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American Morning
'Sopranos' Finale
Aired December 09, 2002 - 07:42 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Let's talk "Sopranos," and simmering tensions between Tony and Carmela Soprano boiled over in the season- ending episode of "Sopranos."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "THE SOPRANOS")
EDIE FALCO, ACTRESS: Just get out, Tony. Don't even say anything.
JAMES GANDOLFINI, ACTOR: I'm not going anywhere, and you know it.
FALCO: Oh!
GANDOLFINI: So, let's just lie down, we'll calm down.
FALCO: Get your hands off of me! Don't you touch me ever again!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAGAN: Wow! Well, the finale was -- the finale of season four is one of the most anticipated events of this television season. Was it worth the wait?
Joining us now to share their morning-after take on "The Sopranos," Jerry Capeci with Ganglandnews.com and James Poniewozik from "TIME" magazine.
Gentlemen, good morning.
JERRY CAPECI, GANGLANDNEWS.COM: Good morning.
JAMES PONIEWOZIK, "TIME" MAGAZINE: Good morning.
KAGAN: Bottom line, did you like it or did you hate it, the finale? James, let's start with you.
PONIEWOZIK: Yes, I liked it. I wouldn't say that I loved it. I think, like the whole season, it was an episode with a lot of really strong moments and, you know, a few scenes where your mind kind of wandered and you started, you know...
KAGAN: Thinking about Monday morning and what you had to get done?
PONIEWOZIK: ... you know, I checked my e-mail, you know, and so on. But like we just saw, I mean, some of the scenes between Tony and Carmela are really some of the just most incendiary things we've seen all season.
KAGAN: Absolutely. We want to get back to that in just a moment, but, Jerry, let's bring you in here. In terms of the Mafia and the gang feel of it, what would you say of the season and of the episode?
CAPECI: Well, I think like most people say, the middle of the season was kind of slow and a little bit too soap opera-ish, I guess. And last night had a little bit of that tendency as well. But I liked the show last night. I thought it was good. I thought the -- all in all, the gangster portrayals are pretty accurate. I mean, these are the way gangsters act. This is what they do. This is the kind of situation that a guy would have with his wife and kids, you know, the one that Tony Soprano has on the show.
KAGAN: And of course, that's what makes it so fascinating for viewers that you have this Mafia situation; then you have everyday problems. I mean, not like everyone's husband is having an affair with a number of strippers and Russian nurses. That's not everyone's situation.
But, James, what about that scene between Carmela -- Edie Falco? A huge, huge performance on her part, between Tony and Carmela.
PONIEWOZIK: Oh, yes, that had an Emmy clip written all over it, really. You know, I think part of the thing is that, you know, they've said that this season is focusing on Tony and Carmela's marriage, and I think that that maybe in a sense is a little bit of an overstatement, because much of the series really has.
But I think what we saw last night was that a lot of things that have been sort of simmering under the surface between them that would flare up occasionally really came right out in the open. And I think that that is one of the cases where a lot of times where the show is very subtle, you know, sometimes to the point this season of being a little tedious, really pays off, you know, because it's slowly been working up this explosion, I think that it was that much more powerful as a result.
KAGAN: It's funny what people like and don't like, and it depends on who you talk to. I like it more when it goes into the relationships and the family stuff. I think you, Jerry, like it more when they go to the -- well, not to the strip joints, but when it gets more into the Mafia and to the business side of it.
CAPECI: Well, they've had enough -- just barely enough violence, I guess blood and guts. Even last night, the two hit men that were hired by Christopher to go out and, you know, think they're going to get paid off and to get whacked...
KAGAN: Is that how it would work in the real world?
CAPECI: If you did hire two guys from outside the family to do a hit, that's the way it would work, whether they completed the job or not. I mean, they were going to die no matter what happened. It's unlikely, however, you would go outside the family to get two guys to kill a boss. That's something that generally you would do, you know, in-house.
KAGAN: Are we past the point of discussing about whether this glorifies crime and violence? Do we just accept it for what it is, that it's just a show on television and...
(CROSSTALK)
CAPECI: Well, listen, I look at it as just -- it's entertainment. It's a show on television. A lot of Italian-American groups are upset about the negative portrayal of Italian-Americans, but you know, my answer to that is this is a show about gangsters. You would expect all of the Italian-Americans or 99 percent of them in the show...
KAGAN: Not very happy.
CAPECI: ... to be gangsters and to be not nice people.
KAGAN: And, James, real quickly, as we wrap this up. The final season would appear next year.
PONIEWOZIK: Yes.
KAGAN: How does this one wrap up?
PONIEWOZIK: I think that, you know, my understanding really is that David Chase, the creator of the show, sort of plotted out season four, and to an extent, season five simultaneously. You know, it seems to be building up toward a lot of (UNINTELLIGIBLE) conflict.
(CROSSTALK)
KAGAN: ... goes over two seasons.
PONIEWOZIK: And so, in a way, we're kind of in the middle of the conclusion, as it were, if they actually do wrap it up next year.
KAGAN: Will Tony Soprano be out, I mean, literally taken out before it's all over, do you think?
PONIEWOZIK: You know, they're talking about doing "Sopranos" movies, so you know, you'd think they'd...
KAGAN: Oh, you need Tony for that.
PONIEWOZIK: ... they'd want to keep him alive for that unless they do them all as flashbacks or make the whole thing a big dream.
KAGAN: Yes, well, it's been a dream in terms for HBO, a good dream for them. James Poniewozik and Jerry Capeci, thank you.
PONIEWOZIK: Thank you.
CAPECI: Thank you.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.
Aired December 9, 2002 - 07:42 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Let's talk "Sopranos," and simmering tensions between Tony and Carmela Soprano boiled over in the season- ending episode of "Sopranos."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "THE SOPRANOS")
EDIE FALCO, ACTRESS: Just get out, Tony. Don't even say anything.
JAMES GANDOLFINI, ACTOR: I'm not going anywhere, and you know it.
FALCO: Oh!
GANDOLFINI: So, let's just lie down, we'll calm down.
FALCO: Get your hands off of me! Don't you touch me ever again!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAGAN: Wow! Well, the finale was -- the finale of season four is one of the most anticipated events of this television season. Was it worth the wait?
Joining us now to share their morning-after take on "The Sopranos," Jerry Capeci with Ganglandnews.com and James Poniewozik from "TIME" magazine.
Gentlemen, good morning.
JERRY CAPECI, GANGLANDNEWS.COM: Good morning.
JAMES PONIEWOZIK, "TIME" MAGAZINE: Good morning.
KAGAN: Bottom line, did you like it or did you hate it, the finale? James, let's start with you.
PONIEWOZIK: Yes, I liked it. I wouldn't say that I loved it. I think, like the whole season, it was an episode with a lot of really strong moments and, you know, a few scenes where your mind kind of wandered and you started, you know...
KAGAN: Thinking about Monday morning and what you had to get done?
PONIEWOZIK: ... you know, I checked my e-mail, you know, and so on. But like we just saw, I mean, some of the scenes between Tony and Carmela are really some of the just most incendiary things we've seen all season.
KAGAN: Absolutely. We want to get back to that in just a moment, but, Jerry, let's bring you in here. In terms of the Mafia and the gang feel of it, what would you say of the season and of the episode?
CAPECI: Well, I think like most people say, the middle of the season was kind of slow and a little bit too soap opera-ish, I guess. And last night had a little bit of that tendency as well. But I liked the show last night. I thought it was good. I thought the -- all in all, the gangster portrayals are pretty accurate. I mean, these are the way gangsters act. This is what they do. This is the kind of situation that a guy would have with his wife and kids, you know, the one that Tony Soprano has on the show.
KAGAN: And of course, that's what makes it so fascinating for viewers that you have this Mafia situation; then you have everyday problems. I mean, not like everyone's husband is having an affair with a number of strippers and Russian nurses. That's not everyone's situation.
But, James, what about that scene between Carmela -- Edie Falco? A huge, huge performance on her part, between Tony and Carmela.
PONIEWOZIK: Oh, yes, that had an Emmy clip written all over it, really. You know, I think part of the thing is that, you know, they've said that this season is focusing on Tony and Carmela's marriage, and I think that that maybe in a sense is a little bit of an overstatement, because much of the series really has.
But I think what we saw last night was that a lot of things that have been sort of simmering under the surface between them that would flare up occasionally really came right out in the open. And I think that that is one of the cases where a lot of times where the show is very subtle, you know, sometimes to the point this season of being a little tedious, really pays off, you know, because it's slowly been working up this explosion, I think that it was that much more powerful as a result.
KAGAN: It's funny what people like and don't like, and it depends on who you talk to. I like it more when it goes into the relationships and the family stuff. I think you, Jerry, like it more when they go to the -- well, not to the strip joints, but when it gets more into the Mafia and to the business side of it.
CAPECI: Well, they've had enough -- just barely enough violence, I guess blood and guts. Even last night, the two hit men that were hired by Christopher to go out and, you know, think they're going to get paid off and to get whacked...
KAGAN: Is that how it would work in the real world?
CAPECI: If you did hire two guys from outside the family to do a hit, that's the way it would work, whether they completed the job or not. I mean, they were going to die no matter what happened. It's unlikely, however, you would go outside the family to get two guys to kill a boss. That's something that generally you would do, you know, in-house.
KAGAN: Are we past the point of discussing about whether this glorifies crime and violence? Do we just accept it for what it is, that it's just a show on television and...
(CROSSTALK)
CAPECI: Well, listen, I look at it as just -- it's entertainment. It's a show on television. A lot of Italian-American groups are upset about the negative portrayal of Italian-Americans, but you know, my answer to that is this is a show about gangsters. You would expect all of the Italian-Americans or 99 percent of them in the show...
KAGAN: Not very happy.
CAPECI: ... to be gangsters and to be not nice people.
KAGAN: And, James, real quickly, as we wrap this up. The final season would appear next year.
PONIEWOZIK: Yes.
KAGAN: How does this one wrap up?
PONIEWOZIK: I think that, you know, my understanding really is that David Chase, the creator of the show, sort of plotted out season four, and to an extent, season five simultaneously. You know, it seems to be building up toward a lot of (UNINTELLIGIBLE) conflict.
(CROSSTALK)
KAGAN: ... goes over two seasons.
PONIEWOZIK: And so, in a way, we're kind of in the middle of the conclusion, as it were, if they actually do wrap it up next year.
KAGAN: Will Tony Soprano be out, I mean, literally taken out before it's all over, do you think?
PONIEWOZIK: You know, they're talking about doing "Sopranos" movies, so you know, you'd think they'd...
KAGAN: Oh, you need Tony for that.
PONIEWOZIK: ... they'd want to keep him alive for that unless they do them all as flashbacks or make the whole thing a big dream.
KAGAN: Yes, well, it's been a dream in terms for HBO, a good dream for them. James Poniewozik and Jerry Capeci, thank you.
PONIEWOZIK: Thank you.
CAPECI: Thank you.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.
