The Sopranos Finale

Lame.
The Loved One and I were talking about how it was one of the better edited shows this season, then . . . splat. The silence, the dark.
Felt like a cheap trick to me -- and something you do by mistake after a long session in an edit room, everybody cracks up and thinks it's so cool, but it only seems cool if you are delirious.

p.s. more hate and dissection on the PS board
http://brooklynian.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=35606

David Chase is not prone to tidy and predictable conclusions. The man does not believe in closure. (Did we ever find out what happened to Furio or the Russian in the woods?) Even though he teased us until the very end with numerous possible scenarios for violence, he didn’t succumb to a big massive bloodbath or a redemptive epiphany in this last episode. (Which, by the way, could’ve benefited from an extra half hour or so, just to improve the flow a little better. It does seem rushed at times.) Not much in the way of death and mayhem, just business as usual. Nothing major. Just another day in the life of a Mob boss and his peeps.

That is why Chase having the end credits rolling with no musical backdrop is significant. He clearly did not want whatever song they used in this closely scrutinized and always welcome spot to be mined for clues or interpretations. Life goes on, pure and simple.

I understand and respect the opinion of those who were disappointed by the ending but if you've been a longtime fan of the show, you can't be surprised by how he chose to end it.

I agree with Michaelkeys (possibly a first?). Any typical ending, with Tony getting killed in a big tearjerking scene, or going to jail (yawn), or witness protection (please), would have been corny and trite. Leaving it this way, with a temporary bullet dodged but threats on the horizon, is quintessential Chase and true to the show's unpredictable character. The main personal storylines were wrapped up, Tony's generation has aged and been eclipsed, and there's a sense of both closure and continuance. The sudden ending was a bit gimmicky, but altogether the open-endedness was excellent. (Not incidentally, it also leaves open the possibility of a movie, which I imagine will receive some consideration.)