Comments on: So long to The Sopranos http://yankees.lhblogs.com/2007/06/11/so-long-to-the-sopranos/ A Yankees Blog by Journal News beat writer Peter Abraham Wed, 07 Jan 2009 00:13:04 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.3 By: 'Annie Savoy' http://yankees.lhblogs.com/2007/06/11/so-long-to-the-sopranos/#comment-61606 'Annie Savoy' Tue, 12 Jun 2007 12:33:54 +0000 http://yankees.lhblogs.com/2007/06/11/so-long-to-the-sopranos/#comment-61606 Anyone know the viewing demographics for this show? I've got a bet that many more men watched the Sopranos than women. Anyone know the viewing demographics for this show? I’ve got a bet that many more men watched the Sopranos than women.

]]> By: harley http://yankees.lhblogs.com/2007/06/11/so-long-to-the-sopranos/#comment-61577 harley Tue, 12 Jun 2007 02:52:43 +0000 http://yankees.lhblogs.com/2007/06/11/so-long-to-the-sopranos/#comment-61577 Chase has now emerged (from hiding) in France to insist the ending was not meant to "mess with anyone's minds." He protests, of course, too much. Chase has now emerged (from hiding) in France to insist the ending was not meant to “mess with anyone’s minds.”

He protests, of course, too much.

]]> By: Jim Clark http://yankees.lhblogs.com/2007/06/11/so-long-to-the-sopranos/#comment-61574 Jim Clark Tue, 12 Jun 2007 02:45:51 +0000 http://yankees.lhblogs.com/2007/06/11/so-long-to-the-sopranos/#comment-61574 It reminded me of Ed Whitson as a Yankee It reminded me of Ed Whitson as a Yankee

]]> By: lauren http://yankees.lhblogs.com/2007/06/11/so-long-to-the-sopranos/#comment-61571 lauren Tue, 12 Jun 2007 02:30:37 +0000 http://yankees.lhblogs.com/2007/06/11/so-long-to-the-sopranos/#comment-61571 there are good people on this site. this is the one place I came today where the majority of people aren't whining about the ending! i feel like i said goodbye to family, I will miss this show so much. could truly be Top 3 of all time shows. Pete, couldn't agree more with your interpretation, well put. thanks for acknowledging it. p.s. does anyone know what was up with the cat?!?!? why was it staring at Chris? there are good people on this site. this is the one place I came today where the majority of people aren’t whining about the ending!

i feel like i said goodbye to family, I will miss this show so much. could truly be Top 3 of all time shows.

Pete, couldn’t agree more with your interpretation, well put. thanks for acknowledging it.

p.s. does anyone know what was up with the cat?!?!? why was it staring at Chris?

]]> By: DesignatedBlogger http://yankees.lhblogs.com/2007/06/11/so-long-to-the-sopranos/#comment-61563 DesignatedBlogger Tue, 12 Jun 2007 01:54:35 +0000 http://yankees.lhblogs.com/2007/06/11/so-long-to-the-sopranos/#comment-61563 Coincidentally, I watched an old episode of the Rockford Files tonight that was written by David Chase. The two mafia thugs who beat up Jim were named Tony (also Anthony-Boy) and Syl! Hmm...sounds familiar! Chase was a writer/producer for the last few seasons of Rockford. Coincidentally, I watched an old episode of the Rockford Files tonight that was written by David Chase. The two mafia thugs who beat up Jim were named Tony (also Anthony-Boy) and Syl! Hmm…sounds familiar! Chase was a writer/producer for the last few seasons of Rockford.

]]> By: maigi http://yankees.lhblogs.com/2007/06/11/so-long-to-the-sopranos/#comment-61538 maigi Mon, 11 Jun 2007 23:01:30 +0000 http://yankees.lhblogs.com/2007/06/11/so-long-to-the-sopranos/#comment-61538 david chase thinks he is stanley kubrick and lets face it he is far from that. hes no genius thats for sure. david chase thinks he is stanley kubrick and lets face it he is far from that. hes no genius thats for sure.

]]> By: harley http://yankees.lhblogs.com/2007/06/11/so-long-to-the-sopranos/#comment-61516 harley Mon, 11 Jun 2007 21:40:45 +0000 http://yankees.lhblogs.com/2007/06/11/so-long-to-the-sopranos/#comment-61516 That the show was about family, er, Tony and HIS family, is indisputable. That one should not expect Chase to tie up everything in a neat bow is also fair enough. But the last five minutes were a monumental tease, wholly out of kilter with most of what went before it, and largely designed to call attention to the man who wrote and directed them. Hey. Call a guy a genius for eight years and this is what you get. But the show -- and those who watched it -- deserved better. That's not to argue for a shootout or unexpected death or anything else. In fact the idea behind the ending would have worked just fine. Tony back where he belongs more than anywhere else. With his wife, daughter, and son. And if Chase had the courage of his convictions, that's what you would have got. Rather than the fake-tension vaudeville routine we ended up with. That the show was about family, er, Tony and HIS family, is indisputable. That one should not expect Chase to tie up everything in a neat bow is also fair enough. But the last five minutes were a monumental tease, wholly out of kilter with most of what went before it, and largely designed to call attention to the man who wrote and directed them.

Hey. Call a guy a genius for eight years and this is what you get. But the show—and those who watched it—deserved better. That’s not to argue for a shootout or unexpected death or anything else. In fact the idea behind the ending would have worked just fine. Tony back where he belongs more than anywhere else. With his wife, daughter, and son. And if Chase had the courage of his convictions, that’s what you would have got. Rather than the fake-tension vaudeville routine we ended up with.

]]> By: steve http://yankees.lhblogs.com/2007/06/11/so-long-to-the-sopranos/#comment-61513 steve Mon, 11 Jun 2007 21:32:45 +0000 http://yankees.lhblogs.com/2007/06/11/so-long-to-the-sopranos/#comment-61513 I thought it was the perfect. perfect ending. I thought it was brilliant. We're left with what the show has always been -- it shows the combination of the mundane and the constant terror (the piano hanging over their heads) that has been there from Day 1. Tony and his family eating onion rings, while at every second there lurks someone who might kill them. David Chase played up all that we've learned from movies and TV in the past to make that scene so tense -- Oh no, Meadow's going to walk in 30 seconds late because of her parking, which will be the only reason she wasn't gunned down by the guy who went to the bathroom! -- but that's just what these guys all live with every day, which makes their mundane stuff (panic attacks, mother issues, malaprops) so absurd in context. Plus, the quick cut to black allows the viewers to imagine what happened -- Tony was killed (and never saw the bullet coming, which is why it went to black), they all ate delicious fried food, the Feds were coming, etc. -- and no one ending is the only option. We have to live with the ambiguity and terror that these guys live with all the time. They're like everyone else -- they eat onion rings, their kids whine, etc., but in the meantime every person who walks into the restaurant is a potential threat to kill them. This combination is The Sopranos. It's exactly what we should have expected from David Chase. If you expected everything to tie up neatly, you haven't been paying attention to David Chase. I thought it was the perfect. perfect ending. I thought it was brilliant.
We’re left with what the show has always been—it
shows the combination of the mundane and the constant terror (the piano hanging
over their heads) that has been there from Day 1. Tony and his family eating
onion rings, while at every second there lurks someone who might kill them.
David Chase played up all that we’ve learned from movies and TV in the past to
make that scene so tense—Oh no, Meadow’s going to walk in 30 seconds late
because of her parking, which will be the only reason she wasn’t gunned down by
the guy who went to the bathroom!—but that’s just what these guys all live
with every day, which makes their mundane stuff (panic attacks, mother issues,
malaprops) so absurd in context.

Plus, the quick cut to black allows the viewers to imagine what happened—Tony
was killed (and never saw the bullet coming, which is why it went to black),
they all ate delicious fried food, the Feds were coming, etc.—and no one
ending is the only option. We have to live with the ambiguity and terror that
these guys live with all the time. They’re like everyone else—they eat onion
rings, their kids whine, etc., but in the meantime every person who walks into
the restaurant is a potential threat to kill them. This combination is The
Sopranos.

It’s exactly what we should have expected from David Chase. If you expected
everything to tie up neatly, you haven’t been paying attention to David Chase.

]]> By: kyuzo http://yankees.lhblogs.com/2007/06/11/so-long-to-the-sopranos/#comment-61512 kyuzo Mon, 11 Jun 2007 21:29:30 +0000 http://yankees.lhblogs.com/2007/06/11/so-long-to-the-sopranos/#comment-61512 that episode was awful. I feel like a sucker for sticking with it for so long. The story arc died years ago. that episode was awful. I feel like a sucker for sticking with it for so long. The story arc died years ago.

]]> By: Jeff http://yankees.lhblogs.com/2007/06/11/so-long-to-the-sopranos/#comment-61499 Jeff Mon, 11 Jun 2007 20:52:44 +0000 http://yankees.lhblogs.com/2007/06/11/so-long-to-the-sopranos/#comment-61499 Mr Vegas wrote:"Because that’s what storytelling is. If there’s no ending, it’s not a complete story. What Chase did is like a comic who gives the setup to his jokes but never says the punchlines. You could defend the absence of punchlines as some kind of artistic choice, but nobody would find it very entertaining." That is the whole point vegas. Life goes on. He treated this as the last episode in an ongoing life as opposed to a grand finale. And Speak for yourself. I found last night's episode te be very entertaining. I don't think he ended the story like that just to be jerk .. I think that is just how he wanted to end it. A "life goes on" type ending. Because that is how life usually ends up. No epic hollywood endings or grand bows .. it just goes on and on .. just like the lyrics of that journey tune playing in the background. I truly think he was trying to get that message across, as opposed to being a spiteful jerk (or maybe a little bit of both). Mr Vegas wrote:”Because that’s what storytelling is. If there’s no ending, it’s not a complete story. What Chase did is like a comic who gives the setup to his jokes but never says the punchlines. You could defend the absence of punchlines as some kind of artistic choice, but nobody would find it very entertaining.”
That is the whole point vegas. Life goes on. He treated this as the last episode in an ongoing life as opposed to a grand finale. And Speak for yourself. I found last night’s episode te be very entertaining. I don’t think he ended the story like that just to be jerk .. I think that is just how he wanted to end it.

A “life goes on” type ending. Because that is how life usually ends up. No epic hollywood endings or grand bows .. it just goes on and on .. just like the lyrics of that journey tune playing in the background. I truly think he was trying to get that message across, as opposed to being a spiteful jerk (or maybe a little bit of both).

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