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Site Host's Finale Review: This was a very good finale to a very good and satisfying season. Most plotlines were much tighter and better developed then in the previous season. I really liked all new characters that were brought in. Tony B. was the Jackie Jr. of this season. These characters were written in just to cause havoc for Tony and then get killed in the last episode. It worked and worked well. Steve Buscemi did an awesome job, but have you even seen him do anything bad? In my opinion he is one of the most underrated character actors in Hollywood. The cliffhanger came completely out of nowhere, which is just another credit to the talented writers of the show. Overall, after adding up all my ratings for the season, the average grade for season is 8.2.
Visitor Opinions:
I can understand why alot of people found season 5 boring as they perhaps didn't see enough 'action' from week to week. But for people who like to look further and deeper into the show and explore the characters it was a treat. Full credit to the writers. The Sopranos is a great show in that you can read into it as much as you like or not at all. Alot of effort goes into creating the amazing characters we see on this show and to watch them evolve in such complex and unpredictable ways is amazing. Season 5 gets the thumbs up. From Chris, Australia.
I disagree. I thought this season was pretty weak. There were some good plot lines. Like Silvio telling Tony how he felt. Maybe this will play out next season. With Johnny Sacs going to jail, might bring a power shift. I think it would be better if Tony gets killed in the end, than being alone in a jail cell. Tony B saved this season. I like your site. Keep up the good work. From Louis T.
A very good finale! There will be a lot to iron out next season just from this episode.Killing his cousin accomplished several things for Tony Soprano.It solved the Sack and Phil issue, erased the favoritism BS, and demonstrated to his own crew what he is capable of. It would not surprise me to see one of them go next for being disloyal; Vito especially for more than just that reason. Tony will be saddled with even more guilt seeing as how Johnny Sack and his crew got busted right after he killed Tony B., leaving him to wonder if he should have stalled a bit longer. No matter, as Tony is in a position to take a great leap in power and stature, though certainly Johnny Sack will not go quietly. Christopher is still too much of a screw-up to be the leader Tony wants him to be. I also wonder if Carmela will finish her house and kick Tony back out, and personally I would like to see less of Meadow ;and her retarded boyfriend. Overall a pretty damn good season with plenty to look forward to. Between Ray the Rat, Johnny Sack, Tony's own crew and his own family issues we should see lots of action next year.One more thing in reference to tony p's commentary, Tony Soprano did not enounter the bear on his walk home because it hibernates during the winter. From Neil M.
Hey There, Just found out about the site and enjoy it very much. I thought the finale was very good as well. Like someone else noted, it wrapped up most of the story lines and did not leave you hanging like the last few years. Though I have to say the last scene of last season's finale with the boat blasting Dean Martin at level 10 was hysterical. I was dad to see Tony B. go, but Tony S. really had no choice and did the "best" he could, killing him quickly rather than having him tortured. Of course, even though he did the "right" thing it was ultimately for nothing as Sack's crew got nailed and Tony B., would probably be in the clear. Wonder how that will weigh on Tony's mind when he sees Melfi. It is always fun to speculate what will hapen in the next season. A friend of mine and I have this theory their ultimate fate is in the name of the family. Tony Soprano get nailed by the Feds and ultimately decides to take the route Adriana wanted to go and "sings" to the Feds and goes into witness protection with his family (esp. Carmela) kicking and screaming every step of the way... From Tom T.
You know, I see a lot of people mentioning that this season was great, but didn’t end with a cliffhanger like some of the others did. This is true, but was it just me or did the entire series seem to clean house in the final few episodes? No, it didn’t end in a cliffhanger, but it seems like the majority of issues are now clear and the series can start fresh when the next season begins. Think about it. First, the FBI fiasco with Adrianna that has been going on for the last few seasons. Done. Second, the constant tension with the families between Tony, Johnny Sack, and Little Carmine. Done with the FBI at the end. Tony and Carmella’s break up. Done. The list goes on and on. It really seems like the writers might be ready to take the series in a new direction, but had to clean up the ongoing issues. I for one am excited to see what happens next! From Corey B.
This season's finale was wrapped up neat and tidy, however, I feel the final season will be particulary surprising. I don't feel the writers will leave us dissapointed by any means. I would like to tip my hat to the writers for recreating, in their own way, several prominent scenes in the Sopranos that were reminiscent of scenes in other cinematic mafia masterpieces. Carmela's father's birthday party and the confirmation party in the beginning of Godfather 2 are very similar in terms of ambience and identical in terms of some of the music that was used. Second, remember when Chris and Tony B. were digging up bodies on Uncle Pat's farm? Their humorous bonding in that scene reminded me of the scene in Goodfellas where the main characters were digging up a body and humor was also involved. Lastly, the scene where Adriana confesses to Christopher her involvement with the FBI reminded me of the scene in GF 2 where Kay tells Michael she's had an abortion. In that scene you can see Pacino slowly beginning to seeth as he takes in what is being said-this is very similar to Christopher's reaction to Adrianna's confession during the long term parking episode. I just happen to think its unique that the writers for the Sopranos are trying to incorporate elements from other mafia movie history into a series that will surely be held in as high esteem as its counterparts. From Jim R.
Why should we, your loyal fans, have to wait 18 MONTHS before we find out the ending to this saga? You don't understand the tension, anxiety and nailbiting that goes on while waiting for you guys to show your faces from one season to the next. I just love the show and any criticisms from others are laughed at because people tend to take the program so seriously. I, on the other hand, find it thoroughly entertaining and think all of the actors are exceptionally great. Carmela is awesome, Dr. Melfi is so interesting, Pauli and Silvio are the coolest and Christopher has issues. I think A.J. needs to be re-directed and have more serious life goals. Meadow really needs to get over herself; is she EVER going to grow up? You are so convincing as a mob boss that I have to catch myself sometimes when I want to scream at you for doing unwise things. So, since I've lauded you and the cast with compliments and "healthy" suggestions, does that go towards Brownie Points to get the show on the road faster than 18 months? Love you guys!!!! From Jeri W.
I have to disagree with most people, I think this was by far the worst season of this show, there were only 2 good episodes out of all of them, I really hope next season is much better. From Robert
I thought the finale was great, it didn't leave you with typical cliffhangers, or at the end tony being on top of his game and smoking a cigar. This whole season has been about tony sopranos and dissecting his personality, his roll as "the boss" and the effect his decisions have on the family (business family that is). We have this stereo typical view of mafia boss from the movies, I guess. It was refreshing to see tony weak and helpless and not this "boss man" who just gives orders. I think they had already set the premise for us from the beginning of the season with the title "Hell hath no fury, like the family". I'd definitly like to see more of Melfi & Tony Sopranos sessions in the next season, as well as more of character developement of Jamie-Lynn, AJ, Paulie, etc. Cable television is not going to be the same without the Sopranos, thank god we still have 10 more episodes!! From Nisha P.
Last nights episode was a great closer to a pretty much awesome season. With Johnny Sack getting arrested, will he betray the families and spill his guts for freedom? I hope we don't have to wait to long for season 6....though I keep reading maybe late 2005 early 2006. I guess it takes time to write the greatest show on TV. From Ray G.
While the overall season was so much better than last season's episodes, I felt the finale was quite predictable. It was obvious that Tony was not going to give up his cousin to be tortured, and it was also obvious that the New York crew would eventually catch up with Tony B. or Christopher. Therefore, Tony Soprano had no choice but to spare Tony B's fate by killing him quickly and giving him the respect of being killed by Tony Soprano himself. I was hoping, however, that the episode would have ended in a bit of a cliffhanger by having Tony walking through the woods on his way home and meeting up with that big black bear that was introduced in the first episode and has been occasionally popping up from time to time. How ironic would this have been, leaving us for the next 18 months wondering if Tony is going to make it safely into his home or end up having a close encounter with a bear, of all things. From Tony P.
This season was the best since number 2. The problem 3 and 4 had was that it was all build up with no real climax. It was basically like getting a blowjob and never actually getting the orgasm. And who wants that? Season 5 was nothing if not intense. From irregular around the margins when Tony had a gun the Christopher's head, to Adriana getting clipped, I was gritting my teeth constantly. And the finale was beautifully put together. I have to make one comment about the "evil" people keep talking about. These are people who live in their own world with their own rules. Everyone knows the rules. Even Adriana. Why not blame the FBI for using this poor dumb girl, knowing what would happen if she got caught. How many people have vanished throughout the show because they've been wired up? Tony is good at sniffing out traitors. The FBI put Adriana into that situation knowing that. Well, that's my 2 cents anyway. Great show, great season! From Scott K.
Love the site and the running reviews. I just had to comment on the finale. I was heartened to see the writers NOT fall into the typical season-ending cliffhanger nonsense. The penultimate episode was one of the best ever, and this conclusion was very satisfying. Characters grew (most notably Tony and Silvio), and unlike formulaic conventions, the episode actually had a "happy" ending, while still maintaining tension and ambiguity. Very deft balance. cheers. From Todd
I liked the last episode, although I do not think it was the season’s best. I think the show has gone low key as Tony has tried to distance himself from the day to day operations. Low key in my opinion means the story lines develop slower. I don’t see how they producers can wrap this up in ten episodes. Going into the last season, they gave us two ways to go. One, being very quiet as the NJ is not connected to Sack’s indictment, find out and take care of Ray, and continue, for the most part, business as usual; or two, having soldiers die and others locked up under indictment if “Informant Ray” is not stopped. I think since Ray has now been shown wearing a wire he has not been feeding little BS stuff to the FBI. From Richard S.
email me your thoughts at TheSopranosFV@yahoo.com
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