“The Sopranos” Stops but Doesn’t End

The whining over the ending of the HBO series “The Sopranos” is rather loud this morning. Those who thought David Chase, the creator, writer and director of the series, would finish Tony Soprano off in a “Scarface” blaze of glory are miffed. The more thoughtful who thought the surname was a tip off that the witness protection program lay ahead are vexed. The level of annoyance stems from the fact that the series didn’t end, but rather it stopped without all the “closure” that one expects from American TV. And that makes Mr. Chase a genius.

For its 8 1/2 year run, “The Sopranos” set the standard for television drama. Multi-layered stories could keep even the biggest soap opera fan engaged (and the series was, indeed, a soap opera – the second best after the BBC’s “I, Claudius.”). The production values were more cinematic than television fans had seen outside the local Bijou. Finally, the numerous individually gifted actors created something that is easier in the theatre than on celluloid, an ensemble.

So significant was the series that most Americans knew the premise of the series without actually having seen it. HBO is a premium cable/satellite service to which most American households do not subscribe. The release of previous seasons on DVD undoubtedly helped, but there’s a lot of stuff out on DVD that doesn’t affect the popular culture. The character Tony Soprano has probably replaced Don Corleone in the minds of most under 40s as the quintessential Mafioso. He’s certainly more realistic.

Indeed, what has upset the complainers is the realism of the end. The gang war between the Sopranos and the mob run by Phil Leotardo wound up not happening, as Tony convinced Phil’s captains to let him kill Phil while they all move up in rank. There was still over 30 minutes of program to go when Phil got whacked (and then run over by his own SUV). And Phil was the last killing on the show (it will be an important trivia question in years to come). The show ended ambiguously, with Tony’s family going out for dinner. Mr. Chase did keep the tension right to the end; which customer was going to kill Tony? Before the waitress could take their order, the screen went dark and then the credits rolled.

American TV has a hard time culturally with ambiguity. The last 50 years have operated on the good guys vs. bad guys premise. Tony Soprano was a bad guy for whom the audience rooted, an endearing sociopath (with a wife and kids). At the end, it was likely he would be indicted, perhaps killed, perhaps he’d turn state’s evidence. Yet, the show stopped before any of that happened. In the end, any other resolution would have betrayed the realism and the moral ambiguity of the series. Loose ends don’t get tied up in real life, and happily even after doesn’t happen. That’s why Phil’s death wasn’t the end of things, because things didn’t end there. There’s always more to come: ups and downs, good and bad. If there wasn’t enough blood in the ending to suit, or if one needs to know what happened next, one has missed the entire point.

© Copyright 2007 by The Kensington Review, Jeff Myhre, PhD, Editor. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written consent. Produced using Fedora Linux.

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