Sopranos: Love It Or Hate It?

It was a battle of the Tony’s Sunday night:

I had no interest in the Tony Awards and very little in Tony Parker leading San Antonio to an easy win over Cleveland in the NBA Finals. However like millions of others I was glued to my chair until 10:03 to learn the fate of Tony Soprano.

Now I know many are already ripping the finale of The Sopranos…my wife and son both were disappointed in the ending which left it up to your imagination. However I think it was very well done and most of the viewers who are upset are those who wanted a blood bath with a clear picture of who, if anyone was left standing. The only significant whacking in the 86th and final episode saw rival mob boss Phil Leotardo crushed and that’s an understatement.

However while series creator David Chase leaves it up to us to draw our own conclusions he did give us final images of the main characters, who all appear to be heading in a good direction. Tony has legal issues to deal with but not Phil any longer and he’s made some peace with Uncle Junior while insuring his sister is taken care of. Carmela stayed by Tony’s side but certainly has had enough of listening to him complain about his childhood and may continue to dabble in real estate. AJ has turned the corner and his depression seems to be over…the new girlfriend doesn’t hurt. Meadow is headed to law school, a nice job and marriage.

However where Chase was masterful was the final scene in which the family has gathered at a local diner and we viewers are thinking somebody is certainly going to be killed. Tony is the first to arrive and he’s scanning the juke box and viewing titles like “I’m Still Alive” and “Magic Man” before selecting “Don’t Stop Believing.” While waiting for the rest of the family suspicious-looking characters are shown coming in the door, which jingles every time it’s opened. Carmela arrives and moments later AJ follows and we see Meadow having trouble parking her car. Just then a man sitting at the counter heads to the bathroom and I’m thinking this is going to be like “The Godfather” and he’ll return with a gun and start firing. But that doesn’t happen…at least we don’t see it. Meadow finally gets to the door, opens it and the screen goes black. You finally realize it’s not a problem with your cable but the end of the most talked-about show in TV history.

You might be disappointed…I’m happy Tony lives on. Unless those onion rings at the diner were poisoned.