Sopranos 6.10.07

[Okla-homey]

Well, this is it.

Downside: My only regret is my baby is out of town and won't be able to watch with me as has been our custom for five years.

Upside: I've got a buddy coming over to watch with me and we'll no doubt eat Italian and smoke cigars during the viewing

I think we should have a pole.

[Okla-homey]

I do not watch the show but I know how it will end.
The star goes into witness protection with his family.
Fuhgeddaboudit

Wouldn't that be blatant rippage from "Goodfellas," one of the greatest mob movies of all time?

[JohnnyMack]

Paris.

Been saying it since last year's season finale.

[sooneron]

Paris.

Been saying it since last year's season finale.
I bet you a large DD iced coffee- NO.

[SicEmBaylor]

Well, this is it.

Downside: My only regret is my baby is out of town and won't be able to watch with me as has been our custom for five years.

Upside: I've got a buddy coming over to watch with me and we'll no doubt eat Italian and smoke cigars during the viewing

I think we should have a pole.
Are you smoking CAO's? It's what Tony smokes.

[SicEmBaylor]

I do not watch the show but I know how it will end.
The star goes into witness protection with his family.
Fuhgeddaboudit
Why would they take Tony into witness protection, he's the boss? What's he going to do, rat on his crew? He's the one the FBI wants in the end. They wouldn't give him ****.

[Frozen Sooner]

Why would they take Tony into witness protection, he's the boss? What's he going to do, rat on his crew? He's the one the FBI wants in the end. They wouldn't give him ****.

He could give them the New York families. As stated in the previous episode, it's the 13 Families and this weird mutant thing out in Jersey. You don't think Tony doesn't have some dirt on Phil Leotardo?

That being said, I think Tony takes omerta too seriously to roll over.

[sooneron]

Paris.

Been saying it since last year's season finale.
and that would be WAY too Sex In The City.

[VeeJay]

I have to agree with SicEm on this.

Yes, there may be dirt on the other families, but Tony has presided over his fair share of death, destruction and mayhem.

I'm actually surprised that Agent Harris hasn't been whacked for his uneasy friendship with Da Boss.

Think about what T has had his hand in:

Murder, extortion, illegal gaming, illegal dumping, prostitution, loan sharking, stolen property involved in interstate commerce, stealing vodka, bitch-slapping people, banging whores, you name it!

[Frozen Sooner]

stealing vodka, bitch-slapping people, banging whores, you name it!

We just call that Wednesday around here.

[yermom]

Murder, extortion, illegal gaming, illegal dumping, prostitution, loan sharking, stolen property involved in interstate commerce, stealing vodka, bitch-slapping people, banging whores, you name it!

God bless 'em :D

i'm an optimist, i think he makes it

[Rogue]

Which option best describes federal pump-me-in-the-*** prison?

Actually since all along Tony has said he'll either end up dead or in prison, it'll probably be neither. His Mom and Uncle Junior didn't end up too well.

Oh, and this should be in the sportsbook too!

[mikeelikee]

Well, this is it.

Downside: My only regret is my baby is out of town and won't be able to watch with me as has been our custom for five years.

I think we should have a pole.

Well Homey, it's OK to have a pole, but with your baby out of town, I would advise against having a pole-dancer.;)

[yermom]

isn't that the best time for a pole-dancer?

[SicEmBaylor]

HOMEY!
I told you to invite me over and we'd watch it together and smoke some CAO's!!!!!!!!

[r5TPsooner]

Tony lives and they decided to make the show into major motion pictures kinda like Star Trek.

[SicEmBaylor]

AJ whacks his dad and takes over as the Don of Jersey.

[VeeJay]

AJ needs to go by the way of Big P*ssy. Enough of that little turd already.

[VeeJay]

Who'd they shoot if it wasn't Phil??

[VeeJay]

Who'd let Janice give head under the boardwalk?

That's sort of gross in a context of its own.

[VeeJay]

Agent Harris doin' the Wild Thang with a fellow agent??

[VeeJay]

"We have to decrease our dependence on foreign oil."

Friggin' AJ will have his own talk show on MSNBC next.

[VeeJay]

Gas $2.49 a gallon?

Ah......the good old days...

[VeeJay]

Gore-Soprano in '08!!

[VeeJay]

Cat Vision!

Classic stuff.

[SicEmBaylor]

Have they showed Meadow stripping at The Bing yet?

[VeeJay]

Therapy....

Dey gots 18 minutes to wrap this up...

[VeeJay]

I dink dey got Phil dat time.

Salud.

[AggieTool]

Okay....

So we're set for the movie now.:eek:

[LilSooner]

that sucked

[VeeJay]

Yeah - they need one more season.

I think a few of us could bring it to closure.

That was teh ultimar succage.

[yermom]

THE ****?!

[setem]

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!

[Turd_Ferguson]

Fehgettaboutit:mad:

[yermom]

i thought my DVR crapped out on me again or something at first

[VeeJay]

HBO should start issuing refunds.

The bastages.

[Turd_Ferguson]

i thought my DVR crapped out on me again or something at first

Heh. Me too. I was ****t'n my droors during that 5 second lull.

[SicEmBaylor]

What happened?

[LittleWingSooner]

That was f'n genius. Everyone thought something spectacular was going to happen and they even almost set it up that way the final 5 minutes. I thought for a second that the suspicious guy was gonna hit Tony but instead nothing. Very funny stuff!

[JohnnyMack]

Hello movie.

[SicEmBaylor]

What happened!?

[LilSooner]

nothing absolutely ****ing nothing.

[SicEmBaylor]

nothing absolutely ****ing nothing.
Sooo....it just ended like any other episode? Tony didn't go out under a barrage of bullets?

[LittleWingSooner]

Here's the episode summery

Tony's kid destroys his car trying to have sex with his girlfriend then desides he wants to join the army Phil got shot and his head ran over. The ending was genius because it made you think something was gonna happen when nothing was really going to happen.

[SicEmBaylor]

Well **** that.

[SicEmBaylor]

Now I'm glad I didn't waste my time driving to Tulsa and taking Homey up on his offer to watch the show and smoke cigars at his place!

[Viking Kitten]

Not half as glad as Homey though.


;)

[Viking Kitten]

The mind**** at the end was actually an interesting way to end a series that focused so much on psychological games people play. You know what really would have sucked? If a traveling salesman from Arizona awoke from a coma and discovered he had dreamed the whole thing as some sort of alternate life.

[VeeJay]

I'm shocked - SHOCKED - I tell you - that no one has figured out the hidden meaning behind Meadow not being able to parallel park the car.

[JohnnyMack]

If a traveling salesman from Arizona awoke from a coma and discovered he had dreamed the whole thing as some sort of alternate life.

D00d, I thought about that for a few seconds when they showed Tony walking into the restaurant, then they showed a shot where it looked like he was looking at himself and I thought that they were gonna go there.

[yermom]

man, i hate being right sometimes

[royalfan5]

So the fact that I have never ever watched an episode of the Sopranos is working in my favor right now because I am not disappointed like the rest of y'all?

[SicEmBaylor]

So the fact that I have never ever watched an episode of the Sopranos is working in my favor right now because I am not disappointed like the rest of y'all?
That would be right.

[royalfan5]

That would be right.
Score one for being to cheap to pay for HBO then.

[yermom]

So the fact that I have never ever watched an episode of the Sopranos is working in my favor right now because I am not disappointed like the rest of y'all?

i'm probably going to suggest that doleo never watch this show so that i don't have to kill him when he gets to the end

[SicEmBaylor]

Score one for being to cheap to pay for HBO then.
You could just buy the DVDs. I don't have HBO either. I still haven't seen a single episode of the 6th season. =(

[SicEmBaylor]

i'm probably going to suggest that doleo never watch this show so that i don't have to kill him when he gets to the end
Speaking of which, has he seen the previews for the Transformer Movie? Apparently, Michael Bay is the director so I know it'll be awesome.

[yermom]

i've basically decided to never talk to him about movies again ;)

[XingTheRubicon]

BTW,

The last 2 words of the finale was Mr. Perry.....


"don't stop"

[yermom]

Steeeve Perry!

[Octavian]

The mind**** at the end was actually an interesting way to end a series that focused so much on psychological games people play.

yes.


You know what really would have sucked? If a traveling salesman from Arizona awoke from a coma and discovered he had dreamed the whole thing as some sort of alternate life.


:)

I was with a group of friends and before it came on we joked that the only way it could really suck is if someone woke up ala The Wizard of Oz.

It ended and we were all ****ed...we even said that it was as bad as the wake up ending. We said it was pretty lame...a lazy copout of writing...

I thought if he was gonna be killed, he'd go back to that shadowy house of the afterlife he visited during his coma...or something along those lines. It would be tied into the past shows and it'd be laid out for us.


But I've changed my mind. I didn't get the parallel parking thing and I don't get the "Don't Stop" being the last line...probably something to it. It also looked as if Meadow knew something the others didn't...maybe it was just me though, but she seemed like she was rushed and had something to tell them.


There's a yahoo review (http://tv.yahoo.com/the-sopranos/show/218/news/urn:newsml:tv.ap.org:20070611:tv_sopranos__ER) that I really disagree with...I don't think his life just goes on as usual. But that's probably why it was made in the way it was. It will create a lot of talk and the ending won't be forgotten because it's so unusual.


Anyways, at the beginning of the season, Tony and Bobby are sitting in the boat and T says something like "I wonder if you even hear the one that gets you?"


Being as everything in the final scene was through T's point of view, I think the guy from the bathroom emerged like Michael Corleone and shot him. When he went into the bathroom, I thought of the Godfather and that was a pretty obvious teaser looking back on it. But then Tony's world went blank...there was no music during the credits and I can't remember another silent credits episode. He died.

In the end, the last thing Tony believed was that his son was finally on a workable path, his wife was by his side, and his daughter was going to be the legitimate success he'd always knew she would be.

A couple episodes ago, Carmella told AJ that people come into the world on their own and they go out on their own...but this wasn't the case for Tony. He was surrounded by his family and in a peaceful place.

The scene was really nerve-racking too....the music added a lot of suspense and build up and then delivered nothing to the viewer except a bunch of speculation.


But that's just one take and I think that's the point. Very postmodern.


Nothing was wrapped up for us and I think that's how they'll leave it...everyone can imagine what they want. No movie.

[Octavian]

BTW,

The last 2 words of the finale was Mr. Perry.....


"don't stop"


you have a take on that?

[Rogue]

-Phil Leotardo had it comin'.

I dug the Godfather homage at the end too.

[sooneron]

I think Meadow was preggers. She had been to the Dr to switch birth control.

[Okla-homey]

Now I'm glad I didn't waste my time driving to Tulsa and taking Homey up on his offer to watch the show and smoke cigars at his place!

Not only is he a right wing radical loony, he's a liar too.

[r5TPsooner]

There's an hour of my life that I'll never get back again!

Too much AJ tonight. They might as well of just showed us more boobies from the Bada Bing girls if that was the best that Chase could come up with.

Very bad series finale aka Seinfeld.

[JohnnyMack]

Nothing was wrapped up for us and I think that's how they'll leave it...everyone can imagine what they want.

That's what made it brilliant. You weren't spoon fed an ending. You were forced to think a bit and discuss it for a while. I know my cell phone and our home phone started ringing as soon as it was over with people wanting to talk about how they thought it ended.

[sooneron]

That's what made it brilliant. You weren't spoon fed an ending. You were forced to think a bit and discuss it for a while. I know my cell phone and our home phone started ringing as soon as it was over with people wanting to talk about how they thought it ended.
On one hand I agree with you, but this wasn't Twin Peaks. It was mafioso melodrama. Not something that I should figure out for myself. The brilliance is that everyone is talking about it. A co-worker's first words were- "Did you watch the Sopranos last night?" He then proceeded to bash it and yet went on and on about what the possibilities were for the ending. There is lazy brilliance in that, on Chase's part.

[JohnnyMack]

On one hand I agree with you, but this wasn't Twin Peaks. It was mafioso melodrama. Not something that I should figure out for myself. The brilliance is that everyone is talking about it. A co-worker's first words were- "Did you watch the Sopranos last night?" He then proceeded to bash it and yet went on and on about what the possibilities were for the ending. There is lazy brilliance in that, on Chase's part.

I think DC was in a no win situation with this show. If he ends it Godfather style then everyone would complain that it was just a copycat ending and that he showed no originality. If he ends it the way he did then people complain that there was no resolution. The more I think about it, the more I love Tony looking up and then BAM everything stops. We don't KNOW what happened, but we sure are talking about it.

[skycat]

Choosing not to make a choice is hardly brillaint. It's a lazy cop-out.

[LittleWingSooner]

I think DC was in a no win situation with this show. If he ends it Godfather style then everyone would complain that it was just a copycat ending and that he showed no originality. If he ends it the way he did then people complain that there was no resolution. The more I think about it, the more I love Tony looking up and then BAM everything stops. We don't KNOW what happened, but we sure are talking about it.

That's exactly right, in that way it's complete genius. You don't really want to see Tony end up on top because he's not a likable guy. But the writers don't want to kill the guy off either. Most of the episode was just like any other episode and the end showed that Tony's life will go on and we don't need to know how it will go on.

[JohnnyMack]

Choosing not to make a choice is hardly brillaint. It's a lazy cop-out.

I disagree. I think our spoon-fed, couch potato asses are so used to having things handed to us in a dumbed down, easy to understand manner that when we're given something to chew on we end up complaining that we've somehow been robbed because we've actually been forced to think for ourselves. If a TV series isn't wrapped up with a big bow on it that says "THIS IS THE END. THIS IS WHAT HAPPENED TO CHARACTER A, CHARACTER B, CHARACTER C, etc." then people feel that somehow they've been cheated.

[skycat]

I disagree. I think our spoon-fed, couch potato asses are so used to having things handed to us in a dumbed down, easy to understand manner that when we're given something to chew on we end up complaining that we've somehow been robbed because we've actually been forced to think for ourselves. If a TV series isn't wrapped up with a big bow on it that says "THIS IS THE END. THIS IS WHAT HAPPENED TO CHARACTER A, CHARACTER B, CHARACTER C, etc." then people feel that somehow they've been cheated.

Couldn't disagree more.

It's not just that an ambiguous ending is in and of itself bad.

What is bad, is an ending that is so obviously manipulative in the way it wanted us to think, "HEY, THAT COULD BE A BAD GUY", "MEADOW NOT BEING ABLE TO PARK MUST MEAN SOMETHING", etc. and then didn't end, but simply stopped.

There's nothing wrong with leaving the viewer with something to think about, but it is a complete failure of the imagination of the writers to leave to the viewer(s) all of the creative decisions of how to end this eight year arc.

[SoonerAtKU]

I thought the writers were pretty clear how things "ended" last night. We don't get to watch anymore, but Tony's life and family go on. Whether Tony gets shot in the next 3 seconds or in the next 30 years DOES NOT MATTER at all in terms of the message they're sending with the show. He's going to be the same and live with his business and his family for the rest of his life. Whether that ends at the restaurant or in a nursing home like Jun, the story plays out exactly as it always has.

They've already told us how things can turn out in that world, with Johnny Sack, with Jun, with Phil, with Tony's dad, with Bobby, with Christopher. It doesn't matter which thing or which person kills you, you still die, and you still lived before you died.

[Frozen Sooner]

I thought the writers were pretty clear how things "ended" last night. We don't get to watch anymore, but Tony's life and family go on. Whether Tony gets shot in the next 3 seconds or in the next 30 years DOES NOT MATTER at all in terms of the message they're sending with the show. He's going to be the same and live with his business and his family for the rest of his life. Whether that ends at the restaurant or in a nursing home like Jun, the story plays out exactly as it always has.

They've already told us how things can turn out in that world, with Johnny Sack, with Jun, with Phil, with Tony's dad, with Bobby, with Christopher. It doesn't matter which thing or which person kills you, you still die, and you still lived before you died.

Bingo.

The genius of Sopranos is that it's not a story. There's no beginning, middle, or end. Not all plotlines are resolved. Whatever happened with the Russian dude wandering around in the woods? WTF was with the bear? How about the ducks?

Seriously, that was a perfect "ending" to a show that wasn't plot-driven. Sopranos was always character-driven.

[Frozen Sooner]

Though personally I thought a better ending would have been Tony getting eaten by the ducks, who are in turn eaten by the bear.

[Frozen Sooner]

Or zombie Big *****. That would have been cool too.

[SoonersEnFuego]

Couldn't disagree more.

It's not just that an ambiguous ending is in and of itself bad.

What is bad, is an ending that is so obviously manipulative in the way it wanted us to think, "HEY, THAT COULD BE A BAD GUY", "MEADOW NOT BEING ABLE TO PARK MUST MEAN SOMETHING", etc. and then didn't end, but simply stopped.

There's nothing wrong with leaving the viewer with something to think about, but it is a complete failure of the imagination of the writers to leave to the viewer(s) all of the creative decisions of how to end this eight year arc.
I agree with JohnnyMack.

This ending was brilliant. Movies or TV Shows that tell you what happened with every tiny detail end up just looking cheesy. Let me ask you this: Did you like Pulp Fiction or did you hate it because you didn't know what was in the briefcase? Probably didn't matter to you, just a guess. The ending doesn't make the whole series, no matter how brilliant it was.

However, I am unhappy that A.J. wasn't killed. They could've at least done that for me.

[Rhino]

Regardless of the ending (which I've warmed up to since last night when I thought my DVR had screwed up), it was a solid episode.

Phil gettin' wacked by Wild Bill and subsequently getting his head crushed. Paulie unzipping his pants farther down than he should have at Bobby's funeral reception. Paulie and the cat. The federal agent getting excited at Phil getting whacked.

And, really, the tension in that last scene was awesome. Showing shady characters, Meadow not being able to parallel park - almost like that would save her from certain death, the guy that went to the bathroom. I was on the edge of my seat. Maybe that's why people are considering it such a let down - because after all that building up, it was! That final scene seemed to escalate, escalate and escalate until "DON'T STOP". And just like that, it's over.

[Frozen Sooner]

I agree with JohnnyMack.

This ending was brilliant. Movies or TV Shows that tell you what happened with every tiny detail end up just looking cheesy. Let me ask you this: Did you like Pulp Fiction or did you hate it because you didn't know what was in the briefcase? Probably didn't matter to you, just a guess. The ending doesn't make the whole series, no matter how brilliant it was.

However, I am unhappy that A.J. wasn't killed. They could've at least done that for me.

Not only was he not killed, he's getting hot high-schooler model poon while driving an M3.

Muy dissapointado.

[skycat]

Bingo.

The genius of Sopranos is that it's not a story. There's no beginning, middle, or end. Not all plotlines are resolved. Whatever happened with the Russian dude wandering around in the woods? WTF was with the bear? How about the ducks?

Seriously, that was a perfect "ending" to a show that wasn't plot-driven. Sopranos was always character-driven.

Clearly, the Sopranos has always been a story. And that is why it has been successful. Granted, one in which not all questions were answered in the way that virtually all other TV dramas would. You say that not all plotlines are resolved, the truth of the matter is that many were. And if there hadn't been, the show would not have been the success that it was. The "What happened to Big *****?" question that loomed over the show between seasons 1 and 2 is a perfect example of a good old fashioned cliff hanger that discussion of which drove people to begin watching the show (I'm one of them).

Now, most of the time the plot has been in the service of the characters, but not always. For instance, having Melfi come to her crisis of conscious within two episodes of the series finale is an example of a contrived plot element. But this is really beside the point.

My point is that in the final few minutes that Chase threw one cheap manipulative film trick after the other, and then, in direct opposition to the lyrics of Steve Perry, simply stopped.

I can't believe that people claim that not writing an ending is brillaint.

[SicEmBaylor]

I was discussing what made the Sopranos so great with a friend of mine last night, and he said "Who wouldn't want to be standing behind that grill with Tony smoking a cigar?" More than that though, I think the show is popular and Tony is such a great character because deep down the average Joe would like to BE Tony. I really believe the show is as popular as it is because the average schmuck out there who is standing behind his grill smoking a cigar and leading a fairly mundane life sees something very alluring in the excitement of mob life and Tony's ability to quickly and decisively crush any problem that gets between him and what he wants. It's the contrasting life of "backyard party Tony" and "mobster Tony" that makes the show as interesting as it is for me.

I myself like to drive around Waco in my truck listening to "Woke up this morning" chomping on a stogie and pining for Tony's ability to ruthlessly solve any problem.

[CobraKai]

"I think a good novel would be where a bunch of men on a ship are looking for a whale. They look and look, but you know what? They never find him. And you know why they never find him? It doesn't say. The book leaves it up to you, the reader, to decide. Then, at the very end, there's a page you can lick and it tastes like Kool-Aid."

- Jack Handey

Apparently Jack Handey was not absurd at all...he was a genius visionary! ;)

[sitzpinkler]

Anyways, at the beginning of the season, Tony and Bobby are sitting in the boat and T says something like "I wonder if you even hear the one that gets you?"


I think they specifically mentioned that it probably goes black and silent when you're whacked. That's what leads me to believe Tony was killed there at the end. Black and silent just like they discussed.

[SicEmBaylor]

I think they specifically mentioned that it probably goes black and silent when you're whacked. That's what leads me to believe Tony was killed there at the end. Black and silent just like they discussed.
That's true..they do.
They also said at one point that mob guys never make a big fuss about doing it..they just do it when you're not expecting it.

[BigRedJed]

I'm warming to the ending, too. I think it has a myriad of possiblities, and was pretty intricately put together.

As mentioned, several episodes this year have mentioned "not hearing the one that gets you." Much has been made of the easy interpretation, that is, that his life is continuing as always. It's even in that review. But, as stated, it's entirely possible that Tony died. I too immediately thought of the Godfather scene when the dude went into the bathroom. The thugs? Maybe they do it. Who knows?

But if he lives, I think the point is being made that he is ALWAYS going to be looking over his shoulder. He is ALWAYS going to be worried about federal indictment. Thanks to his poor parenting, his kids are ALWAYS going to be inept on some level. He will ALWAYS have to look after Janice. He is ALWAYS going to be looking for someone to listen to him whine about his mudder. There will ALWAYS be some competing Capo with whom he vacillates between uneasy truce and all-out war. He will ALWAYS be haunted by the ghosts of people like Christopher. Even if he lives out his natural life, he might end up like Junior, or his mother.

I think the point is, whether Tony survives that dinner or not, his life is and will always be ****ty. It's the path he's chosen, and it will never be any better than it was at that moment.

[Rogue]

A day later, I am really digging the ending. The cynic in me thinks that it will (and was designed to) help with reruns and DVDs. If we were all talking today about the great scene where Tony got whacked at the end, even those who haven't watch the Sopranos so far would know how it ends unless they deliberately crawl under a rock for the next month and even then it could be mentioned by some stand-up hack when they aren't expecting it. It's all about the Benjamins.

[tulsaoilerfan]

maybe the dvd will finish the story and make them all even richer

[OCUDad]

Maybe the DVD will contain multiple endings so the viewer can choose one he/she likes. They must have shot several alternative endings so nobody could give away the real one.

[tulsaoilerfan]

After watching the ending again, i'm leaning to thinking that Tony got whacked

[Soonerchaz]

I think they specifically mentioned that it probably goes black and silent when you're whacked. That's what leads me to believe Tony was killed there at the end. Black and silent just like they discussed.

I don't think Tony was killed. If anyone was clipped at the end...it was you...me and everyone else that religiously watch this great series.

I absolutely loved the ending.

(And was that guy at the bar really all that sinister? Who says he was looking over at their table. You really couldn't tell.)

[Taxman71]

I think Chase setup "Sopranos: The Early Years - When Johnny Boy and Jun Ran North Jersey"...in a George Lucas prequal sort of way. It would be brilliant.

Oh, and Meadow cannot parallel park because she is, well, a girl.

Lastly, who would have whacked Tony, if it happened? Phil's crew all seemed fine with whacking Phil. Just a random dissenting soldier?

[ousoonerfan]

Lastly, who would have whacked Tony, if it happened? Phil's crew all seemed fine with whacking Phil. Just a random dissenting soldier?

Little Carmine?

[Viking Kitten]

I think Chase setup "Sopranos: The Early Years - When Johnny Boy and Jun Ran North Jersey"...in a George Lucas prequal sort of way. It would be brilliant.



You have seen Godfather Part II, right?

[Taxman71]

You have seen Godfather Part II, right?

I am hoping for more than just an hour and a half though.

If Little Carmine had it in him, I would be shocked. He has been more than willing to stay out of the dirty stuff, make money and be safe. Then again, Tony has never been more vulnerable with Chris, Bobby, Jun and Sil unable to help. AJ suddenly regains a zest for life by narrowly missing death (in his mind), but is far too inept to take revenge.

[Taxman71]

I don't think Tony was killed. If anyone was clipped at the end...it was you...me and everyone else that religiously watch this great series.

I absolutely loved the ending.

(And was that guy at the bar really all that sinister? Who says he was looking over at their table. You really couldn't tell.)

True, plus I don't think anyone really wanted to see Tony killed. We know he will either die or go to prison eventually anyway, but don't want that image. Plus, it would have partially spoiled watching the DVDs in the future.

[BigRedJed]

After watching the ending again, i'm leaning to thinking that Tony got whacked
I agree. I watched it again last night. Of course, the beauty is that you can believe whatever you want, and it gives you a message either way. But after watching it, in my own personal Sopranos world, I believe he got shot at that moment. The world went black. No music. It came from nowhere. They did enough foreshadowing related to the "I wonder if you hear the one that gets you," even in this episode, to make it take that direction in my mind.

I think the guy who wrote the review saying something to the effect of "the show keeps on going, we just can't watch anymore," missed that possiblity entirely, much like I did the first time I watched it. I went away believing that he could be whacked in one minute, one year or ten years. That he could go to prison, or be imprisoned by his lifestyle. I now leave the show thinking the sudden end was simultaneous to Tony's.

Although it's third-person, the show has always to some extent been told from T's POV, so I think his demise means the show literally stops. Not just comes to a conclusion; it STOPS.

[tulsaoilerfan]

I agree. I watched it again last night. Of course, the beauty is that you can believe whatever you want, and it gives you a message either way. But after watching it, in my own personal Sopranos world, I believe he got shot at that moment. The world went black. No music. It came from nowhere. They did enough foreshadowing related to the "I wonder if you hear the one that gets you," even in this episode, to make it take that direction in my mind.

I think the guy who wrote the review saying something to the effect of "the show keeps on going, we just can't watch anymore," missed that possiblity entirely, much like I did the first time I watched it. I went away believing that he could be whacked in one minute, one year or ten years. That he could go to prison, or be imprisoned by his lifestyle. I now leave the show thinking the sudden end was simultaneous to Tony's.

Although it's third-person, the show has always to some extent been told from T's POV, so I think his demise means the show literally stops. Not just comes to a conclusion; it STOPS.
good analysis; this show has always been about Tony, and if he had ever been killed off i think the show would have been dead also.

[Taxman71]

The first thing I thought when the screen went blank (after cursing my DVR) was that it was an American Beauty type of ending. He realized what was most importat was his family (esp. children), appeared to be at peace for the first time in a while (Federal charges notwithstanding) and BAM, it's over.

Plus, didn't AJ's girlfriend know they were going to Holsten's when she left their house? Someone could have easily got to her after she left and learned this info.

I think this is what David Chase wanted. I don't recall anyone analyzing the last episode of Cheers, Seinfeld (in a good way) or any other show.

[stoopified]

isn't that the best time for a pole-dancer?
Yup.

[SicEmBaylor]

The show ended without seeing Meadow topless. The show is thus a total failure.

[BigRedJed]

Sounds like you should have been the star.

[Viking Kitten]

But Jed, the show already had a character called "Big P***y."

[JohnnyMack]

http://www.cnn.com/2007/SHOWBIZ/TV/10/23/tv.sopranos.davidchase.ap/index.html