The Sopranos Finale

Caroline and Megan and Chris came over last night for Episode 86 of the Sopranos. Well, Megan and Chris aren't Sopranos fans, but they heard there was a free meal to be had. Caroline and I cooked a few dishes (lasagna, tomatoes with fresh mozzarella and basil, marinated asparagus wrapped in prosciutto, arugula and mushroom salad) out of Entertaining with the Sopranos (yes, there really is a Sopranos cookbook!), Megan and Chris ate and ran, and then Hal and Tamara (late converts to Sopranos fandom) came over watch the final hour. This last season has been a good one, with the tension building from episode to episode and plot trails leading to who knows where. Will Tony get whacked? Will he betray the mob and go into witness protection? Will his shiftless son quit his whining and become a man? Well, David Chase (the creator and godfather of the series) fooled everyone! Phil got whacked, so Tony won the mob war, but did he really win? The suspense in the final scene in the diner where the Sopranos were meeting for a family dinner was incredible. Meadow coming late and having trouble parking her car, Tony flipping through the songs (with us trying to catch a clue in the names of the songs) in the mini-jukebox at the table, doors opening and closing, an ominous looking guy going to the bathroom (like the scene in the Godfather when Al Pacino comes out and shoots the corrupt cop), and then....nothing. The screen goes black making me think for a moment that the cable had died, and then the credits rolled. No resolution, tidy or otherwise to explain it all, just life with all it's messiness goes on. I guess.