The Sopranos

[RedJed 0]

Am I the only that could have sworn that right as the resteraunt scene began, Tony was looking inside(from outside of the diner door) at himself and his family already together and eating? Did I imagine that?

 

I thought the same thing and that could be yet another possible idea behind the ending - Tony was just having some daydream about "how it could be" with him and his family, almost a flashback in his mind to a tradition his family used to do or something, and let his paranoia in the dream itself manifest with the handful of hitmen coming into the fold.

[AboveAverage484 0]

Man, I've re-watched the last five minutes about ten times, and I still get chills until the black out. Like, I keep expecting something horrible to happen, but it doesn't. After initial disappointment, this ending is really growing on me.

 

Edit: I'll never listen to "Don't Stop Believin'" the same way again.

[GreatWhiteNope 0]

Am I the only that could have sworn that right as the resteraunt scene began, Tony was looking inside(from outside of the diner door) at himself and his family already together and eating? Did I imagine that?

 

Try this explanation on for size -

 

"Tony falls asleep last week in a barren room. No sheets on bed, no alrms clock, nothing. When he apparently wakes up, there are sheets on bed, a mirror, an alarm clock with music going off. None of that was in the end of last week's show. Tony dreams the whole last episode. A.J getting settled, Phil going down and agent harris cheering for him, Meadow becoming a lawyer and getting married. In the end, he sees himself sitting at the table. He is dreaming of having dinner with his family. Its ends when tony wakes up from his great dream. When A.J. says during the episode, "you are all living in a dream", that is a clue. sheets on bed, A.J's comment, and tony seeing himself at the end are all clues that the show really ended last week. This weeks episode was all a dream."

[Guest Vitamin X]

Yeah, really. I used to like that song a lot, too.

 

I thought it was an okay finale, especially if you just take it as it was. I watched it a few hours ago and thought since I had downloaded it that something went wrong and I was about to scramble to find a working copy. But alas, no.

 

I was really let down only because all the emotional investment I've put into Tony's character, we deserve to see what happens, you know? I mean, I kind of like open endings and all, but something didn't sit right with me here. I would've loved to at least see the exact scene, just extended a few seconds longer for Meadow to sit down, and a camera zooming out slowly, and ending on the same "Don't Stop-"

[Guest Vitamin X]

Try this explanation on for size -

 

"Tony falls asleep last week in a barren room. No sheets on bed, no alrms clock, nothing. When he apparently wakes up, there are sheets on bed, a mirror, an alarm clock with music going off. None of that was in the end of last week's show. Tony dreams the whole last episode. A.J getting settled, Phil going down and agent harris cheering for him, Meadow becoming a lawyer and getting married. In the end, he sees himself sitting at the table. He is dreaming of having dinner with his family. Its ends when tony wakes up from his great dream. When A.J. says during the episode, "you are all living in a dream", that is a clue. sheets on bed, A.J's comment, and tony seeing himself at the end are all clues that the show really ended last week. This weeks episode was all a dream."

 

You know what? I dig this a lot. Tony dies in his sleep, maybe? I even caught how different the room looked at the beginning of the episode. Really interesting stuff.

[Coffin Surfer 0]

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.

 

I agree with most of this statement. It was to show that Tony will always have to be suspicious of anyone that walks into a room that he is in. He won't be able to have anyone close in his life anymore. The execution could have been done better the sudden cut to black could have been a slower fade but overall I thought this was a great ending.

 

After re-watching the episode last night, I'm not sure Tony is as paranoid of the other customers as the viewer is. Tony is watching the door, because he's expecting his family; especailly his daughter. I don't believe we really see him awknowlegde any of the threats that we the viewer are shown to suspect. He briefly glances at the guy walking past him to the bathroom, but that's really it as I recall. The camera dwells on other people in the restaurant, all the while we see Tony seemingly looking down and paying little attention. I get the impression that the suspense from Tony's perspective is whether or not Meadow is going to make it safely, while the viewer is left wandering if he's going to get offed or busted in the final minutes. The last shot is of him raising his head and appearing to smile when the door opens, implying it's her.

 

My thoughts on the sudden black out is that there will never be complete closure on the family's fates and saftey. There will always be a possible conviction, terrorist attack, or enemy waiting to make his move, and the only thing the Sopranos can do is try to go about their lives. This makes sense considering how much the show has always centered on paranoia of some sort, the threats aren't going to go away but the characters seem to be dealing with it better now.

 

Tony isn't watching himself either. It's merely an odd cut, but it does give the scene a very creepy surreal feel and I still wouldn't rule out the last scene being a dream. However, if that's the case one has to wander if Tony ever even woke up from his coma in the first place(the Sil thing is very odd, perhaps implying that it's Tony who never woke up); we saw that Tony was possibly on the verge of hell, I can't see why this final episode can't be seen as some sort strange accent to peace of mind, heaven or whatever. Surrealness aside, I'll stick with my original above mentioned theory. Great episode overall, and I can certainly live with the final shot of Paulie laid back and relaxing as the cat enters the frame and does the same.

[Fuzzy Dunlop 0]

So my mom told me she's already seen ads for buying the complete series. Anyone confirm/deny this? I can't find it online anywhere.

[C Dubya 04 0]

There's no way it was a dream sequence IMO. That would have been retarded.

 

The sheets thing I think was to show that time had passed since the prior episode and that they'd been holed up for a little while, while still giving the feel of picking up where it left off. Getting the viewer in the right frame of mind.

[Guest Vitamin X]

Okay, that makes sense. Also, because it's apparent that the rest of the Sopranos were in that other house for a while as well.

 

I think I'm going to agree with Coffin Surfer on this point here:

My thoughts on the sudden black out is that there will never be complete closure on the family's fates and saftey. There will always be a possible conviction, terrorist attack, or enemy waiting to make his move, and the only thing the Sopranos can do is try to go about their lives. This makes sense considering how much the show has always centered on paranoia of some sort, the threats aren't going to go away but the characters seem to be dealing with it better now.

No matter what happens, there's always going to be something that the show can write about. With the way the characters have evolved and grown through the series, we are definitely sure of a few things now: Tony and Carm's marriage is not up in the air like it had been, Tony is capable of dealing with his panic attacks, AJ will be under control provided that he is with a girl he cares about, and Meadow will be the black sheep of the family and follow a lawful, honest path. Any number of things could still happen with Tony- he could be in jail, he could get killed, but do the viewers really want to see that happen? Let's be honest- no. We like seeing Tony come out on top, and with the way his character is heading now, he seems like he is on a downward spiral. The sudden cut was jarring and as I said, I would've at least preferred Meadow be able to come in and sit down, but who knows- it might've even been that point where all that tranquility could've ended and it would have left us a lot more dissatisfied.

 

So let's play finish the scene, and see if it would've been any better. Any suggestions?

[Jingus 0]

it might've even been that point where all that tranquility could've ended and it would have left us a lot more dissatisfied.

But you're talking about it here as if it were scripture which couldn't be changed. It's not, it's just fiction, Chase made the whole thing up. And I don't see how that final hard cut is in any way better than spending ten more seconds for Meadow to come in and sit down.

 

Chase has been interviewed saying that they weren't trying to mess with people or piss anyone off, he just felt that's the way the series HAD to end. And I really don't get it at all. He couldn't have guessed that copying the effect of what happens when someone's cable goes out just might've caused some negative reactions?

[Guest Vitamin X]

it might've even been that point where all that tranquility could've ended and it would have left us a lot more dissatisfied.

But you're talking about it here as if it were scripture which couldn't be changed. It's not, it's just fiction, Chase made the whole thing up.

When you write and create a fictional show with characters as diverse, deep, and complex as the Sopranos, you create an alternate reality, especially since it's based so close to real life, and not in complete science fiction like Star Wars- and even in a case like that, you're dealing with canon that sets a standard for how everything else is set up. The theme of the show is set to be as close to reality as it possibly could- and therefore why you can't have all the loose little ends tied up, because that's just not realistic. However..

 

And I don't see how that final hard cut is in any way better than spending ten more seconds for Meadow to come in and sit down.

 

This is the part where I feel that it's necessary to appeal to the long time fans of the show. In having that little bit of extra time, there's not an unnecessary question raised of what happened to her, or the family, or why it took her so long to parallel park outside, and we can finish satisfactorily and without the suspense, only realizing that life goes on and there will always be questions about what happens next, but that the show needed to end right there. As it's been mentioned, it was Chase's way of "whacking the audience" and or the show itself. I read somewhere earlier today, it might have either been the Times or E!, that the Jean Paul Sartre would have loved the finale- since it exists simply to finish and nothing more. The ending is that there is no ending.

 

Like many others here, I didn't care much for it at first, but the more I've sat and thought about it and analyzed it, the more genius I really believe it is. As I said above, I'd really like for some other people here to try and come up with a better ending which everyone would be happy with. What would do the Sopranos justice? David Chase took three years to come up with this ending. Whatever your opinion on it, you can't deny that it's been extremely controversial- all sorts of theories, ideas, judgments, and rationalizations have sprung from it. I don't remember seeing another television series ending in a similar fashion, but perhaps I haven't watched enough television to judge that, either. The Sopranos lives on despite its end, because of the lack of one, if that makes any sense.

[Jingus 0]

I don't remember seeing another television series ending in a similar fashion, but perhaps I haven't watched enough television to judge that, either.

 

Angel. The few heroes still alive are about to go into the last apocalyptic battle, and WHAM cut to black the instant it starts. Except it felt like closure, cuz the cut was at a much more appropriate point for an ending, it didn't feel like my cat just pulled the TV's plug out of the wall when I wasn't looking. Also, Twin Peaks ended in a slightly similar (ableit more disturbing) fashion, even though it was really cuz the series got cancelled, not a true ending per se.

[-DeN- 0]

Speaking of cats, I like all the Schroedinger speculation going on across the webs.

 

Like many others here, I didn't care much for it at first, but the more I've sat and thought about it and analyzed it, the more genius I really believe it is.

 

Agreed.

 

Little something I missed, but thanks to the internet I went back and checked the DVDs and it's a cool little "full circle" deal. At the end of Season 3, after Little Lord Fuckpants' Funeral, there's a shot of Meadow running across a street (almost getting hit by a truck) trying to get away from Tony because their life is "so fucked". In the finale, in almost the exact same shot, the Mob Laywer in training is running across the street to meet up with him.

[Coffin Surfer 0]

To Jingus:

 

Watching Meadow sit down would pretty much kill all the building tension, given the build it would be a pleasant relief to the viewer, making the final cut pleasant and final; I don't think this is what Chase intended at all. He obviously wanted the show to end with an incomplete vibe, like it or hate it. As far as closure goes, most of the major storys arcs have been resolved anyway with the surviving characters in a more stable place emotionally, well except for maybe Junior and Janice who serve as a reminder of everything Tony fears of becoming and seemingly avoided; especially Junior.

[Hawk 34 0]

I don't remember seeing another television series ending in a similar fashion, but perhaps I haven't watched enough television to judge that, either.

 

Angel. The few heroes still alive are about to go into the last apocalyptic battle, and WHAM cut to black the instant it starts. Except it felt like closure, cuz the cut was at a much more appropriate point for an ending, it didn't feel like my cat just pulled the TV's plug out of the wall when I wasn't looking. Also, Twin Peaks ended in a slightly similar (ableit more disturbing) fashion, even though it was really cuz the series got cancelled, not a true ending per se.

 

The biggest difference, really, is that in 20 years people will still talk about the Sopranos finale. Along with the legendary Newart finish and the MASH finale, people will probably still debate what actually happened. That's the truly incredible aspect of the finale. I can't really think of a TV Show that ended like this before. At least a TV at this level.

[The Truthiness 0]

Don't Stop Believin'

- Journey

 

Just a small town girl

Living in a lonely world

She took the midnight train going anywhere

Just a city boy

Born and raised in South Detroit

He took the midnight train going anywhere

 

A singer in a smoky room

A smell of wine and cheap perfume

For a smile they can share the night

It goes on and on and on and on

 

{Refrain}

Strangers, waiting, up and down the boulevard

Their shadows searching in the night

Streetlight people, living just to find emotion

Hiding somewhere in the night

 

Working hard to get my fill

Everybody wants a thrill

Paying anything to roll the dice

Just one more time

Some will win, some will lose

Some were born to sing the blues

Oh the movie never ends

It goes on and on and on and on

 

{Refrain}

 

Don't stop believing

Hold on to that feeling

Streetlight people

 

 

I get it.

[SpikeFayeJettEdBebop 0]

Im loving this ending more and more as time passes. I mean I know it hasnt been long. Also, in an interview I just saw on yahoo.com Chase basically said Tony does not die. Period. He also said that a movie is very very unlikely, and that he wouldn't rule it out, but it probably wouldnt logically work(a flashback episode couldnt happen because of the kids ages and most of the other characters were killed off...) Anyway, Sopranos has been great, but I really think its over for good.

[GreatWhiteNope 0]

http://www.usatoday.com/life/television/ne...-analysis_N.htm

 

No alternate endings were shot, so none will appear on the final-season DVD due in October. But a final page of the original script, in which Meadow takes her seat at the table before the episode fades to black, was scrapped.

[Guest Vitamin X]

Ha!

[SpikeFayeJettEdBebop 0]

Shoulda kept it...

[Atticus Chaos 0]

Shoulda kept it...

 

 

I wouldn't have liked a happy ending. That would have been a letdown.

 

I like the dream theory personally.

[AboveAverage484 0]

Don't Stop Believin'

- Journey

 

Just a small town girl

Living in a lonely world

She took the midnight train going anywhere

Just a city boy

Born and raised in South Detroit

He took the midnight train going anywhere

 

A singer in a smoky room

A smell of wine and cheap perfume

For a smile they can share the night

It goes on and on and on and on

 

{Refrain}

Strangers, waiting, up and down the boulevard

Their shadows searching in the night

Streetlight people, living just to find emotion

Hiding somewhere in the night

 

Working hard to get my fill

Everybody wants a thrill

Paying anything to roll the dice

Just one more time

Some will win, some will lose

Some were born to sing the blues

Oh the movie never ends

It goes on and on and on and on

 

{Refrain}

 

Don't stop believing

Hold on to that feeling

Streetlight people

 

 

I get it.

 

I was thinking the same thing about that particular verse. That was no accident, for sure.

[2GOLD 0]

Not about the final episode but I do find it weird watching the episode where Jackie Jr gets shot in the back of the head and seeing Tobin Bell as the major at the military school.

 

Man, that guy has been in everything cool it seems.

[Lil' Bitch 0]

The ending of the Sopranos is the equivalent of reading a long, but good / great novel only to come to find out that somebody ripped out the last page. : /

[Craig Th 0]

The Sopranos pulled 11.9 million viewers. It was 2nd among cable and network shows that week, only behind "America's Got Talent."

[Youth N Asia 0]

I was hoping Tony would see a ghost or two in the last ep, there were so many to choose from

 

Christopher

Big Pussy

Vito

Gloria

Jackie

Jackie Jr

Richie

Ralphie

Bobby (although a little soon)

Aid

Jimmy if you want to stretch

 

And I'm sure I'm missing some

[Guest Vitamin X]

I was hoping Tony would see a ghost or two in the last ep, there were so many to choose from

 

Christopher

Big Pussy

Vito

Gloria

Jackie

Jackie Jr

Richie

Ralphie

Bobby (although a little soon)

Aid

Jimmy if you want to stretch

 

And I'm sure I'm missing some

 

Hey, let's make it like the Star Wars ending and have Tony in the woods with the ghosts of Chris, Bobby, and Big Pussy.. `Course, Pussy and Chris wouldn't really be happy to see him..

[Jericholic82 0]

No matter the ending someone will still be pissed. But as a longtime fan, you had to be happy that tony and paulie (personally I was more happy about him) survived and Phil got his in a most appropriate way.

 

my take on the ending is that it was showing that Tonys family had finally got it all together and were happy with their lives (especially AJ)

except for Meadow, who cant park a car apparntly. I think the whole last scene was building up tension purposely, wnating us to think something would happen.

 

for it to just to end abruptly like that , thats what it feels like as a fan, to have the show end, its being ripped out of your life like the last page of a book.

 

at least with Paulie alive, that spinoff is still possible (I had imagined a sitcom type show with paulie, sil, and chris being forced to live together and they get into wacky hijinks like the episode where Paulie and Chris are stuck in the van in the cold.) but Paulie having to live with that cat whould be awesome

[Youth N Asia 0]

I wanted The Zanie Adventures of Christopher and Paulie. Where the show would open with Chris calling him a "one-shoed cocksucker" in every episode.

 

For the most part I was happy with the ending. I think the next to last episode built up for more than what paid off though.

 

I don't know who I hated more throughout the series though. Janice or AJ

[Jericholic82 0]

I wanted The Zanie Adventures of Christopher and Paulie. Where the show would open with Chris calling him a "one-shoed cocksucker" in every episode.

 

For the most part I was happy with the ending. I think the next to last episode built up for more than what paid off though.

 

I don't know who I hated more throughout the series though. Janice or AJ

great questtion, but I guess Janice wins out on that , if only cuz she was a slutty goldigger who could care less for her family

 

as for the chris/paulie show, they could pull it off, as a "flashback" type prequel show that showed what the two of them did when not onscreen in past seasons, like what happened in between season 5 and 6 with the 2 year layoff