My Take on the Sopranos Series Finale

June 11, 2007

Before you begin, here is your serious spoiler warning (duh). I will be talking about the ending, mostly.

Are all the time-shifters gone? Good.

Everyone seems to be pissed off about how the series ended. After some thought, I'm totally at ease (and I kinda called it, too). While he didn't get whacked, didn't end up in jail and he didn't, well, he didn't end up doing anything, the man was at peace. With the potential threat of jail time, someone trying to kill him, A.J.'s mental health, Meadow's uncertain future and an inept family (blood and otherwise), he ordered some delicious onion rings.

Halfway through the episode Tony self-diagnoses himself in front of A.J.'s shrink and seems pretty easy going about it (he wasn't tense and confrontational, like in his normal sessions). Before the final, nerve-wracking scene, we see Tony visit Junior and he appears to have accepted that Junior is sick and it's time to move on. When we get to the final scene Tony puts on the karaoke classic, "Don't Stop Believin'", and I assume the chorus is meant to be taken somewhat seriously. So, despite not knowing Tony's actual fate, we know that Tony is finally a man in a comfortable place, even if he is a sociopath.

The show has always been about the way people deal with the world ("feelins") and just happens to be set in the world of crime. Gangsters will always shoot, bone and plunder and that should be understood. While it's corny, Tony's inner peace is what gives the show closure. If not the show, then at least me.

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