Reaction to the Sopranos Finale

The often talked about ending of The Sopranos left many fans angry and many singing the praises of the creator, David Chase. I liked the way it ended because I thought it was true to the show. What bothers me was the ridiculous reactions other people had.

The Sopranos was a glimpse at the complicated life of a New Jersey gangster. Through the ups and downs of the show there were many things that were not resolved but they didn't need to be. I think people were offended because they're used to a more traditional type of show, where the story stars and ends when we watch. However, The Sopranos was unique in that it created these extremely realistic characters with realistic problems in a world that doesn't end when episodes do. This is evident throughout the series as a lot of the show's plots progress behind the scenes.

The series ended on a very suspenseful note with audiences wondering as the end approached whether or not Tony Soprano would be whacked. However, the threat of this was taken care of by the next to last episode. But when the finale aired those debates lingered in a really big way. People came into the end with expectations and when they didn't happen, they wanted to make their own ending. People came up with all sorts of theories about how clues in the episode indicated that Tony would be shot after the screen went blank. These were extreme leaps of faith on the part of the viewers looking to put an end to a story that didn't need one. Even Chase expressed his shock in later interviews that audiences who had for so many years loved and rooted for Tony, suddenly wanted him dead.

But that simply wouldn't have made any sense both in the context of the show and from a creative standpoint. The people who had been a threat to his life had been taken care of, so Tony getting whacked would have come completely out of left field and been a random act. In terms of the show, why would the finale of a previously clear cut drama, suddenly become a series of cryptic messages indicating the presumed death of a character?