It's Over. Or Is It?

The Sopranos has faded into television history, not with a bang, as so many hoped, or a whimper, as so many feared. Instead creator David Chase, whose every episode was stitched together by carefully chosen music, completed his saga of America's favorite mobster with a Soprano family dinner at a wholesome, old-fashioned diner, set to the soundtrack of Journey's tune "Don't Stop Believin'" on the jukebox. After languishing suspiciously on every person in the place, the camera zooms in on Tony looking up--whether at his daughter Meadow, who's just arriving, or a mob assassin stepping out from the crowd, we'll never know for sure, because at that moment the screen goes blank. BLANK! And then the credits roll for the very last time.

So after all the speculation about what would happen to Tony in the end, Chase fooled us all by refusing to end much of anything. Except for top New York mafia man, Phil Leotardo, who did get popped, literally, which not so neatly put an end to the New York/New Jersey rumble that caused so much bloodshed last week. Instead of closure, Chase leaves us with an unmistakable message, via Journey. (Oh, Randy Jackson should be so proud tonight.)

Some will win, some will lose
Some were born to sing the blues
Oh, the movie never ends
It goes on and on and on and on

O.K. David, I get it. I'll admit; I was upset at first. Like everyone else, I expected, I wanted you to wrap things up with a neatly tied ribbon. But I defer to your creative genius. It really is better this way, believin' Tony's still out there somewhere, still doing this thing of his, still venting his mother issues to a therapist (any therapist), still buying his family's love with diamonds and BMWs, still holding it all together despite never knowing which stranger walking through which door will be the one to put a bullet through his brain. Ah, but we'll miss you, T. Salute.