Final episode of The Sopranos.

I finally watched this last night after watching every episode in order on HBO. I remember many people being underwhelmed by the go-to-black ending.

Can we assume that, since the show was seen through Tony's eyes, that he was killed in retaliation for the shooting of Phil Leotardo, even tho PL's crew essentially OKed the shooting? Can we assume the shifty-looking guy at the counter who went to the men's room just before Meadow enters the restaurant was the shooter?

I didn't watch the show at the time and don't remember if the show's administrators ever gave a definitive explanation of the ending. I'd also like to hear some conjecture from those on this board who were fans.

Great series. Many of the actors had the role of their lives.

 

The thought that Tony was capped was too easy ... and not something Chase would mess with, IMHO. I always took the fade to black as a representation of what Tony's life had become. He cannot be comfortable. Everywhere he turns for the rest of his life, there is the potential for danger. He's trapped in his own little hell of his own making with no way out.

 

I initially took this view--which I like--but have been convinced by the "Tony is Dead" proponents since then. Chase's post-finale comments seem to pretty explicitly point to it at some times, but not at others. He has specifically mentioned Tony's talk with Bobby about now knowing when it happens and Silvio's dinner with The Hair as critical to the ending. On the other hand, he has said there is more than one way to interpret the ending.

In either case, this is a pretty fun read if you have (a lot) of free time. Even if you don't agree with it, you can appreciate the time, effort, and thought that it must have taken to draft it.

http://masterofsopranos.wordpress.com/the-sopranos-definitive-explanation-of-the-end/

 

I've read two analysis pieces that made sense, although I lean toward the first.

1. Tony got whacked, and had no idea it was coming, just like as Bobby described it when he and Tony were on the lake.
2. Tony had a panic attack, and we saw it through his eyes.

But when I try to have these conversations with Mrs. Beanpole, she rolls her eyes and says to take the ending just for what it was -- the last scene of a great show. (She also loved the Seinfeld finale, though, so she's got that working against her.)

 

Chase: "I don't know what to do. I got 12 endings for this thing, and every one is gonna piss somebody off. This was is too obvious; that one is too cheezy; the other one is too improbable; this one ties the loose ends too perfectly; that one leaves too many things unresolved. No matter what I do, this will go down with "Seinfeld" as the anticipated finale that fell flat."

Assistant: "Fade to black."

Chase: "Say what?"

Assistant: "Fade to black. Hear me out here. You're right; you can't win with an ending, so don't give 'em one. Create tension --- you can do that just fine --- and then fade to black."

Chase: "But there will be an uproar."

Assistant: "For 5 minutes, perhaps. But people are idiots. People are easily fooled. People like to pretend they are smarter than the next guy. They will see your "nothing" ending and stamp MEANING on it. They will invent shit to justify the gnawing "Why the hell did I waste years on this show?" feeling in their gut. Basically they will tell themselves, "It can't be nothing; it must be something!" and they will find that something. They got to tell their buddies something, right? They can't go to them and complain, "I didn't get the ending," because their buddies will laugh at them for not "getting it." So they will invent something, anything, to explain it all."

Chase: "Hmmm . . . I'll think it over."

 

But it didn't "fade" to black, it CUT to black.

There's a difference.

 

Unrelated to anything... But I want to punch your avatar(s) in the face.

 

I've spent waaaay too much time thinking and reading about the possible scenarios, and I still don't know. I saw every minute of every episode, so I'm certainly a Sopranos fan. One day I can read a "got whacked" piece and buy into it. The next day I can read a "didn't get whacked" conclusion and can see that side, too.

 

Bingo. CUT to black is much more dramatic. No music. No nothing. I wish they wouldn't have even rolled credits. Just put on screen, The End

I thought it was a great ending.

 

I saw an interview with Chase where he explained the ending as just .... ending. He said we dropped into Tony Soprano's life at a particular point and now we just drop back out of it.

 

Loved the ending.

He put us in Tony's shoes. Even though everything in his life seems great (son, daughter and wife are all happy and cool) he still is worring about a bullet in the back of his head.

 

I think the ending is better today than it was when it happened...