Sopranos begins its swan song

Edmonton Journal ^ | 04/07/07 | Alex Strachan

[Kid Shelleen]

It's never over till it's over" goes the familiar refrain. This time, though, it's truly over for The Sopranos.

The quintessentially American family epic raises the curtain on the first of its nine final episodes tonight. The final aria will be sung June 10. The final scene was filmed in a wholesome family ice cream parlour, in Bloomfield, N.J. and includes James Gandolfini's gangster don and family man Tony Soprano, Edie Falco's pragmatic -- and legit -- mob moll Carmela Soprano and Tony Sirico's immaculately coiffed capo Peter Paul Gualtieri, a.k.a. Paulie Walnuts, a movie buff and debt collector given to saying things like, "I was born, grew up, spent a few years in the army, a few more in the can and here I am, a half o' wise guy."

[Eric Blair 2084]

Amen. One initiative we need in this country is to restore Hays Code standards to movies and extend them to cover all forms of broadcast media such as cable television. Under the Hays Code, the Sopranos would be banned for its profanity, sexual perversion and most importantly for glorifying criminality and depicting evil not being punished swiftly and surely. And that other show someone mentioned, the Shield, would be banned for showing our brave policemen as corrupt and violent. I pray for that day, and others should join me.

Please tell me you are kidding. Please. WAYR?

[Eric Blair 2084]

If Christo-fuh gets offed, I won’t be sad after Adriana got offed b/o his blabbing. Art imitates life. bwahhaahahahahhaha!!!!

[Scutter]

Amen. One initiative we need in this country is to restore Hays Code standards to movies and extend them to cover all forms of broadcast media such as cable television. Under the Hays Code, the Sopranos would be banned for its profanity, sexual perversion and most importantly for glorifying criminality and depicting evil not being punished swiftly and surely. And that other show someone mentioned, the Shield, would be banned for showing our brave policemen as corrupt and violent. I pray for that day, and others should join me.

Good news! You have the power to do this already. It's called the remote control. Change the channel or turn off the TV if you don't like it. Or are you dead set on telling everyone else what they can and can't watch?

[Polybius]

“The quintessentially American family epic” is about gangsters?

Yep.

[Non-Sequitur]

This is going to be a painful finale...

Not as painful as the last season and a half have been.

[Non-Sequitur]

A fitting eulogy for an incredible series.

All true, but I think the series ran a year or so too long. The recent years have been a pale imitation of the first few.

[Non-Sequitur]

You may not like The Sopranos, but to call it worse than Maury, Cheaters, Full House, or The View is overstating your case.

Or any of what pass for sitcoms these days.

[Vinnie]

That’s it, thanks.

[SoCal Pubbie]

Just to be clear, the Hays Code was not a government nanny state program.

[Larry Lucido]

They will all die or go to jail in the end.

Nah, Seinfeld already did that.

[Biblebelter]

The Sopranos had great acting and great writing. After you watch the Sopranos, you wonder how anyone could spend much time watching the latest Sandra Bullock, Brad Pitt, or Angelina Jolie fare. I never saw Mr and Mrs Smith but I heard it had enough of an audience to make money.

[dighton]

“And give those Irish hoodlums a drink down there.”

(WARNING: Bad language, and not for the squeamish)

[Wormwood]

All true, but I think the series ran a year or so too long.

I'd say at least two years too long.

But bad Sopranos is still better than most other television.

[Non-Sequitur]

But bad Sopranos is still better than most other television.

Agreed. But pales by comparison to Deadwood.

[veronica]

It cannot be overstated how revolutionary and brilliant this show was. And it dragged network TV into a new age of realism. From 24 to House, all the current, edgy, adult dramas series' owe The Sopranos a debt.

No actor ever inhabited a role more fully than James Gandolfini does Tony Soprano.

It's very depressing that it's ending, but it was glorious.

[NeoCaveman]

The show has been weak the last season or two but I’ll be watching

[cajungirl]

I think it got weak when Tony Jr and Meadow grew up. And Tony is getting old and fat and I am scared he will have an MI on us. So I guess I am glad it is going. Gandolfini’s career I think is gone now,,he can never do anything again like this.

Whitaker in the SHield is fabulous,,that guy can act.

[Gurn]

I just hope they don't mail this season in like they did the last one.

Deadwood and Rome were both better than last season's Sopranos.

[veronica]

The Family that Preys Together An exclusive Q&A with Sopranos creator David Chase. interview by Peter Biskind Vanity Fair.COM March 13, 2007...

[Wormwood]

No actor ever inhabited a role more fully than James Gandolfini does Tony Soprano.

I just spent ten solid minutes attempting to prove your statement wrong.

I give up.