THANKS TO THE kind folks at HBO, I was able to get a sneak peek at the first two episodes of The Sopranos' final season. By the end of the second episode, "Stage 5," I could hardly believe what had transpired. Who would have guessed that Tony would cooperate with the feds after the untimely death of his wife, Carmela?
I'm kidding. There will be no spoilers in this review, not to worry. Nor will there be any deep psychoanalysis (see Dr. Glen O. Gabbard's The Psychology of the Sopranos, Chapter 1, "Bada Being and Nothingness"). Over the last seven years, there has been an abbondanza of books about The Sopranos (Tony Soprano on Management: Leadership Lessons Inspired by America's Favorite Mobster by Anthony Schneider) as well as books by the Sopranos (Wise Girl: What I've Learned About Life, Love, and Loss by Jamie-Lynn Sigler, A Goomba's Guide to Life by Steven Schirripa), not to mention The Sopranos Family Cookbook featuring Artie Bucco.
Critics have likened The Sopranos to Greek tragedy, Shakespeare, and Chekhov. Others compare it to miniseries like I, Claudius and Brideshead Revisited. All of which point to the obvious question: What more can be said?
Judging from the latest magazine covers, the answer is a lot. But specifically, what can we expect from this seventh and final season and, more broadly, just what made The Sopranos one of the greatest shows on television?
As was apparent in the sixth season and now continuing into the seventh, death is in the air. Tony is constantly reminded of his own mortality as well as the mortality of others. He ponders who could be his successor and, most of all, how to retire--a feat he is determined to accomplish or at least die trying.
As far as series finales go, any number of endings can happen. As with Newhart and St. Elsewhere, this could all be a dream, with Tony Soprano as northern Jersey's Walter Mitty. Or, similar to Cheers, life could simply go on, with the final shot looking down on Satriale's butcher shop and Tony's crew sitting around, passing the time. Or Tony's archnemesis, Phil Leotardo, could have the last laugh.
Could Tony decide to work with the FBI, going against everything he has held sacred? It seems highly doubtful. Then again, who would have guessed that a real-life underboss like Sammy "The Bull" Gravano would turn on his associates when faced with a long prison sentence? Still, this scenario remains unlikely. Besides, if Tony did become a "rat," fans would be disappointed.
Every Sunday during Sopranos season, millions of viewers find themselves in this moral dilemma, rooting for a man who is unfaithful, corrupt, and murders (mostly without remorse). As Stephen Holden of the New York Times once explained, "In forcing us to empathize with a thug whom we watch committing heinous acts, The Sopranos evokes a profound moral ambiguity." Holden's colleague at the Times, Caryn James, adds that the "brilliance of The Sopranos depends on the trick of letting us see Tony's worst qualities and getting us to identify with him anyway." Perhaps we are holding out for redemption.
Mostly we enjoy living vicariously through Tony and, at least for one hour each week, relish the boss's ability to live above the law, loved by some, feared by most. The impulse is not uncommon. As actor Joe Pantoliano, who played the ill-fated character Ralph Cifaretto, said, "How many times have you been insulted in your life or embarrassed by someone, where you fantasized on the way home how you could bash that person's brain in for doing that to you?" It was what drew former mobster Henry Hill into organized crime, though as Goodfellas makes painfully clear, it is ultimately not a life worth living. As The Sopranos comes to a close, with Tony trying to find his way out, this point is made once again.
It is often forgotten that this show, with all its Emmys and Golden Globes, almost didn't make it. CBS and Fox turned down the initial script. And had they accepted it, the networks would have cast someone either more famous or more attractive than James Gandolfini. (CBS would have gone with Anthony LaPaglia. Interestingly, HBO almost went with Steve Van Zandt, currently Tony's consigliere, Silvio Dante. And Lorraine Bracco initially tried out for the role of Carmela Soprano before becoming Tony's therapist, Dr. Melfi.)
