Thursday, June 14, 2007

Stop Whining Already

I confess, I'm one of the only people I know who did not watch The Sopranos - ever. Hey, I only have expanded basic, thus no HBO, so I have an excuse. It's become obvious that not having this channel has caused me to miss out on some of the most talked about television shows of recent years, but I've somehow managed to survive on a steady diet of fodder like Survivor, 24, et al.

The recent finale of The Sopranos generated such a response - most of it negative from the hardcore fans -that I had to comment. From what I gather, the show ended abruptly, with no explanation or closure as to the fates of the main character, Tony Soprano. Oh, the furor! Creator David Chase fled the country, knowing full well the reaction this finish would cause.

Not having watched the show, and never having been invested in these characters, it's hard for me to tell the fans to stop moaning and accept the ending. Part of me wonders if we have become so spoon fed with regard to our entertainment that we will refuse to accept any ending to anything, movie or TV show, that doesn't fully close every loophole and resolve every plotline. Why is this? I think having an open ended, somehwat ambiguous finale is interesting. Plus, the door is left open for any future project, though Chase was quick to quell that speculation.

You want crappy series finales? What about M*A*S*H? That was a bloated, 90 minute exercise which closed things out, yes, but could have easily been handled in 45 minutes. The show had become so preachy and self-important anyway, and it was time to go, but damn, that final episode was a bear to get through.

Seinfeld was another very disappointing finale - ironic for a show which seemed to shun the usual excesses which befell other shows. The best way to end it was to not celebrate nor acknowledge the end in any way - just a simple business as usual episode. That would have been more in line with the spirit of the show, but they chose to spin a wandering, ultimately unfunny ending to what had been one of the most original shows of its time.

No matter what, it's over. Move on.

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