I stayed up way past my bedtime last night to watch the final episode of The Sopranos, which I had to record, because I was out at a Big Rock Show. And while I am seriously paying for it today in the not-enough-sleep department, I’m so glad I forced myself to watch it as soon as I staggered in the door instead of waiting until tonight, because it was just so good. I admit I was left sitting on my bed at the end going “What? What just happened? Did my tape run out? when the screen cut to black right as Steve Perry was singing the words “Don’t Stop” in the woefully underrated Journey song, “Don’t Stop Believing.”

But after thinking about it today and discussing it with friends in the office, I think the ending was like David Chase’s idea of a really good, inside joke about the overwhelming fatalism that’s been cloaking the show, especially for the last two seasons. It was like no matter how much everything in Tony’s world appeared to be turning to shit, in the end, “Everybody Lived Happily Ever After!” . . . Or did they? No one really knows for sure, and that is precisely why the ending was so brilliant. Kudos to David Chase!

The funniest thing about me falling in love with The Sopranos is how that came about in the first place. Originally, I started watching the show out of a kind of misguided, passive/aggressive anger directed towards a former best friend of mine, Linda. Being of Italian descent, and having the world’s hugest chip on her shoulder for reasons no one could possibly fathom, Linda absolutely hated The Sopranos and was convinced the show portrayed all Italian Americans as members of the Mafia. Yeah, right Linda. I mean, she’d never even watched one episode of the show!

Anyway, after she destroyed our friendship because she was completely batshit insane, I started watching The Sopranos — and even throwing “Sopranos Watching Parties” — all the time, just because I knew it would piss her off. So, thanks Linda for indirectly turning me on to a really great show! You stupid bitch.