Rollerboyz, thanks for taking the time to list all of the song titles featured on the jukebox. I read them all when watching the show and only listed the two that were most salient to my argument, but I absolutely agree with you that they are all important and highly significant. David Chase does not ignore even the smallest detail (no lazy writing there, indeed), and there is much meaning in each of these song titles. Thanks, too, for the compliment!

Nick R., your post is right on the money, too. Your point about the complacency of contemporary American society is absolutely relevant to Chase's larger critique throughout the entire series, but most germane to our discussion, the finale, in particular. (Recall A.J.'s monologue at Bobby's funeral reception--I firmly believe that Chase was speaking directly to us through A.J. about our complicity in the creation of today's social ills.) I loved your point that Chase set the last scene of the finale (the culmination of his critique of the American dream) in a diner, which is such a uniquely American creation; I hadn't thought about that as clearly as you put it until now. It is almost as if the romanticism of the mafia, which may have peaked at or about the same time as the rise of the American diner (late 1950's/1960's), has fallen in similar ways to the same caricatured and manufactured status of the American diner; whereas once the diner was an authentic symbol of American culture, it has descended into a false, hollow shell of itself in its glory days. Several "Sopranos" characters have alluded to the same point about the mafia (recall Phil's remembrance in the penultimate episode of past mafia traditions and how Tony's crew no longer carries them out--this helped to inspire his hit on Tony). Fascinating!

And I agree with Nick R.--as usual, the commentary on this Salon thread about the finale far surpasses anything else I have read elsewhere online. Kudos to all of us for being such critical thinkers! (I'm a college political science professor, so I just couldn't resist.)

Keep those great ideas coming. I am intrigued by everyone's comments, as the different interpretations of various facets of the show offered here continue to inform my own. There is so much material in the finale to mine, we should have plenty to continue to discuss!

Lots of good posts on this thread (far better than any other Sopranos discussion board), but it seems many folks have kind of missed Chase’s overarching point. The whole series, the last episode (titled “Made in America”), and especially the last 5 minutes in the all-American diner set, have been a withering critique of America and what being an American means today. Every single character has deluded themselves and has made calculated compromises all in the name of getting rich, or being comfortable, or having that great SUV or second house, etc., and they all spend day after day rationalizing their behavior and convincing themselves they are “good” people who deserve it, and why do bad things happen to us? They are completely incapable of self-awareness except for brief flashes, which scare them, so they crawl back into their safe, comfortable worlds. There is danger surrounding them, which they know, but what they fail to realize is that it is the culmination of all their self-absorbed and self-serving actions, coming back to haunt them. No different then all of us today, vaguely aware of the danger around us in the form or terrorism, etc., but unwilling to analyze and accept our roles in generating it. Whether our incessant need for oil or reckless foreign policy. That was the point of the whole show, hung on the rack of a mob story. And it was artfully done.

"...if "The Empire Strikes Back" faded to black just as Vader makes his tragic revelation to Luke..."

yeah, if only. Because it all went straight to hell at hyperdrive speed after that. Next thing we know, Ewoks and Jar-Jar Binks...

We should be so lucky that Lucas knew when to quit. At the peak.

I am one of those (I guess "haughty" and "above-it-all" types) who think most of the "we got cheated" type criticism is misplaced.

I certainly never argued the "importance" of the show either way. I just think getting angry because The Sopranos, which has really never been conventional in the sense of TV or mob dramas, didn't end with a neat little bow just shows an amazing lack of imagination on the part of the viewing public.

This is not to say that The Sopranos is somehow better or more important for it. But simply different. And people just can't take different, I guess.

I guess your argument stands on the assertion (unstated) that this is a "genre" show and thus should follow some formula. But I disagree. I don't think it's ever been a genre show or formulaic. True, it's based on a genre.

I think expecting a "genre" ending (or a conventional TV ending) is just surprisingly naive.

And also, I truly don't understand how so many people actually perceived this as an "insult" from David Chase. I guess if challenging people to appreciate new and different approaches to something is insulting, then consider me happily insulted.

We can thank Mr. Chase for one thing: sparking the dialogue about the show. Because it reveals much about the haughty, above-it-all types who permeate this community. They overstate the show's importance and understate the premises of the criticism.

First, no one doubts that "The Sopranos" was a visceral, vulgar, and brilliant television show. It was cleverly staged and oozed symbolism. It was cool. It was contemptuous of its characters AND its audience. But it was a gangster fantasy, a myth, and above all, a television show. A great television show. But a television show all the same. It's not unreasonable to expect a beginning, middle and end when a television show is involved. Not because a television show reveals the meaning of life. But because it is entertainment.

Hundreds of thousands of subscribers paid good money for that entertainment. The market was flooded with promotions and "teasers" about the final season to induce people to tune in to see the show's end, and how they would wrap it all up. We shouldn't be surprised if people feel as if they were ripped off, especially after the crescendo of the final minutes. If "The Empire Strikes Back" faded to black just as Vader makes his tragic revelation to Luke, or the Godfather Pt. II faded to black right before Fredo goes out on the boat with Al Neri, Lucas and Coppola would have been pilloried for leading their audiences on. Why would Chase be spared such scrutiny?

I liked the ending more than I thought I would. But I can understand why people are so "miffled" at Mr. Chase. They were naive enough to think that if they pay for a television show, they should get a television show. These aren't the people that need perspective. Oddly enough, those who ramble on pretentiously about what the audience's reactions to a television show say about society are the ones who need it the most.