here it is; feel free to drop a comment and let me know what you think:
"I must admit, I'm torn up about the episode. Part of me loves it. That was the absolutly most dramatic way it could end. Tony getting out of the business would have been sappy, overdone, and (I think) not in line with the rest of the show. Tony and the family getting killed would have been expected, overly dramatic, and not really in line with the rest of the show. But the way it did end was like "well, that's it..." with an elipsis. Just like the show has always been, an elipsis. No conclusions. No TV drama. It, more than most shows, did not cave in to television/movie conventions. It was not a story about a TV family; it was a story about a 'real' family. Yours or mine. This one just happens to be a mafia family, but its really not so different from anyone elses. And it ends in the in a very 'realistic' way: that is to say, it doesn't. As the last words in the episode say: "Don't stop..." Our minds fill in the "believin'."
So I loved the ending, right? well, yes I did. But at the same time, I think it was a little bit of a cop out. This was probably the easiest way for the writters to end the serries: without doing anything. Indeed, they build all that tension in the final scene (more on that in a second), but then the show ends before even a hint of a payoff. Again, I get it. And part of me really likes it. But as realistic as this is...as much of a docudrama about an american family it is, it is still a television show. And we, as faithful viewers need some closure. Instead we get a
But I still loved it. When the show ended, I said, out loud, "What the f***!" I honestly thought my TiVo didn't record everything. It was an amazing, gut reaction. It will be remembered.
Now, a few quick points. I don't think that Tony dies after the black out. First, that is the TV drama ending that everyone expects. And, as we have seen, Sopranos does not give you what you expect. Second, it doesnt seem to fit with the "Families don't get hurt" stuff and the resolutions made in the final episode. Still, there was all that tension in the final scene. What I think that is is the life that Tony lives and will always live: there will always be that threat out there. So, the final scene is filled with tension. How much suspense can be built from Meadow trying to park a car? Holy crap! But its all a red herring. Its there but it isn't there. We see the suspicious guy sitting at the bar. We see the suspicious guy with the hat. But that doesn't mean they are killers. The point is: they could be... in the life of Tony. The threat is there but it is not there. Families don't go to war now. The real threat in Tony's life is from the upcomming indictments, not the guy at the bar. But Tony will be forever suspicious. So, he will always raise his head when someone comes in the door, just in case. In case it is a killer or a FBI. Who knows?
But what about the 5 or so seconds of black without any music? Good question. It could signify death, but I think that is too obvious. I think this is the 'the series is over' queue, not the 'the family is over' queue. It was like lowing the curtain and the lights. The play is done. What happens happens. Life goes on, but the Sopranos show is done. There are stories that will never be told... and they will be more stories of a family just like yours and mine. Music would have suggested a continuance--some sort of resolution. Instead you have none--just like life. In life there aren't resolutions. There is just life.
So yea, I was frustrated by the episode. And I wish that there were answers. But this ending was amazing nevertheless. I am sure that people will disagree with me, but that is just another reason the episode was so great: it leads to coversations."
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