The song is over

by RICHARD JONES

WHAT are we going to do on Tuesday evenings now ?

The Sopranos series is finished. Caput. Wound up. All over.

Admittedly should series creator David Chase, who wrote and directed the closing show, ever consider an 87th episode he's left the door slightly ajar.

In the last ever episode of the final series, Tony (James Gandolfini) and family were eating at one of their favourite New Jersey restaurants, Holstens. Well, almost all the family was chowing down because daughter Meadow was just arriving at the front door in the closing seconds when the screen went black.

Tony and Carmela (Edie Falco) were still alive straight after the 'war' with the New York family had been resolved and son A.J. had put aside thoughts of joining the Army to take up a role developing a screenplay.

They'd all moved back into their mansion after the required sojourn in safe houses. More importantly Tony's recalcitrant, opposite number in the New York family, Phil, had been gunned down when he'd ventured out to a service station.

Mind you, Tony had needed the help of the FBI to locate Phil and the whereabouts of his safe house in Long Island.

My favourite character Paulie (Tony Sirico) was going to take on some enlarged responsibilities within the New Jersey family despite his pleas to Tony that the position he'd been offered was jinxed.

And consigliere Silvio, or Sil (Steven van Zandt) didn't look like he was going to do anything except lie in a hospital bed, comatose. Phil's boys had shot Sil several times outside the strip joint. Silvio's shooting aired in the penultimate episode.

Still we should be grateful that Channel 9 screened The Sopranos series in its entirety, albeit at a variety of times throughout its life. Last night's final episode, for instance, didn't go to air until 10.45 pm in the eastern states.

A lot of the time switching thing has to do with ratings. Although it was a huge hit in the United States audience figures here in Oz didn't go much above 400,000 - and often, only half that number.

I'm going to miss them. Of course Christopher (Michael Imperioli) is no longer with us. His denouement came a couple of eps before the final blackout.

But without Tony, Paulie, Sil, Carmela and psychologist Dr Melfi (Lorraine Bracco) to fill that vital late Tuesday evening timeslot I'm going to suffer withdrawal pangs until well after Christmas.

2 November 2007

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