Matt Van Stone

I have been watching the Sopranos for a few months now. I caught up to the series back in January and have been eagerly awaiting the final 9 episodes. Throughout my life I have religiously watched MacGyver, Quantum Leap, X-Files, Alias, and a few other shows but I can honestly say The Sopranos is my favorite show of all time. After being hooked on Alias I really didn’t think I was going to like another show as much as I liked that one. Now it is only be second best to The Sopranos in my eyes.

The final episodes start today on HBO. I’m not really sure how I’m going to go about watching them yet. Since we don’t get HBO or Movie Central I’ll have to find some other means. I can’t wait for them to be shown on CTV or A&E. Actually, they have been playing all of the past episodes on A&E and it basically just makes me depressed to see it since the show is almost over.

I have a few “predictions” for the final series. I have been bad at predicting the plot in the past, and I really don’t think these predictions of mine will come true, but I guess this is what I could see happening in the final 9 episodes. Possible spoilers after the jump, so don’t click it if you don’t want to be spoiled.

I read somewhere that the shows creator, David Chase, always tried to stay away from the rise and fall style of all the mob movies. Every one has it. Gangster starts from humble beginnings, becomes the most powerful man in the mob, and then goes down in a rain of bullets. David Chase said that Tony is constantly going through highs and lows and ups and downs. There has never been a clear high in his life because he is always struggling with something. I really think this will continue into the series finale. That being said, I doubt my predictions even more.

I think the happy ending of the first half of season 6 was only a calm before the storm. The show hasn’t had many happy endings and I really don’t see the creators doing anything different for the finale. In the first half of the 6th season there was a war brewing between the two families, but that seems to have simmered down. I don’t know if that is going to start back up, or if there is going to be another conflict, but I predict that at least 2 main characters in the New Jersey family will die. I would really be surprised if Christopher and Paulie make it out alive, and I am hard pressed to come up with an end for Tony other than violent death. However, that would go against what David Chase said about the rise and fall.

I think something big is going to happen with little Anthony Soprano. He never really got much of a story arc in the series up until season 6 and I think something big has got to happen to him. I really don’t think it is ever possible that he will be brought into the mob, Tony has long given up on him and I really don’t think he ever wanted that for his son.

I really thought there would be something between Meadow and Christopher, especially after Adriana bit the dust. In the first few seasons Meadow almost seemed like she could have run the family, but now that she has taken law as her education path, either she is grooming herself to be a “better person”, or trying to get an education to help her when she takes over the family. I think the chances of Meadow and Christopher hooking up are pretty slim now, but a guy can still hope.

I don’t expect every single plot arc to be tied up in the final 9 episodes. I think there is going to be a lot of death and mayhem and generally a bad ending for the Soprano family. I don’t think it will end in Tony going to trial or jail, I just don’t see that being a way they want to take the show.

Ok, to sum things up:

1. Many main characters will die, at least 2 from the New Jersey family. My bets are on Christopher, Paulie, and Tony. If there are any happy endings for the characters they will be minor.
2. Little Anthony will get a fair piece of the story in the final 9 episodes. He wont follow in his fathers footsteps, but something big will happen with him.
3. I’m still hoping on something between Meadow and Christopher, and there is still a chance Meadow become involved with “the family”
4. The show wont end with Tony going to jail. If he does, it will be temporarily.
5. The writers will put to rest any chance of a Sopranos movie by concluding just enough that it wouldn’t be worth while.

I am seriously counting the seconds until the first episode of the second half of the final season begins.