2000-2009: The decade in pop culture
As the '00's end, what images will rock on long after the years roll?
Carlos Millan
Issue date: 1/28/10 Section: Arts & Entertainment
Upon extensively searching, the final moment of the final episode of David Chase's "The Sopranos" is one of this decade's defining moments. It's what will be remembered years down the line. Not because of what it did but more of what we, as an audience, felt. A feeling of, "is that it?"
Chase ended a grand work in the middle of a thought and, just like that, it was over; much like the decade stuck in the middle of a thought. This moment left the audience teetering forward 'til they were only inches away from their television sets, and then a cut to black made the audience scream with amazement.
I wasn't much of a fan of this show; I owe this to my lack of access to HBO. Much to my amazement, this was one of the most popular shows in the '00s. Called "the television landmark that leaves other landmarks in the dust" by the Washington Post, this show was hailed as a masterpiece by critics.
Basically, the show is about the life of Tony Soprano, played by James Gandolfini, and his work as a Northern New Jersey mob boss. Throughout the show there is tension between the Gandolfini family and the New York family, and the audience witnesses it throughout the series.
In the final episode, the audience could have interpreted the ending as a cable or satellite error. I watched the final episode and, without being a fan, couldn't help but feel awe towards how perfect the ending was. The last image we saw was the picture cutting, not fading, to black in the middle of a tension-filled moment, and the series was over.
People leapt to their feet when this happened, thinking that the most horrible technical glitch had occurred to them during the worst possible time. But this was no glitch, and was all planned by the director. The series ended without any melodramatic or crummy tied-up storylines. It ended as if the camera was simply turned off. It was bold and abrupt, and that's the brilliance in it.
The episode started like most of the other episodes, with Tony waking up in bed. Tony was hiding out in a safe house after the New York family waged war on his New Jersey family. Many people assumed that the episode would start with the door being kicked in and an all-out assault would ensue. This assumption was wrong.
Chase ended a grand work in the middle of a thought and, just like that, it was over; much like the decade stuck in the middle of a thought. This moment left the audience teetering forward 'til they were only inches away from their television sets, and then a cut to black made the audience scream with amazement.
I wasn't much of a fan of this show; I owe this to my lack of access to HBO. Much to my amazement, this was one of the most popular shows in the '00s. Called "the television landmark that leaves other landmarks in the dust" by the Washington Post, this show was hailed as a masterpiece by critics.
Basically, the show is about the life of Tony Soprano, played by James Gandolfini, and his work as a Northern New Jersey mob boss. Throughout the show there is tension between the Gandolfini family and the New York family, and the audience witnesses it throughout the series.
In the final episode, the audience could have interpreted the ending as a cable or satellite error. I watched the final episode and, without being a fan, couldn't help but feel awe towards how perfect the ending was. The last image we saw was the picture cutting, not fading, to black in the middle of a tension-filled moment, and the series was over.
People leapt to their feet when this happened, thinking that the most horrible technical glitch had occurred to them during the worst possible time. But this was no glitch, and was all planned by the director. The series ended without any melodramatic or crummy tied-up storylines. It ended as if the camera was simply turned off. It was bold and abrupt, and that's the brilliance in it.
The episode started like most of the other episodes, with Tony waking up in bed. Tony was hiding out in a safe house after the New York family waged war on his New Jersey family. Many people assumed that the episode would start with the door being kicked in and an all-out assault would ensue. This assumption was wrong.
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