To Whack, or be whacked, that is the question

You woke up this morning
Got yourself a gun,
Mama always said you'd beThe Chosen One.

She said: You're one in a million
You've got to burn to shine,
But you were born under a bad sign,
With a blue moon in your eyes.

From the opening theme to the Sopranos.

The modern equivalent of Shakespeare (all be it with a Joisy accent) plays out its run on Sunday night. The Sopranos, considered by many to be one of the best television shows to be aired will wrap up its television life with the final episode.

As the second to last episode played out last week, Tony the leader of the Jersey mob had seen his crew all but wiped out in a tactical strike by rival gang leader Phil, a mobster who himself escaped death because Tony’s crew botched up the hit.

It was a violent weekend last Sunday, even by Soprano standards, Silvio’s Tony’s trusted lieutenant had taken care of a problem himself, only to be gunned down outside the gang’s own strip club, and we’re left to believe that he is clinging to life in a Jersey hospital, little hope given to his prognosis. Tony’s other trusted assistant and long suffering brother in law Bobby was murdered in a toy store as the hit list knocked off the names one by one.

The sudden vacancies at Soprano Inc, leave Tony with Paulie and a few other hangers on, Paulie having already botched up the hit on Phil, is probably not the most reliable of mobsters to be counting on when the chips are down.

But there he is, one of the last mobster’s standing, manning the mattresses with Soprano.

The final weeks have seen Tony all but abandoned after years of crime, besides his two most trusted associates, his therapist has ended her professional work with him, he’s eliminated the nephew he treated like a son and his own son is not exactly on the same family page as his father. Even the FBI no longer seems to waste their time on a lonely mobster in New Jersey, what with a war on terror to prosecute and many more enemies of the state to be concerned about.

As he hides out and plans his final moves, he has sent his family into exile, while he awaits the fate that is his to come.

The final days of the Sopranos has brought the same kind of interest as the days of who shot JR, what would happen to the 4077th and other key touchstones of pop culture tied to television.

Will Tony go out with a bang, or will he disappear with a whimper, David Chase will unveil all Sunday night. And then Sunday nights will no longer take us across the bridges and through the tunnels into the underbelly of Jersey. Whatever the fate of Tony, there will be a gap in the television schedules for a long time to come.

Below are just a few of the items from the thousands of articles, previews and reviews of this most talked about television show.

Who's really the boss? David Chase calls the shots.
Sunday, it's the end of story for Tony Soprano.
"The Sopranos" heads for highly anticipated climax
A beautifully ugly ending for ‘The Sopranos’
Will Tony survive or sleep with the fishes
A whack or a whimper?
Actor reflects on last days as Tony Soprano
This is the end for 'The Sopranos'
Farewell Sopranos
Greatest Soprano Hits
'Sopranos' finale a cultural milestone that's rare for today's TV
Who will be left when we say goodbye to the Sopranos?
'Sopranos' signoff marks end of era
We'll never fuhgeddaboutit
Mob hit
Sopranos go out with a BANG
‘Sopranos’ could mimic ‘Godfather’ in finale

HBO Homepage for The Sopranos