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Sopranos Final Season

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from: Jeffrey Goldberg
to: Stephen Metcalf, Timothy Noah, Brian Williams, and Terence Winter

Week 9: Is Vanilla Fudge a Clue?

Posted Tuesday, June 12, 2007, at 4:53 PM ET

Timothy Noah chatted with readers about The Sopranos on June 7. Read the transcript here.

Dear Fellas,

The strangest thing just happened: I decided to play Paul McCartney's new album backward, and I distinctly heard the words, "Tony is dead, Tony is dead."

Then I heard a bunch of walrus sounds, then disco remixes of the soundtrack from Wicked. Weird, huh?

Based on this scientific listening experiment, I was going to side with viewers who believe that the blackout at the end of the episode was, in fact, Tony's experience of his own death, but then I got an anonymous e-mail that I'm sure was from David Chase himself indicating that the last ambiguous moments of the episode were meant to suggest that Tony was alive and well and living on an island off France with Jimi Hendrix and the Lubavitcher Rebbe.

By the way, I'm not mocking the hysteria surrounding the last episode.

Well, I am, a little. David Chase, who really is on an island off France, or at least on mainland France, right now (he apparently flees there whenever shooting is finished), must be enjoying the ruckus. If his goal was to leave us with a crazy-making mystery, he succeeded, and succeeded wildly.

The arguments for Tony's murder are fairly convincing, but I'm also open to the idea that what we witnessed wasn't Tony's demise but merely his overconsumption of onion rings. (Did anyone notice, by the way, that the Sopranos ate those onion rings as if they were communion wafers?)

One previously unexplored clue suggesting that Tony might still be with us was pointed out to me by musical genius and noted Italian-American Gerry Marzorati, who is also the editor of the New York Times Magazine. Gerry wrote the following: "For all the attention paid to the Final Episode's music—Tony's jukebox flip and the Journey outro—why has no one, as far as I know, noted that the episode begins with the opening strains of the Vanilla Fudge's psychedelic cover of the Supreme's 'You Keep Me Hanging On?' "

Gerry went on, "The Vanilla Fudge were (mostly) Italian-American guys from Long Island and HUGE in north Jersey in the summer of 1968, when their first album was released. (On a personal note: They judged a battle of the bands that summer held in a department-store parking lot on route 46 in Wayne, N.J., which my band won—we got to play at Palisades Park!). And, of course, the song itself is, well, Chase foreshadowing that he is going to keep us hanging on, as he has these many years, no?"

It all depends on whether Chase meant to keep us hanging on for an hour or forever, but I tend to think that Chase, clever man that he is, might figure out a noncheesy way to resurrect this show, as a movie, or even as a 10- or 12-hour television cycle, in three or four years, especially when HBO offers to buy him all of France as a down payment.

I don't understand the complaints I'm hearing about the ending, and, the truth is, despite the assertion of Mr. Metcalf that he's among the few people who thought the last episode was stellar, I've been flooded with e-mails from loyal readers of this dialogue who agreed with my statement yesterday that the episode was perfect. These discerning viewers enjoy the fact that David Chase respects them enough to screw with their heads.

There's so much more to say about this show, but I'm in the Middle East, where the onion rings aren't any good and neither is my Internet connection, so I will sign off by noting that, when I return home, I will almost immediately start watching the entire series on DVD, just as soon as I finish with the Gilmore Girls.

Brian, it's been a real pleasure having you in this dialogue—you are the funniest anchorman I've ever known, not that I've ever known any other anchormen. Your sharp insights, keen eye, and infinite knowledge of Lincoln Log sandwiches will all be missed. Tim—what can I say? There's no one I'd rather bullshit around with than you. I was thinking that maybe Slate would let us analyze another television show—that new Caveman series, maybe?

Or maybe not. This is the bleak future we now face: There may never be another Sopranos.

Mournfully,
Jeff

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from: Jeffrey Goldberg
to: Stephen Metcalf, Timothy Noah, Brian Williams, and Terence Winter

Week 9: Is Vanilla Fudge a Clue?

Posted Tuesday, June 12, 2007, at 4:53 PM ET

DISCUSS

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Jeffrey Goldberg is a national correspondent for the Atlantic and the author of Prisoners: A Story of Friendship and Terror. Stephen Metcalf is Slate's critic at large. He is working on a book about the 1980s. Timothy Noah is a senior writer at Slate. Brian Williams is the anchor and managing editor of NBC Nightly News. Terence Winter is a writer and an executive producer of The Sopranos. His teleplay "Pine Barrens," written with Tim Van Patten, won the 2001 Writers Guild Award and the Edgar Award.

Slate home page cover, June 11, 2007: Still of James Gandolfini in The Sopranos by Craig Blankenhorn © HBO. All rights reserved. Still from The Sopranos of James Gandolfini on Slate's home page; still of: James Gandolfini; Edie Falco and James Gandolfini; Steven Van Zandt, James Gandolfini, and Tony Sirico; James Gandolfini and Edie Falco; and Robert Iler all by Craig Blankenhorn/courtesy HBO. All rights reserved. Entry 9: Still of Tony with a tomato, and Entry 10: Tony's dad and young Uncle June © HBO. Entry 21: Still of Tony Sirico as Paulie "Walnuts" by Craig Blankenhorn. Entry 27: Still of Robert Iler and James Gandolfini by Craig Blankenhorn. Entry 30: Still of James Gandolfini and Sarah Shahi by Craig Blankenhorn. Entry 38: Still of Steven Van Zandt and James Gandolfini by Craig Blankenhorn. Entry 40: Still of James Gandolfini and Edie Falco by Craig Blankenhorn. Entry 45: Still of James Gandolfini and Steven Van Zandt by Craig Blankenhorn. Entry 48: Still of Dominic Chianese and James Gandolfini by Craig Blankenhorn.

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Remarks 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

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