I don't have HBO, so I was unable to watch the final season of The Sopranos in real time--but I finished it last night. I knew there was some question about whether Tony died, but other than that, I managed to successfully stay away from any larger details of the end of the show (with great effort, I might add--I was constantly stopping up my ears or shutting off the radio in the days after the finale).
I came to the show a reluctant viewer. I've never been a big fan of the gangster genre, and hyper-violence has never had an appeal for me, either--with the exception of works like A Clockwork Orange and Natural Born Killers, where said violence was intended to drive a larger point home. After the first season of TS, however, I was so wrapped up in the psychology of the characters and the richness of performances, that I was hooked.
It's true there have been waffly episodes over the entire run, ones that meander a bit--but to me, they have ultimately fit into the larger narrative. People complained about the 5th season, but it was one of my favorites. The storyline that revolved around Tony's decision to kill his cousin revealed his previously unseen capacity for the most intimate kind of evil. There was always something in every episode to drive forward the arc of the series--and the inevitable conclusion of destruction.
Starting with the first part of season 6, we begin to see tangible breakdown of the system--and no more than in Tony, himself. After being shot by Uncle Junior and traveling most of the season through his haunted netherworld of dreams (always containing huge metaphors--I loved the use of this device in the series), Tony returns to his position of power a weakened man. He knows it, and everyone around him knows it. In the second part of season 6, we see him attempting damage control (but always placing it outside himself--Christopher's murder, anyone?). The unattended asbestos that piles up everywhere and ends up getting dumped in plain sight is another beautiful metaphor for the shit that's really not getting dealt with; is becoming insurmountable in Tony's world.
A.J.'s suicide attempt put me in near hysterics. You can say what you want about the actor or character, but he masterfully played his emotional wrestling with living as a sociopath's child. Wouldn't aimlessness and despair be the logical outcome? Tony's rescue of him (and subsequent anger) was clearly a rescue (and subsequent anger) of/at himself. That was one of the most horrible/beautiful moments I've seen in television.
The final scene--left me, like many others, momentarily puzzled. Did the DVD have a blip at the climactic moment? No, surely not. Then, the quiet 10 seconds of black clued me in. I sat, gaped-mouthed, going..."Wait...did the suspicious guy...no, wait. It's Chase's visual metaphor for..." I did this for at least a good 20 minutes. I had my suspicions, but I decided to weigh in with the online geeks and get their two-cents' worth. They reminded me that in the beginning of the season (and also as a brief memory in the penultimate episode, which no one seemed to comment on), Bobby made a comment to Tony about getting whacked. It was “You probably don’t ever hear it when it happens, right?”
So, my opinion is, whether Tony really died in that moment is irrelevant. The blackness/silence shows what is the inevitable outcome for Tony--he is always (as is clearly shown in the scene) going to be looking over his shoulder, is always going to be one step away from getting killed. He has burned too many bridges, hurt too many people and ingrained himself too deeply into this enterprise not to ultimately wind up someday on the other end of a gun.
Since Chase's writing and direction is so heavily laden with metaphors, I also think the silence/10 seconds of black (which he reputedly wanted to be 30 seconds long, but it was rejected by the network), served as a way to communicate all the unfinished business of the show. Unfinished business in relationships, in reconciling one's past hurts, in feeling guilt over making devastating, immoral choices. This is not a show that could be neatly tied up at the end, with Tony either "going straight" and attempting to make up for ills or getting whacked as some sort of retribution for all his past horrors; no--the whole point of the show was to make someone so reprehensible, so morally bereft, human to us. It's a terrifying idea, something difficult to reconcile when you really pin it down--but nonetheless, you feel something for this guy, for his friends. You understand and allow some of their behaviors. Chase forces you to look at that; not to have some sort of easy fix or finish. And that is to me, is the most important message of the show.
What a fantastic piece of work, from all involved. It will certainly linger with me.
3 comments:
I was a pretty avid viewer for the first 3-4 seasons...mostly cause my friends LOVED the show, but I lost track when there was that contract dispute things were held up. I know what happened in the final episode, so nothing was spoiled for me, and I agree with your take on the ending. It was a very gutsy call to end the series like that...and piss off so many fans...but I think it works for many of the reasons you pointed out. There can be no 'happy ending' for Tony...having everything 'go black' is probably as good as he could hope for.
And to add to what you said about that quote...from what I've been told, there is actually a reference to 'everything going black' when you get taken out...so, who knows? =)
Actually, the "everything going black" comment was not said--that was an internet rumor, probably the result of people again trying to find a way to "solve" the ending. The actual statement from Bobby was specifically what I included above...but it applies just as much as the made-up "black" comment, in my opinion.
I would recommend finishing up the series, just so we can talk about it more! I love deconstructing this stuff.
Thanks for your comments, Neil.
I stand corrected. =)
Post a Comment