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Originally Posted by CP1708
Originally Posted by Big J 33
CP, I put my response on the Sopranos in a spoiler, to save room and as to not ruin it for whomever.
I say you're wrong when you complain that it didn't show the family or the mob's reaction, as I've said, that's irrelevant to the meaning of the finale or the show at that point. Their reactions should be understood, through all the years, the audience should be able to figure out how they would react based on the intense characterization we've gotten. Not to mention it's primarily Tony's show. It's not as expansive and doesn't spread the focus out as much as the Wire, and it doesn't zero on one or two characters as much as Breaking Bad, but it is largely about Tony and how he effects others around him. Hopefully your disappointment fades and you can appreciate what the show did very well. Impact and influence aside, the themes it touched on were incredible and done in such a grand scale for this show.Spoiler [+]Come on, I can tell you're upset and disappointed, but it's unreal that people liked the show? This thing was huge when it came out, it was a phenomenon, that's your emotions getting the best of you. A finale episode and final season is important to a show, but tons of great shows struggle to end properly. Don't forget how brilliant the show was earlier and overall still is.Originally Posted by CP1708
The Sopranos
Finally finished off the series last night. Overall, enjoyed the show alot. However, there were many, many things that angered me. So many wasted moments/opportunities, the coma, the last half season following this crying little @#$%^ AJ, the acid trip or whatever, weird turns at key moments, just so much randomness, it's unreal to me that people even liked the show.
They spent 7 years building up the belief that the show was about the family, more so than the mob. Ok, so if we are to believe the end, why did we not see the family and how it would react to what just happened? Fade to black should have been about how Carm, AJ, and Meadow felt and saw what went down. IF, that was what it was about.
Now, if it was set up as a showdown between New York and New Jersey, then why did we not have a final confrontation? Why did we leave characters unresolved? Syl is in a damn hospital bed, Pauly is tanning, Tony sittin in a diner, what the hell is that about? (those of you who watched, know what may have went on in the diner)
To me they did nothing but leave holes. Entourage had more closure.
I really felt let down by it all to be honest. I was expecting a mass showdown between "families" and some scores to settle. Jesus, the entire show, FBI lurking lurking lurking lurking, they did NOTHING with that. They still lurking for all I know. Good God, how on earth do you underuse that?
7 years talkin to a therapist, in one 8 minute session, it's over, just like that. Done. Why? Why even close that down, and leave everything else open, know what I mean? Why not just leave that hanging as well? Woulda made no difference.
Christopher, Syl, Pauly, Bobby, none of them were handled properly imo. Even Phil was a bogus finish.
I liked the show, glad I watched it, I hear that it opened doors and paved ways for other shows, but on it's own, it left too much open. There were so many routes that I thought it could have gone, they went none of them.I'm seriously bent that it was like that. I may relax and grow to appreciate the show more as I get older and what not, let it settle, rewatch some stuff, I get that, but the closing of the show left me flat out pissed. Either way, they copped out. It's about the family, ok, show me the fam after fade to black then. It's not about family, it's about mob, ok, then show me finality. They did neither. And that is messed up.
What unresolved characters do you speak of? Silvio is in a coma, that's his story there. Paulie is just Paulie, and we get Tony at the end. I had no problem with Bobby, people die in the show.. maybe you can say it felt rushed and easy, but ehh.. within the flow of the story and the war, he was a casualty. What was wrong with Christopher? That was a powerful moment for both he and Tony, one of the most memorable in the series for me.
The FBI wasn't underused to me, it was an important part but after 9/11 the mob wasn't their primary concern, it was terrorism. Agent Harris' role in the finale was good, he gave Tony info knowing he would take out Phil. What else did you want? Then with the mobs, a mass showdown between families? What do you call Phil trying to take out Tony and his men? If you wanted some Gangs of New York type action where they brawl in the town square, then you'll be disappointed. I'm sure you didn't want thatbut I think the action was amped up and tense in the final episodes.
With the therapist, what did you exactly want? A 25 minute conversation about why she should treat him or what Tony wants? They explained it in a prior episode, Tony's a sociopath, therapy won't help him and it's probably hurting him. After so many years, what else was there to do other than for Melfi to just shut the door to him.
It seems like your complaints is that the show didn't do what you wanted, but I don't think the majority of them are justifiably and clearly the "wrong move". You know how with Dexter, it's clear that you and I differ on A. what we expect from the show and B. that the show is or isn't executing it. I think it's fair to say "I wish the show would have done this", but I think your personal reaction is clouding your judgment of the series as a whole. It's hard to look objectively at a TV show of course, but I think majority of the decisions they had, made sense. Whether or not you liked the handling, I think it worked and that should improve your view of the finale. I agree with AJ, he sucked and don't think I liked him throughout the series. But it's not as if the show went completely off the rails and into the ridiculous territory.. rather it seems like you wanted something else. I can't argue what you wanted of course, but I see the reasoning for a lot of their decisions and within the flow of the show, it works. There's bound to be some unfinished or less than satisfying moments over this many years and with such an expansive universe.. it happens. You had to have liked the ending with Tony and Junior, right? That was perfect.
The show is about Tony. How he acts with the family and how he acts with his family are part of it, but it's Tony's show. Why do you need to see the family's reaction after the fade to black? If he's whacked then they'll be shocked, upset, etc. If he wasn't then life continues on.. If he turned informant, then whatever. Again with the mob, the major players had their stories wrapped up, would you have needed to see Silvio's, Paulie's, Uncle Junior's reaction to know how they would have felt? It's understood and assumed. Silvio is in a coma, Paulie would have been upset/whatever Paulie does, Junior wouldn't know who Tony was, etc. The fade to black to me works on a lot of levels... it refers back to what Bobby said about when you get whacked, it could represent the constant fear of getting whacked and that Tony's life will continue on in a constant state of worry, it's your interpretation. Whatever the "answer", it works because it ensures you're still talking about it 4 years later... here's what Chase said about it
