Sopranos Boss Has "No Interest" in Defending Finale; Ratings Are In!
James Gandolfini and David Chase by Theo Wargo/WireImage.com
Shrugging off the uproar over Sunday night's nationwide "blackout" - aka
The Sopranos' series finale - show creator
David Chase says, "I have no interest in explaining, defending, reinterpreting or adding to what is there." In a debriefing by the Newark
Star-Ledger, Chase continues, "No one was trying to be audacious" by
ending the series in mid-scene, leaving Tony's fate entirely up in the air. "We did what we thought we had to do. No one was trying to blow people's minds or thinking, 'Wow, this'll [tick] them off.'"
As for speculation that the vague finale is the setup for a big-screen continuance, Chase says, "I never say never. An idea could pop into my head. But I doubt it."
On a related and musical note,
Journey was "jumping up and down" upon learning their "Don't Stop Believin'" would score the final scenes. As keyboardist Jonathan Cain tells the AP, "It was better than anything I would have ever--."
Oops, I cut him off mid-sentence. Happens.
UPDATE: Sunday's finale drew 11.9 million total viewers, the series' highest rating since the Season 5 opener (12.1 million), but well shy of its all-time best (13.4 mil watched on September 15, 2002).
UPDATE:
TV's top writers weigh in on David Chase's bold decision.
