TRANSCRIPT
Today's chat with Matthew Gilbert
Matthew_Gilbert: Good morning, folks. No your reception didn't fail last night around 10. It was David Chase bending your minds.
DigitusImpudicus__Guest_: Well, he did it. After creating these indelible characters, serving them up to us, leting us know them for seven years, David Chase finally gave them to us. No "Resolution", no closure. Insteda, Chase gave us the characters and let us write our own endings. The bastard.
Matthew_Gilbert: Yeah, he did it. It's fascinating to watch how people deal with the lack of closure. Most of us want it.
Sam__Guest_: Don't you think it was kind of a cop out that they ended the show without any kind of real closure?
Matthew_Gilbert: No, I love it. In the moment, it felt odd and kind of like a cop out. But today, I can't stop thinking about it.
Matthew_Gilbert: David Chase has never spelled things out for viewers. That's a big part of what made the show so great. The finale fit right in with that approach to storytelling.
Episode86__Guest_: Not sure if I'm more disturbed by the black out ending or the Journey song.
Matthew_Gilbert: The Journey song was so...mundane. I think that was the point. Also, it was Tony's way of choosing a get-psyched song.
hm__Guest_: Is there going to be a movie?
Matthew_Gilbert: There's not supposed to be. And I pray there isn't. Some people think that's why Chase left the end so open -- but I really don't believe that.
Matthew_Gilbert: Chase has consistently handled the series in terms of creativity and not in terms of finding ways to exploit the audience (sorry, Chris Carter).
tweety__Guest_: Am I in Limbo OR the Twilight zone on this finale..........basically what the hell kind of ending was that ???? Is there maybe a sequel or movie of the week planed for that "NO Ending" ending?????
Matthew_Gilbert: I LOVED it that the Twilight Zone theme played during the episode. What a PERFECT foreshadowing.
Sam__Guest_: Do you think they are making a movie?
uncle_junior__Guest_: will there be a movie?
Matthew_Gilbert: CYNICS ALL!
Calamari_Kid__Guest_: The idea of ending on mundane suburban normality was great; but couldn't David Chase have shot a complete scene? Perhaps Tony looking at each member of the family and then glancing nervously over his shoulder? I liked the bland normal concept but did not like the abrupt blackout. I accused my wife of doing something to remote and, upon realizing it was intentional, muttered an Italian expletivewhich would have earned an embrace from a younger, lucid Uncle Junior.
Matthew_Gilbert: A good question, Calaman. I think the abruptness was part of the point. It made everyone THINK ABOUT THEIR TVs all at once. The end was about the medium of TV, and how we expect closure when we watch series TV. But life doesn't work that way.
meadow__Guest_: i saw this quoted on ny times. com--what do you make of it? watch the last scene again (I have several times). everytime someone comes into the door you hear the bell then the camera view shows tony, then switches to his point of view to show who is entering the restaurant. this pattern happens 3 times (first with curly haired lady who looks like janice, then trucker dude with USA cap, then carmela, then hitman followed by AJ, then meadow) When meadow enters the restaurant you hear the bell, see tony and then it is black. The view from his perspective is black - he is dead.
Matthew_Gilbert: An interesting notion. And you can believe that if you want. But I don't think we will ever get a definitive answer from Chase, because he clearly wants us to come up with our own endings.
jkstraw__Guest_: Gilberto Soprano - How about Lowell on ALL THAT YOU DREAM: "I've been down, but not like this before. Can't be 'round this kind of show no more"? I loved the ending. I can only imaging the never ending fear of when your time has come. I though Chase did a great job honoring the viewer's mind with an ambiguous ending. What does it say about TV watchers who need to have it all tied up in a bow?
Matthew_Gilbert: It says that TV viewers are human. (And maybe religious, too, but don't quote me....!)
lizzy__Guest_: I couldn't sleep last night...I kept coming up with different endings.
Matthew_Gilbert: Me too.
Jeff__Guest_: Matt: I only saw 1/2 of last nights episode. Should I even be on this chat?
Matthew_Gilbert: You should be home watching the second half. DOn't tell me you ...fell...asleep?
Flash_Forward__Guest_: One of the similarities between Sopranos and Lost was that both creators have sworn from day one that they know exactly how the show will end. Does this finale scare you a little bit that maybe Lost won't exactly "end" either??
Matthew_Gilbert: No. "Lost" is a puzzle that the writers and producers are putting together slowly, and I do trust that they know what it will look like when it's done. And it will look like something specific.
Matthew_Gilbert: The Sopranos was not a puzzle. It was a look at the mob, and family, and a middle-aged man, and sociopathy, and, most importantly, I think, the audience's feelings about redemption. The end was true to the last theme in particular, as it now lets us decide whether Tony was punished or not.
jaye__Guest_: Do you think it was more simple than that? Do you think he just wants to set it up for a movie?
Matthew_Gilbert: Jaye! Cynic!
Geo__Guest_: What of the way Dr. Melfi ended their relationship? The unprofessional way in which she acted was inconsistent with the realistic portrayal of psychotherapy up untiol then. Even Tony was appaled by it.
Matthew_Gilbert: I think it was amazingly unprofessional of her. One thing about this show is that even the "good" people have the potential for violence and cruelty in them.
Matthew_Gilbert: Think about those two young women, Heidi and Kennedy, who decided not to stop and help Tony and Christopher. Had they stopped, they would have saved Christopher's life.... Innocent?
Matthew_Gilbert: Melfi was unethical, and so was her shrink, the nefarious Elliot Kupferberg.
kidkwik__Guest_: Do you foresee a movie sequel?
Matthew_Gilbert: Cynic cynic cynic. I do not forsee a movie. I'll eat my hat if there's a movie. (OK, I won't, but I'll be SHOCKED and write mean things about it.)
jjMakaveli: IF you think about it. Every season eneded sort of like this one. No big event. Was there a way to end it that would please everyone? I dotn think so?
Matthew_Gilbert: Yes, I agree. The show tended to end seasons in the calm after a storm.
Matthew_Gilbert: If the finale had pleased everyone, 1) it wouldn't have been true to the bold and expansive approach of the show, and 2) it probably would have been flat.
joe__Guest_: Was it me, or did Tony walk into the restaurant at the end, and see himself sitting at the table, or did I blink and miss something?
Matthew_Gilbert: You mean like he had a split personality kind of thing? Or an out of body experience? I think you might need to find a new dealer...
Typical_David_Chase_2__Guest_: When the show ended last night, I was disappointed of course. But after thinking about it, the show ended in true David chase fashion. He wanted the viewers to decide for themselves and I'm sure he didn't want it any other way.
Matthew_Gilbert: I completely agree with you.
Matthew_Gilbert: I understand that on a plot level, the end was unsatisfying. But in a bigger way, it was brilliant and expansive. Now we have to keep talking and thinking about the show.
jaye__Guest_: I loved how they showed the parallels between a mobsters life and an FBI agents.
Matthew_Gilbert: Yes, that was great. I kept wondering why we were seeing Agent Harris naked in bed, and then I realized he was looking very Tony-like. I loved his little cheer for the Soprano crew. Poifect.
Toeknee__Guest_: I think the ending was the opposite of a "cop out". Most TV shows and movies have trained us to expect closure, usually with a happy ending, but sometimes with a death of a main character. I'm glad Chase didn't take one of those routes.
Matthew_Gilbert: Toeknee, I agree. Chase took the hard road, although I suspect some people think he took the easy way out. He would be a lot fewer passionate responses this morning if he'd just had Tony die.
rsb1__Guest_: Was there any symbolism in the episode?
Matthew_Gilbert: The cat! It keeps the rats away!
jjMakaveli: Dvaid chnase eneded it the opnly way he could really right?
Matthew_Gilbert: I think he could have simply made it clear one way or the other, but he had to be true to himself. I always admire that in a TV producer.
Polly__Guest_: Do you think the Bada Bing Virgin Mary would be completely naked? I guess only Paulie would know.
Matthew_Gilbert: Oh Polly. You are going to hell.
ee__Guest_: When did the Twilight Zone theme play?
Matthew_Gilbert: When Tony was in the safe house. It was on the TV in the background.
reyna__Guest_: Was this the setup for a movie?
Matthew_Gilbert: Reyna, there's a Cynics Anonymous meeting tonight. Be there.
Typical_David_Chase_2__Guest_: I don't think there will be a movie. This is how Chase wanted the show to end.
Matthew_Gilbert: You, on the other hand, TDC, can take the night off.
Polly__Guest_: What did you think of Meadow's old Pal Hunter popping up? And Carmella's reaction that Hunter is going to be a doctor?
Matthew_Gilbert: I liked that. Carmela just couldn't handle it, could she? Hunter's reappearance gave the show a sense of full circle.
Flash_Forward__Guest_: If Lost ends with us about to see what the black smoke actually is, and then the TV turns black, I am swearing off television for the rest of my life.
Matthew_Gilbert: I hear you, FF. That would be bad form. It would not match the approach of "Lost," which is to give specific answers gradually, until the final reveal.
Matthew_Gilbert: On "The Sopranos," however, I do believe it worked.
lizzy__Guest_: I saw the ending as a view through Tony's eyes...living life on the edge of your seat...never knowing when or where the hit man may be...we see the people walk into the dinner one by one and we're not sure who they are or their motives...We think, it could be the guy at the bar, it could be the guy in the booth. Chase put us on the edge of seats last night. Paranoid of what was going to happen next. I loved it!
Matthew_Gilbert: Lizzy, that's a really nice idea. I admire it, and I agree.
Matthew_Gilbert: I'm going to run Lizzy's idea again -- I think it's right on: "I saw the ending as a view through Tony's eyes...living life on the edge of your seat...never knowing when or where the hit man may be...we see the people walk into the dinner one by one and we're not sure who they are or their motives...We think, it could be the guy at the bar, it could be the guy in the booth. Chase put us on the edge of seats last night. Paranoid of what was going to happen next. I loved it!"
vito_cakes__Guest_: i think they will make a movie in about 3 years after Gandi can't land another gig...just like Carroll O'connor
Matthew_Gilbert: We'll see about that, vitocakes. Meanwhile, you're still a Cynic and need to report to the Cynics Anonymous meeting tonight, along with, like, a lot of other chatters.
Matthew_Gilbert: But it will be interesting to see which actors will manage to find other successful gigs after being so thoroughly identified with their Sopranos characters.
Sam__Guest_: What does Chase have to say about any of this?
Matthew_Gilbert: As far as I know, he hasn't said a word yet. And I suspect he won't, at least for a long time.
lizzy__Guest_: Remember Tony telling Bobby that everything goes blank and silent when you are shot
Matthew_Gilbert: Yes -- and Chase repeated that scene a second time. That comment by Bobby supports those who firmly believe that Tony was indeed shot the moment the screen went black.
quincyma__Guest_: Has Chase said that the ending leaves it up to the viewers, or has the story always told through Tony's eyes gone black - because he was in fact killed?
Matthew_Gilbert: Quincy, that is possible. Chase has not said anything yet, and I will be VERY surprised if he comes out and says, "You all are missing the point, Tony is dead." I think he will just let viewers fuss with it at length.
jkstraw__Guest_: Was Chase offering a commentary on woman drivers and their difficulty with parallel parking?
Matthew_Gilbert: Jack, Jack, Jack.
SDushane: Hi Matt - I really liked your review in this morning's paper. And I thought the ending was almost perfect. Such a hokey little restaurant with the best onion rings in Jersey. The tension of wondering whether they would get their heads blown off before or after Meadow got her car parked. (That bit didn't ring true to me thought. I think her character could have parked a car easily if they didn't need that tension.
Matthew_Gilbert: Thanks. Maybe Meadow would have been able to park, seeing as she is from NJ. But, you know, we all have those days.
Matthew_Gilbert: Interesting how the show took a pot shot or two at SUVs, though.
Matthew_Gilbert: By the way, did anyone else LAUGH OUT LOUD when the SUV rolled over Phil's head? What a moment.
El__Guest_: I thought it was a brilliant ending - I read it as this is what Tony's life will always be like. Always looking over his shoulder at who's coming in the door. Always looking at the person sitting at the counter wondering if that's the person to do him in. But in the long run, the show was about FAMILY - not so much about the mob. And it ended with Tony with those people he can most trust - his immediate family.
Matthew_Gilbert: Yeah, a good way to see it, El.
goodheart__Guest_: What is the significance of that yellow cat that made Paulie so nervous?
Matthew_Gilbert: I loved that touch. For me, it was a reminder of Christopher, lest we forget that Tony murdered his surrogate son and nephew. Also, it reminded me of how these guys are, at heart, animals -- but maybe that's too analytical.
jaye__Guest_: I just think life goes on. One fire after another. Always looking over your shoulder. Always waiting for an indictment. Always planning to go on the lam etc
Matthew_Gilbert: Exactly.
hawks93__Guest_: Before last night, I had never seen the Sopranos. At the end, other than thinking the TV blacked out (it had not been working when we turned it on at 8:55), I thought, "This is it?" Obviously better than most TV fare, but not great.
Matthew_Gilbert: And after one episode, you would be an expert, hawks...! Seriously, go back and rent the first season. You'll get hooked.
db__Guest_: why shudn't we be angry? I pay to be entertained and I feel like I got cheated ..... if I wanted to make up endings, I'd become a writer
Matthew_Gilbert: You should be angry. You like closure. You want things to tie up nicely.
Matthew_Gilbert: What you're going through, db, is what the ending was about, I think.
Matthew_Gilbert: It was a realistic end, in that life doesn't tie up neatly, either. It. Just. Stops.
Dan__Guest_: Did you get me message about the episode of the Twilight Zone that was playing in the background in one of the scenes from the Sopranos last night? Fascinating!
Matthew_Gilbert: Yeah, I mentioned that earlier in the chat. It was a good (and comic) foreshadowing of the weird end.
digitusimpudicus__Guest_: I actually laughed out loud when the screen when tto black last night. I was trying to imagine how Chase would avoid the inevitable disappointment that would come with virtually any ending, based on our interpretation of the character.
Matthew_Gilbert: Yeah, I didn't envy him. He knew he was doomed. The black screen was a great way to say, "OK, YOU do it. YOU finish the story. Or leave it unfinished. It's up to you, not me anymore."
SDushane: The bit where Paulie catches Tony in his own superstitions about his gambling luck turning when Chrissie "died" was hilarious, but I still feel the gambling episode was odd, out of character, and was a loose end not really tied up be last night's neat little reference.
Matthew_Gilbert: I agree with you, SD. That episode was a glitch in an otherwise awesome season. I think Chase wanted to show more of Tony's post-near-death feelings with the gambling stuff. We were supposed to see that, after cheating death, Tony was feeling lucky and careless. But the episode didn't work.
goodheart__Guest_: goodheart, guest: Do you feel Tony has grown in self=knowledge, as he tells A.J.'s psychiatrist of his difficult childhood with Livia?
Matthew_Gilbert: That's a good question, Goodheart. I kept thinking it was Tony using his own story to seduce the therapist, to get her to see him as a victim.
Matthew_Gilbert: Tony grew in self-knowledge in therapy, but he never made it to the next stage of therapy, which is to take responsibility for yourself.
Matthew_Gilbert: Therapy became a way for Tony to justify his bad behavior, rather than a tool for him to move beyond his bad behavior.
Matthew_Gilbert: I think that's part of the reason Melfi dumped him. That and, oh yeah, all the stuff about sociopaths...
Matthew_Gilbert: Thanks for coming to the chat, friends. Have a good day.