THANKS TO THE kind folks at HBO, I was able to get a sneak peek at the first two episodes of The Sopranos‘ final season. By the end of the second episode, “Stage 5,” I could hardly believe what had transpired. Who would have guessed that Tony would cooperate with the feds after the untimely death of his wife, Carmela?

I’m kidding. There will be no spoilers in this review, not to worry. Nor will there be any deep psychoanalysis (see Dr. Glen O. Gabbard’s The Psychology of the Sopranos, Chapter 1, “Bada Being and Nothingness”). Over the last seven years, there has been an abbondanza of books about The Sopranos (Tony Soprano on Management: Leadership Lessons Inspired by America’s Favorite Mobster by Anthony Schneider) as well as books by the Sopranos (Wise Girl: What I’ve Learned About Life, Love, and Loss by Jamie-Lynn Sigler, A Goomba’s Guide to Life by Steven Schirripa), not to mention The Sopranos Family Cookbook featuring Artie Bucco.