Monday, June 11, 2007
The Sopranos Fini
On Nightline David Chase said his mother was pretty much like Livia, Tony Soprano's monster mom. Chase said, “Nothing was ever enough for her.”
(Spoiler alert: don't read further if you haven't seen the last episode yet.)
Now that the series has come to a close it seems Chase's anger at the expectations placed on the Sopranos has been informed by that same resentment he felt towards his mother. I'm not going to do anything more Chase seems to be saying. It is just a TV show and this will have to be enough.
You would think with the family name that the Sopranos would have all been singing to the Feds at the end, even though Tony whacked someone who had gone into witness protection for doing just that. The hypocrisy of Tony's code of honor would then have completed one possible karmic circle.
Alternatively, since Chase rejects the neatly wrapped package of most TV plotting, as the family left the restaurant Tony could have been the victim of a random street crime perpetrated by young kids. As Tony slumped on the street, Carmela would be heard calling Tony's name with a last ominous shot of a steely Meadow. The outcome of the assault on Tony could be left ambiguous (future movies) but Meadow might feel called to service. Meadow could take over the family business, like The Godfather's Michael Corleone, borne back, ceaselessly, into the family's heart of darkness.