Americans tuning into last night's series finale of The Sopranos were&bdash;by and large&bdash;disappointed by the lack of closure, bloodshed in the episode's final moments. And while some were intrigued by the open-ended ambiguity characterizing the series' highly anticipated close, the vast majority were predominantly unsatisfied by the anticlimactic denouement.

"Had the writers only tied up a few more loose ends, offered up some shocking character revelations or, you know, thrown in a gratuitously violent massacre, perhaps involving a semi-automatic weapon, it would have really made saying goodbye to Tony that much easier," said one disappointed viewer.

And he/she was not alone.

"Over the years, I've grown somewhat emotionally attached to the Sopranos family," confesses another former HBO viewer. "I've endured their various trials and tribulations with no small measure of personal agitation, and soon found myself reluctantly rooting for the anti-hero [Tony] against my own deep-seated moral objections and personal abhorrence to everything he stands for. But yeah, while I appreciate the series creators' artistic vision, I was kind of hoping to see Tony and his family get whacked. Violently. You know, in sort of a coldblooded, bullet behind the ear, 'leave the gun, take the canole' type bloodbath."

"It certainly wasn't for lack of suspense," agreed a third anonymous viewer. "The adrenalin was pumping, and the tension levels were so high the anxiety was practically palpable. Plus the acting was top-notch, simply superb, all around, right down to the very last provocative frame. No, I'd really attribute the episode's shortcomings to a lack of Tony getting shot in the face," he muses. "Yeah, that's pretty much my main objection. More shot-in-the-face would have definitely proved beneficial."

And there you have it. Tony Soprano gone, but not forgotten. At least, not by the droves of loyal fans who'd have loved to have seen him go out with a 'bang.'