Anti-Climatic Ending To Sopranos’ Televised Run
June 11th, 2007 in Reviews, TV
When A.J. Soprano has most of the lines in an episode of the once excellent Sopranos, you know the episode is not going to deliver. And that is exactly what happened on Sunday night as David Chase disappointed most regular viewers of the show by capping off the flagship HBO drama in a head-scratching manner. The one positive for ‘Sopranos’ regular viewers is that Chase left open the possibility for keeping the show alive by not really “ending the show”. As the screen went black in the last scene, with the Soprano family dining at a restaurant, it left the possibility for the show to comeback as a HBO special or as a movie. The only problem with that would be, would anybody want to watch it after Chase imploded most of the show in its final season?
It is a difficult task to end a show after 8 years of being part of the pop-culture lexicon. The show went from must-see TV to a show that, while at times showing flashes of its former brilliance, couldn’t really live up to its former glory’s in the final years. If you disagree with that assessment, pop in the DVDs of the first four seasons (especially the first two) and compare it to what it has become. That is the problem with anything that is successful. Making an analogy to sports, Ken Griffey Jr, while being a great Major League Baseball hitter, will always be judged on what he has done in the past. The Sopranos is no different and while being a “great show” by comparison of what is out on television, it was nowhere near the standard that it once set in the beginning few seasons.
On to the ending: Was it a cop out? I watched with 6 other Sopranos diehards tonight and most were disappointed. I, on the other hand, liked the fact that Chase kept open the possibility of some kind of return, and how he kept you on the edge of the seat to see if something would happen to Tony in the final scene of the show. They even gave a nod to ‘The Godfather’ as the suspicious man that headed to the bathroom made you wonder if he was going to pull a stunt out of Michael Corleone’s book of tricks.
Overall, with ‘The Sopranos” moving on it is the end of the era of a show that will go down in the annals as one of the best television dramas of all time. Although I was disappointed with the past few seasons, it may have been more of a natural reaction to something I wanted to live forever. Thanks for the great memories.
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June 11th, 2007 at 6:09 am
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July 19th, 2007 at 3:50 pm
Just saw the finale. I’m with you, Frank, I liked the ending. The Sopranos always had a talent at having unconventional endings. What other show would end an episode with John Cooper Clarke’s ‘Chickentown’? The closing moments were very frustrating, but ultimately good. I think it refers to the repetitive anxiety that permeates Tony’s life. Everyone is a danger. The ultimate trragedy is that his very own daughter, when entering the restaurant, is reacted to as a threat. Tony is never able to enjoy family life. that is his doom.