I mean, it actually HAD an ending? Major characters' stories were resolved?

P.S. I have not watched "The Wire", I will catch it on DVD now.

Yes, I would say it was a much better ending.

I am not one of the people who wouldn't stop complaining about the Sopranos' finale, since I think finales are over-emphasized anyway. However, I do think The Wire did a better job with it.

And yes, watch The Wire on DVD, and give yourself a season before you decide whether you like it or not. You will not regret it.

Tough call (for among other reasons it's hard for me to remember the Sopranos final episode boeyond that last scene and the blackout).

On the whole though, Season 5 of the Wire, this final season, was not the best season of the show and, consequently, the finale wrap up wasn't the best finale I could have imagined.

It was still better than 98% of the other crap on television, but this final season didn't have the same degree of character development/exploration (particularly for the newsroom staff) of other seasons. So, I guess I'll say, no, not as good as Sopranos ending, but the show on the whole (all five seasons) was probably better (more realistic, broader scope; more relevant to the lives of Americans) than the Sopranos.

The Wire's ending MUST be judged better than The Sopranos ending. I am not one to incessantly complain abou the Sopranos finale, but The Wire probably ended about as good as it could.

The Wire's ending almost pulled off the impossible: giving real endings to some of the story lines, while also emphasizing that everything is really "the same as it ever was."

Having said that, some of the resolutions rang false - mainly McNulty (suddenly mature) and Freeman (who apparently will live the rest of his life in a Cialas commericial (can't take credit, read that somewhere else)). And that, I think, is a legitimate complaint about the finale.

Back to Sopranos' finale v. Wire's. Perhaps shows should not be allowed to use montages to end their runs. It seems that it is much easier to pull of a great ending if you can reach into the future for 10 seconds at a clip and give nice, neat, resolutions.

Perhaps shows should not be allowed to use montages to end their runs

And who would pass this law? The FCC?

Also, The Wire has used a montage to cap of every season, not just this one. It is one of the rare occasions when the "fourth wall" between the audience and the production is broken down. Some might consider it a cop out, but I think its really the only option when there are so many different characters and storylines.

Yes. No comparison. David Chase took a pass on giving us an ending -- that would be so...so...conventional. David Simon at least had the guts to give us his vision.

Actually I AM one of the people who won't stop complaining about the end of "The Sopranos" (especially after David Chase gave a particularly "sour grapes" interview in which he mischaracterized his OWN FANS as idiots for wanting an ending), and I just feel that if "The Wire" was able to end well with some character arcs successfully concluded one way or the other, Chase has just been shown how it can be done.

Perhaps shows should not be allowed to use montages to end their runs

And who would pass this law? The FCC?

Yes, I think the FCC should pass a law. Or perhaps it was a small joke.

Just kidding.

Most comments on this thread are right on the money. Simon did bow to convention a little with the tying up of some of the loose ends. But he probably did so with the fans in mind. It was a satisfying ending.

The Sopranos finale v. Wire finale now seems to be a fascinating comparison. Two HBO shows handled huge finales in completely opposite ways. Sopranos partially ignored the fans and gave us a 100% ambiguous ending that one of our Slate moderators called the best scene on TV ever, while the Wire gave us a satisfying, resolution filled conclusion (but reminded us that the game goes on).

Now that I have the Wire finale, I somehow find it easier to navigate the frustrating (yet brilliant) ambiguity of the Sopranos finale. Bookends.

mdeasley, I want to respectfully disagree with you on one point. It wasn't that Chase ignored the Sopranos' fans. In my opinion, he became obsessed with them and their opinion of the show. Remember the bloody movie that Christopher bankrolled? That was Chase explaining what Sopranos fans wanted from him -- more gore. He became pretty much disgusted with much of the Sopranos viewing audience, and has been clear about that in several interviews. In the end, he decided to let viewers choose their own ending. Tony's dead? Tony's in constant danger? Tony chokes on an onion ring? You decide. Simon, to his everlasting credit, did not turn the show over to what the fans did or didn't want. He didn't care. He gave us his (and the other writers') vision of how the series ended. Chase took a pass.

Montages are fine when used appropriately. Six Feet Under's closing montage and the finale the Wire are perfect examples of how they can work.

rippropjoe:

I actually think we agree 100%. Or shall I say, NOW I am in agreement with you (now that I have seen the Wire ending). Strangely, I am totally on board with the Sopranos finale now that I have the Wire finale under my belt. Can't explain why, but I have more room for ambiguity now that I have resolution in another show that is important to me.

I was not aware of Chase's views/frustrations/vision regarding fans/finale etc. But it makes sense. But it sounds as if maybe, instead of ignoring the fans, he thought about them too much.

I am the one that started the anti-finale montage talk, and now must go back on my statement since someone mentioned 6 Feet Under.

The last 5 minutes/montage of 6 Feet Under was about the best thing I can remember on TV in a while. It gave you chills.

It's not the ambiguity that bothered me about the Sopranos "ending." It was clear to me early on in Season Six that neither Tony nor Carmella were going to change, despite the constant teasing that maybe this time they would. What bothered me was the manipulation -- the rising music, the quick cutting from the restaurant to Meadow outside, the shadowy figures coming in and out of the restaurant -- and, then, poof!, nothing. It really did feel like Chase was telling the audience to go screw themselves. But, looking back, all of Season Six was manipulative. We were constantly teased -- Tony's got a gambling addiction? Tony's found the secret to life in Las Vegas? Carmella's seen the light in Paris -- that eventually went nowhere. Chase set all of that up and then decided he didn't have to tell us how he thought it ended. David Plotz thinks it was brilliant, and I certainly respect his opinion, but I think Chase had backed himself into a story-telling corner. He didn't know it was supposed to end, either.

Now I will have to watch the Sopranos finale again. If it is clear to me that it was just a big "eff you", I am going to be ticked.

But the larger point is that the Sopranos finale was hampered by the fact that the Sopranos lost its way towards that last 20% or so of its run, and so had little chance to pull off a 100% perfect finale. And I think there is definitely something to that.

Better? No I'd say very different, one was a story that was basically about a single person, the other far more character driven. It seems that in the Soprano's any ending but an ambiguous one would of been a disappointment, I mean it's too easy to show Tony being killed, or indicted, of just leaving the business. It wouldn't of rung true. On the other hand in The Wire with multiple characters, and an ongoing message that things never really change it felt right that we saw how many of the characters moved on in one way or another.

Of course my personal idea of the perfect ending would be the resurrection of Omar and Snoop and having them pay a visit to that damn newspaper to pay their respects.