Let me preface this column by stating that I’ve seen exactly one episode of The Sopranos in its entirety, and that was the finale. So by no means whatsoever do I consider myself the least bit of an expert on the show, the characters, the writers, the producers, or anyone else associated with the show. On top of that, the show was obviously immensely popular and successful, so those involved with the show obviously know what they’re doing. I’m also not outwardly against the way the series ended. I was a big fan of Angel, which also ended with a non-conclusive scene that didn’t offer complete closure. Finally, the show was also in a very unenviable position. With such die hard fans, the finale was sure to let a lot of people down.
Nevertheless, David Chase, the creator of the show, recently spoke out against the fan outcry of the finale, and some of what he said warrants a response. I should also note that these quotes were taken from excerpts provided by Entertainment Weekly and CNN.com, so if they were taken out of context, it was unintentional on my part.
First thing he said that irked me: “It’s one thing to be deeply involved with a television show. It’s another to be so involved that all you do is sit on a couch and watch it There was a war going on that week and attempted terror attacks in London. But these people were talking about onion rings.”
Geez, way to criticize the very people that made your show such a success. What’s that expression about biting off the hand that feeds you? Along with that, I’m sure that the people who were up in arms about the finale also recognized the fact that there’s a war going on, and if I were them, I’d resent the implication that I don’t realize that a war is more important than a television show. I also don’t understand the argument that you can’t be upset about a TV show AND concerned about the war. It’s like if you’re upset about one, you can’t be upset about the other also. It’d be one thing if he was criticizing the media (which would be a fair point), but he seems to be referring to the fans here.
Next comment that bothered me: “[The audience] had gleefully watched him rob, kill, pillage, lie, and cheat. They had cheered him on. And then, all of a sudden, they wanted to see him punished for all that. They wanted ‘justice.’ They wanted to see his brains splattered on the wall. I thought that was disgusting, frankly The pathetic thing to me was how much they wanted his blood, after cheering him on for eight years.”
Again, way to appreciate your audience, by calling them “disgusting” and “pathetic.” Isn’t it entirely possible (and maybe even probable) that these people who were “cheering him on” were doing so with the feeling that he’d get his in the end? I mean, take a look at T-Bag from Prison Break. There are a lot of people who enjoy his antics, but I’m sure those same people don’t want him to live happily ever after. The audience may become smitten with the villain (traditionally speaking, the bad guy is the more fun, entertaining character), but in the end they ultimately want good to triumph over evil. What is so pathetic and disgusting about that?
I also don’t see how he could say that the fans “all of the sudden” wanted Tony knocked off. Since the beginning of the series, fans have been predicting that Tony would be killed in the finale. It seemed like a natural conclusion to the story.
Like I said, I don’t know nearly enough about the series to comfortably criticize the way it ended. I do know that I watched the finale with huge fans of the show, and all of them were disappointed. On the other hand, when I watched the Angel finale (again, with loyal viewers), that sense of displeasure wasn’t so prominent. Before one argues that the two are not on the same level, keep in mind that shows like Angel have a huge cult following. Angel closed the series with the culmination of a big battle, but just before the first swing of the mega, climatic battle. We were left wondering who survived, if anybody. But I guess we didn’t really need to know that. The message of the finale, as I interpreted it, was that Angel and his crew are going to go down fighting. If it’s not from this battle, it could be from the next one. Or the one after that. The point is, there will always be evil, and they’re going to fight the good fight until their demise. Perhaps it’s fair to sum it up by saying we got our closure through a message, instead of through conclusive visual means. Did The Sopranos successfully do that as well? Like I said, I can’t be the judge of that. But based on the overwhelming outcry, I’d venture to say that they came up short.
