Made in America (The Sopranos)

Infobox Television episode
Title = Made in America
Series = The Sopranos


Caption = The Soprano family meet for dinner at a restaurant.
Season = 6
Episode = 21
Airdate = Start date|2007|06|10
Production =
Writer = David Chase
Director = David Chase
Photographer =
Guests = Ricky Aiello
Frank Albanese
Gregory Antonacci
Carl Capotorto
Max Casella
John Cenatiempo
John "Cha Cha" Ciarcia
Michele DeCesare
Michael Drayer
Frank John Hughes
Michael Kelly
Geraldine LiBrandi
David Margulies
Angelo Massagli
Peter Mele
Arthur Nascarella
Donna Pescow
Joseph Perrino
Anthony Ribustello
Daniel Sauli
Matt Servitto
Jenna Stern
Emily Wickersham
Episode list = List of "The Sopranos" episodes
Season list = Infobox The Sopranos season six
Prev =
Next ="Made in America" is the eighty-sixth episode of the HBO television series "The Sopranos". It is the ninth episode of the second half of the show's sixth season (the broadcast of which was split into two parts), the twenty-first episode of the season overall, and the final episode of the series. It was written and directed by series creator/executive producer David Chase. It originally aired in the United States on June 10, 2007, attracting 11.9 million viewers. The initial fan and critical reception was mixed with many negative reviews; however, in the weeks following the episode's original broadcast, appreciation for the finale grew considerably among fans and critics alike. "Made in America" and its closing scene became the subject of much discussion, criticism, and analysis; many parodies of the final scene also appeared in popular culture. The episode won an Emmy Award in the category of "Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series".

The plot of "Made in America" details the aftermath of the war between the DiMeo crime family—headed by series protagonist Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini)—and the Brooklyn-based Lupertazzi family. Tony also has to deal with many familial concerns involving his wife Carmela (Edie Falco), son A.J. (Robert Iler), and daughter Meadow (Jamie-Lynn Sigler). As the series comes to a close, several characters make personal and professional adjustments.

Plot

Tony wakes up in the safe house where he and the core surviving members of his crew have taken up residence. Tony meets with FBI Agent Dwight Harris (Matt Servitto) and exchanges information. However, Harris refuses to provide Tony with Phil Leotardo's (Frank Vincent) location. Tony visits his family at the safe house where they are now living.

The FBI closely monitors Bobby Baccalieri's funeral, allowing Tony and his crew to attend. Tony visits his widowed sister Janice (Aida Turturro) who quickly annoys him with her delusional statements.

Members of Tony's crew bring him their payments but the envelopes are all light, signs that the war is affecting everyone's business. Phil talks to Butch DeConcini (Gregory Antonacci) and expresses anger over Butch's failure in killing Tony.

Tony asks George Paglieri (Peter Mele), the retired boss of one of the Five Families, to arrange a sit-down with Butch Deconcini; their telephone conversation is recorded by the FBI. Tony and Paulie Gualtieri (Tony Sirico) meet with Butch, Albie Cianflone (John "Cha Cha" Ciarcia), and Little Carmine (Ray Abruzzo) of the Lupertazzi family who agrees to stop pursuing the war. Butch does not provide Tony with Phil's location, however, but tells him "you do what you gotta do." Agent Harris notifies Tony of "multiple calls traced back to a pay phone in Oyster Bay, Long Island," thus hinting at Leotardo's location. Tony's crew sets out to look for gas stations with payphones, but they are unable to locate Phil.

Tony and his crew then come out of hiding. Tony and his family returns to their North Caldwell home; the crew returns to the their usual hangout spots: the Bada Bing and Satriale's Pork Store. Meadow plans a wedding with Patrick Parisi (Daniel Sauli). Life begins to return to normal for Tony, his family, and his crew. The exception is A.J., who, after watching his car explode in an accident, decides to join the U.S. Army. Tony and Carmela discuss this turn of events with A.J.'s therapist. Tony also talks about his own life and childhood with A.J.'s therapist. Tony and Carmela distract A.J. from his military ambitions by getting him involved in producing a movie with Little Carmine's production company, and supplying him with a new car.

Benny Fazio (Max Casella) and Walden Belfiore (Frank John Hughes) encounter Phil Leotardo at a gas station; as Phil is talking to his wife, Walden murders him by shooting him point blank in the head. FBI Agent Ron Goddard (Michael Kelly) notifies Agent Harris of Leotardo's death, causing Harris to exclaim "Damn! We're gonna win this thing!"Tony visits Silvio (Steven Van Zandt), who remains in a coma. Tony's lawyer, Neil Mink (David Margulies), informs Tony that someone is testifying to a grand jury and that Tony is likely to be indicted. Tony believes it to be Carlo Gervasi (Arthur Nascarella). Tony offers the leadership of the Aprile crew to Paulie, who accepts reluctantly.

Tony visits his uncle Corrado "Junior" Soprano (Dominic Chianese) at the state mental hospital. Because of his dementia, Junior barely recognizes Tony and becomes confused when Tony asks him about various things. Tony tries to remind him of his involvement in "this thing of ours" by stating that "you and my dad — you two ran North Jersey"; Junior simply replies "That's nice," whereupon Tony walks away with a tear in his eye. Tony then meets his family for dinner at a restaurant, arriving first. Carmela arrives second and Tony verifies that Carlo is going to testify against him and the DiMeo Family. A.J. then arrives and the three Sopranos talk for a while about A.J.'s new job. As Meadow enters the restaurant, Tony looks up and the screen abruptly cuts to black and silence. After 10 seconds, the credits roll silently.cite episode
title=Made in America
episodelink=Made in America (The Sopranos)
series=The Sopranos
serieslink=The Sopranos
credits=David Chase
network=HBO
airdate=2007-06-10
season = 6
number = 21] cite web
url=http://www.hbo.com/sopranos/episode/season6/episode86.shtml
title=Episode guide - Episode 86 - "Made in America"
publisher=HBO
accessdate=2008-05-20]

Production

Show runner David Chase has stated that the series ending was planned during the 21-month hiatus between seasons five and six, a "long break" Chase asked for when approached by HBO for another season. He also wanted the "black screen" to last for the entire duration of the credits, meaning that no credits would roll at the end of the episode, but couldn't get a waiver from the Directors Guild to do so.cite news
url=http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/16/arts/television/16sopr.html?ref=television
title=Fans Online Sift for Clues in the ‘Sopranos’ Finale
last=Carter
first=Bill
publisher="The New York Times"
date=2007-06-16
accessdate=2008-07-15] Chase has also denied that the ending was a setup for a future film but has mentioned that he hasn't ruled out the possibility of doing a "Sopranos" feature, stating " [t] here may be a day where we all come up with something."cite news
url=http://weblogs.variety.com/on_the_air/2008/04/the-sopranos-da.html
title="The Sopranos": David Chase fesses up
last=Levine
first=Stuart
publisher="Variety"
date=2007-04-23
accessdate=2008-08-22]

Principal photography took place on location in and around New Jersey and New York in February and March 2007 .The final scene of the episode and series was filmed in March 2007 at Holsten's Brookdale Confectionery, an ice cream and candy shop located in Bloomfield, New Jersey.cite news
url=http://multichannel.com/article/CA6450592.html
title=The Sopranos Ends in an Ice Cream Parlor
last=Moss
first=Linda
publisher=Multichannel News
date=2007-06-11
accessdate=2008-05-20]

Chase reportedly answered "I didn't wanna show that crime pays, but I didn't wanna show that crime doesn't pay" when James Gandolfini asked him why he chose to end it like that after the first table reading with the cast.cite video
people=Van Zandt, Steven; Nascarella, Arthur
year=2007
title="The Blue Comet" commentary track
medium=DVD
publisher=HBO]

Agent Harris' exclamation "Damn! We're gonna win this thing!" when learning of the death of Phil Leotardo is a real-life allusion to former FBI supervisor Lindley DeVecchio who famously uttered the line when he was told Lorenzo "Larry" Lampasi had been shot to death in front of his Brooklyn home. DeVecchio was later charged for informing the mob on various accounts, including giving the locations of other mob enemies to Colombo crime family enforcer Gregory Scarpa, another parallel to Agent Harris and Tony.cite news
url=http://www.post-gazette.com/win/day6_1a.asp
title=Switching Sides
last=Moushey
first=Bill
publisher="Pittsburgh Post-Gazette"
date=1998-12-01
accessdate=2008-05-20] cite book
title=Five Families: The Rise, Decline, and Resurgence of America's Most Powerful Mafia Empires
last=Raab
first=Selwyn
year=2006
publisher=St. Martin's Press
location=New York
isbn=978-0312361815
pages=p. 341]

Journey's Steve Perry reports that he refused to let Chase use their song "Don't Stop Believing" in the final scene until he knew the fate of the leading characters, and did not give final approval until three days before the episode aired. He feared that the song would be remembered as the soundtrack to Tony's demise, until Chase assured that it would not be the case.cite web
url=http://www.pr-inside.com/journey-rocker-kept-sopranos-boss-waiting-r151767.htm
title=Journey Rocker Kept Sopranos Boss Waiting
publisher= [http://www.pr-inside.com pr-inside.com]
date=2007-06-13
accessdate=2008-07-15]

Maureen Van Zandt, who plays Silvo Dante's wife Gabriella Dante on the show, is billed in the opening credits for this episode only. The characters Dr. Jennifer Melfi (Lorraine Bracco) and Christopher Moltisanti (Michael Imperioli) do not appear in "Made in America" but the actors who play them are still listed in the opening credits.

Reception

Momentary puzzlement occurred from viewers watching the final scene of the episode. The use of an abrupt ending followed by several seconds of silent black screen caused controversy as many viewers initially believed their cable or DVR had cut out at the crucial moment.cite news
url=http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,23739,21891485-7642,00.html
title=Sopranos ending splits fans
last=Noveck
first=Jocelyn
publisher="Australian Couriermail"
date=2007-06-12
accessdate=2008-09-18]

Aspects of the "Made in America" episode have been widely parodied. The ending was spoofed in a promotional video produced by the Hillary Clinton 2008 presidential campaign as well as on an episode of The Celebrity Apprentice which featured actor Vincent Curatola, who earlier had a recurring role as John "Johnny Sack" Sacramoni, the Underboss of the Lupertazzi family on the same show. The ending was also referenced during the opening act of the 59th annual "Primetime Emmy Awards".Fact|date=August 2008

Final scene

Interpretations

Peter Biskind of "Vanity Fair" stated in an early interview with David Chase that "in true "Sopranos" fashion Chase won't have tied up all loose ends."cite web
url=http://www.vanityfair.com/culture/features/2007/04/sopranos200704?currentPage=1
title=An American Family
last=Biskind
first=Peter
authorlink=Peter Biskind
publisher="Vanity Fair"
year=2007
month=April
accessdate=2008-05-20] True to the prediction, the ending is said to offer little closure or catharsis for viewers.cite news
url=http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D8PMCDG80&show_article=1%22
title=No Easy Ending for 'The Sopranos'
last=Moore
first=Frazier
authorlink=Frazier Moore
publisher=Associated Press
date=2007-06-11
accessdate=2007-05-20] A major point of contention among fans lies in the fate of Tony Soprano in the episode's final moments and thereafter: some believe that he is killed; others believe that he remains alive.cite news
url=http://www.reuters.com/article/entertainmentNews/idUSN0644006120070615?pageNumber=1
title=Sopranos rub-out theory gains credence
last=Gorman
first=Steve
publisher=Reuters
date=2007-06-15
accessdate=2008-05-20] cite web
url=http://blog.nj.com/alltv/2007/06/david_chase_speaks.html#more
title=David Chase speaks!
last=Sepinwall
first=Alan
publisher="The Star Ledger"
date=2007-06-11
accessdate=2005-05-20]

One argument for the former points to a conversation that Tony had in "Soprano Home Movies" with his brother-in-law Bobby in which Bobby comments on how suddenly and without sound death can happen in their lives as gangsters.cite news |url=http://www.thesunchronicle.com/articles/2007/06/12/columns/columns14.txt | title=A perfect ending to a perfect TV series | author=Mark Farinella | publisher=thesunchronicle.com | date=2007-06-12 | accessdate=2007-06-12] When questioned on the theory, HBO spokesman Quentin Schaffer stated that the conversation is a legitimate hint.Reports also indicate that Chase had a definite ending in mind and that he initially intended the cut to black to last thirty seconds. [Carter, Bill [http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/16/arts/television/16sopr.html?ref=television Fans Online Sift for Clues in the ‘Sopranos’ Finale] The New York Times. June 17, 2007.] The final scene showing a man credited as "Man in Members Only jacket" who goes to the bathroom has been interpreted as a nod to Tony's favorite scene from "The Godfather" in which Michael Corleone retrieves a gun from the bathroom before shooting his enemies.cite news |url=http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2007/06/12/ap3811853.html |title=Sopranos Creator: Movie No Sure Thing |publisher=Associated Press |accessdate=2007-06-11] The jacket has also been speculated to be a reference to the title of the opening episode of the season, in which Tony is shot, and also as a symbolic reference to membership in the Mafia by the "mystery man."cite news |url=http://www.cnn.com/2007/SHOWBIZ/TV/06/15/television.sopranos.reut/index.html |title=Think Tony Soprano's dead? You may be right |publisher=CNN |accessdate=2007-06-15]

Arguments are also made with equally strong conviction that the meaning of the final scene was that life is fraught with fear and danger but it goes on, as some fans believe the lyrics of the closing song may imply.cite news | url=http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070610/EDITOR/70611001/-1/RSS | title='The Sopranos': Eighty-Sixed | author=Jim Emerson | publisher=Chicago Sun-Times | date=2007-06-10 | accessdate=2007-06-11] Supporters of this interpretation point out that because of Tony's peace agreement with the Lupertazzi family and their tacit sanction of a hit on Phil Leotardo, there was no legitimate basis to expect a hit on Tony Soprano. [cite web |url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/sfgate/detail?blogid=24&entry_id=17571 |title="Sopranos" finale: What Really Happened |publisher=sfgate.com |accessdate=2007-06-30 ] It is also interpreted that as Meadow walked through the door, Chase cut away at the precise moment of Tony's unknowing apprehension, a feeling that would consume the rest of his life. [cite web |url=http://proxy.espn.go.com/chat/chatESPN?event_id=16169 |title=Chat with Page 2's Bill Simmons |publisher=espn.go.com |accessdate=2007-06-23 ]

Another interpretation is that the final scene allows the viewer to create one's own ending to the series, or no ending at all, allowing the plot to continue in one's mind.citenews | url=http://www.pressconnects.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070617/COLUMNISTS03/706170309/1005/ | title=Write your own ending to the 'Sopranos'|publisher=Pressconnects |accessdate=2007-06-17 ]

Comments from David Chase

Chase has made various comments surrounding the finale:

His first interview after screening:

Chase later commented:

On moments during and after the final scene, and referenced a scene from the episode "Stage 5:cquote|There are no esoteric clues in there. No Da Vinci Code. Everything that pertains to that episode was in that episode. And it was in the episode before that and the one before that and seasons before this one and so on. There had been indications of what the end is like. Remember when Gerry Torciano was killed? Silvio was not aware that the gun had been fired until after Jerry was on his way down to the floor. That's the way things happen: It's already going on by the time you even notice it.cite web
url=http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20152845_2,00.html
title='Sopranos' Creator Takes on Angry Fans
last=Martin
first=Brett
publisher="Entertainment Weekly"
accessdate=2008-05-20] On the future for A.J and Meadow, Tony Soprano's children:

On the fans of the show:

Ratings

When "Made in America" first aired on HBO in the United States on Sunday 10 June 2007, it attracted an average of 11.9 million viewers, the largest audience since the season five premiere.cite web
url=http://www.zap2it.com/tv/news/zap-sopranosfinaleratings,0,4265982.story
title='Sopranos' Body Count: 11.9 Million
publisher= [http://www.zap2it.com www.zap2it.com]
date=2007-06-12
accessdate=2007-11-13]

Awards

In 2007, "Made in America" won an Emmy for "Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series" at the 59th Primetime Emmy Awards, the only category it was nominated in. This is the third and final time series creator/executive producer David Chase has won the award for his writing of the series.cite web
url=http://theenvelope.latimes.com/awards/emmys/env-07primetimeemmy-list,0,376377.htmlstory
title=Emmy winners
publisher="The Los Angeles Times"
accessdate=2008-08-23] cite web
url=http://www.rte.ie/arts/2007/0917/emmyawards.html
title=Sopranos scores hat-trick at Emmys
publisher=RTE
date=2007-09-17
accessdate=2008-08-23] In 2008, Chase was nominated for a Directors Guild of America Award in the category of "Drama Series (Night)".cite web
url=http://www.dga.org/news/pr_expand.php3?537
title=DGA Announces Nominees for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in All Categories for 2007
publisher=Directors Guild of America
date=2008-01-10
accessdate=2008-08-23] cite web
url=http://www.dga.org/news/pr_expand.php3?541
title=DGA Award Winners and Special Award Recipients
publisher=Directors Guild of America
date=2008-01-26
accessdate=2008-08-23]
Editor Sidney Wolinsky won an American Cinema Editors Eddie Award in the category of "Best Edited One-Hour Series for Non-Commercial Television".cite web
url=http://www.ace-filmeditors.org/newace/eddieNominees.html
title=American Cinema Editors > ACE Eddie Awards
publisher=American Cinema Editors
accessdate=2008-08-23]

References

External links

* [http://www.hbo.com/sopranos/ HBO.com – "The Sopranos" official website]
*imdb title|0141842|The Sopranos
*imdb title|0995839|"Made in America"
* [http://www.televisionwithoutpity.com/show/the-sopranos/recaps.php Television Without Pity – "The Sopranos" recaps]
* [http://www.the-sopranos.com/ "The Sopranos" – Family Values]
* [http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/06/11/SOPRANO.TMP sfgate.com] - An ending befitting genius of 'Sopranos'
* [http://www.phillyburbs.com/pb-dyn/news/111-06092007-1360360.html phillyburbs.com] - Info about the "mystery" guest star.
* [http://www.cnn.com/2007/SHOWBIZ/TV/06/12/tv.sopranos.thatsong.ap/index.html cnn.com] - "Don't Stop Believin'" plays key 'Sopranos' role
* [http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/entertainment_tv/2007/06/further_thought.html Chicago Tribune] - Further thoughts on that 'Sopranos' finale.