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Sopranos Final Season

Johnny Dickshot Apr 16 2007 08:47 AM

cut n' pasted from the TV Thread: ] Yancy Street Gang: Am I the only one who watched The Sopranos on Sunday? metirish Nope,well I watched it on Monday and again Tuesday,I thought it was a great start,Tony is such a pig,have to love the way he gets back at the brother in law for the beating,classic Tony. Yancy Street Gang Yeah, I enjoyed the episode too. During the first half hour or so I was imagining all of the angry fans who hate when things move slowly. It was a great setup for the second half, though. Back to top Johnny Dickshot I completely forgot and will try to see the ep before reading another word. metirish In Episode 2 we will get a look at "Cleaver," the movie produced by Christopher and "Little Carmine" ,Michael Imperioli is my favorite actor on the show,by all accounts I have read David Chase is in fine form for the final season. Johnny Dickshot OK, just watched it. Gut-wrenching. Made my hair hurt. Made the scene with the rapper early last year make a lot more sense. How great was it to see the wives take sides only after the guys left? Then greet them with more surprise than anything when both return. What they'll never know is worse and they like it that way.

Johnny Dickshot Apr 16 2007 08:54 AM

Even more than Shea Stadium? I'll never understand those who feel like this show is going downhill. The longer it goes, the harder everything hits. Brilliant episode showing bosses losing or rejecting their power. Phil Leotardo's scene near the end was unbelievable -- hilarious and sad and scary. Not sure I buy Tony getting so completely convinced that Chrissy is out to get him and made a movie to tell him so, but combined with Chris not terlling the gang he can't hang around the bar, you can definitely see the possibility of misunderstandings. Not to mention the look of terror on Chris' face at the baptism embrace.

Benjamin Grimm Apr 16 2007 08:59 AM

I think Chrissy made a mistake sending Tim Daly to the Bing to tell the story of where the idea for the Chinese girlfriend came from. Tony never made the connection, though, until, Carmella pointed it out to him. I loved how she got mad at him for something that his movie counterpart did. Paulie was funny as always. "How can I be confused? I never saw the movie!" Finn is probably lucky to be free of Meadow. The Sopranos would make for difficult in-laws.

Farmer Ted Apr 16 2007 09:04 AM

Sidney Pollack was brilliant.

Sandgnat Apr 16 2007 09:16 AM

Final scene with Phil was great. Makes me think Phil is finally going to revenge his brother's death by whacking Chrissy, which will trigger an all-out war between NY and NJ. What was the deal with the commercial for the "Making of Cleaver" special that is going to air? They act like it is a real movie or something.

Benjamin Grimm Apr 16 2007 09:19 AM

Making of Cleaver is a ten-minute show that's scheduled to run many times on HBO. I have it in my TiVo to record at 1:20 a.m. one night this week.

Kid Carsey Apr 16 2007 10:45 AM

Yeah, I wouldn't want to be Christophah with Sack expiring. The likely up- coming shit-storm seems pretty easy to predict. What else may happen is gonna drive me nuts 'cause you know there's gonna be an off-the-wall ending.

Centerfield Apr 17 2007 01:33 PM

It's been a long time since I enjoyed an episode as much as this one. I loved Cleaver. It was exactly what I was hoping it to be. And making it funnier was picturing Ben Kingsley in the role. I love the fact that Tony didn't get it until Carmela explained it to him...and I love how Chris knocks around Tim Day's character. On the serious side, I thoughy Johnny Sac's death was really well done. My memory might be failing me, but I don't remember him even being sick before this episode. I thought it was effective...how fast it hits...how he can smoke because a dying man has nothing to lose. But my favorite part of the episode was Pollack. His timing was fantastic. "I killed her aunt too. And the mailman. At that point I had to fully commit." Brilliant.

TheOldMole Apr 17 2007 05:54 PM

I don't see Christopher lasting the length of the next episode. Only question is who's going to whack him?

Johnny Dickshot Apr 23 2007 08:19 PM

Well, Chrissy survived. I guess this ep illustrated Tony coming to realize his heroes were losers just like Junior's psychoctic friend would. Phil Leotardo had a similar awakening a week before and by the end of the week was acting on it. Paulie's not nearly as self-aware but I loved how he reacted to the sense his power was fading: Pump those dumbells. The other danger revealed was Tony borrowing to support a sports gambling losing streak. I never pictured Tony as much of a sports gambler and I hope they won't use it as much more than a symbol but the previews suggest more is to come. Not the best by a long shot, but I still love this show.

Centerfield Apr 24 2007 11:59 AM

I thought it was a real step back from last week. I found myself bored throughout most of the episode. A lot of time was spent on Paulie, but I didn't feel like we saw anything in him we didn't already know. A lot of running in place if you ask me. I was particularly disappointed in the boat scene. First off, I never really thought there was a serious chance Tony would take out Paulie. (The hints that it was about to happen seemed over the top and lame.) And secondly, everyone knows that there is a parallel being drawn to Pussy there...there's no need to hit everyone over the head with it by including flashbacks. It's one of the few times this show felt the need to dumb it down for its audience. The whole storyline with Junior bored me too. I don't understand why so much time is spent there. Isn't his storyline complete? I'm getting antsy that there only five episodes or so left and we're wasting time at Junior's hospital.

Benjamin Grimm Apr 24 2007 12:02 PM

I think they wanted to give us a final look at Uncle Junior. It probably wasn't necessary, as CF says. I don't expect we'll see him again, except perhaps in a brief cameo.

ABG Apr 24 2007 12:03 PM

I liked the boat scene. What really interested me was Tony throwing the rootbeer to Paulie. Yeah, Tony couldn't bring himself to kill him but was willing to passive agressively cause an accident where Paulie could fall off the back of the boat. It was one of those subtle Sopranos moments that was all in the facial expressions.

Batty31 Apr 25 2007 06:05 PM

I found this episode to be extremely boring. I did like the nod to Hitchcock's "Stranger on a Train" when they focused on Uncle Jun's glasses on the ground after the scuffle. As far as Paulie's concerned, I always felt his best scenes were when he was interacting with Chrissy and never really felt his character "clicked" with Tony.

Johnny Dickshot Apr 25 2007 06:41 PM

]The whole storyline with Junior bored me too. I don't understand why so much time is spent there. Isn't his storyline complete? I'm getting antsy that there only five episodes or so left and we're wasting time at Junior's hospital. I've been thinking about this and realize now that perhaps they were trying to bore us. Not bore us, necessarily, but show us what pathetic sad creatures old mob bosses become. The wet themselves and do as they're told. So, you're right, CF. The story is over.

Farmer Ted Apr 25 2007 08:14 PM

I thought this episode was bizarre and haunting in that it aired after the VT massacre. An Asian with anger problems letting loose on Uncle Junior didn't sit well with me given the timing. On a lighter note, I have a friend doing some 'extra' work on the set and will be Carmella's "hands" in an upcoming episode.

Johnny Dickshot Apr 25 2007 08:55 PM

As long as she wasn't her "mouth" in an earlier episode.

Farmer Ted Apr 26 2007 08:55 AM

Hmmm, that would have been interesting. Apparently they want to add a couple clips during editing and they won't call the actors back for those small bits. Look for her putting cream cheese on a bagel and throwing something at Tony.

Centerfield Apr 26 2007 09:08 AM

Farmer Ted wrote: I thought this episode was bizarre and haunting in that it aired after the VT massacre. An Asian with anger problems letting loose on Uncle Junior didn't sit well with me given the timing. One little school shooting and the stereotype swings from "can't speak English and meek" to "violent and crazy". Just busting chops Ted. My wife and I cringed at that too. We were just hoping the episode didn't end with that guy shooting up the ward.

Elster88 Apr 28 2007 11:13 AM

Farmer Ted wrote: I thought this episode was bizarre and haunting in that it aired after the VT massacre. An Asian with anger problems letting loose on Uncle Junior didn't sit well with me given the timing. Really? How long before it's ok to show an Asian with anger problems again? If a white or black kid had shot up a college campus, would you have had a problem with the show if Junior's angry protege had been the same race as the kid?

Johnny Dickshot Apr 29 2007 08:50 PM

So sure enough Tony has a big gambling problem. This is like when Fred Flintstone became a hopeless betaholic in one episode flat but never exhibited a sign of it before or since. I'd prefer they illustrate the money problems with an examination of poor earning habits of Carlo and Paulie. Though this did lead to an all-time throwdown between Tony and Carmela. I could see Chrissy as the gambling fool -- he has the addictive behavior already, but seems they're using him here as the concerned observer while Silvio & Paulie play the enabler/fiddlers. I thought Robert Smith Shitboy was disturbingly great on many levels. He saw the teasers in the locker room the same as he saw Tony & Phil -- they told him to "act like a man" yet he seems to know that attitude is precisely what got his father whacked, and he's not going there. And so, big picture, here's another son who won't be following Dad into a dying business. I do hope those guys were really taking him away to school. Regardless, it only goes to show how Major a Dick Tony is: Super Major or Super Ultra Major. Poor Hesh! Poor AJ! I assume the money in the bag was Carm's.

soupcan Apr 30 2007 06:35 AM

I think the final episodes are showing the direction that Tony will ultimately go. Each episode gives Tony a choice of how he should respond to certain situations. He can either become more destructive and go deeper into his dark side or he can go the other way - Not kill Chrissie or Paulie, become more responsible with his thereapy sessions. Not kill Hesch. I think the series will wind up with Tony beginning to remove himself - albeit reluctantly - from this life and try to move on to a less volatile existence. The irony would be if he begins to pull back and then when he has made the decision, he gets whacked. I don't think the money was Carmela's, I think he just decided to stop the madness and coughed it up. Tony's always had the 'emergency' money he just did not want to dip into it.

metirish Apr 30 2007 07:15 AM

Nicely summed up guys,I can't ever remember Tony being so desperate when it comes to money,yet the thought of not paying his vig seems below him...well maybe not below him but certainly not the right hting to do....I was eating ice cream when the shower scene happened....

Rotblatt Apr 30 2007 07:59 AM

]This is like when Fred Flintstone became a hopeless betaholic in one episode flat but never exhibited a sign of it before or since. Yeah, that really bothered me. Overnight, Tony developed a severe gambling problem? Bullshit. I thought the performances were good, and the plot on its own was interesting, but the gambling just came out of nowhere. You'd think they have enough threads to draw on without having to conjure one out of thin air, you know?

Benjamin Grimm Apr 30 2007 08:07 AM

I agree. They should have, at least, had Tony mention in his therapy session how it started X months ago when something or other happened. Since we had gone about a year without seeing these characters, I can accept that stuff has happened. But this really does seem to have come out of nowhere. I seem to also remember The Practice giving one of their characters an out-of-the-blue gambling problem. I'm not sure, though, because I think it happened after I stopped watching that show.

soupcan Apr 30 2007 08:27 AM

Doesn't bother me so much. I don't perceive it as a 'gambling problem'. I'm looking at it as a habit he has always had that, until now had never gotten out of hand. He started to lose, then tried to make it all up at once and it snowballed. Since he'd never been down this big he didn't know how to handle it and just lost it.

Benjamin Grimm May 07 2007 01:12 PM

I think last night's episode probably pleased many of the fans who have been complaining about the story not moving forward and about not enough explosive action. This one had some old-time Sopranos fun, and a hint at how the story may end up resolving itself. Will Chrissy go witness protection? (That would be rather ironic, given how that's what Ade so desperately wanted in her final days.) Or is this a misdirection? I suspect that he'll get caught for the murder of the screenwriter and will end up making some kind of bargain with the feds. (They didn't show the usual cleanup/swamp burial like they did when Ralphie got whacked. Maybe Chrissy cleaned up off-camera, but since he was drunk and careless, I'm guessing he didn't.)

TheOldMole May 07 2007 04:13 PM

This is actually the second careless murder in the last few weeks. They're going to start catching up.

SteveJRogers May 07 2007 04:25 PM

What was the other one?

Johnny Dickshot May 08 2007 09:30 PM

I do believe crissy pulled his sleeve over his hand when turning the doorknob to exit, almost out of habit. Chrissy's beatdown of Paulie Junior was considerably more damaging than the college student scene but which was more terrifying?

Sandgnat May 09 2007 11:57 AM

SteveJRogers wrote: What was the other one? The Canadian. That was my fraternity in the last episode.

soupcan May 09 2007 12:05 PM

DEKE. You and Dick Clark.

Johnny Dickshot May 09 2007 12:08 PM

I know its necessary for the plot but in the same way I wasn't sold on Tony's sudden gambling problem, I'm not sure the crew would not only be intolerant of Chrissy's struggle to overcome addiction but to mock it and belittle it the way they did without any regard for consequences, particularly after having been through the struggle to clean him up in the first place. How about AJ all wired and alive after participating in his first torture. Occurs to me now that Tony's gotten him, however inadvertently, into the life, he'll go soon into death too (AJ that is, not Tony). I mean, we already know he's not cut out for it. I don;t think Baccala's murder, sloppy as it was, matters at all beyond its impact to his character and that episode. I mean, if they haven't brought the Russian back, why bother with a Montreal hippie. Chrissy could get fingered though.

Benjamin Grimm May 09 2007 12:23 PM

I agree. I think Bobby's laundromat murder was meant as part of Bobby's story (as well as an insight into how nasty Tony can be) and not part of the bigger picture. The Cleaver guy's murder might actually lead to Chrissy's arrest and, subsequently, to his flipping his former associates. We have seen hints in the past that Tony and Paulie (and maybe some others) weren't fully understanding of Chrissy's attempts to beat his addictions. Didn't we see Tony and his cousin Tony B. mocking Christopher about that very thing a couple of seasons ago? And Paulie doesn't seem like the kind of guy who can put himself in anyone else's shoes.

soupcan May 09 2007 12:25 PM

These are tough guys, they don't tolerate weakness. Alcoholism and abstaining from it would both be considerd weak. Don't stop drinking, toughen up and get better at it.

Johnny Dickshot May 09 2007 12:32 PM

Chrissy I think is meant to die before he talks. His loyalties/dependences are his entire strengths and weaknesses.

Sandgnat May 09 2007 12:38 PM

What about the foreshadowing with the talk about DNA prior to Bobby's hit on the Canadian though? Too obvious for Soprano-land?

Kid Carsey May 13 2007 08:02 PM

Tony "gets" it. I bet he gets it again before it's all over.

Benjamin Grimm May 14 2007 05:12 AM

Johnny Dickshot wrote: Chrissy I think is meant to die before he talks. His loyalties/dependences are his entire strengths and weaknesses. And that's what happened!

metirish May 14 2007 07:07 AM

Thought the way Chris went out was brilliant,I always thought he would go down in a hail of bullets or OD ,Tony is pretty damn happy right now,the come down could be bad. Did A.J. have remorse over the beaten they gave the black kid?

soupcan May 14 2007 07:24 AM

Tony is an evil fucking guy. It is sometimes difficult to remember that, because the characters are so much fun to watch. Not sure which direction A.J. is going. I think either Phil is going to take out Tony or vice versa.

metirish May 14 2007 08:32 AM

Watching Tony get stoned a part of me thought he'd flip and kill the girl he was with.

metirish May 14 2007 02:02 PM

I thought that was Van Morrison singing "comfortably numb" when Chris was driving,and turns out it was,it's the version recorded with Roger Waters at "The Wall: Live in Berlin",Morrison sings David Gilmour's parts.

metirish May 15 2007 07:05 AM

Decent summery here . http://www.slate.com/id/2163797/entry/2166156?nav=tap3

Batty31 May 15 2007 09:57 AM

That article touches upon a point that I've been thinking about...Chrissy whacking the screenwriter. I was also wondering if Tony had heard about it.. If he had, that would only give him another reason for finishing off Chrissy.

Johnny Dickshot May 15 2007 09:10 PM

Yancy Street Gang wrote: ="Johnny Dickshot"]Chrissy I think is meant to die before he talks. His loyalties/dependences are his entire strengths and weaknesses. And that's what happened! But I wouldn't have guessed that would be the way, in a million years. Just when you think they've exhausted ways to ramp up the fuckeduppityness that is Tony, here he murders his most loyal soldier while he's helpless only to be tortured by not feeling bad about it. The bicycle incident obviously reminded AJ (and us) of his pacificistic behavior of a year+ ago when dealt wussily but maturely with the issue of race and bicycles.

Kid Carsey May 21 2007 07:25 AM

I dunno, but all this A.J. stuff brings down the show for me. Since it's only a tv show, I'm going to go so far as to say I wish he succeeded in doing himself in. Tired of the character, and I don't think he's a particularly good actor either. Lazy question, how many episodes left? I thought last nights show was a little tedious although maybe it's because I was itching to go back to the Mets game?

Benjamin Grimm May 21 2007 08:04 AM

Two more episodes. They're skipping next week because of Memorial Day, so the remaining episodes will be shown on June 3 and June 10. I was also a little disappointed when Tony rescued A.J. Like you said, it's only TV, and I think a suicide in the family would have been an interesting plot development.

Johnny Dickshot May 21 2007 10:07 PM

But surviving allows AJ to haunt them from "beyond the grave," as it were, and provides a great contrast to Meadow's close call in how Tony reacts. He'll violently stomp on the skull of his daughter's tormentor, but whose head will he crush in AJ's case? He and Carm (what a bitch!) have at it. Tony also showed his true passions burn hotter for *his* family than for *the* family (he sought peaceful resolutions to the turf conflict and violent ones to threats to his family). I like how they thought to include elements in this episode to make the conclusion heartbreaking for Melfi too. Still to come: --Some resolution to NY-NJ tensions. --The FBI/Terror angle --The RICO stuff related the weapon charge? This show has been going on for like 8 years or something, I'm sure you can take another 2 hours of AJ or Janice. Question: What exactly are the Sopranos feelings regarding the Parisis? Should I know this? have I forgotten something?

soupcan May 22 2007 07:31 AM

Can't answer the Parisi question - been wondering the same things myself. Isn't Patsy Parisi one of the guys in Tony's crew though? I'm interested in the FBI/Terror angle. Remember when A.J. was looking at the Al Jazeera web page? A little foreshadowing perhaps?

metirish May 22 2007 08:01 AM

Yes,his Dad is part of the crew. http://www.hbo.com/sopranos/cast/character/patsy_parisi.shtml

soupcan May 22 2007 08:05 AM

And that little bio goes a long way toward explaining why Carmela and Tony may not be thrilled with Meadow dating his son. Thanks Mr. Flynn.

Johnny Dickshot May 22 2007 09:50 AM

Philly Spoons. I remember now. Interesting how Meadow barely protested a whit in letting Tony know about the restaurant incident. She made a show of not wanting to tell Tony, but told him anway. She had to know that's how it would be settled, same as Carm.

Centerfield May 22 2007 10:03 AM

For some reason, I never got the feeling AJ would be successful in his suicide attempt. The minute Tony pulled up in the car, I knew it wasn't going to happen. The way it all unfolded, with AJ's screams for help and Tony munching on the Lincoln Log Sandwiches (?) cracked me up. I liked the exchange where Dr. Melfi suggested it was a cry for help and that he was aware the line was too long followed by Tony suggesting that he did that because he was an idiot. Really good episode. I hope Phil gets it real bad.

metirish May 22 2007 10:38 AM

My favorite episode of the season so far,I actually like what's going on with A.J.,worrying about the various conflicts in the world is hilarious,how ofton do you think Tony thinks about Darfur or Palestine,no wonder he's ashamed of A.J. Who would ever have expected A.J. to be reading Yeats in bed at night,yes the poem suits his current depressed state,great writing. I loved how Tony dealt with that prick Coco,then cuts to Tony in the Doctors office with the wife and son,the caring Dad. Phil shouting from upstairs at Tony and Carmine was brilliant....

Benjamin Grimm May 22 2007 10:59 AM

metirish wrote: I loved how Tony dealt with that prick Coco,then cuts to Tony in the Doctors office with the wife and son,the caring Dad. And while in the office, Tony spots blood on his shoe and finds a tooth in his lap!

metirish May 22 2007 11:10 AM Edited 1 time(s), most recently on May 22 2007 11:17 AM

Yes,the tooth,I watched it twice and am wondering if the Doctor saw that,what do you think?

Benjamin Grimm May 22 2007 11:16 AM

I don't know. I don't recall the doctor's reaction. I thought of that tooth several times during the day on Monday.

metirish May 22 2007 11:24 AM

After Tony found the tooth the Doctor was kinda shifting his eyes,looking to the side,although it was not clear to me who he was looking at,he looked very uncomfortable though.Then a few seconds of silence before he asks A.J. what hid grand mother said.

Farmer Ted May 25 2007 06:42 AM

What was weird to me, the scene where Phil blows off the meeting with Tony and then yells through a screen window without showing his face. What was that about? Tony shoulda capped that little troll sidekick of Phil's.

HahnSolo May 25 2007 06:50 AM

And shouldn't Phil, as a boss, have a nicer house in a nicer neighborhood? I mean, a wire fence, no property? What self-respecting made man would put up with living in a place like that?

Farmer Ted May 25 2007 06:54 AM

Oh, my actress friend's hands were used in the scene where Carmella was making those Lincoln Log sandwiches. Apparently, those sandwiches are David Chase's favorite comfort food (hot dogs with cream cheese) and he eats them non-stop.

Benjamin Grimm May 25 2007 06:58 AM

I had never heard of Lincoln Log sandwiches. He eats them non-stop? Sounds like something that would severely reduce his life expectancy.

metirish May 25 2007 07:17 AM

HahnSolo wrote: And shouldn't Phil, as a boss, have a nicer house in a nicer neighborhood? I mean, a wire fence, no property? What self-respecting made man would put up with living in a place like that? Yeah it looked kinda shabby,certainly not Howard Beach Mob quaility,as for that scene where Phil shouted at Tony through the window,I can only guess that Phil has so little respect now for Tony that he didn't even come to meet him at the door. Not a good move I would think.

metirish Jun 03 2007 07:53 PM

Brilliant...can't wait for the final show.

Johnny Dickshot Jun 03 2007 07:55 PM

Wow. Lot to take in.

metirish Jun 03 2007 08:00 PM

Firstly I am sad to see Silvio go,thought the way Bobby went was quite brilliant,yes a lot to take in. I've had a feeling fora long time that Paulie is going to fuck Tony over.

Johnny Dickshot Jun 03 2007 09:12 PM

Bobby's execution was spectacular and the motorcycle guy got the worst of the Silvio attempt but the cruelest hits had to be Elliot on Melfi then Melfi on Tony. I'd like to see Elliot get whacked if that's at all possible. It's kinda dumb, but I think Melfi buying into the study was a little like Tony being convinced that Cleaver had a message for him. Then again everyone's a criminal in this show and they all make mistakes. Like, wtf was Tony doing calling in illiterate Italians for a do-or-die hit? Now if this is a baseball game, Brooklyn is clobbering Jersey at home but it's still like the 5th inning. I'm thinking Tony mounts a little comeback at least. I thought AJ's scene was great. The terror in his face when he was told he'd have to do something for the family. I think fear of becoming his dad is what's all over AJ from the start. Now my questions -- Where is Patsy? Are they hiding in Junior's house? In Livia's?? What precisely went on between Paulie and Patsy in the john? I had the impression that Paulie went and told NY at first, now I don't... Could very well be Phil's decision to spare Paulie will be his biggest mistake... Is the guy who plays Butch the best or what??!? Not like I look forward to my birthday anymore but how many days until next Sunday????

Farmer Ted Jun 04 2007 07:38 AM

The FBI guy tipping Tony was huge and the final espisode may be the trechcoats coming in to stop all of this and spare Tony, like when Johnny Sac got arrested. Who is the FBI mole in the NY crew?

Centerfield Jun 04 2007 08:53 AM

Wow. My wife and I just sat there after the episode asking ourselves "What the fuck just happened?"

Benjamin Grimm Jun 04 2007 09:19 AM

I see Paulie being set up by Phil to be the puppet leader of the New Jersey family.

Johnny Dickshot Jun 04 2007 09:36 AM

More coolio things: * Phil doing bizz from Flatbush Bikini Wax * Bing chicks dancing to "When the Music's Over" before Sil is shot * Bert Gervasi meets his fate in part because he went out to get the newspaper -- Tony already indicated "that's too dangerous." * The train Bobby loved ran between New York and New Jersey. * Tony rips a meat recipe from the magazine: Melfi connected meat and depression way at the beginning.

Mr. Zero Jun 04 2007 09:46 AM

Sorta wish Cristofah was still around for this, whatever is about to go down.

Johnny Dickshot Jun 04 2007 12:01 PM

]Who is the FBI mole in the NY crew? Could it be Butch of all people? There were only 3 in that room when they hatched the plan yet FBI Guy knew it. It might explain his odd choice of words the previous week -- "you're making a mistake," when Tony is knocking Coco's teeth out.

Centerfield Jun 04 2007 12:02 PM

I was thinking that Tony might have been having some of those thoughts himself. It sure would be nice to have someone you can trust around now that Syl and Bobby are gone. By the way, is Syl being gone a definite? I know Paulie said the doctors don't expect him to wake up, but stranger things have happened...

Mr. Zero Jun 04 2007 12:35 PM

hmmm...maybe Paulie's to take out Tony. spared by Phil. fucks up the hit on Phil. decides to spend the night at Tony's hideout. plus who else is left? Max Casella? David Chase directing finale. Maybe it was all a dream.

Batty31 Jun 04 2007 12:56 PM

I haven't seen the episode yet (won't get to see it until Tuesday) but after hearing about the botched whack attempt on Phil, my initial reaction is they should have brought back Furio for the job!!! Didn't someone hire an outside source for a hit earlier this season? I can't remember who it is...Chrissy?

SteveJRogers Jun 04 2007 02:39 PM

HahnSolo wrote: And shouldn't Phil, as a boss, have a nicer house in a nicer neighborhood? I mean, a wire fence, no property? What self-respecting made man would put up with living in a place like that? Carlo Gambino lived the same way. Basically A) lack of extravagence would throw off the scent of his illegal activities and B) it would be a show that he respected the common men that he was in charge of.

SteveJRogers Jun 04 2007 02:44 PM

Johnny Dickshot wrote: Now my questions -- Where is Patsy? Hanging with the Russian from The Pine Barrens! Sorry, couldn't resist =;)

metirish Jun 06 2007 02:16 PM

Eric Mangini was in the episode ,who caught that?,I didn't [url=http://www.newsday.com/sports/football/jets/ny-spmedia055243421jun05,0,6008695.column?coll=ny-football-headlines]Mangini[/url]

Batty31 Jun 06 2007 04:06 PM

Good find, irish. That one went totally by me. BTW, that path behind the Bada Bing where Patsy was running? That leads right out to the Lodi DMV. Perhaps is probably still stuck on line there...

Elster88 Jun 07 2007 10:37 AM

You must have had run to the bathroom, Artie came over and told Tony and Carmella that "Man-genius" was there. Then they cut to him. Tony said "I'll have to go say hello" and he and Artie walked over. They didn't have anyone from the show in the same shot with Mangini, but he was in the credits.

Centerfield Jun 07 2007 11:06 AM

I'm pissed that the finale is not two hours. I don't see how they can wrap everything up in one episode. Which leads me to think that they won't.

Johnny Dickshot Jun 07 2007 11:12 AM

I predict a somber and sad finale.

soupcan Jun 07 2007 11:13 AM

Way to go out on a limb.

Benjamin Grimm Jun 07 2007 11:17 AM

My guess is that Tony survives, but is forever diminished in some way.

metirish Jun 07 2007 11:18 AM

I'll go out on a limb, A.J. gets killed and Tony understandably goes Ape Shit,Paulie turns on Tony shooting him but not killing him,Tony again goes Ape Shit and kills Phil and his crew,Paulie dies at the hands of a dying Silvio,his last act of loyalty to Tony. The Feds bring Tony in,he's been a mole all this fucking time.

Benjamin Grimm Jun 07 2007 11:19 AM

Or maybe the whole run of episodes will turn out to be something that Bob Newhart dreamed.

Batty31 Jun 07 2007 05:54 PM

I think Tony will die, though I'll be quite pissed off if that happens. I think it will be Paulie who whacks him since I think he's been Phil's flunky the whole time.

HahnSolo Jun 08 2007 07:01 AM

Wild-Ass Finale Proposal. A terrorist attack hits the tri-state area, with the two Muslim guys who Chris knew somehow involved. It hits home for both NY and NJ, both their immediate and Mob families, with both suffering losses. With authorities pleading for calm, Phil and Tony agree to a truce. Phil comes to Jersey to meet, offer condolences, etc. As they chat at a cafe table, an unseen person quietly walks up and puts a bullet in both of their heads. Pan to person with gun: Janice! In a fit of revenge, she takes out the two men she deems responsible for the death of her husband.

patona314 Jun 09 2007 09:05 PM

WFAN mornings with mike. a caller from bloomfield says he was at the final shooting and knows the ending. Tony wins the NJ - NY war and is sitting in that bloomfield ice cream parlor with his family reflecting on his life and how he's going to change for the better. melfi walks in and blows him away... irony at its finest.

Johnny Dickshot Jun 10 2007 08:08 PM

I totally called this.

Kid Carsey Jun 10 2007 08:12 PM

Just when I thought Don't Stop Believing couldn't suck anymore ....

Johnny Dickshot Jun 10 2007 08:32 PM

I guess they figured everyone would have a theory about how it should end, so why ruin it for the 99% of them who predicted Tony would end up flipping or dead: He still very well may! Why, Meadow was just running in to tell them ... Anyway that ep was full of who-knows-what's-about-to-happens. Meadow dead in a parking accident. AJ in a joint suicide or car accident. Paulie puts a bullet into Tony. Tony goes to see the feds. You thought all of it.

SteveJRogers Jun 10 2007 08:34 PM

="Kid Carsey"]Just when I thought Don't Stop Believing couldn't suck anymore .... Be glad I'm no longer posting in the IGTs =;) Seriously though, THATS the song they want to leave us with? Its still in my freaking head! For a show that has a very cool catalogue of classic songs and killer not so well known songs (i.e. "Woke Up This Morning") its Journey's "Don't Stop Believing" that is the last song EVER of the series?

Mr. Zero Jun 10 2007 08:57 PM

I think the show just got whacked.

Elster88 Jun 10 2007 09:23 PM

="SteveJRogers"] ="Kid Carsey"]Just when I thought Don't Stop Believing couldn't suck anymore .... Be glad I'm no longer posting in the IGTs =;) Oh we are

Elster88 Jun 10 2007 09:24 PM

What the fuck happened was my first thought.

Elster88 Jun 10 2007 09:26 PM

Mr. Zero wrote: I think the show just got whacked. Basically. I thought either the creepy guy at the counter or the two thugs who came in were paid to whack Tony. The music got louder and louder and then an instantaneous cut to black and silence? Why was Meadow running? I can see sprinting through the parking lot because it took her all day to park but why run once you're in the diner. Did I miss something? Or am I going to be leading the line to Chase's house?

metirish Jun 10 2007 09:53 PM

="Johnny Dickshot"]I guess they figured everyone would have a theory about how it should end, so why ruin it for the 99% of them who predicted Tony would end up flipping or dead: He still very well may! Why, Meadow was just running in to tell them ... Anyway that ep was full of who-knows-what's-about-to-happens. Meadow dead in a parking accident. AJ in a joint suicide or car accident. Paulie puts a bullet into Tony. Tony goes to see the feds. You thought all of it. I'll gowith that,my first reaction after the show was bullshit,then the possibilities....still not sure how I feel about the end.....actually I thought my TV crapped out on me..

Batty31 Jun 10 2007 10:23 PM

metirish wrote: I'll gowith that,my first reaction after the show was bullshit,then the possibilities....still not sure how I feel about the end.....actually I thought my TV crapped out on me.. I had taped it and just got done watching it. I thought my vcr had screwed up. WTF kind of ending was that??? And I thought of this board as soon as I heard "Don't Stop Believing" (kept thinking of "Lights" from last week) I thought the guy at the counter was going to go get a preplanted gun, just like in The Godfather.

metirish Jun 11 2007 04:30 AM

I think Meadow was rushing to tell her parents that she is pregnant,also why did Paulie turn down the promotion offered by Tony,because he's a rat?

soupcan Jun 11 2007 07:31 AM

BOOOOOOOOO! Philly gets whacked so Tony is safe, Tony gets closure with Uncle Junior (and maybe realizes that in the end none of it means shit), Tony maybe or maybe not has some prison time in his future, FBI guys are just wannabe mobsters and all AJ really need was a pseudo-job and BMW M3 to make him all happy. I understand that Chase was telling us that life goes on and letting us feel the tension they all must feel from the not knowing if this particular moment is your last, but c'mon. This is how you end the 8 year run of one of the greatest TV dramas ever? Boo I say. BOO! BOO! BOO!

metirish Jun 11 2007 07:46 AM

Yeah,so much for A.J. and his brief flirtation with idealism,nothing like a Beemer to get over that shit,not that it means much but the ending is getting universally hammered.

MFS62 Jun 11 2007 08:02 AM

This is a pretty good analysis I found on another site. Apparently this person has watched carefully over the years. I haven't: ] 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 brothas 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 li Later

Mr. Zero Jun 11 2007 08:41 AM

I loved it. The episode itself was decent. Tony says good bye to everyone. The Phil hit was pretty funny and the AJ thing was, I thought, probably swipe at the film/TV industry and the cretins who work there. Whatever. But geez, those last three minutes were more intense than any TV I’ve ever watched (Met playoff games excluded). It had to be either all or nothing. All those suspicious characters entering the diner, I don’t think we were being messed with (well not totally), just seeing life through Tony’s eyes. And a cheesy song about believing (Journey never sounded so good) slamming into the final blackness of it all probably says something about something. I liked the high concept ending. I don’t think his intention was to piss people off, but I’m sure Chase knew people would be pissed off. Art does that sometimes.

soupcan Jun 11 2007 08:49 AM

MFS62 wrote: This is a pretty good analysis I found on another site. Apparently this person has watched carefully over the years. I haven't: ] 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 brothas 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 li Later Well that makes it a bit more palatable but still...

Centerfield Jun 11 2007 09:41 AM

I don't like having to read articles to explain to me what I just saw.

Batty31 Jun 11 2007 10:09 AM

Thanks for the article MFS62. I thought the guy at the counter who headed for the bathroom looked familiar and did read later last night that he Phil's nephew. How believable is it that ALL those people would be in the diner at the same time??? What crack was Chase smoking?

Vic Sage Jun 11 2007 11:30 AM Edited 3 time(s), most recently on Jun 11 2007 11:57 AM

um, Batty... to the extent anyone would notice the identities of the folks in the diner AT ALL, it was clearly symbolic. Tony is literally surrounded by his past enemies, closing in on him. As for my general response to the finale: I got home late last night, after the Tony awards, but, having taped the episode, my wife and i were anxious to watch it when we got home. So, after it ended, i'll admit to anger and disappointment, because i was too tired to really think about what i had just seen. But this morning, i've been thinking about it. And its starting to grow on me. Look, no matter what ending Chase came up with, some people would be satisfied and others disappointed. And ANY ending would have been a pat conclusion for a show that has refused to give pat answers to anything. In the movie I'VE HEARD THE MERMAIDS SINGING, there are some supposedly fabulous paintings that are supposed to be put in an exhibition. They've been given a buildup during the movie. So what do the paintings actually look like? No matter how they'd be presented, there reality would be more mundane than the images in our heads. So the director makes the canvases into shimmering panels of white light... is that literal, or metaphorical? Are they really just light panels, or are they blank abstractions onto which we, as the audience, are able to project our own images? The director is making a symbolic statement... "here, fill this part in yourself." So, at the end of the Sopranos, we cut to black at the penultimate moment of a growingly tension-filled scene. What does it mean? Well, lets look at the episode as a whole. Tony wins against NY by whacking Phil and making peace with the NY crew. This storyline has been part of the series from the beginning, in one form or other. And as for his own crew, he finally visits his fallen friend, Silvio, in the hospital and buries Bobby. But business goes on, so Paulie gets promoted. Despite his hesition, Paulie accepts the responsibility, showing his ultimate loyalty... "at your service, my liege." As for family, Tony also comes to some closure with many of them. He visits Uncle Junior and realizes that there was nothing left of the man for him to hate. "You and your brother ran all of North Jersey", he tells him, with something akin to affection. He reminds the old, toothless lion that he was once a king of the jungle, and mercifully leaves him with that. He visits Janice, who has clearly taken on Livia's mantel as a monstrous, Medea-like mother. Despite this, he comes to some kind of peace with her, too. "Well, whatever you need, i'm only minutes away." And he gets the NY crew to pay her off for her husband's execution. He has come to see a glimpse of his kids' futures, too... Meadow, her daddy's girl to the end, will become a lawyer to become his surrogate defender... an irony not lost on Tony. And Tony gets A.J. off the ledge and away from a military future by buying him a new career and a new car, to go along with his new hot girlfriend. Despite his recent bout of idealistic, patriotic fervor, AJ is exactly the spoiled, pathetic whiner we've always suspected him of being. Tony even comes to terms with the psychotherapy process itself, which was the device that launched the series. While conferring with AJ's therapist, Tony begins making the session about him, finding a Melfi surrogate for his damaged psyche. Carlo has flipped and the feds are closing in with an indictment. "trials are there to be won!", Tony is assured by his lawyer. And what about the enemies surrounding him in the diner at the end? Tony will always be surrounded by enemies, and the next person he sees coming through the door might be Meadow or it might be Leotardo's nephew. if not today, then maybe tomorrow. But this is the life he has chosen. This is the shadow he has cast over his family. He has seen his future... in a hospital, an asylum, a federal pen or a coffin... but will meet it head on, whatever it is, surrounded by his family and his "family". In the David Chase universe, where the federal agent is corrupt, and the gangsters are principled, this is as close as he gets to a happy ending. So, the action of the final scene is interrupted and illuminated by blackness... instead of panels of white light. Fill in his life's conclusion as you see fit. It doesn't matter how it ends because, ultimately, the story of every person ends in death. The rest is just about details. "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?" (1882)

metirish Jun 11 2007 11:46 AM

I have read numerous theories about the ending,yours Vic makes the most sense to me,or at least helps me make sense of it.

Johnny Dickshot Jun 11 2007 11:50 AM

See? That's the kind of rehash I mised. I should also point out that as tension-filled and tragic as the final episode could be it was also much funnier than I ever expected, with Paulie getting spooked over the cat (a reincarnation of Ade?) the pathetic funniness of AJ, Agent Harris cheering, even the really dark humor of a head getting squished by an SUV.

Vic Sage Jun 11 2007 11:56 AM

]...the cat (a reincarnation of Ade?)... that was exactly what i was thinking! and yes, more laughs than usual of late, but recapturing some the tone of the earlier days of the show. Look, if somebody bitches about the fact that, in WAITING FOR GODOT, the damn Godot fellow never shows up... well, then they've missed the point, no?

Mr. Zero Jun 11 2007 12:00 PM

I thought the cat was Christopher, since it provoked such a negative reaction from Paulie. Then in the end it just made itself at home lounging next to Paulie outside of Satriales. Or maybe it was just a cat.

Benjamin Grimm Jun 11 2007 12:30 PM

Mr. Zero wrote: Or maybe it was just a cat. As someone who doesn't believe in the supernatural in real life, I tend not to believe it in TV or movies either, unless I know I'm watching a show that explicitly takes place in a world where the supernatural exists. So if I'm watching Lost or The X-Files then I'd be more likely to think that the cat was a reincarnated character. With The Sopranos I wouldn't be inclined to think that way. Instead, I'd think that that's what Paulie thinks, not what's actually the case. But maybe I'd be wrong to think that way. I also always saw the ghosts on Six Feet Under as figments of the living character's imagination. I'm pretty sure that I'm wrong on that count, though, because there were times when the ghosts were quietly observing the living.

Vic Sage Jun 11 2007 12:32 PM

i think it was schroedinger's cat.

Benjamin Grimm Jun 11 2007 12:51 PM

Has Paulie ever been referred to as "Paulie Walnuts" by any of the characters on the show? I can't recall that ever happening, at least not in the last several seasons. But whenever he's mentioned in the press, it seems he's just about always called "Paulie Walnuts."

Centerfield Jun 11 2007 01:21 PM

That's an excellent analysis Vic. It makes sense after hearing you say it, but none of that came into my head when I watched the show. Even thinking about it this morning on the train I couldn't come up with any plausible conclusions other than Chase was fucking with us. I may sound like a dumb member of the American public, but if that were Chase's intent, I needed that to be illustrated a little more clearly. Maybe he could have done this by showing Junior, then Sil in his bed, to Carlo talking to the Feds, and then back to Tony. People say there are two groups that watch the Sopranos, those that think it's an intelligent show, and those who like the low-brow humor and whacking. I liked both. So here, where the ending should appeal to the eggheads over the meatheads, I'm kinda leaning toward meathead on this one.

SteveJRogers Jun 11 2007 02:47 PM

Just posted this on another forum, based on someone saying that it was "the audience" that got whacked, certaintly a good interpretation: Can't find the original post, but it was something along the lines of "The audience got whacked" based on Tony's and Bobby's "You don't hear it coming and everything goes black" conversation. All the audience heard was the door bell ringing, and "Dooooon't stop" before the screen went blank. What do most shows end with? The cresendo of the song and a fade out, not an abrubt ending. It actually reminded me of the NYPD Blue ending now that I think about it. I read a review/recap of that finale, and it kind of ended with the same "This is the last thing you, the viewer, will be allowed to see." technique. You saw Andy Sipowicz in his office at the end of Day One of being the shift commander and the camera starts to pan out into the squad room, the camera pans out a little more and higher, and keeps going untill it is actually over the door. In other words you could see over the doorway, and the fact that the squad room isn't a squad room, but a TV show set. The audience "died" and went to heaven in a sense. After all those years, that was the end of what the TV show was allowing you the viewer to see, life was going on, the character of Andy was at a new chapter of his career and life, but the audience was now no longer allowed to see anymore of this character (and the rest of the characters on the show) and therefore symbolically, the audience "died." Interesting interpretation, and certaintly I wouldn't put it past Chase to feel that it was why he did what he did. The end moment is essentially "okay, that is it, nothing further, good bye."

SteveJRogers Jun 11 2007 02:53 PM

Yancy Street Gang wrote: Has Paulie ever been referred to as "Paulie Walnuts" by any of the characters on the show? I can't recall that ever happening, at least not in the last several seasons. But whenever he's mentioned in the press, it seems he's just about always called "Paulie Walnuts." The reason for the nickname probably came up one or twice in season one, but no, Paulie has never really been called "Walnuts". I think the reason Walnuts though is used in the press is the same reason Bobby's name was shortened to Baccala from Baccalieri, to save people from trying to spell Gualtieri

Mr. Zero Jun 11 2007 02:59 PM

]i think it was schroedinger's cat. I don't know if it was Schroedingers cat, but Occam's razor would come in handy about now.

A Boy Named Seo Jun 12 2007 10:09 AM

[url=http://blog.nj.com/alltv/2007/06/david_chase_speaks.html]David Chase Speaks.[/url] Great interview. Last paragraph shoots down the theory that the characters in the last scene were specific guys from earlier episodes. ] What do you do when your TV world ends? You go to dinner, then keep quiet. Sunday night, "Sopranos" creator David Chase took his wife out for dinner in France, where he's fled to avoid "all the Monday morning quarterbacking" about the show's finale. After this exclusive interview, agreed to well before the season began, he intends to go into radio silence, letting the work -- especially the controversial final scene -- speak for itself. "I have no interest in explaining, defending, reinterpreting, or adding to what is there," he says of the final scene. "No one was trying to be audacious, honest to God," he adds. "We did what we thought we had to do. No one was trying to blow people's minds, or thinking, 'Wow, this'll (tick) them off.' People get the impression that you're trying to (mess) with them and it's not true. You're trying to entertain them." In that scene, mob boss Tony Soprano waited at a Bloomfield ice cream parlor for his family to arrive, one by one. What was a seemingly benign family outing was shot and cut as the preamble to a tragedy, with Tony suspiciously eyeing one patron after another, the camera dwelling a little too long on Meadow's parallel parking and a man in a Members Only jacket's walk to the men's room. Just as the tension had been ratched up to unbearable levels, the series cut to black in mid-scene (and mid song) with no resolution. "Anybody who wants to watch it, it's all there," says Chase, 61, who based the series in general (and Tony's relationship with mother Livia specifically) on his North Caldwell childhood. Some fans have already assumed that the ambiguous ending was Chase setting up the oft-rumored "Sopranos" movie, but that doesn't seem to be in the cards. "I don't think about (a movie) much," he says. "I never say never. An idea could pop into my head where I would go, 'Wow, that would make a great movie,' but I doubt it. "I'm not being coy," he adds. "If something appeared that really made a good 'Sopranos' movie and you could invest in it and everybody else wanted to do it, I would do it. But I think we've kind of said it and done it." Another problem: over the last season, Chase killed so many key characters. He's toyed with the idea of "going back to a day in 2006 that you didn't see, but then (Tony's children) would be older than they were then and you would know that Tony doesn't get killed. It's got problems." (Earlier in the interview, he notes that his favorite part of the show was often the characters telling stories about the good ol' days of Tony's parents. Just a guess, but if Chase ever does a movie spin-off, it'll be set in Newark in the '60s.) Since Chase is declining to offer his interpretation of the final scene, let me present two more of my own, which came to me with a good night's sleep and a lot of helpful reader e-mails: Theory No. 1 (and the one I prefer): Chase is using the final scene to place the viewer into Tony's mindset. This is how he sees the world: every open door, every person walking past him could be coming to kill him, or arrest him, or otherwise harm him or his family. This is his life, even though the paranoia's rarely justified. We end without knowing what Tony's looking at because he never knows what's coming next. Theory No. 2: In the scene on the boat in "Soprano Home Movies," repeated again last week, Bobby Bacala suggests that when you get killed, you don't see it coming. Certainly, our man in the Members Only jacket could have gone to the men's room to prepare for killing Tony (shades of the first "Godfather"), and the picture and sound cut out because Tony's life just did. (Or because we, as viewers, got whacked from our life with the show.) Meanwhile, remember that 21-month hiatus between Seasons Five and Six? That was Chase thinking up the ending. HBO chairman Chris Albrecht came to him after Season Five and suggested thinking up a conclusion to the series; Chase agreed, on the condition that he get "a long break" to decide on an ending. Originally, that ending was supposed to occur last year, but midway through production, the number of episodes was increased, and Chase stretched out certain plot elements while saving the major climaxes for this final batch of 9. "If this had been one season, the Vito storyline would not have been so important," he says. Much of this final season has featured Tony bullying, killing or otherwise alienating the members of his inner circle. After all those years viewing him as "the sympathetic mob boss," were we supposed to, like his therapist Dr. Melfi, finally wake up and smell the sociopath? "From my perspective, there's nothing different about Tony in this season than there ever was," insists Chase. "To me, that's Tony." Chase has had an ambivalent relationship with his fans, particularly the bloodthirsty whacking crowd who seemed to tune in only for the chance to see someone's head get blown off (or run over by an SUV). So was he reluctant to fill last week's penultimate episode, "The Blue Comet," with so many vivid death scenes? "I'm the Number One fan of gangster movies," he says. "Martin Scorsese has no greater devotee than me. Like everyone else, I get off partly on the betrayals, the retributions, the swift justice. But what you come to realize when you do a series is you could be killing straw men all day long. Those murders only have any meaning when you've invested story in them. Otherwise, you might as well watch 'Cleaver.'" One detail about the final scene that he'll discuss, however tentatively: the selection of Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'" as the song on the jukebox. "It didn't take much time at all to pick it, but there was a lot of conversation after the fact. I did something I'd never done before: in the location van, with the crew, I was saying, 'What do you think?' When I said, 'Don't Stop Believin',' people went, 'What? Oh my god!' I said, 'I know, I know, just give a listen,' and little by little, people started coming around." Whether viewers will have a similar time-delayed reaction to the finale as a whole, Chase doesn't know. ("I hear some people were very angry, and others were not, which is what I expected.") He's relaxing in France, then he'll try to make movies. "It's been the greatest career experience of my life," he says. "There's nothing more in TV that I could say or would want to say." Here's Chase on some other points about the finale and the season: -After all the speculation that Agent Harris might turn Tony, instead we saw that Harris had turned, passing along info on Phil's whereabouts and cheering, "We're going to win this thing!" when learning of Phil's demise. "This is based on an actual case of an FBI agent who got a little bit too partisan and excited during the Colombo wars of the '70s," says Chase of the story of Lindley DeVecchio, who supplied Harris' line. -Speaking of Harris, Chase had no problem with never revealing what -- if anything -- terror suspects Muhammed and Ahmed were up to. "This, to me, feels very real," he says. "The majority of these suspects, it's very hard for anybody to know what these people are doing. I don't even think Harris might know where they are. That was sort of the point of it: who knows if they are terrorists or if they're innocent pistachio salesmen? That's the fear that we are living with now." Also, the apocryphal story -- repeated by me, unfortunately -- that Fox, when "Sopranos" was in development there, wanted Chase to have Tony help the FBI catch terrorists, wasn't true. "What I said was, if I had done it at Fox, Tony would have been a gangster by day and helping the FBI by night, but we weren't there long enough for anyone to make that suggestion." -I spent the last couple of weeks wrapping my brain around a theory supplied by reader Sam Lorber (and his daughter Emily) that the nine episodes of this season were each supposed to represent one of the nine circles of Hell from Dante's "The Divine Comedy." Told of the theory, Chase laughed and said, "No." -Since Butchie was introduced as a guy who was pushing Phil to take out Tony, why did he turn on Phil and negotiate peace with Tony? "I think Butch was an intelligent guy, he began to see that there was no need for it, that Phil's feelings were all caught up in what was esentially a convoluted personal grudge." -Not from Chase, but I feel the need to debunk the e-mail that's making the rounds about all the Holsten's patrons being characters from earlier in the series. The actor playing Member's Only guy had never been on the show before, Tony killed at least, one if not both of his carjackers, and there are about 17 other things wrong with this popular but incorrect theory. Alan Sepinwall may be reached at asepinwall@starledger.com

metirish Jun 12 2007 10:37 AM

Cheers Seo,must be cool to be David Chase right now.

Batty31 Jun 12 2007 04:44 PM

Thanks for the article, Seo. I'm still holding out that there will be a conclusion somewhere along the line. BTW, does anyone besides me think that Uncle Jun was faking his senility?

SteveJRogers Jun 12 2007 04:50 PM

Batty31 wrote: Thanks for the article, Seo. I'm still holding out that there will be a conclusion somewhere along the line. BTW, does anyone besides me think that Uncle Jun was faking his senility? Nah, in the past when Tony snapped at him he would lower his voice and talk to Tony normal. I'm not convinced all of AJ's drama queen act was real, especially with the quick transformation he made. I mean even if you are depressed and all hating the world, you don't act like a little "what about me and my feelings right now" whuss when your mob boss dad is telling you something is brewing and you need to leave and take care of your mother now.