I just got done watching The Sopranos series finale. I don’t want to write a complete rundown/review of the episode, that is for others to do. Did some of the characters meet their untimely death? Of course. But I think most people (including myself) are shocked at the final scene, which just ended with a black screen and no music. Was Tony about the be whacked by the guy that just went to the bathroom? Or was that just misdirection? One thing is for sure, the series leaves the story open for a movie - something that has been rumored for years now. What do you guys think?
Update: HBO.com has crashed due to the wrath of Soprano fans.
June 10th, 2007 at 7:23 pm
T lives on!!!!
June 10th, 2007 at 7:23 pm
Tony is dead! Don’t you remember that they have been talking about “the endâ€.?? They kept saying when it happens, you don’t even know. Everything goes dark. The last thing you see is Tony looking at his daughter……then black. Tony was wacked and it was a BRILLIANT ending…
June 10th, 2007 at 7:26 pm
Well me and my boyfriend thought there was a bomb in the resturant, and it blew up as Meadow walks in. Thats why the screen went black and there was no sound.
June 10th, 2007 at 7:28 pm
What was that!? Just cut to black? I was expecting the greatest ending in television history. I feel so let down!!!!!
June 10th, 2007 at 7:30 pm
We all were moved to a climax that never happened. We sat and watched the last 5 minutes waiting for a car to exploid, a gun to be pulled- we all were paranoid!. My feeling is that the finale put us in Tony’s shoes for the last time. The restraunt scene was intense- everybody in the place was a killer in our minds. We lived Tony’s life in those last 5 minutes of the Finale. I think the ending was a masterpiece!
June 10th, 2007 at 7:30 pm
Or maybe that didn’t happen-that’s why the screen went black. An artistic end to
a well-produced series.
June 10th, 2007 at 7:32 pm
What about the cat and Paullie? What did that mean?
June 10th, 2007 at 7:33 pm
To me, the end was that there WAS no end. It kept in total spirit with the series. In a In a word…. Brilliant.
June 10th, 2007 at 7:35 pm
what a bullshit ending !
June 10th, 2007 at 7:35 pm
very, very weak. i see what he did - it was stupid. he wants us to not know for sure what happened yet does the whole gun stuck in the bathroom schtick from the godfather. the guini that was looking at him walks into the bathroom and the show stops on a dime. Fucking douchebag alludes to his being killed without telling us.
By far the worst episode of the season. Chase is so full of himself that he just wants people to talk about the episode and let the debate go on over what happened for years to come. What an egomaniac. There are so many ways he could have made it an incredible ending.
and to have that awful song on at the end…just terrible.
June 10th, 2007 at 7:35 pm
The guy that went into the bathroom is going to come out to kill Tony. Only, while he is in the bathroom, Meadow, who is running late, sits down in the empty spot beside Tony. And the guy comes out and kills Meadow instead.
Duh!
June 10th, 2007 at 7:36 pm
Real life never ends so The Sopranos had no ending. How can people who have watched a series for so long not understand that? Tony, however, could be dead, thus the fade to black as he was shot and killed.
June 10th, 2007 at 7:36 pm
The cat was Adrianna.
June 10th, 2007 at 7:38 pm
The finale was TERRIBLE - the worst.
I will never pay money for anything involving David Chase.
A cheap hollywood b.s. trick.
June 10th, 2007 at 7:41 pm
Disappointing, boring episode. A leave-it-to-your imagination ending after a boring episode made a dull episode worse. Wish I hadn’t wasted my time.
June 10th, 2007 at 7:42 pm
I’m filing my disconnection notice with HBO as we speak …
June 10th, 2007 at 7:43 pm
that episode sucked !!!
June 10th, 2007 at 7:43 pm
Worst episode of the season. Too many 2 second scenes, jumping from character to character
and point to point, which was extremely annoying. The ending was also annoying and bad.
Chase is too full of himself. We get the point, okay? Loose ends aren’t always tied up. Things
go on. Bad guys are not always punished and continue on to breathe another day. Or, maybe
the real point is, were there any onion rings left for Meadow by the time she got her car
parked? That’s reality, too, right?
June 10th, 2007 at 7:43 pm
Interesting message with the SUV. SUV’s are killing our children due to emissions… So naturally have the SUV with the kids run over its owners head.
June 10th, 2007 at 7:44 pm
PU This episode was terrible. What a let down. Never again am I being pulled in by David Chase or the Sopranos
June 10th, 2007 at 7:45 pm
Yeah, I agree with “bill”. 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.
June 10th, 2007 at 7:46 pm
brilliant ending, but what happens to paulie?, uncle junior?, sil?
June 10th, 2007 at 7:49 pm
I liked the show, I just want to know what exactly happened….I waited this long, and I just want to know!!! Stressful!!! However, Phil got what he deserved!!!
June 10th, 2007 at 7:51 pm
I think that Tony was killed and thus the blackout. However, the episode ends in a way that any other ending is possible. David Chase still owns the Sopranos and he can do whatever he wants with it.
June 10th, 2007 at 7:51 pm
So Someone what you are saying is the audience got whacked. We never saw it coming and then the screen went blank. It still was horrible
June 10th, 2007 at 7:52 pm
It was staged to get people wondering, speculating about what happened,
looking for clues - and it worked. The Sopranos lives on.
It was also a way to keep the door open for , yes folks Sopranos, the
movie which of coarse would answer those questions and pick up where this
‘last’ episode left off.
June 10th, 2007 at 7:59 pm
So did Peter Petrelli kill Sylar, or did he get away into the manhole??
June 10th, 2007 at 8:01 pm
I feel like I was hustled and we are going to cancel HBO tomorrow!!
June 10th, 2007 at 8:03 pm
I finally get Darth Vader was Luke’s father.
June 10th, 2007 at 8:03 pm
Initially I was completely disapointed and shocked at how terrible the episode was. Most of it was spent on the meaningless AJ and his meaningless life. Who cares about his SUV, or his girlfriend, or his future?
Also, why did we need to watch Meadow park her car for 5 mins at the absolute end of our beloved show? How ridiculous.
However, after reading a post above I swayed my hate, but only a bit. The poster claimed that the last 5-10 mins was like living in Tony’s shoes for those minutes. I think this is an excellent observation!
But all in all, it was a bad episode, that left it’s cult like following pissed off!
June 10th, 2007 at 8:08 pm
The series finale SUCKED big time. This was the worse series finale ever. The only good part was that Phil got whacked. Everything else was a waste of time. And as for the question about loose ends, H*** No it did not tie up any loose ends. What were the writers thinking??? This episode was really bad. I give it 2 thumbs down!!!! HATED IT!!!!!
June 10th, 2007 at 8:10 pm
Pure crap. HBO has become pretentious garbage. It’s like a “Twin Peaks” virus has infected their entire schedule. Not going to even bother with their new shows. Time to find a network that isn’t so full of itself.
June 10th, 2007 at 8:11 pm
I ‘get it’, and still thought that was crap. Good riddance that this show is finally
over, has sucked for the last few seasons anyway.
June 10th, 2007 at 8:12 pm
This says how I feel best. It was posted on the HBO board by Vincent12:
“I hate those make up your own ending finales. BOOOO!!!!
I won’t see a Sopranos movie. I’ll wait til it’s on bootleg DVD.
Now if Paulie were to make a movie with that cat…maybe.”
June 10th, 2007 at 8:14 pm
This is the thing. If ALL the seasons were filled with some great writing, nail bitting
episodes. Then the whole fade to black crap at the end would have been SWEET a
masterpeice. But the show has fallen short since the last season. This season was good
but WTF it wasnt THAT good. …
June 10th, 2007 at 8:17 pm
terrible. pretentious. lame.
June 10th, 2007 at 8:20 pm
Absolutely, the worst series’s finale EVER,…and I mean EVER,…And yes, as other mentioned, I have called to cancel HBO. Nothing but meaninless scenes about AJ, Meadow and malarky…JUST HORRIBLE!
June 10th, 2007 at 8:20 pm
Anyone notice who the guy in the hat was in the final scene? it was the guy who owned that sports department store who owed all that money to Tony after sitting in that poker game. His life ruined by tony.
June 10th, 2007 at 8:21 pm
I can understand the whole black thing being Tony’s lights going out but I can’t forget the song. Journey,”Don’t Stop Believing”. I think there is something that we are supposed to hang on to. Like the Russian guy who for the longest time is supposed to show up one day and never does after disappearing into the woods. I guess I don’t want to let go…Or…stop believing
June 10th, 2007 at 8:21 pm
awesome
June 10th, 2007 at 8:24 pm
Chase is Briliant although I first felt a bit of disappointment I soon realized that his ending is realyy just open ended. Tony’s fate is neither defined or discredited. It leave the great possibilty of T returning once again to either our living rooms or the big Theater.
I will the Sunday night ritual of watching the mob family and their sometimes nomal lifes but I also hold hope to once again hear that infamous theme song and T driving into his driveway as I wait anxiously for the next tapestry mob ville.
June 10th, 2007 at 8:28 pm
The ending to me was expected and unexpected in the same breathe. I should have known better then to think david chase or the writers of the series would leave us with a tidy ending. I noticed the whole thing about thinking he was just going to get whacked, but in retrospect I don’t think any of that occured. Its a nice writing trick by chase. He obviously has people debating about the ultimate ending to the whole ordeal. But true fans and followers of the show should know that life just went on. As we know Tony probably just had dinner with his kids and the suspicious guy was just some druggie who went into the bathroom. Because if he was to be hit the guy would have just done it and not waited. i’ve never seen a hit go down on this show that had the guy waiting around letting people profile him if needed be. Anyway take what you want from the ending. Some people will be pissed off obviously. But take it in stride because the fact of the matter is that chase was never going to give us all that we wanted to see. Afterall we are only privy to certain things while other things aren’t shown thus the constant questioning occurs. And for years they will be talking about what really happened after that abrupt ending and it just jumped to black. That was just them telling us time is up this is the end of this chapter. And the book may not be finished but for this set of chapters, and set of stories we will just have to create the rest for ourselves. Afterall isn’t that half the fun in stories?
June 10th, 2007 at 8:33 pm
Tony was whacked at the end. End of story it makes perfect sence. The show was centered around tony, everything happend through his eyes. So at the end he got a bulllet to the head, and thats it. There would be nothing more to tell because tony was the soul of the sopranos.
June 10th, 2007 at 8:36 pm
Brilliant?!?!? Artistic?!?!? What a DISAPPOINTMENT. This is a show about mobsters. There’s nothing “deep” or “artistic” about any of the characters. The ending should have been absolute. I dont want to imagine the ending, I wanna see it. Just like the crowd at the Bing watched Syl get gunned down, just like the strangers at the gas station watched Johnny Sack get his head crushed. There is only two options: 1) this is the worst ending in television history, or 2) theres a kick-ass movie on the way.
I really hope for the latter option…..
June 10th, 2007 at 8:43 pm
the cavs should of won that was horrible
June 10th, 2007 at 8:47 pm
deeply unsatisfying. but i think all went black because T. got whacked. The black screen, the music cut off.. instant death.
June 10th, 2007 at 9:06 pm
If you guys remember in last weeks episode Tony thinks back to him and Bobby in the boat fishing. If you rememner they were talking about grting shot and Bobby says “you probaly don’t even hear it when it happens” So the balck screen and the silence, IMO ment tony got whacked.
It was kinda erie, the way it ended. Especiallysince there was no music.
June 10th, 2007 at 9:14 pm
man, they got my so hyped up about it at the last moments.
then cut out.
i checked my cable to make sure it didnt cut out.
i thought it could have been better
but it really was a brilliant ending.
June 10th, 2007 at 9:17 pm
I live literally around the corner from Holsten’s . . . on Broad Street in Bloomfield. I don’t know about the onion rings, but it IS an ice cream parlor, after all . . . the sundae’s are great!! And yes, it IS impossible to parallel park on Broad Street. ;)
June 10th, 2007 at 9:25 pm
Okay good idea about tony being shot but wouldn’t you hear a gun shot or the cocking of the gun before it went off?
June 10th, 2007 at 10:06 pm
“Okay good idea about tony being shot but wouldn’t you hear a gun shot or the cocking of the gun before it went off?”
Silencers?
June 10th, 2007 at 10:13 pm
Tony got whacked. The whole episode was about the moral shift going on in the Sopranos’ universe:
http://information-bureau.com/?p=978
June 10th, 2007 at 10:16 pm
I think he got wacked, but that is interpretive. No one but the head writer really knows, it is his story after all.
June 10th, 2007 at 10:22 pm
Chase said in the beginning of the series that there were only two ways for the show to end:
1) Tony goes to jail
2) Tony gets whacked
Tony didn’t go to jail soooo…..
June 10th, 2007 at 10:26 pm
the beginning looked like tony laying in a casket with organ music playing.
June 10th, 2007 at 10:29 pm
This episode was strange to say the least, they crammed so much.
Carlo, The FBI Agent, “We might win this thing!”
A.J. suddenly goes “Hollywood” in an instant?
A car that is just rolling, just powers through Phil’s nugget, I thought
it would stop or slow it down like a block. Still nasty death scene.
I didn’t think T got whacked at the end I thought they lived on,
even though I thought they might want to wait for the whole family
to arrive before hitting T. Due to the Phil’s desecrating death.
James Gandofini said that they filmed multiple endings, to disquise
the true ending of the Sopranos. Wonder what those are?
June 10th, 2007 at 10:29 pm
The worst series finale EVER was Star Trek Enterprise… remember?
June 10th, 2007 at 10:33 pm
Abe Lincoln brought up twin peaks..he hit it dead center. Chase is a big David Lynch fan is this was his cheap knockoff ending of a David Lynch series.
June 10th, 2007 at 10:38 pm
um…AJ - wasn’t it Phil Leotardo who got run over at the gas station?
June 10th, 2007 at 10:44 pm
I heard that the creator and main writer doesn’t give a shit about closure, i think the way it ended was his way of saying “F— you, it’s my show and I dont care if you don’t get it ,or you are left hanging”
June 10th, 2007 at 10:44 pm
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.
June 10th, 2007 at 10:45 pm
I have to agree with another comment Toney’s last vision was
Meadow coming through the door then all goes black and quiet.
I think the man going into the rest room was a signal for the man
at the table in the cap and the two other gent in caps that walked
in just before meadow. This crew will be sorely missed.
June 10th, 2007 at 10:52 pm
I believe that no one would have been satisfied with a conventional ending.
Chase left it open so our imaginations can go wild, but we don’t actually have to
know. Thus, we can’t be disappointed by any actual ending that doesn’t meet
expectations.
June 10th, 2007 at 10:54 pm
and here we are-all talking about it and wondering-the end was successufl
June 10th, 2007 at 10:56 pm
The “cut to black” was very much like the cinematic device employed during a hit a couple of episodes ago when everything moves in slow motion for Sil. I forget who actually got wacked that time but the scene at the restaurant table went into slow-mo (with no sound, just like Tony’s experience) and Sil got sprayed with blood. Then the scene go back to normal speed and pandemonium. Sil later describes how everything moved in slow motion and he didn’t even know what happened until he was wiping the blood off of his face. A literal recanting of the cinematic device employed. This prepares the viewer to interpret Tony getting wacked. A similar cinematic device is used. The poster who mentioned Tony and Bobby’s conversation on the boat was correct in seeing this as a foreshadowing. If I’m not mistaken, the boat scene is even revisited in a flashback to reinforce this (after Bobby is wacked in the 2nd to last episode? I forget when the flashback was exactly). While Sil’s experience involved time standing still, Tony’s just went to black because he was the one who got shot. For the poster who pointed out that you heard no shot … it’s been a while since I took physics but I’m pretty sure that a bullet would reach your head from close range before the sound of the shot itself.
June 10th, 2007 at 10:57 pm
Big disappointment…I can appreciate the “loose ends” cliche but I think a series finale of that magnitude had a duty to provide its fans with a spectacular ending…or some sort of closure…bottom line I felt ripped off and deflated
June 10th, 2007 at 10:59 pm
theres somthing i noticed in the begining of the episode that led me to
belive that there was gonna be a meaningless ending. the song that started
off the show is called “keep me hanging on” im not sure who does that
version kuz its a remake. but it was played in difrent parts throughout the
episode wich led me to believe even more that they were gonna keep
us hanging on. i think it was totall crap. the whole idea of leaving us off
wondering is totall bs and just a way for sopranos to be talked about more
and so ppl can up with all these theory’s about stupidest shit but really
the writers had absolutly no idea wat they were about. ppl dont want to
wonder about things they wanna know exactly wat happens and thats it
to leave us off like that is torture, and especially the fact that everyone’s
heart was definatly racing those last 5 minutes. maybe it is from tony’s
point of veiw on the death who knows, but if ur gonna end it like that
atleast let us know wtf’s up with the cat and how sil’s doin and alla that shit.
sopranos was turned from a action packed drama to a boring fkin soap opera
that most ppl turn off when it comes on. all there ideas the past few seasons
were shit. let there be a movie and tie up the loose ends but thats gonna
suck too. i loved the sopranos and watched it since day one but to end it
like that is rediculous.
June 10th, 2007 at 11:00 pm
I think the ending was well done. Everyone in my house was getting agitated about Tony getting killed. The music was loud. The suspense was up. Everyone is checking their watch and wondering if this was going to be a 2 hour episode.
And then black. And I’m sure millions of people, just like me, said, what the hell? Did my cable just go out? I was thinking, as the end was coming up, that there was no way to end the series normally because there just wasn’t enough time left. There certainly wasn’t enough time for reaction shots from the family that we would certainly want to see. It was also apparent, from the fact that we were spending so much time seeing the details of this little seemingly uneventful meal that we’re seeing details of Tony’s life that usually get left out. Seeing a little bit of his perspective. It was, I think, overall a good ending because the tenor of the series over all of these years just doesn’t point to us seeing Tony die. No real fan of the show wanted to see that. It might have been a satisfying excuse to end the series, but the fact of the matter is that we’ve tuned in for so long because we want Tony and his family to live on. I think that when we look back on it in years to come, we’ll be more satisfied knowing that he’s still around. Still, I have to admit that it was a bit disappointing. Perhaps most of all because there was no music for the end credits which has been a Sopranos signature.
I’d have to say that this ending doesn’t compare favorably to the endings of other series such as HBOs own Six Feet Under. As far as I’m concerned their montage ending that touched on the highlights of the live of the remaining characters with some extra attention to Claire’s point of view had unbelievable emotional impact.
On the other hand, the focus of Six Feet Under was the struggles and the lives of the characters to get past their more-or-less ordinary personal challenges and make something meaningful of their lives. While the Sopranos relied just as heavily on the intimate details of the lives of the main characters, we’re not rooting for Tony to overcome his own personal hurdles and to reach his dreams. We tuned into Sopranos to see Tony struggle and fight, to take on those same problems like a mobester. We want to see him do things the way he would do it and we can’t (or can’t get away with). Seeing Tony get old or finally succumb to the forces that would bring him down aren’t what we want to see. So in this case, it’s best to see him at the top of his game. I know that I will always want to remember him that way.
June 10th, 2007 at 11:07 pm
Am I the only one that thought when the camera pans to more then one
guy towards the end that they were Feds not a hitman or hitmen? Carmin
was supposed to have turned rat and the feds got Tony…That’s 1 way but
wtf ever still sucked and the hell with HBO they do shit like this all the time
just live OZ or Carnivale..Gonna Cancel them in the morning hope they
lose tons of people over this garbage..
June 10th, 2007 at 11:09 pm
I thought they could be feds too
June 10th, 2007 at 11:13 pm
i think there were many things honestly that pointed to pauly being a rat,
the fact he turned the promotion that tony offered him down and also his
strong dislike for the cat who was there to catch the rats and how the cat
showed up by pauly after he accepted the promotion at the end. the idea
it being adrianna isnt a bad thought but i think it was there more soo to get
the idea across that pauly might be a rat
June 10th, 2007 at 11:15 pm
agreed
June 10th, 2007 at 11:15 pm
Sopranos creator David Chase could’ve had a monkey eating a banana at the
end of the episode and some folks would write about the ‘brilliance’ behind its
ending.
I prefer to believe that we look at what Tony told Paulie about interpreting the
cat who was fixated on Chrissy’s photo: Don’t read too much into anything.
There are other theories as well:
http://desissified.blogspot.com/2007/06/theories-for-horrid-sopranos-finale.html
June 10th, 2007 at 11:16 pm
Wasn’t any one paying attention? Walks in to the goodie shop with a black leather on, and snap, suddenly he’s sitting at the table!?!?
Isn’t anyone paying attention….it was all made up!
The build on him getting wacked at the end was great tho! Blue collar guy in the USA cap, guy with the OMFG “Members Only” jacket on, or the 2 black dewds….who could it be….dunn dunn dunn :)
Great Ending!
June 10th, 2007 at 11:19 pm
Oh yeah…simply out of respect to Baseketball….STEVE PERRY!
June 10th, 2007 at 11:25 pm
I don’t know why so many people here seems to keep saying that it was an open ending. It seems pretty obvious to me that Tony got whacked. The guy went into the bathroom (though, probably not to get a gun, but just to have a better attack), then comes out and shoots Tony, just as Meadow arrives. The conversation with Bobby was clearly. They couldn’t tie up every single loose end, short of everyone on the show ending up dead, but it did a pretty good job of having the two main players in dead, thus (probably) throwing the whole NY NJ mob scene into chaos.
Overall, I liked it a lot. I guess that pits me against most of the people here, but it was a more satisfying ending than I thought it might be, considering the show has something of a history of not having climactic season finales.
June 10th, 2007 at 11:25 pm
It was Tony’s first person interpretation of the event. He died …cut to black nothing. Just like Sil’s first person interpretation of the hit at the restaurant when everything goes into slow motion and he is covered with brains before he even realizes what happened.
June 10th, 2007 at 11:28 pm
I think the show was done well. It summed the life of being in the mob. “what are you going to do, life goes on” Paulie said. I too was expecting so much more at the end but it definitely had you on the edge and what it feels like to be in Tony shoes. Every time the door opened at the restaurant he was ready to pull out his gun just waiting for something to happen. The song he chose says a lot about T’s character. I don’t think that Tony dies but continues living his miserable life as a mobster.
June 10th, 2007 at 11:28 pm
I thought it was great. After he was shot and it went black going back to that party being greeted at the door by the same guy but only this time being let inside the party. Meeting all the old friends and family lost to his past, some at his own hands. Pussy, Christopher, His Dad and Mom, Adrianna. Music playing as the door closes, Great ending.
June 10th, 2007 at 11:41 pm
What? Going back to that party?? Didn’t happen.
Anyway, I watched it again. It is pretty unclear if he got whacked. It could have just been his paranoia. If you watch it again that guy didn’t necessarily have a gun.
And, it is intentional that the last words are “don’t stop.”
June 10th, 2007 at 11:44 pm
R.I.P. Tony BRILLIANT ending…
June 10th, 2007 at 11:45 pm
I think the debate over what actually happened is over.. tony was definetly whacked. But the cat wasnt adriana it was chrissy and it was goona spend the rest of its days tormenting paulie like he did in real life
p.s. there has to be a spin-off series with paulie, nothing mob related just paulie going to the store in the morning, making lunch, getting gas that kinda stuff I dont care if it wasnt even really that funny I’d watch him read the paper.
June 10th, 2007 at 11:47 pm
oh one more thing.. KEVIN FINNERTY!!!!
i have been waiting and searching in ever episode for this to re-appear in the show.
for those who don’t remeber kevin finnerty was the guy that mixed up his briefcase with tony in the coma episodes.
I thought for sure this would come back as somthing important, maybe I missed it.
June 10th, 2007 at 11:51 pm
Someone left an comment on some forums that made me think. Every kill of anyone was quick and to the point. Bang Bang drops gun runs why in the hell change it now?
I don’t know what happened or what happened all I know is Chase is a smart son of a bitch people will talk about this for a very long time longer then it needs to be talked about and that is what he wants his show to be remembered
June 10th, 2007 at 11:59 pm
Bad ending. WTF?
Who cares about a movie? They will never make a movie because there is nowhere to go with the story which is interesting. It is all played out as evidenced by that useless ending. They have run out of ideas. Too bad. HBO does make some of the best TV In the business. It is about time they shut down this go nowhere series.
MOfo
June 11th, 2007 at 12:02 am
people who say that the ending was brillant are from the same sheep school of thought of the campbells soup can by Andy Warhol in 1968.
nuff said.
crap ending.
June 11th, 2007 at 12:02 am
I feel like I was left with blue-balls. Got all worked up, for nothing.
June 11th, 2007 at 12:05 am
watch it again-all the tension made you think he got whacked. It is pretty harmless.
I do not think he got killed.
June 11th, 2007 at 12:06 am
A Classic Sopranos ending. David Chase is a genius.
He gotcha!!!!!
June 11th, 2007 at 12:08 am
I will remember Chase.
I will remember that bastard and NEVER support him again. This man is out to play us for art. I don’t think money but a sick satisfaction of disturbed art. He get’s a kick out of directing minds. The fans of the Sopranos (I was one) have been brainwashed, mislead, and cheated!
I will remeber Chase.
You truely are a bastard and I will NOT WATCH ANYTHING you are involved with in the futre.
period.
June 11th, 2007 at 12:08 am
I will remember Chase.
I will remember that bastard and NEVER support him again. This man is out to play us for art. I don’t think money but a sick satisfaction of disturbed art. He get’s a kick out of directing minds. The fans of the Sopranos (I was one) have been brainwashed, mislead, and cheated!
I will remeber Chase.
You truely are a bastard and I will NOT WATCH ANYTHING you are involved with in the future.
period.
June 11th, 2007 at 12:08 am
That was the way Tony’s Dad was killed !!
June 11th, 2007 at 12:13 am
What a dissapiontment! Watching after all these years and cut off like this? I was expecting some form of dissapointment because I love the show and don’t want it to end but THIS?
Very unhappy at the outcome.
June 11th, 2007 at 12:20 am
Paulie FLIPPED! So much evidence of this. From the boat episode, when Tony throws the beer at him, to his latest workings with the Italians and whacking Phil, and how he gave it all to Patsy. Not only this, but his flashbacks with pussy, and his overall reluctance to take any jobs for Tony, as the new skip. Paulie was always a VERY greedy individual, and now he wants to “relax” as hes too old. He defly was the one that flipped, and his overall attitude the past few episodes have made this clear.
Discuss!
June 11th, 2007 at 12:21 am
The name says it all.
June 11th, 2007 at 12:29 am
i was thinking cops or wops…who were those guys in the restaraunt.;..there were either one or the other
other wise the episode sucked.
June 11th, 2007 at 12:30 am
what was that finale about? I’ve read many theories about what Chase was thinking. I believe his intentional idea, though creative, did not fit the masses of his base. I think he basically threw up his middle finger at his fans. Whether you liked the ending or not, that is a fact. He has given us all the finger. Some appreciate this apparentley. To those people: taking a rebellious route through support of artists like this may make you feel good initially but what then? How long will having a finger in your face make you see the WHOLE picture of life? Perhaps you have always seen that finger. Perhaps you welcome that finger every day. That is your custom. If so, then this conversation is a moot point. Good luck.
June 11th, 2007 at 12:33 am
R u serious? What a retarded ending! How could that be an ending to such a great show?
June 11th, 2007 at 12:34 am
I leave you with my interpretation:
Scene.
June 11th, 2007 at 12:52 am
Inside the Sopranos writing room:
So guys final episode coming up lets go around the table what you got
Wrtier One:Everybody dies
Writer Two: No everybody dies but tony
Writer Three: I got nothing im drawing a blank
Chase: Brilliant lets shoot it.
Typical no ending ending anyone saying that was genius is a fucking idiot. I dont want to guess and finish the story thats the fucking writiers jobs, not mine, thats what I pay for.
June 11th, 2007 at 1:13 am
I was let down at first….
but it has been over for 5 hours and I am still thinking about it, I think that was the point of it.
June 11th, 2007 at 1:35 am
I understand how it’s supposed to be artsy fartsy, but what everyone wanted to see is action, not a crappy Journey song and onion rings. I thought all in all the whole episode lagged on, it built up to a whole lotta nothing. Feels like I’ve been had, if a Sopranos movie comes out I don’t want to see it because I’m afraid of being let down again.
June 11th, 2007 at 2:59 am
I can’t wait to see the episode, here in Australia our great TV station (9) will
start the series at 11pm for a few weeks then take it off for a few weeks then
put it back on at midnight on another night of the week and then throw in some
old episodes, so you lose track of where you are and then say it doesn’t rate
well!
The Sopranos is a great series, it would be good to see it at 9pm, they do the
same with The Shield, The Wire all great show but put on at midnight.
June 11th, 2007 at 3:13 am
Your people are blind, go back and watch last five minutes.
As meadow enters the resturant, SUV passes, FORD Expeditionn same one on the gas station, the one that smashed his head.
June 11th, 2007 at 3:38 am
I thought one of the diner patrons looked like the sporting goods guy played by Robert Patrick, on the theory that he held a seething grudge against Tony for all those years.
June 11th, 2007 at 4:21 am
Holy crap–people canceling HBO because they didn’t like an episode of a show they didn’t write?
What a bunch of whiny crybabies.
June 11th, 2007 at 4:24 am
This is obviously setting up a movie, he knows all of you who hated it will still go see the movie when it comes out in 2011. Maybe a secret episode or even season involving the rico trial? why mention it, maybe to say well he was killed but if he lived he would have been screwed in a trial anyway.
June 11th, 2007 at 4:41 am
6 seasons spread over 8 years for an ending about nothing.
June 11th, 2007 at 4:57 am
Brilliant! Got everybody talking about it and leaves endless
possibilities….’nuff said!
June 11th, 2007 at 5:24 am
just for me, i don’t need my endings spoon fed to me with an aeroplane sound, i like the ending, it was a fitting end to a great show.
i know look forward to the spin off series with paulie and the cat lol
June 11th, 2007 at 5:30 am
Like most i was pissed at the ending but then i looked back on it and it makes sens that everything was cut off like that. i personally dont believe that tony was killed, i think chase did it to make you think he was killed, having all the people that you thought were killers showing them ever so closely. GREAT ENDING, hoping for a movie and would definately watching. i loved how the last scene was filmed in my hometown of Bloomfield and the ending song was incredible, dont stop believing. This is a brilliant way to end it, keep people like you and me discussing it forever, no closure
June 11th, 2007 at 5:43 am
This is kind of what i fear they’re going to do with lost. I’d really like to see some closure on a story for once when it ends.
June 11th, 2007 at 5:46 am
This episode made me think real hard, then I pooped my pants. Then I smelt it, and it smelled like this show.
June 11th, 2007 at 5:50 am
Weak! From what everyone has said, it seems a good bet that Tony got
whacked. However, there was not a single iota of unequivocal evidence
of this. This just smacks of someone who is trying to hedge all of his bets,
and of course this strategy is always a let-down. At the very least, we could
have had a split-second camera jump before going to black (for the
impact of the bullet) while Tony’s looking at Meadow coming in the door.
Every time a writer just can’t come up with a good ending to a story or
movie (or they’re just trying to avoid closing things down completely), they
get described as brilliant. I disagree, I think it’s just a copout; they’re
either unimaginative, or they’re afraid that a “real” ending they choose
will be criticized.
June 11th, 2007 at 5:51 am
The problem with the ending for me was there was no closer to the show. You are left after, what 7 years of show, with not knowing if the main character is dead or not.
To me that is just crap!
June 11th, 2007 at 6:02 am
I can’t help but think those who are raging mad at the finale would have been mad at any ending, having spent so much money on HBO for weeks (months? years?) in anticipation. The finale was another very entertaining, dramatic, well-done piece of the Sopranos puzzle. Not the best episode, not worth a ten-year wait, but it was nothing to get enraged about. Simma down.
June 11th, 2007 at 6:18 am
Tony was wascked by the FBI and AJ is now running things with a bent on helping in the war on terror.
June 11th, 2007 at 6:18 am
In one of the first scenes after waking up, Tony pealed and ate an orange… I think he did “get it” in the end…
June 11th, 2007 at 6:32 am
The cut to black was my subscription to HBO being immediately cancelled…
June 11th, 2007 at 6:38 am
People keep saying the show is about mobsters, yes, but it’s theme is FAMILY. The ending was left open-ended. That rush of not-knowing was life, you never know what is going to happen. Or Tony could have been whacked. Go hunt down David Chase and ask him. :P
June 11th, 2007 at 6:38 am
Thank God The Sopranos is finally over. It’s been in a constant spiral downward for years. At least Entourage starts a new season next week. It’s about 10 times more entertaining than the last few years of Tony and the gang.
June 11th, 2007 at 6:40 am
Tony DiCaprio said”We all were moved to a climax that never happened. We sat and watched the last 5 minutes waiting for a car to exploid, a gun to be pulled- we all were paranoid!. My feeling is that the finale put us in Tony’s shoes for the last time. The restraunt scene was intense- everybody in the place was a killer in our minds. We lived Tony’s life in those last 5 minutes of the Finale. I think the ending was a masterpiece!”
This is exactly what was intended. Goof pick up
June 11th, 2007 at 6:41 am
Tony DiCaprio saidâ€We all were moved to a climax that never happened. We sat and watched the last 5 minutes waiting for a car to exploid, a gun to be pulled- we all were paranoid!. My feeling is that the finale put us in Tony’s shoes for the last time. The restraunt scene was intense- everybody in the place was a killer in our minds. We lived Tony’s life in those last 5 minutes of the Finale. I think the ending was a masterpiece!â€
This is exactly what was intended. Good pick up
June 11th, 2007 at 6:48 am
I thought my cable went out. How totally unfulfilling.
June 11th, 2007 at 6:51 am
All this talk about the episode being brilliant…and why? I thought it was bullshit.
It was dissapointing. I get the fact that we are supposed to be “left hanging” and
I understand that it somewhat relates to what Bobby says, something along the lines of, “you probably dont even know when it happens,” but that ending was just
stupid. Why couldn’t we have something like Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid where everyone goes out, guns blazing, and then it cuts out. At least in that scene, there is action. The most action we got out of the last five minutes was watching Meadow learn how to parrallel park.
June 11th, 2007 at 6:56 am
who cares, i get free HBO anyways!
June 11th, 2007 at 7:16 am
As I see it there are two types of Sopranos fan, those who watch for the violence and sex, those who watch it for it’s quality as a TV Series. This was obviously a two finger salute to all the clowns who only watch for the violence and sex. If there was a poll I’d say it would be easy to see a correlation between those who thought this episode was crap and those who watch it for violence and sex.
Oh, and here’s a question. For anybody who thought this episode was crap, were you not on the edge of your seat for the final scene like the rest of us? You were?? Well what else do you want?
June 11th, 2007 at 7:18 am
Tony choked to death on an onion ring. The Cub Scout Troupe jolly stomped A.J. to death. Meadow tripped and killed herself on a barstool and Carmella spontaneously combusted into flames.
Please…this show has sucked for a long time now. It’s only fitting that the very last episode sucked the hardest. This goes to show that sometimes producers need to be reigned in by executives. We all wanted it hard and fast, but instead we got our brains fed to us ala Hannibal Lectur.
A.J. = Jar Jar Binks
June 11th, 2007 at 7:27 am
You guys who are hating on this show don’t know shit about what it takes to make a show. There has to be artistic value, to it. Mindless killings and torture, explosions. This is cable TV. not Afghanistan. Great ending to a great show. period. F**k Off haters!!
June 11th, 2007 at 7:28 am
What has everyone been watching for the past 7 years? I think people have forgotten that the name of the show is called “The Soprano’s”! That episode basically was to refreshed everyone’s memory that Tony is the boss, the man, that dude! I thought it ending perfectly! Killing Tony at the end would have defeated the whole purpose of the show!
June 11th, 2007 at 7:30 am
I thought the ending was excellent. I felt like the build up of the episode was showing us all of Tony’s possible outcomes:
1. Jail (Scene eating with Lawyer): The possibility that Tony will end up in jail to rot, like Johnny Sak.
2. Rat (Scene with Paulie at the bing): When Carlo does not show up — it presents the possibility — along with the lawyer scene — of Tony being arrested and selling out.
3. Death (Silvio at the hospital): There is a chance Tony could die violently — like Sil or Phil Leotardo.
4. Life (Visiting Uncle Junior): Or Tony could survive into old age — when Alzheimers and Dementia take away his ability to even remember that he was once King of Jersey.
We are presented all these possibilities and at the end we are left hanging — which one of these fate — suffered by Tony’s “family” will befall him. There can be no “happy” ending for Tony — he will continue to live his life in paranoia (just like we felt in the Diner scene) until he reaches his end — the end which, in my humble opinion is better left ot the imagination of the viewer.
June 11th, 2007 at 7:31 am
Man, I really took it on the chin here. While I appreciate the artistic ending to the show, I can’t help but to think it’s not over. While certain aspects of this show have been gutted, mulled over and psycho-analyzed to death, the one thing most people gloss over is the careful musical touch added to each episode. While it’s certainly not a highlight of the Sopranos run, the music is impecible and extremely important. Am I supposed to believe that “Don’t Stop Believin’” was just a fun song to play? No. It had a purpose in that final scene. For me it’s a reason to believe they’ll be back in some form or another.
June 11th, 2007 at 7:55 am
I’m not sure if anyone is still reading this. But to all you “Tony was wacked, and we lived it” people, no one is left to kill Tony. Phil is dead, Phill’s family agreed not to, except for the guy who’s going to testify who wouldn’t kill Tony because he’s trying to testify against him, nobody is capable of and willing to kill Tony at the ending point.
June 11th, 2007 at 8:05 am
Why would they kill Tony in the restaurant with his family, in front of all of those witnesses. Especially when he was back to not watching his back with Phil dead. New York would have had many of other opportunities to do it verses a public place.
June 11th, 2007 at 8:15 am
The cat was saying,
“IM IN UR SOAPRANOS, MESSIN UP UR ENDING”
I’m sorry. Just couldn’t resist.
June 11th, 2007 at 8:27 am
@Hroosky
Completely agree.
For those that disliked the ending because it wasn’t violent enough for you - what show have you been watching for the last 7 years? Seriously?
June 11th, 2007 at 8:35 am
I just picture the writers sitting around a table asking “How are we gonna end
this awsome story we’re been telling?”….. Let’s fuck with their heads!!!! I for one liked the ending and laughed out loud. They cut to the black screen in the middle of everything. In the middle of the verse, middle of the song, middle of the scene, middle of the everything. I think its to funny to be taken serious. :)
June 11th, 2007 at 8:51 am
Since Chase has talked about not ruling out a film in the future, it’s clear tony was NOT killed at the fade to black. You could aruge the film would take place in the past, but who’d want to watch that? No, he lives, and goes on being a scumbag.
June 11th, 2007 at 8:57 am
There will be a movie, thats why they ended it like they did. Filming in the next year or two.
June 11th, 2007 at 8:57 am
I will watch the show again with all the following in mind.
In the snow scene when Tony is in the Feds car, Tony tells the Fed about a bank the terror suspects use.
The Fed is not happy with the information. Tony also tells the Fed that AJ is worried about the terror plots and asks if he making a molehill. This shows Tony is a bit ignorant and the Fed does not answer since it should be making a mountain out of a molehill.
In the psychiatrists office we learn AJ has bought a lesson plan to speak Arabic. Also AJ is saying throughout the show it is a time of trouble for the country and he wants to help.
Tony says all you need to know is Shiscabob. This shows Tony’s ignorance of the world around him.
When Phil is killed the Fed says we may win this thing.
When Tony is out to eat with Meadow she bemoans the states treatment of her father, he asks what state the state of NJ, and she no says no the Feds.
AJ is interested in serving his country, breaking dependence on foreign oil.
When AJ is laughing at the TV he is viewing Bush and Rove dancing.
The man entering the bathroom at the diner looks like a Fed.
Tony’s visit to the mental ward, shows how mob families pass on power by the generation.
My take, the Feds need help with tracking terror plots, Tony has been less than cooperative, AJ seems willing to serve country.
The feds protect the Soprano family with the info on Phil.
The feds kill Tony, AJ is forced to take family lead, the feds feel he will be cooperative.
June 11th, 2007 at 9:04 am
speculate all u want but they left it open for a movie. and why wouldnt they honestly its a huge paycheck for everyone involved. for tony to have died and them not to have shown it to you just isnt in the style of the show. not to mention ending the episode like that is a huge draw to get people to fill them seats in the theaters.
June 11th, 2007 at 9:07 am
1. Don’t disconnect your HBO subscription yet! At least not before checking out “Big Love”. It’s a great show.
2. There has to be more to the Soprano saga. I’m thinking movie. Either TV or feature film. They’re going to have to wrap this up PROPERLY.
As for who gets killed, my thoughts is that the entire family gets it except for Meadow. Her inability to park saved her life and she’s coming back to get revenge.
June 11th, 2007 at 9:13 am
THIS IS LIKE LORD OF THE RINGS. FADING TO BLACK AFTER THE RING DROPS IN THE VOLCANO at the end.
YOu know DARN well you would be mad as heck.
June 11th, 2007 at 9:18 am
This was an amazing ending. It clearly is left open for you to just wonder. I don’t think a movie will come out purely because with closure the sopranos story ends, I thought they would end open and with tony alive and well. They want you to think something happened, but it doesn’t matter. They showed those to black dudes walk in, on top of the sketchy guy in the bathroom, and then meadow so who knows. The show was amazing it ended in true sopranos fashion and it is amazing. As far as HBO goes keep your subscriptions for THE WIRE, its better than the sopranos ever could be. HBO will continue to deliver. keep a look out for the FINAL season of the WIRE i am sure it won’t be a debate over that show.
June 11th, 2007 at 9:19 am
WHO WOULD HAVE KILLED TONY AND WHY? this might be dumb
question, but once Phil gone why would anybody want Tony gone.
The feds were the only ones left to go after him no?
June 11th, 2007 at 9:28 am
Great recap of reviews and ideas at Whitney Matheson’s Pop Candy (USA Today). And NO, Jeff, that was a hideous analogy.
June 11th, 2007 at 9:32 am
Working hard to get my fill,
Everybody wants a thrill
Playin anything to roll the dice,
Just one more time
Some will win, some will lose
Some were born to sing the blues
Oh, the movie never ends
It goes on and on and on and on
(chorus)
Don’t stop believing
Hold on to the feeling
Streetlight people
The last two lines in the verse says it all…
Draw your own conclusions…
Perfect song for the finale, great show, thanks for the entertainment…
Mr. Chase, and company it was enjoyed, you got what you wanted…they are talking. I will enjoy the memories.
June 11th, 2007 at 9:35 am
The viewers are the ones who got whacked. Tony’s life went on–if only for a brief second — once we were cut to black. The thing is we will never know how is life ended, cause “we never saw it comin’”. And now…that show is dead to me.
June 11th, 2007 at 9:56 am
I think the ending is as follows: Tony looks up at the door as Meadow’s walking in. He proceeds to put an onion ring in his mouth and immediately gets upset because they onion rings are cold. Disappointed and hungry Tony gets up and leaves without tipping his waitress.
June 11th, 2007 at 10:13 am
I believe it was an awesome ending. No way you could have had a nice cleanup finally where everything ended nicely. Whose life does that? So everything goes black. I have been reading about how it was Tony Died and bombs and stuff. I think the audience got whacked. I read that on another post and it seems fitting to end the serious this way. We barged into Tony’s life and we were thrust out of it, but it doesn’t mean Tony’s life is going to stop, just that we are no longer watching it.
TOTALLY AWESOME ENDING TO A TOTALLY AWESOME SERIES !!!!!!!
June 11th, 2007 at 10:23 am
It certainly did seem like Paulie could have been the rat. If the cat was anything but a normal cat, I would say it was Christopher.
The ending was open. Sure, Tony could have been whacked, but I don’t think so. I think it showed just how Tony could never really be at peace or at ease with whatever he was doing. Maybe a guy like Tony doesn’t deserve peace, especially after what he did to Christopher.
When the screen went black, I didn’t even consider that Tony could be dead. I wondered what was wrong with my satellite dish. After that, I just thought it was a way of saying “life goes on”.
June 11th, 2007 at 10:54 am
I think some people need to re-watch the episode and listen to AJ tell his fat