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  1. #1

    Sopranos finale

    Did we just get punk'd?!!?

  2. #2
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    I think that if David Chase walked through my front door right now, my wife would kill him. We both feel so...so used.

  3. #3
    alteran is offline All-American, Honorable Mention
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    Ditto. That was lametacular.

  4. #4
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    Sopranos Ending

    You feel used? Why?...because Tony didn't get his brains blown out in the finale? Seems that perhaps David Chase was telling us that, for all its occupational hazards, being a made man is just a job like any other...Tony is just a common working guy with ups and downs like anybody else. I'll have to chew on this ending for a while...that's just my initial reaction.

  5. #5
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    Agree with Raleighfan that it may take awhile to absorb but my initial reaction is that I am still looking forward to the finale. When is that scheduled?

  6. #6
    *laugh*

    Best Sopranos post EVER, my friend

    Yeah, that was pretty lame. When the final big payoff in a series is that "It really did seem like SOMETHING was going to happen, didn't it?!" you are in trouble. I am sorry, I know Chase is all "Life isn't neat, things don't always happen like you expect," but this isn't life, it is a TV show.

    *sigh* How lame.

  7. #7
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    Unhappy What the...

    My first reaction was, "Is this sabotage?, a terrorist plot?, did the cable receiver blow out?-what timing!"

  8. #8
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    The City of Brotherly Love except when it's cold.
    The finale will be the theatrical movie. No wait, there's a sequel.

  9. #9
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    I absolutely loved the episode. Maybe not the actual screen-goes-blank part, though I'm OK with it. The possibility that the screen goes blank because Tony is whacked is a very intriguing one.

    I liked that they paid tribute, one way or another, to so many of the show's characters. Almost everyone significant got a good-bye, even Christopher with the photograph. On another site, someone pointed out that Chase's style at the end of each season was to have the big drama not in the final episode but in the one preceding, with the finale given more to reflection. And so it was.

    I also thought we DID get resolution to the major story lines: Tony is likely to be indicted and has very little chance of beating it; AJ is re-corrupted, and following in T's footsteps even down to the therapy; Meadow remains in denial about her family's true situation while likely setting herself up (unwittingly?) for a supportive role in the Big Family; Paulie would like to retire but can't; Phil is disposed of, and peace of a sort made with NY; Carmela does indeed know what is really going on in Tony's "business," and elects to keep reaping the material benefits.

    Just because Chase didn't show us all the details confirming these things doesn't mean that he didn't give some pretty clear signals. And, to the extent ambiguity remains (did Tony even survive the restaurant? can he beat the FBI rap?), I find that much more satisfying than if things had been resolved with no ambiguity. I think there is no way we were going to get, or be satisfied with, a tidy ending. To me, it would seem less "real," always the show's greatest strength.

    Bravo.
    Last edited by mapei; 06-10-2007 at 11:36 PM.

  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by mapei View Post
    I absolutely loved the episode. Maybe not the actual screen-goes-blank part, though I'm OK with it. The possibility that the screen goes blank because Tony is whacked is a very intriguing one.

    I liked that they paid tribute, one way or another, to so many of the show's characters. Almost everyone significant got a good-bye, even Christopher with the photograph. On another site, someone pointed out that Chase's style at the end of each season was to have the big drama not in the final episode but in the one preceding, with the finale given more to reflection. And so it was.

    I also thought we DID get resolution to the major story lines: Tony is likely to be indicted and has very little chance of beating it; AJ is re-corrupted, and following in T's footsteps even down to the therapy; Meadow remains in denial about her family's true situation while likely setting herself up (unwittingly?) for a supportive role in the Big Family; Paulie would like to retire but can't; Phil is disposed of, and peace of a sort made with NY; Carmela does indeed know what is really going on in Tony's "business," and elects to keep reaping the material benefits.

    Just because Chase didn't show us all the details confirming these things doesn't mean that he didn't give some pretty clear signals. And, to the extent ambiguity remains (did Tony even survive the restaurant? can he beat the FBI rap?), I find that much more satisfying than if things had been resolved with no ambiguity. I think there is no way we were going to get, or be satisfied with, a tidy ending. To me, it would seem less "real," always the show's greatest strength.

    Bravo.
    I agree completely. I hadn't considered the possibility that the blackout indicated Tony's death. I was, however, satisfied. A lot of the complaints throughout the series' life hae been with direct regard to the plot. But in the end, David Chase never intended to tell, "What happens to these people?". He was always more interested in "Who are these people?".

  11. #11
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    Quote Originally Posted by wilson View Post
    I agree completely. I hadn't considered the possibility that the blackout indicated Tony's death. I was, however, satisfied. A lot of the complaints throughout the series' life hae been with direct regard to the plot. But in the end, David Chase never intended to tell, "What happens to these people?". He was always more interested in "Who are these people?".
    Agreed. Although I was initially confused, then angry, the ending has already grown on me. This show is ultimately about life, particularly as it relates to Tony's two families. In fact, if I remember correctly, when the show was first set to air, it was advertised almost as a comedy -- Tony could deal with the "family" if he could only survive his own.

    The Sopranos has always, at its heart, been about the "actual" Sopranos. And in the end, we see them together. Well, not really together -- Meadow is still struggling to parallel park. And what's more frustratingly real than that? We see at least three characters who make us think "Tony's going down." But we're left with nothing. Did one of those three hit Tony? Is that why it went dark? Maybe. But, more likely, life just went on. And that makes the episode more like good literature and less like formulaic pop culture for an instant-gratification world. I suspect the people who truly loathe this ending also think "24" is Emmy-worthy, featuring good writing. Me? It might not have been what I preferred initially, but it's growing on me already.
    Last edited by Jumbo; 06-11-2007 at 09:18 AM. Reason: typo

  12. #12
    alteran is offline All-American, Honorable Mention
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jumbo View Post
    I suspect the people who truly loathe this ending also thing "24" is Emmy-worthy, featuring good writing.
    Hey, no need to get nasty. ;-)

  13. #13
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    Headache

    Does anyone else still have a headache thinking about Phil's demise? I can't get that scene out of my head.
    Rich
    "Failure is Not a Destination"
    Coach K on the Dan Patrick Show, December 22, 2016

  14. #14
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    Damnit Jumbo,

    You watch basketball with a better eye than I do, and now I learn that you watch TV that way, too.

    I've watched the finale again since the first run, and I've totally reversed my initial opinion. It doesn't make any sense to have enjoyed the Sopranos for so long in part because it was so different from most everything else on television and then to be disappointed when Chase didn't do what most writers have, which is to put a nice, neat bow on the show and send us on our collective way.

    Great literature is great literature because there's enough there there for people to chew on long past the release date. I don't know if The Sopranos rises to the standard of great literature, but the fact that I'll be thinking about the show for years to come bodes well for Chase's grand project.

    Well played, Mr. Chase.

  15. #15
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    Another thing about the ending:
    I think Chase is trying to remind us all that these mobsters, interesting and even likeable as they have been over the years, are not good people. The psychological study thread in the last couple of episodes was his most heavyhanded way of saying that while Tony has a "soft side," he is first and foremost a sociopath. At the series' close, he is enjoying a loving gathering of what might be any ordinary family "made in America." But the ominous undercurrent reminds the viewer that, even in the most tender of moments, death hangs over the entire enterprise. Tony is a merchant of death, and in his particular line of work, business can't help but get brought home. Just ask Adriana La Cerva (or any one of many others). For his part, Tony is irretrievably caught. He can't exactly apply for a new job, even though his current one places him and his family in great danger.
    As for Carmela, Meadow, and AJ, they are complicit in the whole thing. It's of course never explicitly acknowledged, but they know what Tony does (especially after going on "DEFCON 4," as AJ put it, during the war). They benefit greatly from the nicer side of his work (the money, the respect, etc.). But they also wear part of the target that is constantly on his back. Sure, they might be about to get whacked in the diner, but they might be about to get whacked anywhere, at any time. That's life for them, and as Tony reminded us, "once you're in this family, there's no getting out." That's why it's easy to understand, as Chase suggested at the series' close, why AJ might get into the "family business" via the movie industry, why even Meadow might do so via the legal profession (an aside--wish I could watch her inability to resist the family's gravitational pull and her subsequent emergence as, doubtless, a terrific mob lawyer), and why Carmela says to herself, "well, I've got few other choices, so as long as Tony keeps buying me jewelry and fur coats and Porsches, I'll just convince myself that all is well and maybe he really is in construction, with the periodic assistance of Father Intintola."
    Last edited by wilson; 06-11-2007 at 09:54 AM.

  16. #16
    I thought the ending was superb. After creating a series of impressions that conveyed a sense of the vulnerability of Tony and his family, and then developing a crescendo of apprehension about potential imminent threats to their safety even in relatively mundane surroundings, the director left the viewers immersed in those uneasy feelings. What I found interesting was that neither Tony nor any members of his family seemed the least bit uneasy or "on guard"--signifying, I suppose, that (a) ordinary people like us simply cannot comprehend what it must be like to live under that kind of constant apprehension; and (b) those who reap the benefits of that life must be willing to pay that price, and manage somehow to adjust and accept it.

  17. #17
    I'm in the thumbs up camp.

    At first I was a little bit bothered by how fairy tale it all was - with Tony in the backyard raking leaves, I thought to myself "this guy was totally in purgatory, if not Hell, the last six episodes. He's done nothing to atone, and now all the threads are ending happily?" Where's the comeuppance?

    But the final long scene brought it home for me. My heart was pounding after it was over, even though with any other characters or show it would have been the most mundane scene ever. I mean, has anyone managed to fit that much tension into a young woman parallel parking before? It reinforced once more that despite the veneer of normalcy Tony's managed to add to his life, he could die or get arrested at any moment, in any place. Every day. He's screwed, despite the happy family vision at the end. Potential threats are all around him at all times.

    I like the "he just got capped" explanation of the blackout at the end. That's what happened to Phil. Never knew it was coming, he just went from speaking to blackness. I doubt that's what Chase had in mind, but it reinforces the whole anytime, anywhere issue nonetheless.

    Other memorable parts for me: Carm complaining about the odor at the new house. So symbolic on so many levels. The Phil death scene was incredible. So unbelievably gruesome but somehow made me almost chuckle at the same time. The cat and Tony and Paulie's reaction to it were fantastic. Paulie had some of the funniest lines he's had in years. The FBI agent's reaction to Phil's offing was totally unexpected to me. What was that all about? Wow. Tony going on and on about his mother with AJ's counselor. His vision of the future when he visits Junior was great, too (as well as his placing Bobby's kids above Janice in the order of importance).

    Chase totally was toying with people with the final words, though: "Don't stop" with the cut to black was cruel.

    I see now, after posting, that stray and billybreen just said what I wanted to, and much more succinctly, so sorry for being slow on the trigger and verbose.

  18. #18
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    Okay. I have it all figured out. Marketing genius. Rush release season eight on DVD. Have alternative endings that the user can determine. Tony turns into government witness. A.J. whacks Tony. Carmela leaves Tony for Dr. Melfi. Imagine the possibilities. Best-selling DVD of all time.

  19. #19
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    Above I posted that they paid tribute to most of the show's main characters. They also paid tribute to the show's main locales: Satriale's; the Bing; Tony's house; a therapist's office. It's amazing how much he managed to get into 61 minutes that I am sure were much more tightly edited than it seemed.

    And, of course, to music, some of which we didn't hear but saw only as titles on a jukebox. Every episode ends with such evocative music . . . except this one, which just ends.
    Last edited by mapei; 06-11-2007 at 12:37 PM. Reason: grammar

  20. #20
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    Life in the Real Mob

    Quote Originally Posted by wilson View Post
    As for Carmela, Meadow, and AJ, they are complicit in the whole thing. It's of course never explicitly acknowledged, but they know what Tony does (especially after going on "DEFCON 4," as AJ put it, during the war). They benefit greatly from the nicer side of his work (the money, the respect, etc.). But they also wear part of the target that is constantly on his back. Sure, they might be about to get whacked in the diner, but they might be about to get whacked anywhere, at any time. That's life for them, and as Tony reminded us, "once you're in this family, there's no getting out."
    If this subject matter interests you, there's an excellent book written by Henry "Goodfellas" Hill's children about growing up in a real mob family. The bad far, far outweighs the good. It's called On the Run: A Mafia Childhood. Here's a link to Amazon.

    http://www.amazon.com/Run-Mafia-Chil...1581153&sr=8-1
    Rich
    "Failure is Not a Destination"
    Coach K on the Dan Patrick Show, December 22, 2016

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