Category — TV Rots the Brain

Since it seems that Sopranos fans are still a little emotional from Sunday night I figured I might pass along this link.  Alan Sepinwall at the Star Ledger spoke to David Chase about the finale episode.  See what he has to say here.

No one ever wants to see the truly great shows end so as much as we love a good finale episode it is bittersweet.  Last night’s finale of the Sopranos has everyone in a tizzy.  I have been  through the hoards of comments and I see three different viewpoints on the ending.

The Realist:
“… you know, and I know, and anyone out there who’s been paying attention also knows - what is going to happen next. More of the same of what we’ve been seeing for seven years. And if we’ve been paying attention we know it is fitting for it to end that way.” by monsura.blogspot.com

The Pessimist:
“Apparently, my extreme reaction was typical of many series’ fans: they crashed HBO’s website for a time tonight trying to register their outrage. HBO could suffer a wave of cancellations as a result…  Chase clearly didn’t give a damn about his fans. Instead, he crapped in their faces. This is why America hates Hollywood.” by deadlinehollywooddaily.com

The Opptomist:
“After eight years and so much frenzied anticipation, any ending would have been a letdown. Viewers are conditioned to seek a resolution, happy or sad, so it was almost fitting that this HBO series that was neither comedy nor tragedy should defy expectations in its very last moments. In that way at least “The Sopranos” delivered a perfectly imperfect finish.” by NY Times Reviewer

There is also this floating around on the Internet; an interpretation by a Sopranos fan posted on their forum last night that everyone wants verified by fact (including myself).  Is this a possibility?  We will probably never know …

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!! — quote posted by videostoregf.com

I am sorry. This is going to piss people off but I have to give my opinion on this season of Sopranos. I have been disappointed with the Sopranos since Season 3. The last so-called finale was a big letdown and now the writers have decided to give it a go again. The idea I suppose was to have an entire season of edge-of-your-seat drama and suspense that builds up to a new season finale. A bit of an oxy moron there, huh?

In the last episode the biggest event of any Sopranos season occurs, Chris’s death. And to be honest if it had happened two seasons ago I would have been repeating “oh my god” to the television and then calling everyone I knew. But this past episode was once again a letdown. We all knew that Tony had been contemplating letting Chris go (which in the Mafioso means murder). They have been leading up to it all season. The inherently good part of us doubted that Tony would go through with it but he ended up giving us all the action in the first ten minutes of the show. And from there we see how he unapologeticly and inhumanly deals with the situation. But truth be told it dragged a little bit for me. The old Sopranos would have built up the murder for most of the episode. Ultimately I found the whole episode to be a disappointment and I don’t expect much from tomorrows either. The movement toward the climax (the final episode) has been sluggish and tiresome.

Another blogger I found on Digg named seoclient suggested that one of the following things might happen in the finale episode. I got to tell you that while I could see them all happening the only one that excites me is the last option. Sopranos needs an all-out mafia war to get the show moving again.

1. The Indian Guys that Tony reported to the feds for being suspicious of attempting some sort of terrorist attack, find out that Tony has ratted them out and car bomb him to death.
2. Anthony, Jr. whose behavior has grown increasingly strange and odd, finally flips out completely and drowns Tony in the backyard swimming pool.
3. Phil Leotardo launches an all out Mafia war and whacks Tony (John Gotti style) as payback and remains the last Mafia head standing.

Now all that being said I still think that the show is well written. Although it isn’t serving up as much action as it once had I am not abandoning them right at the end. I stumbled upon this really good episode recap by this New Jersey blogger Alan Sepinwall. Then he followed it up with a little bit about Tony’s last words of the episode, “I get it” or “Idid it”.  I couldnt figure that one out either. I suggest Sopranos watchers should check it out.

CNN came out with this article today on NBC’s upcoming Fall schedule. I wasn’t surprised by the cancellation of Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip. I had once posted the prediction that it would be a great success but after a few episodes I was pretty bored. The interesting bit of news is what is happening with Heroes. I have kept up with this show and I actually really enjoy it. Unlike Lost it answers a few of your questions each episode and keeps the storyline moving quickly. It’s the show you cant miss an episode of. Heroes will be returning this Fall. The big news is that because of a ratings drop (it was on hiatus too long):

“NBC will add “Heroes: Origins.” The spin-off will introduce a new character each week, and viewers will select which one stays for the following season. The two series will have 30 new episodes combined.”

I will stick with Heroes because I think it is a decent show but this Heroes: Origins seems a little gimmicky. I don’t want to turn this decent show into American Idol. I actually like that I cant decide the fate of a series. Sure it pisses me off when something doesn’t go my way, like a kid screaming in the candy aisle, but I trust the writers. They have done pretty good so far. Let me sit on my ass and watch the show and then move on. I am not interested in sitting with the phone hitting redial after every episode.

And a sidenote: I would like to give a personal thanks to the Monsters in the Morning on Real Radio 104.1. Thanks you dumb-asses for spoiling yesterdays episode of Sopranos for me. Probably the most important thing all season happens and you couldn’t remember to say “spoiler” before you spilled. You didn’t give me enough time to run out of the room this time.

Aaaw … Gilmore Girls has finally been cancelled. I guess this was bound to happen. They were ran out of ideas for the show two seasons ago. In fact this past season has been total crap. I still tape it but I fast forward through ½ of the episode. TV Fodder sent the message today that the finale will air on May 15th, which is fast approaching. So if you care to see how the show ends set your DVRs.