This thing of ours...is over...

It's been 48 hours, and the ending of The Sopranos still stinks.

Count me among the Sopranos loyalists who was left wholly unfulfilled after Sunday's series finale. I guess I just expected more from the show that changed the cable drama genre over the past decade. I would offer a spoiler warning, but there is absolutely nothing to be spoiled.

By now, everybody knows the story - lots and lots of build-up, only to cut to a black screen, followed by the rolling credits. I admit, when the screen went black, I checked my DVR, rewound it just to see if it was right.

I spent a good portion of yesterday seeing what else the Western world had to say about the final episode. The comments ranged from "brilliant" and "arty" to "disappointing" and "gutless".

Planning a series finale is seriously hard work. No one can ever match the poignancy of the final M*A*S*H episode, or the wry humor of the final Newhart (where Bob wakes up next to Marcia Wallace, thinking the whole Vermont inn thing was a dream). And some shows, like Seinfeld, just jump the shark in their finale. But for God's sake give us something, anything!

The finale lovers cite the genius that is David Chase. His selection of music. His notorious red herrings. His symbolism, his blah blah blah...Look, I get it, OK?

For those who argued for closure, Tony ties up all the loose ends. Bobby is dead, and Sil will probably not survive. Paulie is promoted to top lieutenant. Dr. Melfi ends her relationship with Tony. Tony makes sure Bobby's kids are cared for. He goes to see Janice, Sil, and Junior. Phil is eliminated. It's all wrapped up. At the end of the day, all he has is his family.

And yes, I get the symbolism of the final scene. Tony constantly on guard. Everyone is a potential threat. He always has to look up to see who is coming through the door. The Journey song has its own moral in the lyrics. OK, OK, enough already.

But cutting to a black screen, then rolling the credits? Hell, even just a pullback from the restaurant would have been enough to get the idea that life goes on. I gotta tell you, it's pretty lame.

The Chase defenders have argued how brilliant that idea was, and Chase himself said he had that idea in his head for a couple of years. Wow. Almost 10 years, and that's the best you've got? The Chasies are saying that the ending is for us to figure out. But we didn't invest 86 hours in this show to figure it out ourselves. We followed Chase's vision all this time - we would have bought however he chose to end it.

Other Chasies have said "this show was about what goes on in your head, so the ending was in your head." Bullcrap. The Sopranos was about being in your face, not in your head.

Of course, we really shouldn't be surprised. The show has been in free-fall for two seasons now. The show stopped being about what made it so good and decided to be artsy. The whole gay Vito tangent was for what? And this season's incessant focus on A.J. just made me wanna puke. The last two episodes cranked up the heat, but the final 60 minutes left such a horrible taste in so many people's mouths.

The two-halved "last" season of the show was kind of like when Michael Jordan came back to play for the Wizards - you knew he was past his prime, but you watched him anyway, because he was still better than a lot of what was out there. And, every once in a while, you got a glimpse of what made him the greatest of all time.

So long, Tony. You - and we - deserved better.