Sopranos Ends Badly
Just watched the Sopranos finale on HBO... and my word, was it disappointing. I haven't been so disappointed at a series finale since Seinfeld ended with the cast in fake prison.
So, the last scene shows Tony and Carmela and A.J. in the diner, and a Suspicious-Looking Hitman Type lurking in the background as Meadow rushes in the door.
Dave's current theory is that Meadow is running in with bad news. Debatable. I was all pumped for Meadow to walk in on her family getting whacked by the Suspicious Hitman Type. But maybe nothing happens? And maybe they all get whacked? Or maybe just Tony?
I'm imagining that if Tony gets indicted, his lawyer is going to get him off the hook again. The guy seems really good.
I was also kind of hoping that Tony would flip, just to save himself-- that would have been unexpected. But totally out of character, so ultimately not a possibility. The writers were clearly teasing us (the audience) with this idea, however-- when Tony got into the car with his friend the FBI agent, things looked set up for Tony to go over to the other side.
But. You can't just end a series with a blackout. David Chase, you have really pissed me off. A blackout? Seriously? You have got to be kidding me. What a cop-out. At least give me another montage of scenes from New Jersey, or a shot twenty years in the future with a gray-haired Tony Soprano watching Meadow's kids graduate from high school, or a shot at Uncle Junior's funeral, or Domenica having Janice committed because Janice is a Borderline Personality Disorder wacko like Tony and Janice's mom. Something. Didn't you see the end of Six Feet Under, David Chase? Now that was an ending.
Give me an epilogue. If I've committed to watching an entire series, I want it finished off with a glimpse into the future. I want finality. Uncertainty is for the birds. Life is uncertain; TV shows are about plot. Life has little to no plot, and I super-duper don't want my television to haunt me with unresolved narrative threads. We crave the narrative climax and the resolution-- they're part of what we understand storytelling to be, throughout the world and throughout cultures.
Freakin' TV. I hate you tonight.
So, the last scene shows Tony and Carmela and A.J. in the diner, and a Suspicious-Looking Hitman Type lurking in the background as Meadow rushes in the door.
Dave's current theory is that Meadow is running in with bad news. Debatable. I was all pumped for Meadow to walk in on her family getting whacked by the Suspicious Hitman Type. But maybe nothing happens? And maybe they all get whacked? Or maybe just Tony?
I'm imagining that if Tony gets indicted, his lawyer is going to get him off the hook again. The guy seems really good.
I was also kind of hoping that Tony would flip, just to save himself-- that would have been unexpected. But totally out of character, so ultimately not a possibility. The writers were clearly teasing us (the audience) with this idea, however-- when Tony got into the car with his friend the FBI agent, things looked set up for Tony to go over to the other side.
But. You can't just end a series with a blackout. David Chase, you have really pissed me off. A blackout? Seriously? You have got to be kidding me. What a cop-out. At least give me another montage of scenes from New Jersey, or a shot twenty years in the future with a gray-haired Tony Soprano watching Meadow's kids graduate from high school, or a shot at Uncle Junior's funeral, or Domenica having Janice committed because Janice is a Borderline Personality Disorder wacko like Tony and Janice's mom. Something. Didn't you see the end of Six Feet Under, David Chase? Now that was an ending.
Give me an epilogue. If I've committed to watching an entire series, I want it finished off with a glimpse into the future. I want finality. Uncertainty is for the birds. Life is uncertain; TV shows are about plot. Life has little to no plot, and I super-duper don't want my television to haunt me with unresolved narrative threads. We crave the narrative climax and the resolution-- they're part of what we understand storytelling to be, throughout the world and throughout cultures.
Freakin' TV. I hate you tonight.
posted by meredith at 10:26 PM
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