The Sopranos

[dmbmuskie]

I watched it again tonight at 9, and I swear Phil is in the restaurant. I know there is a silver haired gentleman with the cub scouts when they show his face twice, but one time he walks in to the shot from the left side and his hair looks just like Phil's and he walks like Phil.

Did anyone else catch this?

[On Bended Knees]

Originally Posted by dmbmuskie

It is, and it isn't. The goal of organized crime is to make enough money to be legitimate, and the next generation goes on to become affluent and respected members of the community. We saw that last night, with Meadow and he fiance.

In real life I see that all the time. 50 years ago Steubenville was a mafia crossroads, but today the last names that were associated with the mafia are doctors, lawyers, bussiness owners, etc.

At the same time there are still some members of the community who I wouldn't ever want to cross. I don't think there has been a mafia related murder in my town in maybe 10 years, but I wouldn't be surprised if I heard about one on the news tonight.

no offense, you're talking Steubenville here. the mob is very much still active, and there's a mob war about to take off in Brooklyn.

[dmbmuskie]

Originally Posted by On Bended Knees

no offense, you're talking Steubenville here. the mob is very much still active, and there's a mob war about to take off in Brooklyn.

You obviously don't know much about Steubenville, but most people don't.

[On Bended Knees]

Originally Posted by dmbmuskie

You obviously don't know much about Steubenville, but most people don't.

no i actually do, but Steubenvile is Steubenville, NY is NY

[FunkyTeaParty]

http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/200..._what_w_1.html

[dmbmuskie]

Originally Posted by On Bended Knees

no i actually do, but Steubenvile is Steubenville, NY is NY

I'll say this, and I think this is a blanket statement. The smart ones got out after they made their money, and they became positive members of society. The dumb ones are still shooting at each other. Obviously, NYC has millions more people than Steubenville which allows more dumb people to shoot at each other.

That idea come straight from the mouth of someone with a mob background who is working to clean up the bad neighborhoofs of Steubenville. I think it's very true.

[JeffDMB41PT]

Originally Posted by FunkyTeaParty

http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/200..._what_w_1.html

Damn, I cannot wait for that full interview

[Trippin4136]

Originally Posted by dmbmuskie

You obviously don't know much about Steubenville, but most people don't.

Great pizza

[On Bended Knees]

Originally Posted by dmbmuskie

I'll say this, and I think this is a blanket statement. The smart ones got out after they made their money, and they became positive members of society. The dumb ones are still shooting at each other. Obviously, NYC has millions more people than Steubenville which allows more dumb people to shoot at each other.

That idea come straight from the mouth of someone with a mob background who is working to clean up the bad neighborhoofs of Steubenville. I think it's very true.

not everyone can just "get out" as you put. some people grow up around it and it's all that they know. it becomes as ordinary as everyday life is for every one. i think too many people think the Sopranos is a realistic, which it pretty much isnt.

[dmbmuskie]

Originally Posted by On Bended Knees

not everyone can just "get out" as you put. some people grow up around it and it's all that they know. it becomes as ordinary as everyday life is for every one. i think too many people think the Sopranos is a realistic, which it pretty much isnt.

You just proved my point. If you think the constant threat of death from violence and the constant threat of incarceration are part of everyday life then you are stupid.

[JeffDMB41PT]

Originally Posted by DMBzilla

I just threw the show on again, and just to end all the rumors/speculation...

The guy at the counter is NOT Phil's nephew, or any relation to Phil at all for that matter (that we know of). The actor's name is Paolo Colandrea, a pizza shop owner from Penndel, PA. He just happened to get lucky and got thrown into the final scene of the show. He is credited as "Paolo Colandrea - Man in Members Only Jacket." Read below:

"Colandrea, 47, describes his role as simply “mystery man,” a guy who walks into a diner and locks eyes ominously with Tony, who's sitting at a table with wife, Carmela, and son, A.J. Colandrea sits down at the counter, stares at Tony again, gets up to go the bathroom, and..."

The full article is available here: http://www.phillyburbs.com/pb-dyn/ne...7-1360360.html

A woman named Geraldine Librandi is listed in the credits as playing "Patty Leotardo." There is NO ONE named Nikki Leotardo listed ANYWHERE in the credits. This is nothing more than a false rumor.

man, just read the article from the link in this post also. What a kick ass story. Who knew it would be some pizza parlor owner that would ultimately end up taking out Tony Soprano (in my interpretation of the ending anyway).

[tompeas13]

I don't see how the ending could be anything other than Chase "whacking" the audience and that the Sopranos and everyone else just go on and on and on(journey lyrics). Think about it, you don't know it's coming and everything goes black as Bobby said in an earlier episode.

[On Bended Knees]

Originally Posted by dmbmuskie

You just proved my point. If you think the constant threat of death from violence and the constant threat of incarceration are part of everyday life then you are stupid.

not what i meant asshole. i meant it becomes as natural to them as everyday life for a normal person is natural to that person. use your fucking head.

[ExistenceNow]

The DVD's better have the god damned alternate (read: actual) endings.

[Lcsulla]

Enough with the insults......

[ryguy178]

I have to say, I really enjoyed all of the episodes in this final run. I got so sick over the years of hearing this show was boring. In its whole arc, it was a brilliant telling of the intricacies of an italian-american family. It wasn't just a show about the mob, like everyone wanted, and thought it was. It was a drama, it was a soap opera, it was a craftily, carefully written story of a man, his problems, and his family.

[dmbmuskie]

Originally Posted by On Bended Knees

not what i meant asshole. i meant it becomes as natural to them as everyday life for a normal person is natural to that person. use your fucking head.

I knew what you meant, but if that's the life you lead and you find it to be normal you aren't very smart.

[DavMattBandrums]

Its been over 24 hours since the show I've invested countless hours into ended, and all I have been thinking about is the last 3 minutes. I've gone from confusion (9:02 CST) to rage (9:05 CST); disgust (9:30 CST) to amazement (11 CST) and back around a million times. But Regis, I think I've come to my final answer... E. Extreme Disappointment!

David Chase has gotten away with not providing answers for YEARS! Every couple episodes some new question gets raised and just left and ignored. Sure you can say "Well in real life we don't get answers for everything." or "People have secrets!" That might be so... but A) that doesn't account for all of the hundreds of open questions and B) THIS ISN'T REAL LIFE! That is why we watch TV. It is a story, and like we all learned in 3rd grade, a story has a beginning, middle and END! Truth is, David Chase had NO IDEA where he was going with the show and instead of giving us answers, he ended what has been called the greatest show ever with a half-ass, bitch out, poor EXCUSE for abstract genius! Do NOT confuse creativity with BULL SHIT! Yes, no matter what he would have done he would have caught much shit from people. But that is the consequence of being any type of entertainer; people are always gonna bitch (maybe you've heard of a little band named the Dave Matthews Band). When it is all said and done, he is an entertainer; "The Sopranos" wasn't his little fantasy for only him to know what happens. Whether Tony dies, or Sil lives; whether Ade is alive, or the cat is connecting with Christopher's soul... DECIDE! After all, as the creator that is HIS responsibility, not ours.

I would be ashamed to be David Chase right now.....


comments welcome

[DavMattBandrums]

INSERT!!!!

he ended what has been called the greatest show ever with a half-ass, bitch out, poor EXCUSE for abstract genius! What if you ripped out the last 10 pages of your favorite Grisham book, or if Halo III only took you UP to the final battle, or if they ran out of film for the last Lord of the Rings movie so just cut it off as Fordo is about the enter the volcano? Genius??? Do NOT confuse creativity with BULL SHIT! Yes, no matter what he would hav

[DMBzilla]

So after a full day to reflect on this thing, I still have the same beliefs about the ending that I did when I initially saw it. I'll preface this by saying that I think the final scene was superb, shot brilliantly and created as much tension and goosebumps as any scene in the series' history.

In my personal opinion, the blackness was the audience getting whacked, as many on these boards have discussed, and was my theory at the time I watched it. I said this in a previous post, but the Sopranos really was the ultimate voyeur experience -- most of us would never want to be a part of that life, see what they see, do what they do, but this gave us all a chance to be a wise-guy for an hour a week, and bear witness to dangerous and extremely disturbing situations from the safety of our living rooms. The scene going black was, to me, the writers saying, "Okay, we've told you more than enough, but while these people have to get on with their lives, you're not allowed to watch anymore." I honestly think this may have been the absolute best way to leave it -- ambiguous, sure, but in a good way.

That said, any opinions anyone else has are perfectly valid, and really none can be definitively proved or disproved. I think the most telling thing for me in re-watching those final minutes was all about Journey. First off, the lyrics in Don't Stop Believing are so fitting -- "Some may win, Some may lose, Some are born to sing the blues, But the movie never ends, It goes on and on and on and on..." Even more interesting to me was the other track on the jukebox that we all got to see -- Any Way You Want It.

And that's the point. Chase knows he has/had a very intelligent and thoughtful audience, one that he's never spoon-fed information to and one that clearly likes that about the show. There are plenty of unanswered questions in the series, many of which simply gave way to more important storylines, just as happens in real life. So, why not end the series on the same note, forcing the audience to think and make conclusions rather than accept an ending that he himself picked?

Honestly, the fact is that David Chase owes us nothing -- he's already given us 86 episodes of arguably the single most brilliant show in the history of television, one that permeates so much through society that nearly every radio and talkshow host talked about it today, even the guys from PTI on SportsCenter. I also agree that no matter what he did, people would've been dissatisfied, because that happens with every huge hyped-up event (anyone remember Scott Stadium in 2001? Haha...).

Anyway, I hope this discussion keeps going, because this series is something that we're all very privileged to have had the chance to watch. Agree or disagree, those are my thoughts. Talk on.

[Lcsulla]

Anyone that thinks TV finales always disappointed needs to watch the last episode of M*A*S*H. That is how you end a series - even though many people were annoyed at the plot (pretty controversial) it was still a fitting conclusion.

[DavMattBandrums]

Chad i like how we both used the same arguments for the COMPLETELY OPPOSITE point hahaha


I AGREE... i mean... WHAT?!?!? haha

[DavMattBandrums]

Originally Posted by Lcsulla

Anyone that thinks TV finales always disappointed needs to watch the last episode of M*A*S*H. That is how you end a series - even though many people were annoyed at the plot (pretty controversial) it was still a fitting conclusion.

Dude believe it or not i was thinking about saying something about that.

[DMBzilla]

I think we may have, Leo, but I guess your post brings two questions to mind:

1. If all the unanswered questions (one of which was answered - Adrianna is dead, no question) bothered you so much, why keep watching at all?

2. What could have happened at the end to make you feel better about it? Would viewing Tony's death have given you a different feeling, or him getting arrested, or him just sitting there eating dinner with his family as the scene faded out? Can one episode really ruin 7 brilliant years?

[DavMattBandrums]

Originally Posted by DMBzilla

I think we may have, Leo, but I guess your post brings two questions to mind:

1. If all the unanswered questions (one of which was answered - Adrianna is dead, no question) bothered you so much, why keep watching at all?

2. What could have happened at the end to make you feel better about it? Would viewing Tony's death have given you a different feeling, or him getting arrested, or him just sitting there eating dinner with his family as the scene faded out? Can one episode really ruin 7 brilliant years?

1. I kept watching for answers, action = reaction. I always felt like SOME of the answers would get answerd.

2. I would have liked ANYTHING to happen. For all i care it could have been so gov't project to cover up an alien take over. Obviously if it was something like that i would have been mad, but it many ways id rather be mad than disappoint... (you know like when your parents would say We ar MAD at you v. We are DISAPPOINTED in you) My point is that it is not MY JOB to decided what happens. And yes i do think that 1 episode such as the finale (even though it doesnt deserve that name) can dampen 7 years.

[DavMattBandrums]

BTW i completely agree that Ade is dead..... Sil is a badass he wouldnt have let her walk. haha

[DMBzilla]

Fair enough. I guess I just feel like Chase's point throughout the series was that he wasn't going to create a formulaic drama where something happens, questions arise, and other things happen that eventually resolve or answer them. From the start, there was plenty of ambiguity, and that permeated throughout the entire series. Were many of those unanswered questions frustrating? Damn right they were, but he kept true to the main stories and themes (i.e. loyalty, honor, family, respect, strength/weakness, sorrow, etc) of the series throughout, and the finale was no different. I just feel like the ending didn't have to be definitive to be good, and you did.

This is why discussion boards are so great.

[ExistenceNow]

How did this debate arise that Ade might not be dead? Because the camera panned away and didn't actually show Sil shooting her?

[DMBzilla]

Originally Posted by ExistenceNow

How did this debate arise that Ade might not be dead? Because the camera panned away and didn't actually show Sil shooting her?

I think that's exactly what happened. People didn't see it, so it's still a question. Personally, I have no doubt that she's dead.

[DavMattBandrums]

Originally Posted by ExistenceNow

How did this debate arise that Ade might not be dead? Because the camera panned away and didn't actually show Sil shooting her?

beats me... i read it a few pages back and just used it for example