I'll admit, it
seems strange to me that every channel in the country
doesn't go black from 9-10 PM EST tonight. How could
anyone, even for a moment, entertain the notion of
not finding out what happens to Tony Soprano as
soon as humanly possible? But to schedule Game 2 of
the NBA Finals at the same time? They're all mad
I tell ya. Mad. But sorry LeBron, I choose
Tony...
Of course The
Finals are already pre-destined for me. I've mentioned
before that this has been the absolute eeriest
"sports" year of my life. In every single sport that I
follow, all in the same friggin' year, my team has
gone to the championship game...and then lost. A feat
that will never again be duplicated in my lifetime.
Absolutely ridiculous. Buckeyes, Bears, and then the
Buckeyes again in basketball - and now LeBron. Granted
I have an East Coast and a West Coast team in
the NBA (Ohio and Los Angeles, my two home towns) but
it's still absolutely mind-blowing for all of this to
happen in the same year. And The Cavs don't hold a
chance to break this curse. This is my year to get
soooooooooooooooooo close, so far, in every aspect...
and then come up a bit short. It's a foregone
conclusion. But there's always next year - and for
Lebron? Sheeeeeeeeeit. He's gonna be there for over a
decade. My kids will watch him play. Bet on
it.
So
that's why today belongs to one man...and
in 90 minutes I'm gonna see the last
handful of scenes (hopefully) that ever
carry his name. I expressly do not
want there to be further movies or shows.
Make a complete story, end it... and have
it be remembered forever. To stretch this
on and on in "reunion" movies is just
bullshit. This isn't "Growing Pains".
They've handled everything perfectly these
last few episodes and I'm praying they do
the right thing tonight and whatever the
outcome, assure that The Sopranos really
ends. No ifs, ands, or buts. So what's my
guess?
Here's how I'd
write it: Thinking that Tony is hiding with his family
in the spec house, Phil's gang blows up the house
killing either Carmella, Meadow or AJ by accident -
'causing Tony to commit suicide. Dark huh? That's
where my heart wants it to go. All of Tony's bullshit
finally catching up to not only him, but his family.
His actions take the only thing he loves as much as
Tony (I believe it'll be Carmella or Meadow judging
from the shot of AJ in the preview of tonight's
episode) and him not being able to live with himself.
That's how I'd write it but truth be told,
I think Tony will live because they want the
possibility of a movie. Meh. I hate that
shit. Tell you're story - don't worry about sequels.
There's a right way to end this story and it's
supposed to end badly. Fuck Hollywood endings, Fuck
money for more episodes (you already got about 20 more
than you originally wanted), do the show justice and
give Tony the karma he deserves.
Amazing how this
show has become a part of me. I'm not a big
TV watcher to tell you the truth. It almost
always bores me and ends up taking a turn that just
makes me turn it off. David Chase has somehow avoided
that with me. I will admit that the "stretching" of
the Vito subplot last year annoyed me - but otherwise
I've loved every second of delving into this world and
watching literally the "best" movies have to offer.
Incredible acting, gorgeous direction, stunningly
refreshing writing, cinematography that's to friggin'
die for... I would watch Carmella go grocery shopping
for an hour - it's that good. I can't wait to go
through all 86 episodes again (as will now be a nice
Sunday tradition along with a pasta dish) for years to
come.
I think it's also
different when you consider yourself in the
industry. This is what we all aspire to. This is what
I mean when I say I want to make
meaningful art. It doesn't have to change the
world, but I want it to inspire others to create.
I want to set benchmarks that other people aspire
to. The Sopranos absolutely changed how I thought
of television, and what I thought was possible in
written characters. It's my new "ultimate" goal to be
involved in a long running series as opposed to just
one movie. To develop characters to such an extent
that you actually feel them more than most
people you know. To anyone who has watched the last 85
episodes... have you ever known someone so well? Do
you have to actually sit and think about that? Did you
feel sick to your stomach when Tony was so fed up with
Christopha that he decided to suffocate him rather
than call 911? As if a friend let you down? It's
intense. I want to create art that intense. I
want to hit people in the stomach. I want to create
emotions that almost change you. Hell I have those
aspirations for this journal! It's art to me. The mix
of words, pictures, video... it's a form of art that I
hope inspires people.
Blah, blah, blah.
:-)
So we'll see what
happens. Something tells me, as has happened with the
sports, that this episode will get soooooooo close to
having a satisfying ending... and then at the last
moment pull away and take an easy road. I hope
I'm wrong. Next entry is a big one. Hold onto your
butts.
Adam
PS - How
beautiful is this
trailer?
God I'm gonna miss this show.
