Dave's Fiction Warehouse

In which I bloviate about books, TV, movies, politics and other stuff.

  • Books
  • Movies
  • TV
  • politics
  • Other Stuff
  • thatfuckingtrump

Connect

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Google+
  • Twitter

Powered by Genesis

Speaking of crime writing …

June 11, 2007 by Dave Knadler

… I’m still not sure if I like David Chase’s jerk-out-the-plug ending of The Sopranos. Yes, I was one of the thousands who thought my cable had cut out at the worst possible moment. But before I was able to start cursing the hardware, the credits began to roll. Huh? Was that it?

Guess so. The best television series ever made died as it lived: on the fine line between Chase’s genius and his penchant for self indulgence.

In art, ambiguity is often mistaken for genius. And that about sums up my view of this final episode. My wife thought it was brilliant. I didn’t. Not that I’m bitter. Even at its worst, The Sopranos was far better than anything else on TV, and that includes episode 6-21, “Made in America.” But as the creator of these memorable characters, do you really want to leave your audience slapping the cable box and fiddling with the remote at the very last scene?

Since we are forced to impose our own meanings on the Rorschach blot Chase left us, here’s mine: The black and silent screen symbolizes, if not Tony’s literal death by a bullet to the head, the moral death he has wrought for himself and his family in the moral wilderness of North Jersey. Individually, each member of the family dabbled in ethical behavior, and one by one, each took the lower road. Tony’s spiritual epiphany after his coma soon subsided to the press of mob concerns; Carmela’s unease with “blood money” and the disappearance of Adriana dissolved as she focused on dishonest real estate deals; Meadow, champion of minorities, finds her own minority most deserving of her talents (seeing as how she could start at $170,000 a year); A.J.’s vague yearning for meaning gives way to the charms of a model girlfriend and a new BMW.

Bottom line: However you feel about the abrupt ending, at least we should agree it was not a happy one.

More along these lines:

  • Same old content, new higher priceSame old content, new higher price
  • richard heene tells his story to larry kingLarry King and his cast of liars
  • breaking bad season four episode 401The goodness that is ‘Breaking Bad’
  • Maya and Marty
  • john edwards head to haitiThe pundit without opinions

Filed Under: hbo, television

About Dave Knadler

Obscure writer. Lazy photographer. Bashful guitarist. Perhaps too fond of wine. Tireless nemesis of New York Times crosswords.

Recent posts

  • Weather-beaten banner
  • Season of the witch
  • A good time for fiction
  • Bonfire of my vanity
  • It could be worse.
    Just ask Grant

Recent comments

  • Sarah Prodell on Weather-beaten banner
  • John H. on Weather-beaten banner
  • Joel Knadler on Weather-beaten banner
  • Joan M. Clauss on Weather-beaten banner
  • Susann on Weather-beaten banner

FInd something

send dave cash

The obligatory PayPal donation button. Go ahead: Make my day.