Scripting News: Sopranos speculation

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Sopranos speculation

Warning -- spoilers follow. If you aren't caught up with the series, be forewarned.

Tomorrow is the finale of The Sopranos, and like many other people, I'll be glued to my set at 9PM anxious to find out how the series ends. I've read lots of speculation from lots of reviewers and bloggers, and I'm speculating too, but I think some of the obvious choices are very unlikely, at least I hope they are.

Everyone says not to expect every loose-end to be tied up, don't expect the series to end with a feeling that you know how every plot line finishes. The Sopranos is not Six Feet Under, a series with the most satisfying completion ever. And The Sopranos is not Goodfellas, I don't believe (as some do) that Tony will end up a schnook in Utah or suburban Seattle, working a straight job. And I don't see Carmella driving a Toyota and wearing clothes from Banana Republic.

What other choices are there? Well, Tony could end up boss of NY, tracking down Phil Leotardo, and killing him. That would be satisfying, even if Tony is depraved, as the writers keep reminding us, at least he's the top depraved bad guy.

Or Tony could end up dead. I think that would take guts and I think it would be right. Why is it right for Tony to die? Adrianna. I feel she is the central character of the show, more than Big Pussy, or Ralph Siparetto, or Janet's fiancee or Tony's cousin Tony, or Christopher. Adrianna is pivotal because her death proved for sure that Tony really is evil, without a redeeming quality, a pure gangster, period. Remember that Tony got a crush on Ade just before he told her to go with Silvio to see Christopher in the hospital. Remember how that ended for Ade. If any character had our sympathy, even our love, it was her. And how could you feel anything but rage for Tony when she meets her end, especially the way she meets her end.

To me, that's the just ending. Tony dies the way Adrianna died. Crawling on his hands and knees, suprised to be about to die, crying and begging to be left to live. There should be a sliver of justice to his death, the same way there was a sliver of justice to Ade's death (she was collaborating with the Feds, but not really, she hadn't ratted anyone out, she was just trying to live, her death was tragic and unnecessary, but Tony had no way of knowing that).

And what about Carmella, who surely knew that Adrianna was killed, and who did it. She's almost said it a half-dozen times. What price does she have to pay for her complicity?

So with Tony gone, and maybe Carmella too, would it surprise us if AJ all of a sudden finds that life makes sense. And I think we're going to see Meadow one more time, and her future will be surprising. I'm pretty sure she survives, based on an interview Jamie-Lynn Sigler did on Fresh Air. (Yes, I really have been paying attention.)

How much further out on a limb I can go? What about Paulie? Somehow I think, even with all his flaws, he figures out how to survive. I think Phil dies, and Carmella, and Tony, in that order. I think the kids survive, I don't think Janice becomes the new captain (but it does make some sense, she is a Soprano, after all).

And what about Uncle Junior? He hasn't appeared in a long time, and for such a major character, can they leave it at that? Somehow I don't think so.

Oh I'm so confused! Will I still be confused on Monday morning? Do I want to have it all sorted out? I don't know, I just don't know. I haven't looked forward to an hour of TV this much since the finale of The West Wing.

In summary -- I think Tony dies, and Carmella. Why? They both have to pay for Adrianna.

All the while we've been watching Tony get satisfaction when people betray him. In the end, it would be fair for us, the viewers, to get satisfaction because Tony betrayed us. Adrianna was our heart, which he broke by killing her. Silvio is dying in the hospital, and he deserves it. Tony is next. And Carmella can't get off the hook, she has to pay too.

Or (sorry) maybe Carmella kills Tony when she finds out for sure that he killed Ade. Hmmm. Then Carmella could live.

Last update: Thursday, June 3, 2010; 4:00:51 PM

~About the Author~

Dave Winer, 55, is a visiting scholar at NYU's Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute. He pioneered the development of weblogs, syndication (RSS), podcasting, outlining, and web content management software; former contributing editor at Wired Magazine, research fellow at Harvard Law School, entrepreneur, and investor in web media companies. A native New Yorker, he received a Master's in Computer Science from the University of Wisconsin, a Bachelor's in Mathematics from Tulane University and currently lives in New York City.

"The protoblogger." - NY Times.

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One of BusinessWeek's 25 Most Influential People on the Web.

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"The father of blogging and RSS." - BBC.

"RSS was born in 1997 out of the confluence of Dave Winer's 'Really Simple Syndication' technology, used to push out blog updates, and Netscape's 'Rich Site Summary', which allowed users to create custom Netscape home pages with regularly updated data flows." - Tim O'Reilly.

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May Jul