I'm not sure what show you were watching, but I'm still just as into "The Sopranos" as ever

I've been an ardent fan of "The Sopranos" since the very first show in 1999, and have seen every single episode in the entire series' run. Throughout its time on the air, no television program has so profoundly enthalled and excited me the way "The Sopranos" has, "24" included. For the last seven years I have eagerly anticipated the beginning of a new season, each subsequent Sunday throughout the course of their respective 13-episode runs, and the eventual release of each season on DVD so I can wrap myself up in the incredible acting and storytelling all over again.

I'm firmly in the camp of "Sopranos" fans who feel as though the show can do no wrong, and that even a relatively lame episode of the show is still better than none at all. It seems as though ever since season three there have been constant rumblings from fans of the show about how "it's not good anymore" or "man, did that episode/season suck," especially during season four. Admittedly I consider season four overall to be the weakest of the series (Carmela and Furio? Christ, no one needed to see that), but again, it's still better than just about anything else. The fifth season seemed to reenergize a lot of the fan base, even if people were fairly divided on the awesome "Test Dream" episode.

As always, the anticipation was high for the sixth season, and despite what I consider one of the best beginnings to a "Sopranos" season in history, I am downright shocked at the negative response to this past Sunday's season finale from a good majority of "Sopranos" fans, at least those who post to Television Without Pity. I've enjoyed the TWoP recaps and message boards for years, and have always found the forum to be something of an adjunct to any given show, due to the incredible amount of insight doled out by many of the intelligent posters on the site. However, I simply can't believe how many complaints have been lodged about "Kaisha." Even TV critic and staunch defender of the show Alan Sepinwall, whose columns have been must-reads this season, was disappointed.

Taken as a whole, I certainly don't think this was the best season ever. I loved the coma episodes, and the first half seemed strong for the most part, but even I have my limits as a "Sopranos" fan - the back-to-back Artie and AJ episodes really tested my patience, and the Vito storyline, which should've been resolved within one episode, definitely dragged out way too long (OK, so maybe this season has been a bit substandard). However, things seemed to get back on track with the penultimate episode two weeks ago, and I was certainly looking forward to the finale. And I was completely satisfied with it.

I seem to be in the minority, but I must be watching the show on a completely different level than other people. Part of the enjoyment for me is that having been a fan from day one, I really feel for these characters - I mean as much as one can feel for a fictional television personality - but they've always felt so incredibly real to me. It seemed a lot of people were expecting something big to happen - a whacking, mindless bloodshed, and I'll admit, I thought Chris was a goner there for a few scenes. Hell, I even heard that people thought the Soprano house was going to blow up in the final seconds (come on now). But ultimately nothing all that significant happened.

And that's why I liked it so much. Just because this is a show about mobsters, why do we need to constantly have bloodshed? I find many of these characters fascinating and enigmatic in their own right, because they still possess many of the same hopes, dreams, fears and worries that we all do. Tony alone is an incredible study in sociopathology. This past season was the first time we've seen real character growth for him, but even that may have been shortlived as he appeared to be back to his womanizing, selfish ways in the finale. Chris has basically been a junkie throughout the entire show's run. He's tried to quit both drugs and drinking, and every time he thinks he has his problem under control, he falls right back off the wagon. Though most of us don't personally know members of the mafia, many of us have friends and acquaintances with similar problems who despite their very best efforts to change, simply can't do it. David Chase has continually shown us that this is a sad group of people who are stuck in the lives they've chosen, and can never get out. Coma Tony tried to, but actual Tony wouldn't let him. Hell, even Big Gay Vito couldn't shake his former life from his system.

I really don't know what people were expecting. Obviously many fans have fond memories of the first season, and rightly so, but it's not like season two was magnificent the entire way through. It introduced Janice of all people; singularly the most horrid character the show has ever produced outside of Livia. The only reason I've been able to put up with those miserable individuals is because they're imperative to understanding why Tony Soprano is the way he is. I think a lot of people have forgotten that Chase's original pitch for the show was about a mobster who sees a psychiatrist to deal with his problems. The show seemed to get away from that to a certain extent the last few years, but to me that's really what it's always been about - getting into the mind of this fascinating character. That's why I've always found the dream sequences so thought-provoking and intriguing, and why I loved and was simultaneously creeped the hell out for days afterwards by the limbo scenes earlier this year. I don't know of many other television shows that have explored the subconscious in ways "The Sopranos" has; I only wish they delved into Tony's mind even more than they already have.

I think this past season has to have been rewarding for fans who have been with the show since day one. From what I recall, the show really reached new heights of popularity around season two/season three, and while again, those were very good campaigns for the most part, I think a lot of the newer fans have been watching the show for all the wrong reasons. "The Sopranos" has never been solely about whacking and senseless violence. At it's heart, it's about family, the choices we make and how we live with them. It's why I couldn't possibly agree more with a season finale ending with the family gathered around the Christmas tree, and Carmela, upon being complimented on having a lovely home, for once in her life finally realizes how great their lives truly have been in spite of everything else, and answers with a genuine "we really do."