Sorry you didn't like the episode.  The Sopranos were always just an ordinary American family who just happened to be in the Mob and live in a McMansion.  That's all it ever was.

The finale had its weak points, but there was plenty in the episode to make it special if you took up Chase's challenge and filled in the blank for yourself.  I'm having a lovely argument at another blog on how there were plenty of reasons to think that New York would still want to wack Tony and how the 10 seconds of dead air represents the idea that the arrogant, self-absorbed Tony never saw it coming.  Each of us is drawing clues from the episodes we've watched through out the season.

Plus, as I said in the post, I watched the show for entertainment. Entertainment is not a dirty word. All of us can use a little relaxation and escape and some television series provide that.

Nor do I think television news and C-span is banal.

Sure, there are ridiculous programs on tv. But there is also serious programming and well-acted and produced programming and movies and informative current events programming.

The party was outstanding. It was like stepping into a different world for the day, one populated by people who embrace life, can put world issues and politics aside for an afternoon to enjoy beautiful mountain scenery, open space, fresh air, freedom, barbecue, an open bar and the comraderie of 150 kindred spirits.

As you might imagine, no one mentioned the Sopranos. Except me.

By 6:45, I was planted on the couch in front of the humongous television in the famous Hunter kitchen, shoo-ing everyone out and shush-ing up those who remained. At 7:00 the show started. I was like a jail warden. No one was allowed to speak. The finales of all finales was about to begin.

When the credits rolled up after the 11 second black-out, everyone was silent. I broke the silence with "Oh, my G-d. They just totally f-ked us over. I am so embarrassed and so sorry I made such a big deal out of this.

Of course, they told me it wasn't my fault. But it was.

Of course, they told me it wasn't my fault. But it was. Even knowing all along the show and its characters were fiction, I believed this would be a quintessential moment in television history. I was wrong.

But isn't this the perfect ending to allow the show to come back for a final final really sure 'nuff final season??

And the near-heart-attack inducing sequence of activity in that closing scene was just so well crafted. If you watch it again, everything becomes much less suspicious -- it's just how it's shown to us that makes it so suspenseful.

Unlike some of you, you lawyers most especially -- who apparently allow their good judgment to be overcome by hype and spin, those of you who seem to have very little difficulty deluding yourselves whenever those delusions are affirmed by a host of others floating through the land of suspended disbelief -- unlike you guys, I know that when the judge sentences me to five years in front of a firing squad, Jeralyn won't turn to me and say, "What a fabulous outcome, see I told you I'd save your ass."  

Life goes on, even in the face of death and impending indictment.   Isn't that what the show has played and replayed for years?

Every time a storyline closes in anyone's life, we simply address a less important one and it suddenly becomes the most important issue.  With all of our collective baggage in life we are similar in that regard and so the show's ending should be comparable as we were led to believe in its authenticity relative to a real life Don.

I loved the show and I loved Tony and I should not have.  He is a despicable human being yet I rationalized that leotardo was worse etc etc.  I remember one time when Tony was cheating my wife said "No tony don't do it!" as if she could somehow change the script by yelling at the telly.  

by comparison, "six feet under" and "deadwood" were brilliant, far surpassing anything on the "sopranos". actually, "sopranos" was a "rome" wannabe.

Without invalidating everything I said, and now that the last episode is starting to sink in, I'm pulling back from my harsh first evaluation. I've watched it again for the third time, without any external distractions this time, or the distraction of waiting for something to happen, as opposed to watching what was actually happening.  This time around I think I understand it better, and if I can ever get my On Demand to work again, I'll give you a segment by segment breakdown, I know you're all looking forward to that.  :-)

I will say right off hand that the evaluation of the Journey's Don't Stop Believin' is in my opinion mistaken. Chase picked that song for a reason, it's a song about hope and moving on, by people who live in a world that is often without hope.  It was an affirmation that life continues for the survivors, and what makes you a survivor is nothing more than your hope and belief that things will be better tomorrow. I understand that song because I grew up with Journey, they were a part of my teen years and young adulthood, and it touches some of founding relationships in my life.  Great song by the way.

 The truck driver who walks into the bathroom was Phil's nephew Nikki Leotardo...somebody with plenty of reason to whack Tony.

 The bell on the diner door rings everytime someone enters...except as Meadow enters.  Tony is shot dead the instant before she enters.  No bell ring, screen goes black, music stops.

 And earlier this season when Bobby and Tony are fishing, Bobby says "...at the end, you probably dont hear anything, everything just
goes black"

It seems clear that Tony and his family members in the diner got whacked, but Meadow, who was late, didn't.

Aside from being a perfectly appropriate ending -- what else would work, really, without being hopelessly over the top? -- this seems to be a great setup for the sequel movie in which Meadow tries to pick up the pieces, while struggling with memories and flashbacks of her parents and brother. It would be a way to show the family dynamics from a whole new perspective.