How the Sopranos Ends... Or Doesn't

Last Sunday Millions of HBO viewers across the country were anxiously awaiting the bloodbath or swarming of Law enforcement they believed would conclude the 86^th and final episode of one of the most praised cable series of all time, The Sopranos. Who expected the 6 season mob family drama would end in such a vague and unsatisfying way, leaving many story lines untied for our imaginations to work about?

It does all make sense if you step back and look at the Sopranos for what it really is. It was never about the mob, it was a Lifetime Network style series about family and peer group relationships with just a little more cursing, nudity and violence to sell the story to a tougher audience. The plotlines were closer to your average daytime soap opera than Goodfellas, and we ate it up season after season. Writing Genius!

The show's seemingly sudden ending actually summed up the relationships of Tony and his family and extended family very well, also the ways he changed and yet stayed the same after years of therapy for depression. The cliffhanger style ending must have been orgasmic for writer and Creator David Chase, having his way with us viewers for the last time. How he left us hanging! Was that a hit man going into the bathroom? Was that just Meadow coming in the diner that Tony saw? Was the place crawling with Feds ready to take the Sopranos down? 30 seconds of darkness left us all aching with a mix of emotions, on the edges of our seats. Some people hit their TVs and cursed the cable company, thinking it was technical difficulties. It doesn't mater what happened after the screen went dark, the real point of the show had been tied up. The family was still together and happy, listening to Journey and eating onion rings, life goes on. Nice trick Chase, the icing on the cake after tricking us tough guys to watch a show about feelings. All that and he really did leave the possibility of a Movie on the table incase he needs a payday in the future.

At this point though, now that you are aware you enjoyed watching a show about relationships there tough guy, instead of calling Dave at Comcast to cancel your HBO subscription, you might as well watch HBO's newer relationship series, Big Love. (Besides, Dave has plenty of old ladies to help get their TV's back to channel 3 for his $15 an hour.)

Now entering it's second season, Big Love is just like the Soprano's except instead of the rich mafia boss and his family it has Polygamist Mormons. It sounds sappier, but many times last season when disappointed by a dull Sopranos episode it was nice to watch the more action packed show about a man who ran a home improvement chain, his three very different wives and the rich, controlling father in law who operated outside the law. And if watching it because it's a good show isn't enough, you can tell the guys you were watching it to get a little more insight on Mitt Romney before the Primary Elections.

Back to Tony Soprano though, I know everyone is still talking about whether he's dead or not. Here's the answer, simply enough... the show is over! A hitman doesn't chop up his kill in front of the police station. The ambiguous ending was the best way to dispose of the series neatly. It gives our imaginations something to work with, if it was all spelled out we'd be easily able to convict the show on it's faults. We be complaining more than we are now. David Chase couldn't kill his main character in the last episode. For one, there could never be a movie if Tony was dead, for two it wouldn't fit well for the show. It was about the family, and with Tony dead the family would lose it's anchor and we'd all wonder what happens and beg for a bad spinoff. Also, there are a lot of hints in the last couple episodes for you mafia movie fans to pick up, foreshadowing what happens during those 30 seconds. If you really need it spelled out for you keep checking this great world wide web. I'm sure plenty of different fan written endings will pop up in the next few weeks, then you can take your pick as to which one is closest to the truth for you.