… and I’m guessing there are millions of people out there who feel gipped, and I did too. At first.
** Spoilers to follow **
When I woke up this morning to people on the radio (on ESPN Radio, no less) inevitably talking about the surprise (surprise because there was no big surprise at the end) ending in the series finale, I think I’ve come around to thinking that not only is the ending a good one, but it fits perfectly within the framework of what David Chase had painstakingly laid out over all these years.
The Sopranos, more than any other show, has always explored the idea of morality, and how there never is a clear cut way to judge someone, a situation, etc. I, like many other fans I’m sure, wondered if something had gone wrong with our cable during those 3 “dead” seconds after the last cut (after an incredibly choreographed scene at the diner). Now I believe that Chase put those 3 seconds in there to invite force the viewer to examine what fate Tony and his family should endure after having gotten a window into their lives and their consciences over the years.
Should they go on with their lives the way they were when we first met them or should Tony suffer consequences for all the people he’s killed (including friends and family), money he’s laundered and women he’s cheated on Carmela with? After showing us how his characters reacted to so many ambiguous moral situations over the years Chase is ultimately asking the audience to take a stand and fill those last 3 seconds with the fate they think should befall the Soprano family – not because he was copping out but because it supports the “everything is morally subjective” thread he’d woven throught the sometimes inconsistent, often brilliant series.
MSNBC has a good writeup with this final nugget to chew on…
Many viewers are already claiming that the show fading to black was because Tony was (silently, offscreen) shot at the same time as Meadow entered the diner — the black screen popped up as his life was extinguished, is their thinking, reaching back to the first episode of the season, where Bobby and Tony discuss how death can sneak up on you.
… and the more I think about it (I need to watch the final scene again, specifically the look on Meadow’s face when she walks into the restaurant, cause I seem to remember a look of surprise), but I think this makes sense, especially when you consider that they replayed that scene on the boat with Bobby and Tony just last week. Look at how Phil Leotardo died. For him, things would have just abruptly “cut to black” as well. The Sopranos was a show told from the point of view of Tony and it would make sense that the moment he is gone, so is the show.
For me, the sign of a good ending to a show is one that gets you to keep thinking/talking about it. Like Six Feet Under a few years ago, the Sopranos has ended in a way that provides some fertile ground for continued thought and discussion.
Update: Here’s a fascinating analysis from one of Dennis’s friends. I can’t say I remember the last couple off the top of my head, but the Leotardo connnection would be the most important one I think and that can be verified with another quick viewing on HBO this week.
OK, at first I was really angry. I mean really, really angry. I can’t believe though that no-one has posted by now what happened. The only thing I saw that was right, was that in the last scene we are seeing through Tony’s eyes. Remember when he was speaking with Bobby…basically saying that you don’t see it happening?So here is what I found out. The guy at the bar is also credited as Nikki Leotardo. The same actor played him in the first part of season 6 during a brief sit down concerning the future of Vito. That wasn’t that long ago. Apparently, he is the nephew of Phil. Phil’s brother Nikki Senior was killed in 1976 in a car accident. Absolutely Genius!!!! David Chase is truly rewarding the true fans who pay attention to detail.
So the point would have been that life continues and we may never know the end of the Sopranos. But if you pay attention to the history, you will find that all the answers lie in the characters in the restaurant. The trucker was the brother of the guy who was robbed by Christopher in Season 2. Remember the DVD players? The trucker had to identify the body. The boy scouts were in the train store and the black guys at the end were the ones who tried to kill Tony and only clipped him in the ear (was that season 2 or 3?).
Absolutely incredible!!!! There were three people in the restaurant who had reason to kill Tony and then it just ends. This was Chase’s way of proving that he will not escape his past. It will not go on forever despite that he would like it to “don’t stop”. Not the fans!!! Tony would like it to keep going but just as we have to say goodbye, so does he. No more Tony and I guess we are supposed to be happy that Meadow didn’t get clipped as well (she would have been between the shooter and Tony) since she is the only one worth a crap in that family.
Thank you David Chase for making it so obscure that I feel bad for hating you at first. Absolutely amazing!!!!”
Update #2: Turns out the guy at the end of the bar was a local pizzeria owner/huge fan of the show near where they were filming. This smells like a (impressively rapidly forming) urban legend to me.
Update #3: I was pointed to this post recently and its by far the best and most thorough analysis of that final scene. A long read, but definitely worth it for fans of the show.
