I loved the Sopranos finale, but my question is why no Dr.Melfi at all on the finale? Not even a flashback.?

I think that in AJ's therapy sessions you saw Tony missing Melfi. He started talking about his problems like a pro. So in a sense Melfi did her job and Tony has her in his head.

I think she had to end it the way she did because it is easier to break things off mad instead of sad. She really did have feelings for him and in my imagination they will be reunited.

AJ is now going to see a therapist.. who looked a lot like Melfi.

Tony didn't need to see the psych anymore and Melfi did feel manipulated. He just opened up about his own family and wasn't hesitant.

AJ is like his father, but with a ton more opportunities. I think the burning of the truck was symbolic too (things that happen in the woods seems to be a thread), and that he didn't care about stuff as much, but towards the end he did wind up with nice stuff again.

I do think Chase has made a lot of commentary on Italian-American stereotypes and the entertainment industry in general, and AJ is also picking up from where Christopher left off with making movies.

I loved it too. What a great piece of work. Hooray for HBO and the writer. I think that Dr. Melfi had to say goodbye in such a cruel way to us to show that she was affected by her family making fun of her/ breaking the confidentiality rules, a no no, and then she snapped in to her ethical, stoic, Dr/ patient, boundaries/ i have to set limits and we have gone way beyond them, role/ how many doctors are like the Dr. Melfi we saw in the end ? a lot How many like the one during the season ? not to many. She had to break the ties to become healthy herself too/ she thought/ It was better to leave her out so that we saw Tony working his way around his life without her in the end. Don't forget the scene with the other Dr. when he was complaining about his mother, Carm, was having a fit. he was there for his son.

because she dumped tony as her patient earler so no resaon for her to be there. They didn't do flashbacks with anythig. But my synopsis if you're interested is.....>

The laast episode [at least in the Diner because he wouldn't take his family to a Diner and make them vulnerable after Phil got killed and the revenge expected] was a dream of tony's then he died in bed from the episode before it that it was an extention from. Too long to explain, but the onion rings were placed in all three mouths WHOLE in the same exact fashion as last communion wafers before they died, or before Tony died. He also imagined Meadow's parking problem so as to delay her from the massacre because she was his favorite. It was all from Tony's perspective. The clues are all there, including the "Dream" song that was playing when he entered the Diner... and the other symbolistic songs he played on the Juke box. and the 2 black guys walking in WERE in Tony's imagination as the same one's who tried to kill him [though one of them HE killed instead, way back] but he imagined them there too as coming back to haunt him a finish the job! Watch it again closely. It's all there!