Dowd on Chase

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N.Y. Times columnist Maureen Dowd is calling Sopranos creator David Chase "an apocalyptic tease" and claiming that last Sunday night he "gave us a gimmicky and unsatisfying film-school-style blackout for an end to his mob saga, a stunt one notch above 'it was all a dream.' It was the TV equivalent of one of those design-your-own-mug places.

"Even though I loved the first few years of The Sopranos, Chase always struck me as passive-aggressive," she opines. "The more fans obsessed on his show, the longer his hiatuses would grow and the slower his narrative velocity moved. His ending was equally perverse, throwing the ball contemptuously back at his fans after manipulating them and teasing them for an hour with red herrings -- and a ginger cat.

"Surely, after eight years with this family, we deserved some revelation better than 'life goes on...or not.'"

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Posted by Jeffrey Wells on June 12, 2007 at 11:56 PM

comment #1

BurmaShave says ...

Stick to Obambi, Maureen.

Posted by BurmaShave at June 13, 2007 12:03 AM

comment #2

berkguru says ...

Let it go Wells. We going to have 9 more posts about the Sopranos this week? It's getting real old.

Posted by berkguru at June 13, 2007 12:09 AM

comment #3

dre says ...

"one notch above 'it was all a dream." is such a boring critique these days. it's one notch above, 'contrived'.

Still say the ending was brilliant.

Posted by dre at June 13, 2007 12:10 AM

comment #4

mitch says ...

liberal or conservative, democrat or republican...has anyone ever read anything written by dowd that was insightful, interesting, or inspired?

you're really sifting through the trash here. as job would say, "C'mon!"

Posted by mitch at June 13, 2007 12:29 AM

comment #5

scooterzz says ...

i just loved when tony came in the front door and tripped over the ottoman and buddy and sally helped him up.....oh, wait...i just loved when tony and aj whistled their way from town to the fishin' hole....no, no, no....wait...i loved when tony woke up with the wife from his first series (even though he was in another series)....no, WAIT!..i loved when tony went after the one-armed man......well, i'm sure i loved tony in SOMETHING....i just can't remember what.....

Posted by scooterzz at June 13, 2007 12:35 AM

comment #6

Pinko Punko says ...

MoDo is one of the world's dumbest people. Jeff, you need to realize this. She could not be more shallow. She exists to turn a phrase, that's it.

Posted by Pinko Punko at June 13, 2007 2:21 AM

comment #7

Ogami Itto says ...

"Let it go Wells. We going to have 9 more posts about the Sopranos this week? It's getting real old."

I'd rather endless posts about Tony Soprano than Paris Hilton. Its a lesser-of-two-evils situation.

Posted by Ogami Itto at June 13, 2007 4:30 AM

comment #8

Ogami Itto says ...

"MoDo is one of the world's dumbest people. Jeff, you need to realize this. She could not be more shallow. She exists to turn a phrase, that's it."

The woman is indeed a vacuous, insipid twit.

Posted by Ogami Itto at June 13, 2007 4:33 AM

comment #9

wayne76 says ...

What is all this "the viewers DESERVE" foolishness? We don't DESERVE anything....either we enjoyed it or we didn't. It's fucking Wednesday already. Are people still forming angry, torch-wielding mobs over this? People don't get nearly this upset over the indiscretions of our leaders and captains of industry. If we got what we DESERVED, Chase would have filmed a turd on a plate for an hour. Write an angry letter to HBO and get to work on your list of Deadwood finale demands, already.

Posted by wayne76 at June 13, 2007 4:37 AM

comment #10

T. S. Idiot says ...

"She exists to turn a phrase, that's it." Alas, this can be said for most of the writers at the Times. Slickness without insight.

Posted by T. S. Idiot at June 13, 2007 4:50 AM

comment #11

T. S. Idiot says ...

Meanwhile, 72% of IMDb voters did not watch:
http://www.imdb.com/poll/results/2007-06-12

Posted by T. S. Idiot at June 13, 2007 5:08 AM

comment #12

BurmaShave says ...

Yeah but that David Brooks is totally dreamy. And what do you expect T.S.? Game 2 was on! And I'm sure a lot of them ahd to catch up on Pirate Master.

Posted by BurmaShave at June 13, 2007 5:10 AM

comment #13

dixiedugan says ...

Fer pete's sake...I'm in the minority of viewers that loved the way it was ended...but how many times is this gonna be chewed over? No need to stick a fork in it...it's done.

I wish people got this pissed about Deadwood ending.

Posted by dixiedugan at June 13, 2007 6:43 AM

comment #14

travis b says ...

there has to be something else going on out there besides the sopranos finale. i thought it was a great ending, but all this talk about it (and it's not just here either) is making me rather sick of the whole experience.

Posted by travis b at June 13, 2007 7:28 AM

comment #15

Ian Sinclair says ...

I am no longer interested in The Sopranos finale. Besides this last post on the matter, I will not write anything about it or read anything about it.

Posted by Ian Sinclair at June 13, 2007 7:33 AM

comment #16

nemo says ...

At least it's an opportunity to dump on that shallow twit Maureen Dowd.

Posted by nemo at June 13, 2007 8:05 AM

comment #17

tholl-yung says ...

David Chase is Paris Hilton behind an ugly mask with a magic pen.

Posted by tholl-yung at June 13, 2007 8:20 AM

comment #18

Rick22 says ...

Why does Wells give a shit what non-critics like Maureen Dowd and Nikki Finke say? I certainly don't. It's interpretative. It's fucking genius. Chase did the one thing that no one could've seen coming -- think about it, any other ending was predicted the minute the pilot unspooled. People who don't appreciate what Chase is trying to do... well, they're fucking morons.

Posted by Rick22 at June 13, 2007 8:33 AM

comment #19

christian says ...

how can you all be tired of the greatest creation in the history of time or space?

and chase is clearly uncomfortable with the way fans have deified tony soprano. he admits it.

Posted by christian at June 13, 2007 8:45 AM

comment #20

malibugigolo says ...

So was the series finale last week? Or this Sunday?

Posted by malibugigolo at June 13, 2007 8:50 AM

comment #21

buddhaplex says ...

It ended Sunday night. It was a good discussion Monday morning, and even better when we heard from Chase himself...but it's really all over now.

Have a cannolo. Relax. Talk about something else.

Posted by buddhaplex at June 13, 2007 9:25 AM

comment #22

Jay T. says ...

The more people bitch about the ending, the more I appreciate David Chase.

Posted by Jay T. at June 13, 2007 9:47 AM

comment #23

berkguru says ...

Can we talk instead about how truly bad John from Cincinnati is? OMG that was really pathetic. They kill Deadwood and Rome for that? And BIg Love sucks ass also. HBO is in trouble.

Posted by berkguru at June 13, 2007 9:54 AM

comment #24

giantman says ...

That article was one notch above pointless and inane.

This is my last comment about the ending, I'm on to other things... like life. Hey, my life goes on and on also... weird.

Posted by giantman at June 13, 2007 10:01 AM

comment #25

brandtco says ...

Congratulations Maureen for calling it as you see it

I always was an early fan of David's (Off the Minnesota Strip)was a great TV movie script. Year one of the Soprano's was classic
and brilliant and each ensuing year I felt David and his team of writers lost their focus, drive and inspiration.

The ending blew and while I have read his comments to the contrary as a professional in the entertainment industry I am glad the paying
audience spoke and crashed HBO's website

Now maybe Chris Albrecht's replacements will come up with a plan as to how to satisfy their core audience by naming a new head of programming
that can be as gutsy and committed as Chris was

Posted by brandtco at June 13, 2007 10:43 AM

comment #26

Cadavra says ...

A better ending woulda been Tony arrested and sent to prison, and the last shot is him directing the convicts in a rousing production of "Prisoners of Love."

Posted by Cadavra at June 13, 2007 11:00 AM

comment #27

jeffmcm says ...

Dowd is an idiot. Is this big news?

Posted by jeffmcm at June 13, 2007 11:19 AM

comment #28

wayne76 says ...

I agree about John from Cincinatti, berkguru. Ed O'Neil was pretty good, though.

Posted by wayne76 at June 13, 2007 11:28 AM

comment #29

christian says ...

finally, somebody lets loose on the sopranos:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tony-hendra/arrivederci-tony-and-g_b_51896.html

Posted by christian at June 13, 2007 1:43 PM

comment #30

Sweetbubba says ...

Wow - Maureen Dowd and the Huffingtonpost - two sources that are still waiting the day when they'll finally, apparently randomly, be right about a single thing - are also wrong, as usual, about the Sopranos. Non-event.

Posted by Sweetbubba at June 14, 2007 9:56 PM

comment #31