Aw. Yeah.

Don’t Stop (Believing)!

So finally, after waiting for what seemed like an eternity (but was in fact only two days), I saw the end of The Sopranos this past Tuesday. Of course, by that time, I was hopelessly spoiled about the events that bookended the lives of Tony, et al. I think, however, that this actually improved my viewing experience. Gone were the worries about who might live and die, of what would ultimately befall our beloved mobster family. In its place was an understanding that there would be no true bookend, no contrivance to wrap things up with a tidy bow. That understanding brought peace, acceptance, and even joy that no matter where the author stops, the characters, their relationships, their universe goes on.

It was not unlike the end of the Lemony Snicket’s Series of Unfortunate Events, though that was an ending I did not expect and was thus, a little disappointed. Someone once said that the stories with tidy plots and answered questions tend to fade, but the ones with mystery endure. I used to view this as an excuse for an author to be either non-committal about the way a story should end, or perhaps as form of insurance that they could always revisit their work later if they ever needed the work.

With works like The Sopranos and Lemony Snicket, I think its neither of those (though I would still gladly accept the latter), just a realization that we only experience stories in their middle, and that vast untold sagas exist both before and after them. Sometimes these stories are told (eg. Star Wars, Dune, etc.), but usually they disappoint at least some if not the majority of the original’s fans. Whatever you believe happened to Tony in those untold moments is fair game, and every possible permutation can exists alongside the others. Of course, if you want my opinion…

Gay Pride DC 2007

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Protestors in DC

Gay Days 2007