+5
Season 2 Finale
Spoilers Below!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This is the best episode of the show that I've seen yet. This is one of the greatest season finale episodes I've ever seen. It was so perfect and layered. The death of P*ssy in the final episode is so saddening and poetic and perfect.
The dream sequences have great symbolism and meaning and Tony's ghastly, cadaverous appearance in the show somehow symbolize a downfall of sorts in a way. Or maybe it symbolizes that his mafia lifestyle is killing him and making him sick inside. There's so much to analyze in this episode alone that I could talk about it for ages, but sadly I don't have the time right now.
One thing that I especially loved about the episode was the ending. In the ending, we see scenes of Tony's pure and pristine life with his family and kids and Meadow graduating. We see a joyous graduation party and it is genuinely heartwarming. And then we see scenes of the dirty business infused with these heartwarming scenes of family. A shot of the family getting their photo taken is preceded by a shot of someone walking into a porn booth, presumedly owned by the "family". We see people laughing and smiling at the party and then see garbage workers dumping out trash. It's these things that The Sopranos does so well. They make a vast distinction between Tony's work life and home life, even though the two converge many times. The episode and season ends on a shot of a beach on the sunset with waves gently rolling along the shore. It's a beautiful ending shot and it seems like it's symbolising hope and possibly a new beginning. Is this a symbol of hope for Tony in the airline ticket fiasco he's inolved in? Or is it a symbol of hope for Meadow, who's moving out and going to college to live her life?I don't know, but I guess I'll find out when I get a hold of season 3 which should hopefully be soon.
I'll just say that this episode completely blew me away, and reminded me why I'm watching The Sopranos in the first place. This is not just a "mafia show", it's a complicated, and rich story filled with deeper meaning and symbolism and some of the greatest characters on television. I cannot wait to continue watching this awesome show, because I am very impressed with it so far, and can see where it's heavy praise comes from. I am LOVING this show right now, and am excited to continue watching it.