tv club
News & PoliticsArts & LifeBusiness & TechHealth & ScienceStyle & ShoppingTravel & FoodSportsSlate on NPRVideo
Facebook
MySpace
Mixx
Digg
Reddit
del.icio.us
Furl
Ma.gnolia
Sphere
StumbleUpon
Sopranos Final Season
Timothy Noah chatted with readers about The Sopranos on June 7. Read the transcript here.
.
Her decision had been indicated in an instant, but it had been made after days and nights of anguished deliberation. She had known she would be asked, she had decided what she would answer, and, without the slightest hesitation, she had moved her hand to the right.
The question of her decision is one not to be lightly considered, and it is not for me to presume to set myself up as the one person able to answer it. And so I leave it with all of you: Which came out of the opened door—the lady, or the tiger?
—Frank R. Stockton, "The Lady or the Tiger?"
Dear Brian and Jeffrey,
How you felt about the final episode of The Sopranos may approximate how you felt about Frank R. Stockton's short story, published in 1882, when it was inflicted on you in high school. (Do teachers still assign it? I hope not.) If you weren't made to read it, all you need to know is that the king's daughter has to decide whether her lover will be devoured by a tiger or married to her beautiful rival. No other options allowed. The lines quoted above conclude the story. You don't get to find out whether the guy gets the lady or the tiger. What a marvelous leaping-off point for discussion, say some people. What a stupid cop-out, say I.
Last week Jeff predicted, "the series will end on some sort of ambivalent note, something that underscores the tension and the physical and emotional dangers in the life Tony has chosen for himself." I hereby bestow a gold star. The episode, which series creator David Chase wrote and directed, consisted mainly of feints in this or that direction, and the feints accelerated during the final five minutes. A.J. parked his SUV over some dry leaves, turned to the willowy Rhiannon, and made his move. The vehicle caught fire just as he was reaching to unhook her bra. (Tough break, kid.) They got away before the gas tank sent a fireball heavenward. Then A.J. was going to join the Army so he could fight in Afghanistan. Then he wasn't. Silvio Dante* didn't die, but he didn't get any better, either. Tony's hit man did manage to cap Phil Leotardo, and in the confusion Phil's own SUV rolled a few feet and we got to hear the sound of Phil's head being flattened under a wheel. That was kind of creative. Finally Tony sat down with his lawyer and learned that he was likely to be indicted on that bullshit gun charge from way back, and that a passel of wiseguys were suddenly ratting him out on more serious charges to a grand jury. One of the rats, we were encouraged to believe, was Paulie Walnuts, because he turned down a promotion offered by Tony and then made an anguished face as he was leaving the pork store.
Finally, the Soprano nuclear family gathered at a diner. Lots of short takes now. Meadow experienced difficulty parallel parking, and that seemed to auger something. A guy was sitting in the corner of the diner wearing a USA cap. Was he an assassin? An undercover cop? Another guy was sitting at the counter. He got up and walked to the bathroom. We saw the Soprano family sitting at their table. Then the screen went abruptly dark, and stayed dark. At the hotel where I'm staying in the Hudson Valley for a Slate magazine retreat, a customer was overheard running to the front desk to complain that her cable had gone out. I expect we'll see news stories reporting that phones rang off the hook at cable providers across the country. Then, finally, the credits came up. Your TV wasn't broken. HBO was just pulling a prank!
I don't mind Chase ending his series on a note of ambiguity. (Though if he's going to take that route, he should have the courage of his ambiguity and let Phil live.) I do mind all the pointless manipulation throughout the episode that communicated, something's about to happen right now—booga-booga!—when in fact nothing was about to happen. Was this meant to be allegorical? This is life after 9/11? Possibly. More likely, I think Chase didn't know how to end this wonderful series. So he created a lot of fake tension and then pulled the plug of my television set. OK, the plug of Mohonk Mountain House's television set. The point remains the same.
Yours in Disappointment,
Tim
*Correction, June 11, 2007: An earlier version of this entry misspelled Silvio's last name as Conte. Return to the corrected sentence.
PRINT
DISCUSS
E-MAILRemarks from the Fray Editor:
As a basic cable slum-dweller, the Fray Editor has been following the discussion of The Sopranos with admiration and envy. The passion, erudition, and insight of the show's fans—Slate's commentators and Fraysters alike—proves the case that this series is not to be missed. Below, Fray poster lucabrasi considers how the 6.5 season story arc has led the show inevitably to the present moment.
May this weekend's finale exceed your wildest expectations. My prediction? Paulie Walnuts in the Bing with a shoe buffer.—G.A.
Remarks from the Fray:
I must salute the excellent close of the mob wars arc that started way back in Season One.
Looking back from today, with Tony's Jersey crime family indeed looking like a "glorified crew" in the eyes of New York, one can see it, almost clearly:
Season One: Tony's issues were of ascension in that smallish Jersey family. Jackie Sr. was dying; Uncle Junior was the designated "front don," and yet bitter enough about Tony's power to use Livia's ambiguous directives to hit Tony. Didn't work. Junior was exiled and took on Federal heat; Tony had the others killed.
Season Two: Richie Aprile gets out of prison. A theme begins: guys out of prison resent Tony, who never served. But Richie, too, is "local Jersey trouble." His escalating conflict with Tony is going to be dealt with rather easily -- Tony wants Richie hit, but Janice delivers a dose of even MORE "local" justice.
Meanwhile, I think NYC underboss Johnny Sack turns up living in Jersey, but promising Tony "I don't want to wet my beak."
The main NYC Don is Carmine Sr, an old school guy. Tony can deal with Carmine Sr, but Sack starts getting that lean and hungry look...
Seasons Three and Four: Other issues are on the table (Jackie Jr., Tony and Carm's marriage), but Tony's adversaries are manageable: made guy Ralphie and the ever-more-ambitious and angry Sack. Ralphie is eliminated, quietly (if NYC ever finds out...). Sack wants Tony to hit Old Man Carmine; Tony pulls out at the last moment. Sack looks to be vengeful.
Season Five: The big trouble all starts here, with the release of the "Class of '84". It's like four Richie Apriles. Tony has a lotta plates to spin: an old-timer named Feech who wants it all, locally, Tony's cousin Tony B, the "Rockford Guy" (Joe Santos) who Tony B idolizes as a father, and a real hothead named Phil Leotardo.
Carmine Sr. croaks. Phil joins with Sack against Little Carmine, Tony B joins with the Rockford Guy and Rusty in backing Little Carmine's play. Tony elects to back off and see how Jersey can benefit from the ensuing bloodshed, of which there is a lot.
During all this, two little matters occur: Seeking owed cash, Tony subjects Phil Leotardo to a body-breaking car crash and beats up Phil at the accident site as a "throw-in." Tony B kills Phil's brother Billy Leotardo.
In retrospect, these last two actions were perhaps...unfortunate.
Sack and Phil kill more guys than Little Carmine's team. Little caves ("It's a stagmire.") Sack ascends to Donhood. Tony can deal with Sack (having killed Tony B as a burnt offering), and Sack will stave off the still vengeful Phil Leotardo.
But right at the end of Season Five, the Feds nab Sack. Go directly to jail.
Season 6A: Sack's in prison, but the putative boss, with Phil fronting him on the outside. Tony's shot for a few episodes. The "gay Vito issue" gives Phil new reason for putting the pressure on Tony's Jersey boys. With Sack losing power by the day, Phil contemplates his rages against Tony: getting beaten up by Tony, paying money to Tony, brother killed by the cousin of Tony, gay Vito protected by Tony. Phil has a heart attack to match Tony's gutshot. Things seem peaceful between these two wounded warriors. But this guy Butch turns up, taunting Tony.
Season 6B. Tony's luck with New York runs out, via a series of crap outs: Sack dies of cancer; Doc kills Gerry; Phil kills Doc.. Phil is "the big boss man," finally, and the worst possible New York Don Tony Soprano could face. Filled with jailhouse vengeance and itching to consolidate power, Phil pushes Tony too far (with the sexual insult of Coco towards Meadow, ultimately). Tony retaliates (curbing); Phil says "there's nothing left to talk about," and here we are.
Now, I' m not sure how much of that was plotted early on by Chase and Company, but looking back on it, you see how this final, fatal gang war was literally years in the making. Tony Soprano fended off Jersey threats (Junior, Richie), kept the peace with Carmine Sr, dangerously dueled with Sack (the longest of Tony's strategic encounters), sat out the gang war to replace Carmine Sr...and ended up on the wrong end of Phil's bloody ascension to the throne of the New York Family.
Where things are now is where they HAVE to be. Inevitability.
--lucabrasi
(To reply, click here.)
(6/9)
- Today's Headlines
- Deciding Vote On Wetlands Preservation Bill Rests With The Littlest Senator
Sat, 05 Jul 2008 01:00:00 -0400 - Vatican Tightens Nocturnal Emissions Standards
Sat, 05 Jul 2008 02:00:00 -0400 - Heroic PETA Commandos Kill 49, Save Rabbit
Sat, 05 Jul 2008 03:00:00 -0400 - » More from the Onion
Capturing The FlagMarc Leepson | From Lincoln's campaign posters to barbeque aprons, the Stars and Stripes sells.
- Today's Headlines
- Q&A: Iranian Diplomat on Tehran’s Role in Iraq
Fri, 04 Jul 2008 14:57:21 GMT - A popular July 4th anthem isn't actually American
Fri, 04 Jul 2008 14:06:40 GMT - Clift: Clark’s 3 Mistakes on McCain’s War Service
Thu, 03 Jul 2008 21:31:18 GMT - » More from Newsweek
- Today's Headlines
- Bored on the Fourth of July
Thu, 3 July 2008 15:45:55 GMT - Ballin' Without a Budget
Thu, 3 July 2008 15:30:35 GMT - Page Burners
Thu, 3 July 2008 18:30:29 GMT - » More from The Root
