Don't Stop

I've not been a true Sopranos loyalist since it's start. It's always been there in my life--my dad is a huge fan, so is Garrett. I love the show, though. It's always been so real and raw. I guess my only reliable excuse for not being so loyal is that the seasons started and ended when they pleased--often spending months, if not well over a year, in hiatus.

My mind has been going over last night's finale again and again. I've listened to and read various commentaries on it. I, too, thought my cable box died out when the screen went to black in the middle of a great Journey song. But alas, like many things in life, we didn't get the closure we so desperately wanted. Instead, we were left to fend for ourselves.

The more I think about the episode, the more I think about how good it really was. Tony was there, surrounded by the details of his life and business, slowly learning that everyone that once surrounded him like a barricade from hell, was now alone. Even his trusted confidante, Paulie, wouldn't take his latest gig...and Tony was left to fend for himself. Everyone that had been there from the beginning--Sil, Vito, Christopher--were gone. And he started to see his life change. He knew he was about to be indicted. His career was, needless to say, a mess.

His personal life wasn't faring much better. For all the time he sat across from Dr. Melfi, he still wasn't able to do anything but manipulate his son's shrink...or at least try to. No matter how much he claimed to do, Tony never let go of his personal demons.

And so, last night, though the screen faded to black, Tony's life hadn't come to a natural close. I truly believe that he was shot. The show, like everything else in Tony's life, was viewed from his perspective (at least 90% of the time). Let's face it--he got America to love a bad guy by being so self-centered. In his last few moments, he was finally at ease with that fact. His son was back to being a narcissistic asshole. His daughter remained perfect in his eyes. His wife was loyal to the end.


Life isn't wrapped in tidy little packages. So this time, art did immitate life. Although we all were left feeling unfulfilled, Tony's life ended much as we saw it when we first set eyes on him: dirty, gritty and raw. I wouldn't have it any other way.