By Michelle Lerner

[SPOILER ALERT] What is there to say about the last episode of THE SOPRANOS? There are no big shoot-ups, no dramatic, violent deaths, no obviously life-changing moments. There is life, and it goes on.        

Despite losing his top two guys last week, things with New York appear to have calmed, and Tony’s major worries are what to do about A.J. and his desire to join the army. Paulie develops a hatred of a cat, and we learn that Meadow can’t parallel park. The minutia of everyday life has returned, and due to the fireworks of the past few episodes, we hang on every syllable and action, looking for meaning. Waiting for the other shoe to drop.       

And as always, David Chase has his way with us. He knows how invested we, the audience, have become in his characters, and he uses this episode to bring us right back to the beginning. Tony almost immediately begins recounting his tales of childhood woe when confronted with a therapist — though this time the shrink is treating A.J., not him (not that he cares). Carmela worries, and Meadow whines. The only difference is the feeling of loss. No Christopher, no Silvio, no Bobby — heck, no Big Pussy.        

Some loose ends are tied up. Tony finally goes to see Junior, and realizes the extent to which Junior is lost. Janice has to start over. Paulie is loyal to the last. But, those scenes give the bare minimum; realization but not epiphany. The episode plays like a day in the life of Any Family, New Jersey, U.S.A., except this one survives with F.B.I. help.         

The last scene is remarkable. Tony simply waits for his family to arrive in a diner. One by one, they show up, and as each person enters the restaurant, we wait with baited breath to see who it is — friend or foe. Is the guy in the grey coat there to knock Tony off, in front of everyone, or just to eat a piece of pie? Every person that walks in becomes an immediate suspect. The last thing we see is Meadow running late, entering. And then, black. We never see what happens next. Maybe Tony gets whacked. Or maybe they just enjoy their onion rings. It’s an elaborate trick by David Chase to show us how easily manipulated we are. He can show us a guy at a diner, and we read into every nuance.     

Do I wish the end had been more definitive? Absolutely. I could have used a dead body or an explanation. The last few weeks seemed to be leading up to something more than the possibility of another rat in the ranks, and the possibility of indictment for Tony. But then, this is how it works — in the real world and on THE SOPRANOS; extreme moments that lead to not much. The end is like the beginning, and we are back where we started. The family is just a family; the business is just a business. Life goes on.