Sopranos Review: Long Term Parking

Maybe none of you may have ever been to the Fourth of July in Salem, NH. You may ever go to the Fourth of July in Salem, NH. I on the other hand went every year from when I was 5 to when I was 17. That was before the Fourth of July became just another holiday to drink from noon on, then sleep with something barely human. Back then it was a time for me, my family and my neighbor's families to hang out and enjoy a sunny summer day. Following a pool party/barbeque we would all drive to Salem High School for Fourth of July fireworks. We would get there two hours before the fireworks, play with sparklers, climb the goalposts, run the track, fun kid stuff that wouldn't even begin to amuse us now. Then the fireworks would start. The first half hour of fireworks would be slow and unspectacular, and I would wonder. When is the grand finale? Is there a grand finale? Did the town of Salem cut their budget and cut the grand finale? Why am I thinking about budget cutbacks at age 5? Then it happens...Fireworks, high, bright, loud, fast, and furious for 15 minutes straight. A Grand Finale to keep me in awe, send me home happy, and look forward to next Fourth of July. Everyone forgets the first half hour of crap before. Except for me on the ride home when I ask "Dad, why don't they use more of the fireworks from the grand finale in the beginning."

This is the same question I must ask David Chase. Last Sunday's episode was the most climactic, event-filled show since the first season finale. All the desired reactions, complete focus, increased heartrate overcame me as I watched last Sunday's episode and I was truly thrilled to watch it again yesterday with the same anticipation as I had the night before. To recap quickly, Tony and Carmela got back together, Adrianna attempted to flip Christopher (as I had predicted), Christopher did not flip (as I had not predicted), Adrianna was killed, Tony protected his cousin against Johnny Sack starting the feud that should carry next season, the New York war ended, and Vito and Paulie had anal sex. Okay that last one didn't happen but so much happened on this show it couldve and you may have forgotten. Truly one of my favorite hours of television watching ever. Cleverly well done (even the tease of playing the music louder to think the show was ending with Adrianna in the car). Now I ask...couldn't any of this have happened as I watched Tony almost have sex with a 75 year old woman? or while Meadow and Finn argued over a suitcase?

Maybe the lesson is that real life does not have a pace. That everything can happen at once. But the Sopranos isn't life, it's entertainment. I hope that after The Sopranos wraps up that David Chase doesn't go into porn. We could get movies with an hour of people making out, holding hands and dreaming about sex and then a triple penetration three way orgy in the last fifteen minutes.
Somehow I have gone from wondering when something is going to happen, to wondering what is left to wrap up in the season finale. All of these, like fireworks on the Fourth of July are a good thing, and make you forget about all the duds and fizzles before.