LAZY WRITING KNEECAPS "THE SOPRANOS"

June 16, 2006

Another season of HBO's signature show "The Sopranos" has ended, and the last few episodes disappointed so badly that the once universally loved mafia drama now has fans taking sides over just how good the series still is. Early on in the season, I found myself defending the show for some surprising new story arcs. That the outing of closeted homosexual Vito Spatafore (an absolute no-no in Tony Soprano's world) was presented as the season's "A" plotline rather than more of a side story proved shocking, but Joe Gannascoli's honest portrayal of the conflicted mobster helped sell the entire endeavor. The emergence of Tony's son A.J. (Robert Iler) as a complex character was also a welcome change from the annoying, almost secondary presence he's been in the past. It made for fascinating viewing as A.J. felt more and more cornered by his own lack of ambition and contemplated murdering Uncle Junior as a show of strength to his father.

Despite these high points, the season essentially collapsed after Vito's death, largely because the other characters were stuck in neutral for most of the year, including Tony himself, who did little except talk tough to Phil Leotardo, the acting head of Johnny Sack's crew now that Johnny's behind bars. By season's end, even that amounted to nothing with mob tensions pushed aside in favor of Carmela's trip to Paris and Christopher's recurring drug addiction (two things I could care less about).

To call the finale anticlimactic would be an understatement. Tony makes nice with Phil after the latter suffers a heart attack, and the Soprano family settles down for a nice comfy Christmas dinner. Some fans would disagree, and an unfortunate trend I've seen on the Internet since the finale is the claim by "Sopranos" apologists that a lack of mob violence at the end disappointed viewers interested only in the blood and guts and not able to appreciate the more subtle drama going on under the surface.

That assessment is not only snobbish, it's just plain wrong. I don't need a good whacking to enjoy an episode of "The Sopranos," but I do require that characters move forward, face obstacles, and maybe learn something in the end. Too many times this year, Tony and his crew were doing nothing, achieving nothing.

In addition, one of the season finale's only real conflicts - Christopher's heroine-fueled romance with real-estate agent Julianna (Julianna Margulies), Tony's current obsession - was botched heavily by the writers. Instead of being worked organically into the story over the course of the season, the whole plot line was slammed into that last episode with flashbacks filling in the narrative holes. Never mind that Christopher not once mentioned having a new goomar; never mind that Tony's newfound loyalty to Carmela had him previously rejecting Julianna. Apparently, show runner David Chase wanted a reason to divide Tony and Christopher yet again, so one was created from thin air with no prior notice. That, my friends, is just lazy writing.

The final season of "The Sopranos" will begin airing next January - 10 episodes that will serve as a coda to the family saga. Considering how great the show has been through most of its run, you'd be crazy to miss them. But Tony could find his legacy just a bit blemished if those final hours don't offer more of a thrill than the last few have given.