Wesley’s Week – June 11-17, 2007

by Wesley

All right, I will ask you the obvious question I heard from many people recently: “So, what did you think of the way The Sopranos ended?”

For me, it was mainly disappointment. It was not really a conclusion, just a sudden cutoff in the middle of the story. It offered no real resolution, and the claims by David Chase, its creator (as well as writer and director in this episode), that answers exist in the show if you watched it carefully just comes across to me as a copout designed to encourage DVD sales when the final season is released, or demand a movie sequel for the series. (Chase also insisted that there were no alternate endings shot, contrary to what some people reported.)

As luck would have it, I was invited to be a guest on the Harry Ham radio show on KMOX St. Louis Sunday night after the show aired, and man, were the callers on that program steamed at the way it ended. Even Harry the host was irked beyond belief, to the degree that he asked me whether it was so bad that Emmy voters could retract the Outstanding Drama win they gave the show in 2004! Talk about incensed. I told them I thought it was pretty unfulfilling, which did not quite satisfy the ravenous mob, but they still kept me on the air, thankfully.

In a certain way, I can sympathize with the dilemma Chase faced. If he killed Tony, some fans would think it was a betrayal of a character they had come to see as the ultimate antihero. If Tony survived, then what good will . So he went with really neither option. That was a weak way to handle his situation if you asked me, though.

This all would not be any national controversy if it was not for the fact that The Sopranos arguably is the greatest show ever on television (or at least it was until the finale). Chase stayed with the series throughout its run, something other producers have failed to do as their interest in their projects wane, and he infused it with witty dialogue, symbolic representation and references from pop culture to classical literature. Those who thought the show provided a negative portrayal of Italians – or New Jersey, for that matter – obviously never saw an episode, since it was much more than that.

It remained so strong that after eight years on the air, during which time most series have faded in popularity if not already cancelled, the last show of The Sopranos “whacked” the Tony Awards on CBS and the NBA finals on ABC in the ratings, getting more than 12 million viewers. For a summertime show on a pay cable station such as HBO, that kind of audience is incredible.

And now The Sopranos is history, and HBO has to wonder if there is life after this program. I believe so – creativity in Hollywood is not the sole dominion of David Chase, despite what some may think – and maybe, just maybe, HBO will find a show that is even a bigger critical and commercial hit, not to mention having a final episode that satisfies more viewers. Let’s all hope so.

One final thought: Did you ever think a TV show would make you pore over the lyrics of a slightly tiresome 1980s hit like Don’t Stop Believing by Journey? No, I did not think so either.

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