I have heard this refrain countless times since Sunday night’s limpid Sopranos’ finale, but I said it first so I’m holding onto it.

As someone who has spent wayyyy too much of his 20’s watching, following, speculating on and obsessing over “The Sopranos”, my first reaction after seeing the screen go blank and silent was that the fans (especially this fan) deserved more.

David Chase, the creator of “The Sopranos” has said in interviews that he doesn’t feel that art should give answers to people. Instead, it should raise questions and let us come to our own conclusions. While I believe in giving the viewer or listener room to think in music, television, film, art etc., I find this to be somewhat of a cop-out when faced with the question of “The Finale”.

It’s incumbent upon the people who created this show, and who shaped the characters and devised the plots, to resolve for us the fate of its main character. Simply leaving it to interpretation is not giving credit to the audience, it’s an insult. Make a decision, any decision about what happens to Tony and stick with it.

To me, the blank screen smacked of David Chase not trusting himself, flinching at the most important of moments. To leave room open for more episodes or a movie is further insult. We were told countless times that the show was through, that they had said everything that was going to be said.

In the end, though, while I’m angry about the non-ending, I’m grateful for the show, which while flawed, was infinitely more entertaining and compelling than 99.9% of what’s on television. The final nine episode go-around was a valiant final statement. And despite my friend Busco’s arguments on this site, I’m happy that Phil, the world’s most passive-aggressive mob boss got what he so richly deserved.

But in the end, the show, and the fans deserved much more than a blank screen.

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An Editor’s Journey to the GoOutJersey Launch Party

Author’s Note: On Friday, April 20th, GoOutJersey.com celebrated its official launch with a party at Rogo’s in Hoboken. As Assistant Editor of the site, I was invited. The party was a gathering of staff, contributors, and friends of the site. We chose Rogo’s because it was a spot that represents what the site is about — it’s for real Jerseyites (present company excluded), and it’s cheap.

The following is a very approximate timeline of my evening…

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I approached this last mini-season of The Sopranos with some trepidation, I must admit. The sixth season (of which this mini-season is technically an extension), disappointed me to no end (which John Busco would agree with). I even found myself changing the channel during the finale; I was that certain that I wouldn’t see anything worthy of holding onto during the seemingly endless wait between seasons that Sopranos fans have learned to endure. As the press buzz regarding the show’s end gained momentum, I remained steadfast in my ambivalence. I declared to friends and family alike that I would no longer be an “appointment viewer” of the show. Nevertheless, as 9pm on Sunday rolled around, I felt compelled to take a peek.

What I found was what had drawn me to the show as a college student in the first place. It was not perfect television, and yes, a soap opera about a mafia family is not the most contemporary forum for modern day angst, but it was still better and more intelligently written and directed than almost anything else out there. Over the years, the show has suffered greatly from the writer’s belief in their own hype, and from momentum lost by the outrageously long layovers between seasons. And while it will never regain the glory of seasons 1-3, The Sopranos, even in it’s dark days, had a unique and fascinating take on relationships, family, violence and power.

So it was, with all of this in mind, that I was pleasantly surprised by the first episode of this last go-round. The show, which centered around Tony and Carmela’s celebration of his 47th birthday at the summer house of in-laws Bobby and Janice, was a return to what connected it to the audience in the first place. The pain and sensitivity of family and relationships, in this case the blistering sibling rivalry and resentment between Tony and Janice, spilled over into a fistfight of all things, between Bobby and Tony, the man to whom Bobby swears his allegiance, and to whose wrath he fears above all else.

As the events at the lake house unfolded, we were filled with dread. The themes of the show: family pain, loyalty, and Tony’s coming to grips with his age and physical limitations, are ones that don’t need the backdrop of organized crime to resonate with people. That’s what extended the show’s reach far beyond hard core mob movie fans and pushed The Sopranos to its legendary status.

So while I’m not yet ready to fully jump back on the bandwagon, I was happy that I was able to watch an episode that reminded me why I began watching The Sopranos so many years ago. And now I’m actually excited for the final eight episodes.

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