Is anyone out there watching the last season of The Sopranos? From what I've read, viewership is down and, for a show that was once considered the best thing on tv, no one seems to care that the Jersey crew's saga is drawing to a close. I haven't seen much press or promotion for the final season but maybe I haven't been paying enough attention.

Regardless, with three episodes left in the series' run, and after two disappointing seasons, the show is finally back on track. The show's past two episodes have been knock-outs. After a major turn of events, Tony's house of cards is either back on solid ground or on the verge of collapse. Will the series close with a sitcom, "everything's back to normal" finale, leaving the door open for a big-screen adaptation, or a shock ending that will slam the door shut on the Sopranos world forever?

I'm hoping for the later. This saga has run its course and should have wrapped things up by season five. It's clear that the writers were just treading water during season five and six. There isn't much gas left in this engine so why not end things with a bang?

{Look out, spoilers to follow]

With a major character dead at the hands of Tony, it's clear that this guy, despite being lovable family man, is an irredeemable monster. His actions last Sunday were those of a demented tyrant. WIthout giving too much away, the second half of the episode follows Tony as he flees from his guilt during a lost weekend in Vegas. He tracks down a former fling of his victim and quickly seduces her. Later, they make the wise decision to gobble a few peyote buttons and wander around Ceaser's Palace. I've been a sucker for Tony's dream sequences and hallucinations over the years and this one's a doozy. A revelation at a roulette table, occassionally refered to as a "Devil's Wheel" because all its numbers add up to 666, sends the mob boss to the floor in a fit of laughter. The episode closes with him and his mistress out in the desert, still woozy and watching the sun rise. As the ball of fire rises over a hill, it seems to wink at him. Tony gets up, raises his arms to the sky and shouts, "I get it!" into the canyon below.

A wink from God or Satan? Has he finally come to terms with who he is? Does Tony know he's doomed but now couldn't care less? That's what I make of it.

I suspect that The Sopranos will end with Tony dead or in prison but, all things considered, let's hope not. As a friend pointed out, "gone is the guy that once cared about ducks. His punishment [should be] becoming a pure sociopath." A sociopath with a destroyed marriage and no friends or family by his side? Yeah, that's more like it- a Michael Corleone, Godfather 2 fate for ol' Tone. At the top of his world but completely and miserably alone.

Labels: tv