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Information_Retrieval
1. "Fallen Heroes: Part 2"
2. "Three Men and Adena"
3. "The City That Bleeds"
4. "A Doll's Eyes"
5. "Fallen Heroes Part 1"
6. "Kellerman, P.I. Part 2"
7. "Black and Blue"
8. "Betrayal"
9. "Every Mother's Son"
10. "The Subway"
Reviews
The Sopranos: Made in America (2007)
Lazy, Insulting End to the Greatest Series in History.
Throughout the entire series, fans of the Sopranos have grown accustomed to red herrings and dashed expectations. Usually, though, these outcomes reflected reality, and made dramatic sense. This is not the case with "Made in America." The entire episode is dull and disappointing. The show reverts to its early season 6B form, as it plods around with uninteresting plot threads that a are sure to lead nowhere. AJ snaps out of his suicidal depression just with the offer an easy, high-paying job. Is David Chase suggesting that AJ's depression wasn't real? Is he merely the same spoiled, whiny kid we thought he was? This is at odds with the rest of the season, in which it becomes clear that AJ is the only Soprano with any feeling, or emotion. Tony is glad after he murders his nephew. Meadow knows that if she tells Tony about what CoCo said to hear, Tony will exact brutal revenge. Yet AJ, after he and his friends beat the black bicycle messenger, is sent over the edge by guilt. Apparently, this was all a clever act.
After the heart-pounding, stunning "The Blue Comet", fans were promised the long awaited NY/NJ war. We were disappointed at least twice before when it came to the final war, but this time seemed different. Tony would get revenge for the murder of his brother-in-law and the possible murder of his best friend. Instead, the entire conflict is resolved within 20 minutes, in a scene devoid of any tension. Butchie becomes boss, and Phil is murdered.
This brings us to the already infamous final scene. Chase builds up unbearable intensity and dread within the viewer. The mysterious patron enters the bathroom, Meadow has trouble parking. She runs into the diner. Tony looks up at the camera, his arm moving downward, and then......
Nothing. Cut to black. Chase always said he would not spoon feed his audience. He also said that the show would be as close to real life as possible.
Well, I do watch the Sopranos because of its realism. It accurately reflects modern American family life and reportedly portrays Mobster life accurately too. But I also watch the Sopranos because it was able to satisfy the audiences thirst for drama. If the show couldn't excite us, we wouldn't watch. I want realism up to a point. If I wanted to see life this realistically, I wouldn't be watching a television show about the mafia.
The final scene comes off as a smug insult to the audience. It's packed with coy little criticisms of American culture, and seems to say, "You're a terrible person for wanting to see violence." This, from a show whose just showed an SUV running over a man's head as his grandchildren sit inside.
It seems that David Chase was too smart for the rest of us. It's either that, or he just doesn't care. We've given this man 8 years, sitting through all the red herrings and false clues, all of the moments that led nowhere. And still, he can't reward us. He can't finish a story. I for one don't believe either of these theories. It seems to me, he just wasn't smart enough.