First off, I'll admit, I don't have cable. I can list a hundred things off the top my head that are worth the $70 a month more than TV. Usually I have no problem waiting for the DVD release, and I have a slight YouTube addiction — you can watch literally anything on there. But those HBO lawyers pounced like hyperkinetic bunnies on those clips. And to all of you whose videos were not removed in violation of copyright, only for me to see one minute of black screen, you're not funny. However, one video of the ending is still alive (I don't know for how much longer, though).

Now that I've seen it, I can defend it. I already knew from online postings, friends, families, and strangers in public places exactly what happened. Initially, I would've been angry, too. But after three days and finally seeing the end, I think it was perfect. It's not satisfying, we don't get closure, but that's the point.

The constant suspense is fitting — how do you think mafia families live? Between possible prosecution and knowing that business rivals will kill you and yours, the Tonys of the world may not even notice that they look over their shoulders every minute of every day. Also, they don't always end up in prison or dead. Life goes on, families eat, the guy at the counter just needs a new jacket. The only real pain involved watching Meadow destroy her tires.

Naturally, the screen went black. It had to eventually. It was abrupt but, again, fitting. Had we seen the Sopranos toast to something, had the camera pulled away from their table, it would've been just another Hollywood ending. This way, their lives go on; our ability to watch does not.

Jennifer Leblanc