The Living Room Bijou: Whacked! Farewell to “The Sopranos’” Paulie Walnuts
[With The Sopranos star Tony Sirico’s recent passing, I thought I’d re-edit and reissue this piece I posted way back on my old site in 2007, after the series ended. One thing for sure, character actors like him make everything better.]
“We all dream of being a child again. Even the worst of us . . . perhaps the worst most of all” — The Wild Bunch.
The whole world has pitched its two bits on David Chase’s DIY ending for The Sopranos saga and . . . yeah, it guess it’s “brilliant.” It’s not the first time a blackout’s been done. John Sayles snipped the scissors the same way in his 1999 movie, Limbo. I walked out on that one (before the credits even started!). “That’s like real life!” sang one critic. Me, I thought it was a movie. The only time I black out like that is by hammer blow, anesthesiologist’s needle, or too much alcohol. Let’s call The Sopranos ending a courageous act of gutsy indecision.
I was puzzled by some of the more anguished reactions, like Gary Kamiya’s overwrought piece in Salon (no longer available) that so seethed with anguish, you’d think his kids were being shipped off to Iraq. More refreshing was National Lampoon alumnus Tony Hendra’s anti-Sopranos rant at the Huffpo (also no longer available). Though I’m on the pro-side of the argument, I found…
