The end of the Sopranos
Tomorrow night, I witness the end of my favorite TV series.
I spent most of March catching up on the Sopranos. I had missed season 5 and season 6 - or as HBO calls it, Season 6 Part 1 - for being elsewhere. For Season 5, I was circumnavigating South America, and for Season 6 it was fun in the Middle East. I had studiously avoided watching anything Sopranos-related on TV until such time as I could buy the DVD sets and watch them. In the case of Season 5, it was nearly 3 years.
I honestly didn't expect so many people to get killed off this season... Johnny Sac, Bobby, Silvio... yes, i know he's not dead per se... Earlier this week the wife and I were discussing possible endings. Some of the dingbat theories I came up with were:
AJ doing his father in. (1) He's pissed at dad for kicking his ass last week. (2) His last big bout with depression before trying to kill himself had to do with witnessing a couple of the younger guys using acid on the toe of someone who owed them money. (3) He already planned to do Uncle Junior in once.
Paulie killing Tony, or being instrumental in it. It was unlikely, really, in my eyes, but (a) Paulie's a loose cannon, (b) I think he feared Tony just a little bit - he didn't want to get on the yacht with Tony when they were in Florida, because of Tony (and Paulie and Silvio) taking out Big Pussy on Tony's boat at the end of Season 2.
The show ending with Tony on the run from the Feds. I think this the most likely ending, as this show has been far from cliché... and cliché in mob shows means the mobsters all end up dead or in jail. Tony was, at the end of last week, hiding from New York and Phil Leotardo. Plus there's was the lingering gun charge that Tony's lawyer let him know of at the end of the season 6 opener. Tony's paranoid of his own guys right now, too. He was, at the end of last season, watching his bedroom door with a rifle in his hands, while 5 guys stood watch in the house they were in, looking as though it could be anyone. The way he's treated some of his underlings in the past, he may have a right to be.
We'll see how it all ends, in about 24 hours or so. I'm really kinda not looking forward to it, though I really am. Last week had a Godfather-ish feel to it, and I want to see how they do the ending.