KEY POINTS:
Fans of the New Jersey mafia family might be upset at its demise but can you imagine the dilemma facing series creator David Chase? After six seasons of compelling drama, how do you kill off one of the most critically acclaimed series in television history in a satisfactory way? Given the introspection and ambivalence of this last series and the way Chase depicts Tony as a loveable but tormented brute, it's hard to see him coming up with a pat ending.
There's been plenty of speculation about what will happen to Tony Soprano - will he get taken out by Phil Leotardo and his New York mobsters or join the witness protection programme, especially as he's been getting chummy with FBI agents and handing on info about terrorist suspects? The tide started to turn for Tony after he snuffed out Christopher Moltisanti, who he regarded as a son. You sense that he feels damned beyond redemption, especially now that his therapist, Dr Melfi, has abandoned him.
The bungled hit on Leotardo by the family's "friends from Italy" proved things aren't going his way. And with Bobby, one of his more loyal lieutenants, shot dead in a toy shop and Silvio, his right-hand man, left riddled with bullets, Tony has gone into hiding.
No matter what happens, there's going to be a major void in the TV viewing week and the only advice we can offer in such times of grief are Carmela's sage words whenever a crisis occurs: "You need something to eat".
The Sopranos
When: 9.30pm, Thursday
Where: TV One
