly even busted or went to jail); he's not scared or worrying anymore. Or at least that's how I see it. The same goes for AJ and his paranoia this season.

 

What?! He was scared about going to trial! That's not what they were going for.

 

If I interpreted it correctly, they wanted the viewer to get a sense of what Tony's life now feels like. He has to watch over his shoulder constantly. There is always that slight feeling of doom in the pit of his stomach. Always around him, there could be that mobster trying to finally kill him or the FBI agent waiting to swoop in and make the arrest. There is never a safe moment -- there will always be a sense of worrying. You could see this on Tony's face as he continued to snap his head up towards the door every time he heard the clink of the bell. His family might be oblivious to the danger but he's not. David Chase wanted viewers to feel the doom that Tony feels. I get that.

 

But it's an F on execution. Closure would be letting the viewer realize that feeling but then revealing it was only a false alarm...or maybe it wasn't and Tony finally gets what he has worried about his entire adult life. To do what David Chase did tonight made sure not to provide any closure whatsoever.

[2GOLD 0]

Again, everybody is missing the point. Eh.....

 

The theme of the show was laid down in the first pilot and this was a fitting way to close it.

 

I get it man and I agree with you. The whole series was about Tony getting over his fear and saving his family life. I read this ending awhile back and it was one of the endings I was fine with. If people want to read more into the guy going into the bathroom then they can, doesn't mean they are right or wrong. Chase resolved the storyline he cared about, he ended the series he set up in the pilot.

 

That said, there was zero way that ending would be seen as satisfying to anyone but Chase. So honestly, I'm not sure what the hell he was thinking going with that ending. It's very interesting and more or less he left it wide open for a movie if he gets bored and James needs the money.

 

Right now though, he's sitting with his feet up smoking a cigar. Cause that ending was a mob hit put out on the audience.

[Hawk 34 0]

Bottom line, questionable conclusion and all, The Sopranos was one of the greatest TV shows of all time with an incredible collection of remarkable characters.

[RonL21 0]

Im With whoever mentioned the wire.....That series finale better have some closure like the other seasons have had....

 

The wire always seemed to have more balls about killing off main characters outta nowhere...with the Sopranos you kinda knew whoever got killed had it coming....

[The Truthiness 0]

Bottom line, questionable conclusion and all, The Sopranos was one of the greatest TV shows of all time with an incredible collection of remarkable characters.

Agreed, and the Blue Comet was the best thing ever.

[Coffin Surfer 0]

"What?! He was scared about going to trial! That's not what they were going for.

 

If I interpreted it correctly, they wanted the viewer to get a sense of what Tony's life now feels like. He has to watch over his shoulder constantly. There is always that slight feeling of doom in the pit of his stomach. Always around him, there could be that mobster trying to finally kill him or the FBI agent waiting to swoop in and make the arrest. There is never a safe moment -- there will always be a sense of worrying. You could see this on Tony's face as he continued to snap his head up towards the door every time he heard the clink of the bell. His family might be oblivious to the danger but he's not. David Chase wanted viewers to feel the doom that Tony feels. I get that."

 

Exactly. The point is that he didn't let it stop him from being with his family. If they didn't establish a sense of danger and Tony's awareness of it or perhaps even imagination of dread, there would be no point. This is a closure of the theme.

[RonL21 0]

Again, everybody is missing the point. Eh.....

 

The theme of the show was laid down in the first pilot and this was a fitting way to close it.

 

I get it man and I agree with you. The whole series was about Tony getting over his fear and saving his family life. I read this ending awhile back and it was one of the endings I was fine with. If people want to read more into the guy going into the bathroom then they can, doesn't mean they are right or wrong. Chase resolved the storyline he cared about, he ended the series he set up in the pilot.

 

That said, there was zero way that ending would be seen as satisfying to anyone but Chase. So honestly, I'm not sure what the hell he was thinking going with that ending. It's very interesting and more or less he left it wide open for a movie if he gets bored and James needs the money.

 

Right now though, he's sitting with his feet up smoking a cigar. Cause that ending was a mob hit put out on the audience.

 

Bottom line, questionable conclusion and all, The Sopranos was one of the greatest TV shows of all time with an incredible collection of remarkable characters.

I agree with you there

[NYU 0]

Bottom line, questionable conclusion and all, at least I can go to sleep tonight knowing MEADOW CAN'T PARK A CAR FOR SHIT

[SpikeFayeJettEdBebop 0]

Damn those women drivers...

[Your Paragon of Virtue 0]

Are people forgetting about the truce? Tony wasn't going to die, it was agreed upon during that meeting. You could argue that they would break it, but that wouldn't make sense since those guys wanted things to end and wanted to reach out, so why would they kill Tony? The big suspense was really about the trial.

 

The ending I expected, and would have been satisfied with, was him just enjoying some time with family, kind of like the first half of season six. They kind of had that, but that bullshit with the black screen leads me to believe they want people to think he died, for no reason at all. I don't like these trick endings, it's a copout.

 

And no, I didn't need or expect a bloody, overly dramatic finish, so don't bring that up. Let's just be clear that the best season was two, as it had the most buildup and best blowoffs for all their storylines. Why would they depart from that?

 

Seeing the Shah of Iran die in absolutely the most humiliating way possible was awesome as well, one of the best moments of the show. I really hated him after the whole Vito incident.

[Ravenbomb 0]

People seem to be making a big deal out of a few seconds of black screen.

[World's Worst Man 0]

They did a good job of keeping Tony's fate in doubt throughout the whole episode. First you had the question of whether the NY guys were going to whack him. I was also getting the vibe that Paulie could possibly do something too. Too bad you don't end up knowing what his fate actually is. The ending was much like what they do in Japanese cinema, that is, not actually giving any closure and letting the audience interpret it themselves. I can see how that would piss people off. Personally I'm divided. On one hand, any dramatic ending almost seems cliche. On the other hand, an ending like that might be ok for a movie, but to end a seven season TV show? I don't know if that was the wisest decision they could have made. But ultimately, it probably doesn't matter to Chase. The show is over, so the audience being pissed isn't a big deal anymore.

 

Oh, and this ending is still preferable to Rome's ending. I'll take a "non-ending" over an ending where the main protagonist of the show gets completely misrepresented and the big blow-off is totally botched. But I digress.

[UZI Suicide 0]

"What?! He was scared about going to trial! That's not what they were going for.

 

If I interpreted it correctly, they wanted the viewer to get a sense of what Tony's life now feels like. He has to watch over his shoulder constantly. There is always that slight feeling of doom in the pit of his stomach. Always around him, there could be that mobster trying to finally kill him or the FBI agent waiting to swoop in and make the arrest. There is never a safe moment -- there will always be a sense of worrying. You could see this on Tony's face as he continued to snap his head up towards the door every time he heard the clink of the bell. His family might be oblivious to the danger but he's not. David Chase wanted viewers to feel the doom that Tony feels. I get that."

 

Exactly. The point is that he didn't let it stop him from being with his family. If they didn't establish a sense of danger and Tony's awareness of it or perhaps even imagination of dread, there would be no point. This is a closure of the theme.

 

Agreed. That's what the entire episode was. A shitload of suspense all coming to a head in the last five minutes. In the cafe, I thought the trucker looking guy was going to kill Tony. Then I thought the guy who walked in with A.J. was going to kill him, then I thought the black guys were going to do something.

 

Chase was putting us in Tony's head because that's how Tony is every minute of every day. Paranoid and never knowing when he's about to get arrested or get popped.

[The Truthiness 0]

After watching the encore, I can live with the ending, I got closure from it.

 

Carlo Flipped and is going to testify.

 

The Gun Charge is going to stick.

 

Tony is going to finally be indicted on a RICO predicate.

 

Meadow is getting married.

 

We'll have a movie in about 4 years.

[Jingus 0]

I can live with everything about this finale (especially Phil's hilarious Wile Coyote fate), other than that damned random cut to black. Seriously, what was the point of that? How did it make the episode better, instead of taking the extra three seconds to do a less jarring edit? Yeah, I did think my cable had gone out, cuz that's exactly what happens when it DOES go out, sudden jump-cut to black in the middle of a show.

 

Unless Chase was trying to push the "Tony just died RIGHT THERE NOW" thing... and if he was, then he did it a confusing and overly subtle fashion which required the viewer to read between too damned many lines.

 

This seemed like he was going for the same sort of "The saga never ends!" type cliffhanger sudden ending that Angel did, but it felt more like a damned station error than anything else.

[Downhome 0]

I'm in the camp that feels that The Sopranos made such an impact on American pop culture, it means so much to so many different people, that it deserved a solid, no questions asked, ending. I totally understand what we saw tonight, it makes perfect sense and I'll even admit that I have to smile and say that I liked it, but overall when I think about the series, I can't help but still believe that the show deserved an ending for everyone to see and to know.

 

This is The Sopranos we're talking about here, not "The Lady, or the Tiger?" after all.

 

That's all I'll say really. I enjoy these types of endings, I enjoyed this ending as a stand alone episode, but I can't help but feel that all of the Sopranos fans out there deserved to know for sure what happened to this man that they've invested so much time, so much emotion, into.

[The Ghost of bps21 0]

I liked the episode...

 

I thought it was made kinda clear that Tony was going to be arrested at the end.

 

1. They make it clear that NY isn't against him anymore (even before Phil is killed). They move back into their house for chrissake.

 

2. The fed who had been after him, the one he foolishly calls in order to find Phil...even if he isn't "Working the case anymore" says when Phil dies "We're going to win this one".

 

3. His lawyer tells him theirs an 85 to 90% chance he's about to be indicted.

 

4. He spends the entire episode preparing and trying to make peace with people (Junior, Janice (both of which he realizes are fucking worthless assholes) Sil, even Paulie...forcing him to take the job he always wanted)

 

5. Christopher WAS a fucking rat. The hat theory holds true. Maybe it was meant to be nothing...but the entire point of the cat who's been cathing rats and staring at Christopher's picture (who's wearing that STUPID hat in it)...

 

They've given every clue towards feds arresting him. Even Meadow says in the episode that she's turned to law because of how many times she's seen her father taken out in handcuffs.

 

The last scene was fucking intense. Edge of your seat, frog in the throat. Everyone he looked at in that restaurant was a fed preparing to make their move. IMO anyway. And Meadow gets to watch him take off one more time.

[Ravenbomb 0]

This is The Sopranos we're talking about here, not "The Lady, or the Tiger?" after all.

 

"August Heat" would be a better analogy.

[Gert T 0]

The Wire will not have the closure that many probably desire. Its not character driven, its about "The Game".