Thursday, June 8, 2006

O'BSERVATIONS: "THE SOPRANOS" FINALE

When TVSquad.com posted their review of the season finale for 'The Sopranos', I added my two quatloos to the sound and the fury. So I thought I'd re-post what I had to say here.

Because I'm just that lazy......
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David Chase and the writers ran out of ideas years ago. Remember the plotline about the two guys who thought they would get in Tony's good graces by killing Christopher? That plotline was already used in an episode of 'The Rockford Files' - and David Chase wrote it!

The first season was the only perfect season, and that's because Chase had about seventeen years to let it percolate in his mind; getting it polished and ready for its eventual green-light on HBO.

As for each season afterwards, there were moments, there were particular storylines, that stood out, but no season that was perfect straight through to keep the show right up there as the all-time best. Instead it's been dwindling down for at least the last four seasons, dulling the lustre of the legend.

The absolutely perfect 'Sopranos' would have ended with that first season by having Tony actually kill his mother in the nursing home. Instead, it was thrown off-kilter when Nancy Marchand got too sick to work and the show lost that fascinating central premise.

In trying to realign the focus of the show, I don't think they ever found a new way to look at the genre of organized crime that wasn't already being covered in all of the Scorsese films. Instead, it devolved to just being a "whack of the week" show - that's good enough for viewers like my friend Boomer, but it could have been so much better.

Just my 2 quatloos....

What becomes a Legend most? Knowing when to call it quits.

BCnU!
Tele-Toby

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