Shish Kabob, what else do you need to know?

So I can't lead off this post with a "Wow" because the series finale of the Sopranos had no "wow" to it. The episode was good, and I appreciated some of the angles it took, but it was rather ordinary in terms of pacing and plot development. As I said before, David Chase doesn't do satisfying, and nothing showed that more than the finale.

That all said, I had no real problem with it.

In our Web 2.0 society, the capability of normal people to voice their opinions (in blogs such as these) and make their voice heard through citizen activism has created a sense of entitlement that I cannot stand. Bloggers and others (opinion anchors like O'Reilly) get indignant when something doesn't go their way, or someone doesn't agree to talk to them. It happens in politics, sports, and general entertainment. People feel that they are "owed" something or other just because of who they are.

There's a fundamental lack of respect for a person's political position or artistic vision, that the expert needs to cowtow to what people expect of them, just because. No real reason.

And to get back to the Sopranos, I'm not looking forward to the fans who will write that they felt "betrayed" by the anti-climactic ending. David Chase is a television visionary. Be happy that you were along for the ride, and express thanks for the years of quality television.

As for the episode, so it didn't go out with a big bang. The finale still wasn't a disaster. Life has come full circle for the Soprano family: AJ (whose military exploits I came very close to nailing in my predictions) is slowly becoming his father with a flashy car who complains about his dramatic mother; Meadow is perhaps even deeper in denial about the Mafia than Carmela; Tony is once again in legal trouble but is stronger because of his dutiful wife; the New York family is now in a peaceful arrangement with New Jersey; Janice is shrewd, greedy, and husbandless; and most importantly, the ducks are returning.

Everything that was old is new again, whether you like it or not.