If there is a downside to the success of HBO's "The Sopranos," it can be labeled the pedestal effect. As soon as the show is held aloft, everyone wants to knock it down.
    So it came as no surprise when many critics and fans found the third-season finale of "Sopranos" disappointing. The risk inherent in being billed the best series on TV is that it comes with a level of expectation impossible to meet.
    "Sopranos" capped a terrific season with a strangely muted finale. While Mafioso wannabe Jackie Jr. was murdered as anticipated, at least half a dozen subplots that have been simmering in past episodes were completely ignored.
    What happened to the crazed Mercedes  saleswoman Tony briefly bedded? Or the Russian soldier who escaped Christopher and Paulie? And why on earth did Uncle Junior spend several minutes singing in Italian at the end of the episode--that's no cliffhanger!
    There's been some speculation that the unresolved plot points provide incentive for viewers to return next season to witness their resolution. But that's an unsatisfying explanation: Considering that the fervor fans have for "Sopranos" borders on crack addiction, is that kind of incentive necessary?
    Plus, the next "Sopranos" season doesn't start for at least another year, in which time most of these plot points will be forgotten.
    It's highly unlikely "Sopranos" creator David Chase and his creative staff simply forgot to tie up all loose ends; they're just too smart to do something like that. 
    No, this sprawling storytelling style may seem scatterbrained, but it's probably intentional.
    The reason for all these unresolved plot points lies in the programming philosophy Chase and HBO share: They aspire to contradict every notion constituting conventional television drama.
    Let's keep in mind who we're dealing with here. "It's not TV. It's HBO" is the mantra of pay cable's premiere network. 
    And Chase has made clear in many interviews that he abhors traditional TV structure, even mockingly suggesting that had "Sopranos" been broadcast on a Big Six network, he would have been forced to make Tony a more likable character, with an absurd subplot like having him help solve the World Trade Center bombing in between Mafia hits. 
    Years of primetime experience have conditioned the viewing audience to expect a season finale to accomplish two somewhat contradictory goals: 1) provide dénouements for all currently running storylines, and 2) have one of the storylines culminate in a shocking and unpredictable event that will leave viewers hungry for more (the cliffhanger).
    But if HBO zags where primetime zigs, the "Sopranos" finale makes sense. 
    Chase refuses to wrap the loose ends into a pretty little bow or introduce a cliffhanger simply because that's what everyone else does.
    Although the courage to take this contrarian approach has to be admired, there's also an arrogance at work here that can be a little off-putting. The average viewer doesn't care about the creative defiance of primetime norms; viewers just want to be entertained in the manner to which they've become accustomed. 
    Because the finale failed to do that, a lot of critics and viewers reacted negatively (although the ratings were still stellar, registering 9.5 million viewers).
    The same kind of arrogance was on display in the season finale of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," which oddly killed off the title character. 
    The unexpected death drew droves of critical mail, which seems to have been precisely the point. "I love upsetting people," "Buffy" creator Joss Whedon told USA Today. "It's my favorite thing to do."
    But let's see Whedon try that trick a few more times and see where his ratings go--that's where his attitude can get him into trouble. TV's creative minds should steer clear of clichéd programming at all costs, but subverting the conventional for its own sake is a tactic bound to backfire.
    Then again, who can blame Chase or Whedon for their indulgences, considering how formulaic most of primetime is. The best approach to the problem came unexpectedly from the season finale of "Saturday Night Live."
    At the end of the "Weekend Update" segment, a surprise cameo from actress Wynona Ryder brought the house down. She walked onto the set of the newscast and informed anchors Jimmy Fallon and Tina Fey that she was pregnant and that one of them was the father. 
    Fey and Fallon turned to each other, mouths agape in mock shock. The joke was a timely reminder of just why folks like Chase and Whedon dare to be different when it comes to season finales.

May 29, 2001 © 2001 Media Life

-Andrew Wallenstein is the television critic for Media Life.

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