Saunders: A tidy ending? Fughedaboutit

Published April 6, 2007 at midnight

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The Sopranos begins its swan song littered with more loose ends than spent bullet shells, but don't expect the concluding nine episodes to clean up much of either one this spring.

That's not David Chase's style.

Throughout the six seasons of the award-winning series, Chase, creator and executive producer, has avoided any tidy resolutions to dangling story lines. He's also been as tight-lipped as a tough FBI informant regarding ongoing plots and how The Sopranos will end.

Even HBO's press releases about weekly episodes reflect Chase's ability and desire to keep fans guessing.

For example, here's what HBO said about Sunday's episode, titled Soprano Home Movies, the first of nine consecutive hours ending the series: "After a close call at home, Tony and Carmela head to the Adirondacks for a weekend with Bobby and Janice."

Sounds simple enough.

But such simplicity doesn't indicate the drama that occurs when the Sopranos spend too many hours with Janice, Tony's sister, and her husband, Bobby Baccalieri.

A better episode title may have been: "Booze and Monopoly Don't Mix."

The ongoing, widespread appeal of The Sopranos is based on the numerous intriguing story lines and fascinating characters Chase and his staff have put together.

Thus, speculation about the series' ending should produce a huge audience response.

The major question: What will happen to Tony?

There's always been speculation that Tony would end up "sleeping with the fishes" during the final installment.

But even Chase's inscrutable demeanor suggests otherwise.

Chase has always said The Sopranos, first and foremost, is about "the family" - not the gangland group, but rather Tony, Carmela and their daughter and son who are moving into adulthood.

Regarding Tony's "other family," HBO, promoting the final nine episodes, says: "Tony comes to doubt some of his oldest and most trusted allies and makes some hard choices that will shape his own destiny as boss."

An indication Tony survives - maybe even thrives?

Some questions that should be answered:

• Will Christopher, Tony's nephew, become completely unraveled and thus a liability to Tony? (See episode two on April 15).

• Will Carmela and others discover that Adrianna was whacked because she was an FBI informant?

• Will Uncle Junior, in terrible health, cause more problems while outliving many mob and family characters?

• Will the relationship between Dr. Jennifer Melfi and Tony end on a strictly professional note? Their therapy meetings have been filled with sexual tension.

• Will a nasty war break out between the New York and New Jersey mobs? (See episode two).

• The guest star list includes Julianna Margulies, who last season portrayed an attractive real estate agent who almost had a sexual fling with Tony. Will her return affect Tony's marriage or simply be another sexual conquest?

Or will all of these story lines simply fade into oblivion, unresolved, when the season draws to a close?

After all, remember the Russian gangster who escaped into the New Jersey woods after Christopher and Paulie Walnuts botched his murder in Season Three?

Whatever happened to him?

Even Chase has admitted he's not sure.

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