Onion rings and other things, one year later

A year ago tomorrow (give or take your feelings about leap years), "The Sopranos" came to an end, with that scene at the ice cream parlor that was either brilliant, awful, or just baffling, depending on your point of view. And even people who agreed on the quality (or lack thereof) couldn't always agree on what it all meant. After the jump, we'll talk about one person who had quite a lot to say on the subject...

Now, I've always fallen into both the "brilliant" camp and the "Tony lives" camp, but I've been open to the possibility that I'm wrong on the latter. Chase's "it's all there" quote from my morning-after interview certainly could suggest that there's a major development -- the death of the protagonist -- hidden within the onion rings, the rings of the doorbell, and the Journey on the jukebox.

And now a blogger has written nearly 22,000 words analyzing the final sequence and vehemently arguing that Tony did, in fact, take a bullet to the back of the head from the guy in the Member's Only jacket.

He makes a more forceful case than a lot of the "Tony's dead!" people did shortly after the finale aired. For one thing, he properly quotes the Tony/Bacala exchange about what happens when you get whacked (it's "you never hear it coming," and not "everything turns to black," as far too many people wanted to believe) and, by breaking down the editing of the scene, argues for the abrupt cut to black to be the end of Tony's point of view because he just died.

There's also a lot of talk about the Kevin Finnerty non-dream and Tony's ever-so-brief spiritual awakening, all the background figures at Holsten's, the nature of Phil Leotardo's death as foreshadowing Tony's, and much more.

That said, after having read all of it, I'm still not convinced, and not just because I insisted so vehemently a year ago that Tony survived. The notion of Tony being killed by a person unknown, for reasons unknown, at a time of relative peace in his empire -- if you take the truce with Butchie at face value, that is -- seems to violate a number of the series' rules. As much as I and others have analyzed -- and often overanalyzed -- the series, looking for hidden meanings, Chase always played fair with his storytelling. There were almost never hidden developments that occurred off camera, to be sprung on us when we would be most shocked by them. If a character turned rat, or started working with a rival mob faction, we learned about it as it was happening (except in a rare case like Pussy working for the feds, which happened so early that Chase and company hadn't worked out all of their rules yet, or when the character was so minor, like Ray Curto, that it didn't really matter).

When Chase says "it's all there," I like to think he's referring to the show as a relatively open book. There's deeper meaning in a lot of scenes, some more hidden than others (the dream sequences were designed to be easy to decode), but there's never anything where you're asked to fill in the blanks in terms of a story or character arc. What's on the screen is what happened, and when last we saw Tony Soprano, his life was relatively secure. I'll admit that Chase's discussion of Gerry the Hairdo's murder (which also unfolded silently) in several interviews gives me pause, but I look at that as Chase saying that this is the fate that could befall Tony at any minute of the day -- hence the notion that the worst fate for him is to have to go on living as the miserable bastard that he is, forever fearing that moment -- rather than him saying that it did happen to him here.

But that's me. 365 days later, does anybody else want to re-open this argument?

These are the Daves I know: The Wire vs. The Sopranos vs. Deadwood

Over the weekend, I got together with my old partner Matt Zoller Seitz and Andrew Johnston from Time Out-NY to debate -- politely -- about the relative supremacy of "The Wire" (my horse), "The Sopranos" (Andrew's pick) and "Deadwood" (Matt's). It was recorded as a podcast and you can listen to it (and, briefly, download it) over at The House Next Door.

Feel free to discuss anything that comes up in the podcast, or any other arguments about one show vs. the others, but do not attempt to slip in spoilers for "The Wire" series finale. I understand it's already leaked on-line, and if I so much as smell something that's either an obvious spoiler or something that seems like a spoiler but is dressed up as a really clever guess, we're going to comment moderation -- on the entire blog -- from now until Sunday night. You feel me?

UPDATE: Matt has added a transcript for those who were having technical difficulties with the podcast -- or who just hated the sound of clanging dishes in the background.

Onion rings and other things

So David Chase has finally broken his vow of silence, even a little, to talk about the onion ring scene in "The Sopranos" series finale for the forthcoming "The Sopranos: The Complete Book," and Entertainment Weekly has an excerpt of it.

Chase gives interviewer Brett Martin a few more clues than he offered me back in June, but still refuses to answer fans' two biggest questions: 1)Does Tony live or die? and 2)Either way, what did that whole scene mean?

In addition to disavowing the Last Supper theory and most of the other elaborate over-analysis of that scene, Chase says a few things that could be parsed for further study. First, on the matter of closure, he says:

There was nothing definite about what happened, but there was a clean trend on view � a definite sense of what Tony and Carmela's future looks like. Whether it happened that night or some other night doesn't really matter.

Then, while saying that there's no elaborate puzzle to be solved, he references the hit on Gerry the Hairdo and how it happened even before Silvio was aware it happened. Martin starts to ask whether Chase is implying that Tony was killed, but Chase interrupts:

I'm not saying anything. And I'm not trying to be coy. It's just that I think that to explain it would diminish it.

Finally, in discussing how he had the idea for the scene years in advance, he explains:

As I recall, it was just that Tony and his family would be in a diner having dinner and a guy would come in. Pretty much what you saw.

The "guy" in question is clearly the infamous "Man in Members Only Jacket" (who, once again, had never been on the show before and was not any kind of relative of Phil Leotardo's).

I still stand by my "Tony lives" theory, and that what Chase was trying to show was how the rest of Tony's life will play out -- how every open door, every passing human, could signal the threat that finally kills him -- but the reference to the Gerry the Hairdo hit certainly has my wheels spinning. Did Chase give too much away to the interviewer and then try to over-correct once he realized his mistake, or is what we saw all there was to see?

Whatever Chase meant, looks like the 15 Minutes of Fame Tour may get one last encore; I'm tentatively scheduled to be on "Countdown with Keith Olbermann" on MSNBC tonight. If the interview actually happens, I'll post in the comments about the rough time I should be on.

David Chase speaks again! (But not really)

From the tour blog: David Chase uses me to set up a punchline at the TCA Awards.

The Sopranos: David Chase speaks

I'm glad David Chase is a man of his word. He's bugged out to Paris and trying to avoid doing any post-"Sopranos" finale press, but he promised me months ago that he would talk to me the day after the finale, and he stuck to that -- not that he was willing to explain much about the "Don't stop--" scene:

What do you do when your TV world ends? You go to dinner, then keep quiet. Sunday night, "Sopranos" creator David Chase took his wife out for dinner in France, where he's fled to avoid "all the Monday morning quarterbacking" about the show's finale. After this exclusive interview, agreed to well before the season began, he intends to go into radio silence, letting the work -- especially the controversial final scene -- speak for itself.

"I have no interest in explaining, defending, reinterpreting, or adding to what is there," he says of the final scene.

"No one was trying to be audacious, honest to god," he adds. "We did what we thought we had to do. No one was trying to blow people's minds, or thinking, 'Wow, this'll (tick) them off.' People get the impression that you're trying to (mess) with them and it's not true. You're trying to entertain them."

You can read the full interview at NJ.com, but feel free to comment here.

Sopranos Rewind: Made in America

Don't stop... until you go over to NJ.com to read my very spoiler-y thoughts on "The Sopranos" series finale. And, no, your cable was not malfunctioning at 10:01.

Great moments in Ledger/Sopranos history

Inspired by my buddy Phil, here's a little pictorial ode to the odd relationship between "The Sopranos" and the paper that employs me.

"Pilot" (Season one): Tony's first trip down to the end of the driveway to pick up the paper, which would become a season-opening tradition. Both the Ledger and Tony look very different these days.

"The Legend of Tennessee Moltisanti" (Season one): Christopher is so excited to learn that his name was mentioned in a Star-Ledger article about the mob that he steals every copy from a vending machine.

"Two Tonys" (Season five): The first season to open with Tony not living at the McMansion, and what better way to illustrate it than with the paper lying untouched at the base of the driveway until Meadow runs it over with her car?

"Mayham" (Season six): Silvio, serving as acting boss during Tony's coma, has a bathroom reading session interrupted by Paulie and Vito.

"Mr. & Mrs. John Sacramoni Request..." (Season six): This is more of a tabloid-style headline than anything we usually do, but it's really funny, and it's also the most visually accurate recreation of a Ledger page that they did over the years.

The Sopranos: Top 10

As part of our paper's quest to outdo the rest of the world in "Sopranos" finale coverage, I was asked to put together a list of the ten best episodes. As I say in the introduction to the column, I was half-inclined to just pick all eight of this season's episodes, grab two random ones from season one and be done with it, but in the end I decided to put slightly more thought into it. Here's the list, in chronological order (and if you want some minor justification for why, say, "Amour Fou" makes it and "Pine Barrens" doesn't, click the above link):

• "College"
• "I Dream of Jeannie Cusamano"
• "Amour Fou"
• "Whoever Did This"
• "Whitecaps"
• "Irregular Around the Margins"
• "Join the Club"
• "Mr. & Mrs. John Sacramoni Request..."
• "The Second Coming"
• "The Blue Comet"

Honorable mention: "Pine Barrens," "Long-Term Parking," "Isabella," "Funhouse," "The Weight," "Members Only," "The Knight in White Satin Armor," "University," "Soprano Home Movies" and the rest of this current season.

Now feel free to tell me why I'm an idiot.

Sopranos Rewind: The Blue Comet

I ain't saying nothing here for fear of spoiling one of the best -- and certainly one of the busiest -- episodes in the history of "The Sopranos." Just go read my thoughts over at NJ.com and comment here.

Sopranos Rewind: The Second Coming

Once again, deadline issues mean that Sopranos Rewind is going to be online-only on Monday, which means I can link to the column right away.

Sometimes, it's not the fire that burns you. It's the juices.

Two episodes ago, in "Walk Like a Man," Tony suggested that Chris pull a steak off the barbecue because it would continue to cook in its own juices, even away from the flame. At the time, it was an apt metaphor for the growing resentment Chris and Tony were feeling for each other in the aftermath of Adriana's death. But it applies even more to last night's "The Second Coming," where nearly every character is stewing in the juices of some very old beef.

You can read the full column at NJ.com, but feel free to comment here.

Sopranos Rewind: Kennedy and Heidi

Due to some deadline issues, my latest "Sopranos" column is online-only, which means I can publish and link to the NJ.com version right away. Not even going to excerpt any of it here, because this one is a spoiler mine-field. There's lots to talk about, so get to it in the comments.

Sopranos Rewind: Walk Like a Man

Thoughts on "The Sopranos" episode five:

"Everything turns to (excrement)," laments Tony.

Funny how often he's the reason for that.

Episode Five, "Walk Like a Man," follows the pattern of the Junior/Paulie episode "Remember When," constructing parallel narratives about Tony's biological son (A.J.) and the person he's always treated like a son (Chris). Where "Remember When" was about the pain of growing old alone, "Walk Like a Man" showed the psychological toll of being related, by blood or by bond, to the Family in general and Tony in particular.

You can read the full thing over at NJ.com, but feel free to comment here.

Sopranos Rewind: Chasing It

Spoilers for last night's "Sopranos":

And the inner circle draws tighter.

Each episode of this season has seen Tony driving a wedge between himself and a trusted ally -- first Bacala, then Chris, then Paulie and now Hesh, whose friendly $200,000 bridge loan last week turned ugly once Tony realized Hesh actually expected him to repay it.

We've had hints in recent episodes that Tony was gambling too much, but episode four, "Chasing It," has him in full-on Davey Scatino mode, losing big at every game he tries: horses, roulette, blackjack, football, everything short of jai alai or an Oscar pool.

The full thing is at NJ.com, but you can comment here.

Sopranos Rewind: Remember When

From my column on episode three:

"Things are going great, finally," says Tony Soprano. "Maybe I'm just waiting for the other shoe to drop."

So are we, Tony.

As this final season has gone on, fans have been waiting to see who will die, who will wind up in jail, who will rat. If a sad, moving episode like last night's "Remember When" is any indication, the wait might not end -- and that might be okay.

The full thing's up at NJ.com, but you can comment here.

Sopranos Rewind: Stage 5

My thoughts on "The Sopranos" episode two, "Stage 5," are up at NJ.com. After you read it, feel free to comment here.

UPDATE: I also have a very spoiler-y interview with the whacked castmember up at NJ.com, so if you didn't watch the episode yet, don't read it.

Sopranos Rewind: Livia's legacy, Bacala's broken heart

The season's first Rewind column is up at NJ.com, but you can comment on it (and the episode, obviously) here.

Sopranos overload

Your guide to all of The Star-Ledger's "Sopranos" content that's been keeping me so occupied the last few weeks:

• An essay about the overall greatness of the show, starting off by examining all of the parallel universe possibilities Chase and company avoided (Anthony LaPaglia as Tony? Lorraine Bracco as Carmela instead of Melfi?);
• Matt Seitz making a special return visit to our pages for a column about "Sopranos" as a portrait of selfishness gone awry;
• Three lengthy profiles of behind-the-scenes personnel: the first about the location manager and production designer and how they either find or build the places where Tony and company live and work; the second about the costume designer responsible for deciding which track suit goes to which wiseguy; the third about the stunt coordinator who has to make all those fights look so clumsy and authentic;
• An interactive graphic guide to the show's characters -- not just the regular cast members and notable guest stars, but obscure people like Jack Massarone and Hal Melvoin (and I should note that most of the credit for this one goes to Angela Porter, who designed it, and Andrew Garcia Phillips, who took it from the page to the web);
• And, in case you missed them, my preview of the first two episodes, and episode guides for seasons one, two, three, four, five and six.
  

Because I have the first two episodes in advance, the first two Sopranos Rewind posts should be up at NJ.com by 10 p.m. tonight and next Sunday, at the same blog address where I've been doing the "American Idol" recaps. (I'll also be posting a link here immediately to give people an opportunity to comment.) The bosses want me blogging daily (or, five days a a week at least) about the show, with Rewind as the Monday post, me responding to reader feedback on Tuesday and/or Wednesday, and content TBD on the other days. We'll see how that works.

Slowly I turned, step by step, inch by inch...

Today's column reviews the first two episodes of "The Sopranos," though I'm pretty vague on detail since Sopranos Rewind will be back for all that spoilery overanalysis beginning Monday:

Give Team Soprano two weeks before you make up your mind about the new season.

It's not that Sunday night's premiere is bad. If anything, it's a superb refresher of what makes Tony Soprano tick, as well as the deepest look we've ever had at Tony and Janice's childhood and their current relationship.

But after spending most of last season fielding complaints about the sluggish pace and focus on minor characters like Eugene Pontecorvo and Artie Bucco, I imagine the premiere -- a leisurely hour set largely at Bobby Bacala's cabin in the Adirondacks and featuring only four significant characters -- will lead to New Jersey's 911 operators getting overloaded Sunday night with calls of exploding heads, steam escaping ears, teeth being ground down to dust, etc.

So, before I can preview the new season in more detail or look back on the merits and flaws of the last one, I should say up front that episode two is more quintessentially "Sopranos," with use of virtually every major character (save, I think, Uncle Junior), mob intrigue, black humor and, yes, whacking. (Though there's some of that in the premiere.) If the premiere drives you nuts, know that something more your speed will be coming quickly.

To read the full thing, click here.

In the beginning, there were ducks...

The Star-Ledger kicks off its week-plus of "Sopranos" premiere coverage with the episode guide to season one, preceded by this:

It's been nine years, 77 episodes, a dozen or so dream sequences, a long trip to Purgatory, and a death toll too high to count since "The Sopranos" began its run back in January of '99. The first of nine final episodes debuts Sunday night, and we intend to send the show off properly. (It's the least we could do after Tony's been a loyal subscriber for so long, right?)

Look for my review of the final season's first two episodes on Wednesday. Sunday Spotlight will feature a package of "Sopranos" goodies, including profiles of the behind-the-scenes personnel who gave the show its Jersey flavor, plus a few essays on the show's legacy. And a week from today brings the return of Sopranos Rewind, my weekly dissection of each new episode.

But first, it's time for a refresher course on the first six seasons: how to tell Richie apart from Ralphie, why Phil Leotardo hates Tony so much, and pretty much every other useful bit of "Sopranos" knowledge. (Except, of course, what really happened to The Russian, because the writers are never, ever going to explain that one.) Your guide to season one is here today, and we'll take it season by season through Saturday.

Oh, and one very small hint about the new season: You may want to brush up on your Monopoly rules.

To read the whole episode guide (if you need the refresher), start here.

The spoiler policy

Okay, for the second time in a couple of weeks, someone's posted a comment that's either a spoiler or is a rumored spoiler. Either way, it's time to make it very clear what the deal with spoilers is around here.

Simply put, I don't want 'em. We're here to talk about shows after they've aired, and if I include a review or even some brief comments ahead of time based on screeners I've watched, I go out of my way to not give away anything important.

If you've read a spoiler someplace else, or if you have some kind of inside connection that gives you a spoiler, or if you happened to be on your way to lunch when you saw "The Sopranos" filming a murder scene, do not post about it here. There are lots of places on the Web to both find and talk about spoilers, and this is not one of them. Okay?

Now, speaking of "The Sopranos," Isaac at Throwing Things pointed me towards this hilarious YouTube recap of the previous six seasons, all in seven minutes. My favorite part is his connecting Artie getting hit with a milkshake in "Christopher" to Artie attempting suicide in "Everybody Hurts."