For the past six seasons, The Sopranos has been a Sunday night crutch (minus those ridiculously long mid-season breaks) for me. As the storylines and casts changed, so did the location where my friends and I would congregate for a viewing. "Where we watching Sopranos this weekend?" It was an important question. It helped define who was bringing the beer, Chinese or (naturally) Italian food. It's been a staple activity around my circle and more than anything gave us an excuse to hang out, argue and laugh together. It has remained an actual event, a reason to get together.

We'd bitch and moan about the abandoned plot threads (the missing Russian, anyone?), how much we couldn't stand Jackie Jr. or Paulie; how wacko Annabella Sciorra was, whether or not the show was paying too much attention to Tony's immediate family or not ... you name it.

And last night, it all came to an end ... in typical Sopranos fashion.

SPOILERS!!! Do Not Read On If You Have Not Seen The Last Episode!

For the past few weeks everybody's been wondering what's going to happen; how's the show going to end? The two popular notions were that Tony would either be killed or sent to jail. Guess what? Tony doesn't get whacked. Tony doesn't go to jail (at least not yet). That's The Sopranos for you. You think one way, it goes the other. Everyone and their mother suspected Paulie was stooging for Leotardo. Paulie was going to be exposed and dropped in the Hudson, right? Yeah, right. Paulie was as loyal as they come it turns out, with nary a greedy thought these days. Who would have thought?

Was the finale a complete home run? Not quite. The A.J. storyline really confuses me, to be honest. The show stays true to it's "family" drama roots but the A.J. thing has been going on for so long and has been so schizophrenic I wasn't sure what the final point is supposed to be ... if there is one.

Small price to pay, though. Paulie and the cat were a gas. A.J.'s accident with the SUV is typical bonehead A.J.. And the meeting in the warehouse is a visual beauty I won't soon forget. But in every great Sopranos episode there's at least one "Whoa" moment. This episode had two.

Let me start with the one everyone will agree on first. Phil Leotardo is whacked in tremendous fashion. A truly great "Heavens to Betsy!" moment (loved the shots of the babies in the van and the guy puking on the street). You feel that primal energy kick in as you both cheer and cover your mouth at Phil's final exit. Let's just say there won't be any open casket.

Then there's the last sequence of the show, the one that people are going to really be talking about. Overall, I thought this was a fitting end to one of the best shows TV has ever aired. People are going to be barking on both sides of the fence. But consider me chained to David Chase's dog house. It's handled with supreme confidence, fitted to the tune of Journey's "Don't Stop Believing". The show has always used music beautifully, but this is pretty clever. Consider the lyrics:

Working hard to get my fill,
Everybody wants a thrill
Payin anything to roll the dice,
Just one more time
Some will win, some will lose
Some were born to sing the blues
Oh, the movie never ends
It goes on and on and on and on

Working hard to get my fill? Um, "Phil" Leotardo anyone? Oh, the movie (show?) never ends. It just goes on and on and on and on ... I was talking this over with my Sopranos pals. The last couple of minutes perfectly encapsulate Tony's life. Just another American family sitting in a diner, but with a twist. Tony's always looking at who walks in, sizing them up. The guy that heads to the bathroom. Is he a hitman? F.B.I.? This is his life and it goes on and on and on and on.

But not for us. Was Tony whacked? Was Meadow? The way the screen just cuts to black like that ... wouldn't it be fitting if it was us? Yup, you got it.

So what to do on my Sunday nights now? Well, there still is enough Entourage to keep us warm at night. But it will never quite be the same with Tony Soprano and his crew missing. It's a shame to see so many of our friends "in this thing of ours" go. They helped raise the standard of not only cable TV, but television in general. Arrivederci, T. You'll be missed.

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