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- dawgma, on 10/11/2007, -35/+255Look... Listen...
Tony died. He was shot in front of his family the moment Meadow walks into the restaurant. The final scene is viewed from Tony's perspective (as is most of the show) and the reason it cuts to black when it did was because he was shot and killed at that moment.
The key to understanding the last scene comes from a phrase by Bobby that was repeated a couple times: "I bet you don't hear it when it happens."
The bullet travels faster than sound... and it enters Tony's head before he ever hears it.
Everyone who complains that the ending was meaningless just hasn't given the show the benefit of the doubt. If you stuck with the show this long you must understand the symbolism of the complete silence during the credits. It's the first time a show has ended without music.
So, if you think the ending was meaningless or a lame attention grabber, think again. Because there is meaning here... and it's spectacular. - Humptydank, on 10/11/2007, -23/+177
It was as if millions of unresolved plotlines suddenly cried out in terror, and were suddenly silenced. I fear something terrible has happened. - allengeer, on 10/11/2007, -9/+106The ending was well done. The audience fully experiences what its like in Tony's world. The edge of your seat. The constant suspicion.
- Battleloser, on 10/11/2007, -18/+98They succeeded in making it a memorable end.
Do I want more? ***** yes, but isn't that one of the golden rules of showbiz? - drunkjack, on 10/11/2007, -19/+93I said it over at Fark:
-
Seriously, I think this was a test.
Hated it: You never understood the show. You may have thought you liked it, but I bet you biatched about everything NOT about the mob. Didn't you? You hated everything NOT involving a greasy mobster beating someone up or whacking someone. Didn't you? You wanted Goodfells(or the Godfather) on TV. You hated all the weird side trips and dream sequences, you loathed Kevin Finnerty. You would never have been satisfied with any ending that didn't involve a bloodbath.
Loved It: You understood the show was about more than the farking mob. I'm baking all five of you a special imaginary cookie.
It's not about intelligence, it's about what you wanted from the show, if you wanted the show to be something it never claimed to be, you hated the ending.
If you wanted the show to be what it was, whatever that was, and you were willing to go along for the ride, you enjoyed it.
If you wanted Goodfellas, you would never have gotten it, because Chase wasn't making Goodfellas.
I've seen this in my own family. I loved it, because I enjoyed every weird moment of the show, my brother, hated it was annoyed, because he wanted blood and guts and whackings.
And this is what annoys me, people who hated it hated it for all the wrong reasons, because it was never what they wanted it to be, and this ending shoved that in their faces. - joaob, on 10/11/2007, -28/+99The war with New York was over. So who would have killed Tony? Contrary to popular belief the mob does have codes of conduct and certain things have to be carried out in certain ways.
You guys are reaching with your theory which has no evidence to support it.
David Chase ended the series exactly how he wanted to end it....have fun crying about it now. - oolatin79, on 10/11/2007, -13/+84I thought the cat was a reincarnated Christopher.
- humpy, on 10/11/2007, -19/+87Bobby said something like, "you never hear the one that gets ya'". in a previous episode
- punkrockscks, on 10/11/2007, -4/+71The ending was awesome in the fact that about 2 million people simultaneously said, "THE ***** TV CRAPPED OUT NOW?!?!?!?"
- CrashKC, on 08/25/2008, -17/+82Read this on another site. Makes sense to me, but it still sucked and I'm still pissed. What a ***** ending.
"Remember at the end of the previous episode when tony thinks back to a conversation he had with Bobby. They were talking about how when it happens [that is, when you get whacked] you probably don’t even know it. everything just goes black.]
that is what happened at the end. we witness tony get whacked from tony’s point of view. if he got a bullet straight in his head, then he would probably have no idea what happened. he would probably never know what hit him. and consequently, he would never know ANYTHING after that.
So the ending created a sense of what its like to get whacked. BAM! End of story." - fuzzmello, on 10/11/2007, -41/+106don't stop believin'. ***** excellent ending to the very best television series to date. excellent.
- eyechart, on 10/11/2007, -13/+73tony is dead. watch the last scene again (I have several times). everytime someone comes into the door you hear the bell then the camera view shows tony, then switches to his point of view to show who is entering the restaurant. this pattern happens 3 times (first with curly haired lady who looks like janice, then trucker dude with USA cap, then carmela, then hitman followed by AJ, then meadow)
When meadow enters the restaurant you hear the bell, see tony and then it is black. The view from his perspective is black - he is dead (flashback to conversation on lake with Bobby)
This is the only possible explanation given what we have seen on screen.
-ec - carguy84, on 10/11/2007, -71/+131Did my DTV ***** up the last 10 seconds, or was it just black??? I'm guessing my DTV ***** up because no director would ever end a series that dumb.
- Jesse, on 10/11/2007, -7/+67I'm in the camp that life went on for them. We got killed in the end, not Tony. We didn't see it coming. The screen went black for US.
- Rmo4, on 10/11/2007, -5/+56As far as action goes it was a weak ending, but I still thought it was good. They went for the artistic wrap up. The scene in the restaurant was all about Tony, his family, and his lifestyle all being part of the fabric of American culture. They showed them surrounded by all the other members of society and how they coexist. Anthony showed up late because he had been considering lots of different life opportunities but eventually fell in line with his father's life by getting a job through him, with the hopes of eventually owning a club Tony would invest in. The whole thing with Meadow parking was showing how she was struggling with her past as a mob boss's daughter while trying to make it as a legit lawyer. They cut out before she actually goes into the restaurant because she was the only one who broke the mold of the Soprano family. Also, when Anthony brought up the fact that Tony had told him to remember the good times, that was their message to the viewer as well. Everyone wanted to see Tony get shot or thrown in jail, but what they should be doing is accepting a relatively uneventful close to a show full of satisfying moments. Or maybe not...
- inactive, on 10/11/2007, -12/+60Tony didn't die. It was the audience that got killed. Their lives continue, but we won't be there to see it.
- jameskong15, on 10/11/2007, -8/+50@dunezone
The problem is that it wasn't through his own eyes. If it had been, we would have been looking at the door. Instead we were looking at Tony... - Jesse, on 10/11/2007, -12/+51Don't quit your dayjob.
- jameskong15, on 10/11/2007, -3/+37I don’t know how people are coming up with the idea that we are seeing it through his eyes or whatever. The last picture we saw was of Tony. If it had been through his eyes, we would have been looking at the door (as was the case multiple times immediately prior to the ending).
- mattxb, on 10/11/2007, -2/+33They went out of their way to emphasize that the show just stopped, no ending. They stopped in the middle of a line of music, with Meadow in the middle of coming in the door, with a possible hit man in the bathroom of the restaurant, with an indictment looming over Tony. AJ is already complaining about his new job, we still don't really know what Meadow will do with her life, Silvie may or may not live, they even introduce new plots for Junior, Paulie and Janice, only to leave them unresolved.
I think it was a good way to end it. People may say they want resolution, but if they killed Tony that would create more questions than it answered, and who really wanted him to end up in jail. And for those of you who don't like open ended questions, the sound effects guys definitely made sure we know for certain that Phil Leotardo is dead, which is really the only thing most fans could agree they wanted from the finale. - Mikey9oo, on 10/11/2007, -7/+38
The ending was brilliant. AJ’s story is to highlight the themes of the excesses of capitalism that the mob represents-a theme familiar from the Godfather. At the same time, he represents what a hypocracy Tony and all the mob members’ lives are-and many Americans for that matter. AJ
talks about making a difference but cannot function on his own. He has to have things handed to him-when he realizes he has to make something for himself-he decides to join the military so they can run his life-only to be handed, and paid off by his parents to do a different job.
Really, why are so many people upset about this ending? I think it would have been much more cliche and obvious for Tony to either be whacked or dragged in by the cops. I enjoy subtltey-to not have to have my hand held. I would have been dissapointed if any of the things we expected had occured as opposed to this. And, it leaves us wondering-framed through Tony’s eyes-what could have happened. I would rather go on wondering about this than have a definitive end-because these characters’ lives live on.
Everything about this episode was brilliant. The writing is very intelligent and you have to be able to pay attention to-again-subtltey and, in addition motifs and themes of the show.
Look, as people have said this could be interpreted many ways:
1) Tony gets whacked
2) We live through the framing of Tony's paranoia
3) It was nothing-but Tony is going to get indicted anyway-but what will happen?
Everything in the show is put there for a reason. Pay attention. This episode was very much about the excesses of America. We are reminded of America and American values. That is why it ended at a burger joint and there were a group of cub scouts in the background.
I think there are intelligent people that watch Sopranos, and people that just like the mob and the blood, bang, and glitz. I will probably get dugg down for saying that-but this was a great ending. Do you guys really think it would have been better to see Tony shot, or actually see him arrested? I don't. - Saxi, on 10/11/2007, -3/+33Actually parallel parking was great TV. It built up a ton of suspense, it also made you wonder if Meadow was going to get hit/wacked.
- gharding, on 10/11/2007, -5/+34I agree. It was so much better this way than if they showed them get shot up. This ending gives me so much more respect for the show and David Chase. They could have taken the easy way out and just killed everyone in the end, but they went the RIGHT way and did what was best for the show, for the show's sake.
- mstohlman, on 10/11/2007, -3/+30I believe this was an episode that directly manipulated the intentions of the viewer. Throughout the duration of the episode, the viewer believes his assumptions/predictions will be affirmed, only for these affirmations to backfire.
To me, this was the most realistic episode in the entire series, in that little drama and little action really happened. What is displayed his hyper-reality, where things are rarely, if ever, resolved. Tony obviously promotes Pauly, he confronts his Uncle Junior to little or no avail, he visits Sylvio and there is little or no progress in his health. It's a jab at the expectations of the viewer -- which is most readily apparent in playing Journey's cliched and over-the-top anthem "Don't Stop Believing."
I'm satisfied with the ending. I went in not expecting Tony to get wacked, or to be arrested by the feds, because if he did, it would be ultimately be too preachy, to didactic in a crime-doesn't-pay sense. This isn't a show about crime, it's about relationships, about characters, about people with issues in a less-than orthodox circumstance trying to retain some semblance of normalcy.
The ending was mysterious enough in the sense that it also played with the pre-conceived notions and stereotyping of the audience with the seemingly impending doom placed upon Tony and his family in the restaurant by the black men and the Italian fellow at the counter. Reading the other comments, I never considered that this ending was from the point of view of Tony, but it gives more legitimacy to the dead-air other than self-indulgence on Chase's part.
I may be in the minority, but, like I said, the ending worked for me -- and I think it worked for everyone else, however directly. It's intention was for discussion sake, and here we all are, discussing and illuminating each other.
The Sopranos is all about the small details, about picking them out and exchanging them with others. Regardless of your view of the episode, we'll all continue to discuss and pick out little bits and pieces of the show. That's where its genius lies. - dunezone, on 10/11/2007, -11/+38You I hated the ending till I read that and it makes complete sense now.
No one wanted to see Tony get it so whats the best way to see him get it? Through his own eyes. - da_bradler, on 10/11/2007, -15/+40Sorry guys he didn't die, there was no ending, that's the ending. think about it. there was so much speculation as what the end would be, and there is so much tension, your supposed to not know what happens, you supposed to be left sitting in your own tension trying to figure out what happend.
But seriously it ended exactly however you think it ended - drunkjack, on 10/11/2007, -5/+28Allow me to say, I do not think someone who wanted the Goodfellas on TV is dumb.
They just wanted something Chase never intended on giving them. And to bitch about it is, y'know, kinda dumb, he clearly stated his intentions for the show early on, it was a personal work wrapped in the trappings of a genre work.
But hey, don't get all hateful because the end didn't suit your tastes, think about the rest of the series, you got a ton of mob action and humor, and boobies, lots and lots of boobies.
I'm just sad we never got to see Meadow's boobies. - Arkonnan, on 10/11/2007, -3/+26So how many of you thought you lost your cable signal and started cursing and swearing while frantically messing around with your remote?
Come on, be honest. ;p - m4ttjirM, on 10/11/2007, -0/+22I don't understand all the complaining. Am I the only one who watched the episode?
1) The NY gang gave Tony the OK to whack Phil, they obviously knew that Phil took it too far.
2) Tony finally talks to Junior Soprano in the old folks place
3) AJ Is finally happy and laughing again
4) Tony's wife had all the papers with her real estate going good
5) Meadow left med school and is about to marry that guy
6) Tony's sister is going to get money because NY said they'd settle the payment.
7) Paulie accepted the new job from tony after hesitation
8) Tony finally went to sil's bed side.
Really the only thing you can really wonder about is the cat. Pressure was ordered off of Tony and the mob would never have him whacked in front of his family.
Carlo is the rat and he is going to talk against Tony.
Now think about this for a movie if there ever is one - AJ is happy, meadow is about to get married, Phil is dead, Carlo is going to speak against Tony, if sil wakes up from the comma and paulie has his old position will sil get it back?!!?!?! This ending was brilliant and it showed everyone as happy before it ended.
The restaraunt scene was perfect because everyone kept thinkin someone was going to pop out and whack tony! I'm sure we were all looking at the clock too to see how much time the episode had left. When meadow couldn't parallel park the car, it made us think she wasnt going to make it in on time to save her father! The episode just ends thats all. There isn't any reason that tony got killed at the end. Think about it, if they showed meadow running into the restaraunt dont u think she'd have a HORRIFIED LOOK ON HER FACE TO SEE A GUNMAN STANDING BEHIND HER FATHER?
and some people are thinking that the arab guy at the bar possibly blew the restaraunt up, I don't think that happened. You know how the episode is called MADE IN AMERICA? The ending could symbolize that 1 - we thought the arab was going to blow hte place up and 2 - the black guys were about to clip tony. This could all show that this was our prejudice in america....
so honestly i think the only things that were in question were the cat, why paulie was acting so damn weird for a couple scenes, and wat happens if sil awakens? - tHePeOPle, on 10/11/2007, -14/+36meh. I kinda thought the Heroes season finale was the worst ever. It had so much more potential to be awesome.
- Supafly, on 10/11/2007, -0/+21You're full of *****, I just re-read the credits about 10 times, "Nikki Leotardo" is not even mentioned in the credits.
The two black guys are not the same actors that played the two who were paid to wack Tony in season two. Although, I have to admit, even I was thinking that.
Honestly? I think he left it open ended, I haven't seen any good evidence pointing to anything definitive... - iwillrefuse, on 10/11/2007, -13/+34I could not agree more. This was a straight-up idiot test. And guess what? People are failing.
- DrStephanHeimer, on 10/11/2007, -5/+25@gcnaddict
"I hate it when people make me think up an ending. I DONT WANT TO THINK WHEN I WATCH A SHOW. I want to enjoy it, not think and worry about it."
then watch American idol or some other BS 'reality' show. - nanoware, on 10/11/2007, -19/+39Got this from supertorrents who got it from the hbo boards.
"WOW!!!! AMAZING!!!
OK, at first I was really angry. I mean really, really angry. I can't believe though that no-one has posted by now what happened. The only thing I saw that was right, was that in the last scene we are seeing through Tony's eyes. Remember when he was speaking with Bobby...basically saying that you don't see it happening?
So here is what I found out. The guy at the bar is also credited as Nikki Leotardo. The same actor played him in the first part of season 6 during a brief sit down concerning the future of Vito. That wasn't that long ago. Apparently, he is the nephew of Phil. Phil's brother Nikki Senior was killed in 1976 in a car accident. Absolutely Genius!!!! David Chase is truly rewarding the true fans who pay attention to detail.
So the point would have been that life continues and we may never know the end of the Sopranos. But if you pay attention to the history, you will find that all the answers lie in the characters in the restaurant. The trucker was the brother of the guy who was robbed by Christopher in Season 2. Remember the DVD players? The trucker had to identify the body. The boy scouts were in the train store and the black guys at the end were the ones who tried to kill Tony and only clipped him in the ear (was that season 2 or 3?).
Absolutely incredible!!!! There were three people in the restaurant who had reason to kill Tony and then it just ends. This was Chase's way of proving that he will not escape his past. It will not go on forever despite that he would like it to "don't stop". Not the fans!!! Tony would like it to keep going but just as we have to say goodbye, so does he. No more Tony and I guess we are supposed to be happy that Meadow didn't get clipped as well (she would have been between the shooter and Tony) since she is the only one worth a crap in that family.
Thank you David Chase for making it so obscure that I feel bad for hating you at first. Absolutely amazing!!!!"
what do you guys thuink? - jameskong15, on 10/11/2007, -5/+24@seks03
Exactly. We were not seeing anything from Tony's point of view at that point. We were looking at him. If we had been looking at the door (which happened a few times), it would be a good theory. - pyro789x, on 10/11/2007, -6/+25In the interest of research, I just looked through your recent submissions..
You are a sad, sad little man. - inactive, on 10/11/2007, -2/+20Did you guys hear the last song?
Don't Stop Believn'-Journey
It obviously wants you to think about what could have happened. - FattyCorpuscle, on 10/11/2007, -2/+20Phil Leotardo....worst....wheel chock....EVER!
- fober, on 10/11/2007, -18/+36I heard they ran out of film.
- dukrous, on 10/11/2007, -13/+30I thought the worst finale was Seinfeld...
- pixelate, on 10/11/2007, -6/+23Best reason I have to believe that Tony probably died...
He ate an orange. (Scene where he goes to visit his family in their safe house, while talking to Carmela)
Oranges have been a sign of impending danger for a long time, most visibly in the Godfather series:
http://www.jgeoff.com/godfather/oranges.html - inactive, on 10/11/2007, -2/+19@ dunezone
The final frame was Tony. I have seen it twice now. HBOE, HBOW
For whatever reason, it's 10x better the second time. Keep in mind that I hated it the first time around. - FiveSix, on 10/11/2007, -7/+24My theory is that the show was highlighting the way we all stereotype people. We see some shifty looking "Italians" and we assume that they are there to kill Tony. Then some black guys walk in and we assume they are after him to... Maybe what it was saying was what the show pointed out a number of times ethnic identity is not destiny. I.E. why there was so much discussion of one child becoming a doctor and another flirting with joining the military...
Or so I read it.
Also how awesome was it seeing Phil get clipped and then run over. - BigBucksT, on 10/11/2007, -3/+19I liked it. I just hate Tony's son, and to see him get an M3 was painful.
- Battleloser, on 10/11/2007, -15/+31@JordanM85
I don't mean to sound like a dick... But you totally didn't get it. - Zopwx2, on 10/11/2007, -0/+16I am actually surprised that most people here interpreted the black screen as Tony getting shot. I took it more as a little taste of the paranoia Tony lives with everytime someone opened a door or goes to the bathroom and even though the show ended life goes on for them.
- jmanlasman, on 10/11/2007, -12/+27Are you kidding! Have you seen Entourage?
- seehuge, on 10/11/2007, -1/+16from the hbo boards:
The end credits of this episode just say "Man in Members Only Jacket" not Nikki Leotardo (hell, googling "Nikki Leotardo" yields no results!). And if you google actor Paolo Colandrea (who played "Man in Members Only Jacket"), you get this:
http://www.phillyburbs.com/pb-dyn/news/111-06092007-1360360.html
This guy owns a pizzeria in Philly and has never been on the Sopranos before. So he's not "Nikki Leotardo." - pugetsound98406, on 10/11/2007, -4/+19I thought it was a good ending. If it would have shown him get killed people would have complained that he died. If it had a happy ending people would have complained. This way it lets everyone decide for themselves what happened. It's like Pulp Fiction. You never knew what was in the briefcase but it was a great movie. Same thing here. We don't know what happened for sure, but it was a great series.
- AWBoy666, on 10/11/2007, -1/+15I was more jealous of how incredibly ***** hot his gf was.
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