HBO Series 'The Sopranos' Ends Its Run

June 10, 2007 — -- The final episode of "The Sopranos" ends with Tony joining the federal witness program in a last-ditch effort to save Carmela, the kids and, of course, himself, from the clutches of mob rival Phil Leotardo. That's how I think the landmark series will come to a close. Others would beg to differ, I'm sure.

On the other hand, I think Tony should die for all his past sins and let's face it, there are plenty.

But if I were writing the series, I don't think I could pull the trigger on the big guy because like millions of other fans across the nation, I've grown quite attached to the two-timing, homicidal sociopath. And tonight's swan song for this groundbreaking series is something I've been dreading/looking forward to for a long time.

"I think it stands as one of the greatest if not the greatest dramas in TV history," said Bruce Fretts, editor-at-large for TV Guide. "It's been an amazing piece of work and I think it's going to be hard to top. I think it's something that's going to be watched and studied and appreciated for decades to come."

Yet "Sopranos" aficionados know to brace themselves for a slightly unsatisfying ending. After all, David Chase, the mastermind behind the show, has been defying convention ever since the series began.

The very premise of the show was a bit of a mindbender. We were first introduced to Tony more than eight years ago as he sat in psychiatrist Dr. Jennifer Melfi's waiting room, seeking treatment for his panic attacks. It was a revelatory moment for fans of gangster dramas. Who knew that mafia bosses shared the same mundane hopes, dreams and fears as the rest of us schlubs?

Chase would spend the following six glorious seasons updating and deconstructing the myth of the American mobster. I mean, would Michael Corleone ever have sought therapy?

So how does one end such a landmark series? If TV history has taught us anything, it is that finales of great shows are quite predictable in one sense: They hardly ever live up to the tremendous hype.

When was the last time a final episode of a major series proved truly satisfying to the critical mass of its diehard viewers? Either totally forgettable or so bad we wish we could forget them (hello "Seinfeld"), hardly any of them measure up to the deliriously high anticipation.

No one mentions the finales of "M*A*S*H," "Friends," "Cheers," "Dallas," "NYPD Blue" or "The West Wing" when rattling off their favorite episodes for those respective series.

And yet, "Sopranos" fans from coast-to-coast are hoping that this time around, it will be different, because we have a maverick like Chase on our side.

"The Sopranos is sort of famous for upending expectations and so you really don't know what's going to happen," said Fretts. "That's one reason why I think it's going to be such a big event and everyone's going to want to tune in and see what happens Sunday night."

Rumor has it that Chase has fled the country to avoid the inevitable fallout that will occur Monday morning. And if it's true, who can blame him? The run-up to the season finale has reached a fever pitch among critics and fans alike. Everyone and their respective goumas seem to hold an opinion on how the series should ride into the sunset.

"I think people are inevitably going to be disappointed," continued Fretts. "He [David Chase] seems to take a kind of perverse pleasure in not meeting people's expectations, so I have a feeling in some ways it may feel a little bit anticlimactic because people may want to see a bigger kind of wrap up than he may want to give them."

But Fretts added that if "The Sopranos" finale does indeed fail to live up to the hype, the legacy of the series won't be harmed. The overall body of work is just too great. After all, "Seinfeld" fans still love the show despite how the series ended.

The only thing that would disappoint me will be if everyone lives happily ever after. Phil and Tony let bygones be bygones -- lighting up Montecristos and clinking glasses as they renew vows between the two families; A.J. shakes out of his torpor and decides to make himself a productive member of society; Silvio recovers consciousness and lives to run the Bing once again. NOT!

It is very likely that the denouement will be somewhat wistful, slightly messy and will leave more than a couple of plotlines still up in the air. We will probably never learn the fates of Furio, the Russian mobster from the Pine Barrens episode and Melfi's rapist. But if we did, that would be most un-Chase like.

So after eight years, we've come to episode 86. Will "The Sopranos" end with a bang, a whimper or one of those terrifically quirky dream sequences? Will Tony end as Tony or his alter ego from episode 67, the innocuous Joe Schmo named Kevin Finnerty? Will Tony end up sleeping with the fishes or eating a bialy?

Time is running out on Tony, his quickly diminishing crew, and our time spent with them.

Let's face it, we all felt a little cooler because we watched "The Sopranos." David Chase gave us entry into a shadowy world where most of us would not be welcome. Thanks to him, we've all been made.