Letters to the Editor
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A couple more things
And then hopefully I can stop :)
There were lots of people who still wanted to kill Tony. Hundreds, maybe even thousands. Coco, obviously. 4 other New York families who might have thought Tony was going to try to take over, or flip when he got indicted. Maybe even Phil, who was very unsatisfied with the job his people were doing on the Soprano extermination front, brought in his own guy from out of town before he died. Tony ended and destroyed a lot of lives. Thinking he was safe because Phil was dead is falling into the same trap Tony did, forgetting that what made the situation with Phil different was that he knew what direction the bullet was coming from, and that normal meant never knowing. Thinking that Members Only would have to be related to Phil to have a motive overlooks the fact that Tony's world is filled with people who kill for money.
AJ was right about learning Arabic. All Muslims are required to try to learn it, so it would be the closest thing to a lingua franca for the people he was trying to communicate with.
I like the Schroedinger's Cat idea, that theory has always been a favorite of mine and seeing it applied in this context is a treat. I just don't think the ending is ambiguous, so I think the cat is just a cat.
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Lord, what whiners these viewers be
The viewers who are whining about the blackout ending cheating them from finding out "what happened" to their favorite characters on "The Sopranos" are, somehow I think, the same people who, upon finding out *exactly* "what happened" to their favorite characters at the end of "Six Feet Under," reacted by either 1) going into a deep depression because they found out too much, or 2) going into denial and telling themselves that "what happened" was all just in Claire's imagination. Face it folks: Tony was whacked with a shot to the brain at the word "stop." Instant blackout; total nothingness. We saw how Junior was "fading to black," then we saw Tony take the quick route.
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About The Title
Is the title "Made in America" significant to anyone? "Made," as in a "made guy." My current theory of choice, in agreement with many others, is that the bathroom guy made a hit on Tony.(Note to the person who asked how the hitman would know to hide the gun in that particular bathroom, ala Michael Corleone? He wasn't going to be patted down so he didn't have to hide anything, just himself.) Chase gave each of us what we deserved, our own personal ending... or no ending at all. Pretty darn smart.
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Thoughts on a second viewing
My partner and I watched the final scene again last night. It's an interesting experience, to watch it knowing how it "ends," because you can put your feelings of mounting anxiety aside and just enjoy it. And it's really quite enjoyable. When Edie Falco strides in, you begin to understand that what this scene really is, is a curtain call. There's a certain wistfulness and joy about it. I will warn you, though--you watch this thing two nights in a row, and that Journey song will be stuck in your head but good.
Tony does not "see himself" in the diner; the film is just edited to look that way. We're 99% sure he's wearing the same shirt (although the shirt was obviously designed to make the viewer doubt). In the scene with Junior and in the shot where Tony walks into the diner, he is wearing a black leather jacket over what appears to be a grey shirt. Once seated at the diner, the shirt is revealed to have a black collar and some white on the sleeves, but it is grey right down the middle, on the parts that would have been visible while he had the jacket over it. The black leather jacket is right next to him. It's the same outfit.
I think part of the reason Chase is toying with us about Tony's ultimate fate is that he's trying to tell us we're missing the point. About a week ago, there was so much obsession about "What's going to happen to Tony, what's going to happen to Tony?" that I started focusing more on the other characters, like Phil and Paulie. Once I did that, I was better able to appreciate what the final episode had to offer, and less enraged than some people were that we were "robbed" by the final scene. So now, rather than continue to obsess over whether Tony got whacked by the guy in the Members Only jacket, I find myself enjoying the many other aspects of that last show that were so richly nuanced and filled with wisdom and humor.
Other miscellaneous observation from our second viewing of the final scene: That is the WORST job of parallel parking I have ever seen!! Meadow has five feet of space on either side!! Jesus Christ, let's hope she never has to park in Manhattan...
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This Series has from the beginning been a Giant F--- you from Chase.
I think from the beginning Chase wnated to show us how silly we are.
How we can hate teenage mothers on welfare but idolize a lowlife like Tonu Soprano.
I think he choose a mob boss because of the phony code of ethics these crooks claim to follow.
Tony is a typical American he simply cares about the now and how he can get as much from the now as possible.
Tony Soprano cares about one person. Tony Soprano and his walk through the moral quagmire has been easy one for him because he still has fame, fortune and all the pussy he wants at the end of it.
F --- everyone he has used and abused. In an odd way the one person who he cared about was Dr. Melfi who he spent every visit trying to convince that his behavior was not his fault.
He even turned the real pain and suffering of his son into something he could use to convince her that he was not responsible for his actions.
What amazes me is how many Americans could sympathize with a man like this and his coherts, family, friends and lackeys but cannot summon the same compassion for the homeless guy sleeping on the heating grate they pass everyday or innocent dead Iraqi babies.
From the Soprano websites that have poped up with pretend and want to be wise guys commenting on the authenticity of Chase's characters and plts I have had a great time watching him ma nipulate everyone.
It has a wonderful mirror turned back on the the American people. Tony is a thug. I thought the best moment on the show was when Tony had the sit down with the gangster rappers, the contrast was striking.