If you recorded “The Sopranos” finale and haven’t watched it yet, don’t let us ruin the ending for you — move along.
But if you were among the millions who did watch it, you already know the ending was ruined.
At least that’s how many “Sopranos” watchers felt when the series climax on Sunday lacked the bada-bang they were expecting. The show took a life-goes-on approach, with Meadow Soprano trying to parallel park and the rest of Tony’s family munching on onion rings before an abrupt cut to darkness that had many fans thinking their cable service cut out.
Then it dawned on them: That’s it?
The New York Post called it “spectacularly disappointing.” Talk show host Kelly Ripa echoed many bloggers’ sentiments when she said the ending left her “feeling empty. It was like a cheap one-night stand.” Others complained in message boards that the show didn’t tie up loose ends or purposely left the plot open to a future movie.
But some critics defended series creator David Chase, saying he stayed artistically true to the groundbreaking show.
“You want Tony blown away? You want him in jail? Chase is saying, ‘Fine, you write that script,’ ” Jerry Herron, a professor at Wayne State University in Michigan, told the AP. He found the ending brilliant. “He’s saying that life goes on, and art goes on, and he’s just going to end it right here.”
