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by WhistlingInTheWheatfield
I didn't have a problem with the ending. I mean David Chase has conditioned anyone who would listen the last few years that he wasn't interested in a traditional ending by tying a nice little bow around the series. With that being known going in, I highly enjoyed the finale. David Chase was in a tough position of trying to please a large group of fans who all watch the series for different reasons. No matter how he ended it, it wouldn't have sit right with someone. So he ended the series the way he wanted to. Basically it is all subjective, it's how you want to see it, which I find brillant. To some people nothing happened, just a normal day ending with a family dinner. Others saw it as Tony would spend the rest of his life always looking over his shoulder or at the door, wondering if and when someone would take him out, never at peace. Others saw that Tony was killed when the camera cut to black. Some saw the men who entered the diner as FBI agents. It even makes sense to suggest, as I read in a previous post that Tony didn't whacked in that final scene, but that we did. That we never saw it coming.
Just as Tony was picking out a song on the jukebox, when we saw Journey on the jukebox, right under "Don't Stop Believing" we saw another song, "Anyway You Want It." That is what David Chase is telling us. I don't see it as a cop-out as some have suggested. Bottom line is it worked, and after initial anger a lot of people have come around on the ending. It created controversy and made people talk about the show. It also is smart because it leaves the door open for DC to do something else down the road, should he and the other cast members decide. The only hard part would be doing a movie or special without Christopher, Bobby, Johnny Sac and potentionally Sil, (although they left the door open with that too). But there are always ways around that, as they have proven before with dream sequences and such.
Personally I took the ending as when the camera and song cut abruptly that was the moment Tony got whacked. To me that whole scene was us in Tony's shoes. The drama and angst that we felt, along with Tony when all those shady people came into the resteraunt and especially with Bobby's comment ringing in my head about when it happens you probably don't even hear it coming. To me that is what happened and since we were in Tony's shoes in that scene, the moment he no longer existed, neither did we. It was just to much of a coincidence with the guy in the members only jacket who kept looking over at Tony over his menu and then getting up to go to the bathroom right behind where Tony was sitting. But like I said, it's all how the individual sees it, I don't think there is one correct ending to it.
Unfortanently the controversial ending has caused most to ignore what an excellent episode this really was as a hole. Seeing Tony and his family in a different house in the beggining, seeing Tony talking to AJ's therapist about his problems, and it not being Melfi. All those things gave this episode a surreal, different feeling to it. Paulie and the cat gave it the comedy relief that an episode filled with so much drama and angst needed it. Seeing the sitdown with Tony and Butchie, coming to an agreement was definently suprising. The scene where Phil gets whacked was a great payoff for the fans who have had to put up with that prick for the last 2 1/2 seasons. It was also great to see the stuff with Agent Harris getting all excited about the Phil Leotardo hit, proving that he has always had a soft spot in his heart for Tony and maybe a little hero worship. Finding out that Carlo had turned rat. Also little stuff like the the moment Tony shared with a still unconcious Silvio at the hospital. I also enjoyed all the name dropping of characters who have passed during the course of the show. It was like an ode to them, as at some point during the final episode the names of Richie Aprile, Ralphie, Livia, Gigi, Vito, Johnny Sac, Christoher, Bobby were all refrenced. Nice touch. But my favorite scene in the episode was when Tony finally went and saw Uncle Jun. The only bit of closure that was really given. I had been hoping for one final scene between these two and was not dissapointed, although suprised how it actually played out with Junior having finally lost it. It was very surreal to see Uncle Junior in body, but so far gone mentally. When Tony told him "this thing of ours" and Junior asked, "I was involved in that?" He knew what that meant, but had no recollection of his history in it, as well as when Tony told him about once running North Jersey and Junior's reply of "that's nice." I think it finally gave Tony the closure he needed it forgive Junior for the shooting and Livia's comment in Season 1 about life being a big nothingless definently rang true in this scene. After all the aggravation and agita Junior went through about being boss and trials and everything else that has transpired over the years he doesn't remember any of it. Well almost any of it, I found it interesting that he remembered playing catch with Tony. It's like he forgot about everything else, but remembered something good and innocent like that. I do kind of wish he was with it enough to have a reaction to hearing about Bobby's death, who was the closest thing Junior had to a son, but that's the thing about this show not everything has a traditional conclusion. A very powerful scene though.
The only thing missing for me in the final episode or season in general was for Tony to have a breakdown of feelings over Christopher. I just didn't like the way any of that played out even down to the end with Tony's stupid comment
that his gambiling luck turned around after his death. After all that time spent developing their relationship I thought how it played out went against everything that had been built. The only other thing I would have liked to see would have been one final dream sequence from Tony in one of the final episodes. Like one where all the characters who Tony played a part in their death's came back to haunt him in a dream by all pulling guns on him at once, right before he wakes up. It would have been a great way for his conscious to get to him and a great way to get characters like Mikey Palmice, Jimmy, Big Pussy, Jackie Jr, Ralphie, Adriana, Tony B., and Christopher all one last involvement in the series. Would have been nice to see. As well as maybe a dream scene where Tony, as an adult confronts his father and a younger Uncle Junior about their influence on how his lfe turned out. That scene could have been the scene that led to Tony finally deciding to go see Junior.
Anyway, that aside in my opinion what a finale season of the greatest program in television history.
