In the upcoming “The Sopranos: The Complete Book,” creator David Chase talks to Brett Martin about the show’s controversial send-off. Here is an edited version of what was posted on EW.com.
Q: Were you at all surprised by the reaction to the final episode?
A: No. We knew there would be people who would be perplexed.
Q: Did you expect people to be so upset?
A: It’s one thing to be deeply involved with a television show. It’s another to be so involved that all you do is sit on a couch and watch it.
Q: Is there a puzzle?
A: There are no esoteric clues in there. There had been indications of what the end is like. It’s already going on by the time you even notice it.
Q: Are you saying…?
A: I’m not saying anything. I think that to explain it would diminish it.
Q: It seems part of what upsets people is the idea that nothing ever changes or gets better.
A: I disagree. People have said that the Soprano family’s whole life goes in the toilet in the last episode. But look at it: A.J.’s not going to join the Peace Corps; he’ll probably be a low-level movie producer. But he’s not going to be a killer like his father, is he? Meadow may not become a pediatrician, but she’s not going to be a housewife-whore like her mother. Tiny, little bits of progress — that’s how it works.
Q: Do you believe life has an arc?
A: Everything I have to say about that is in the show. Life seems to have no purpose but we have to go on behaving as though it does.
Q: So, it’s still worth trying?
A: Of course. What else are you going to do? Watch TV?
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Personals was compiled by Valentina Djeljosevic from Tribune news services and staff reports.
