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Sopranos ending.

I think he got shot.

I think it doesn't really matter if I'm right or not, as the ending not having a definitive answer for you one way or the other is kind of the point. My interpretation is that was lights out for Tony. But even if it wasn't - the ending still works.

The real question that haunts me, however, is how Short Groceries finished out the rest of his day after witnessing Phil Leotardo's unfortunate passing.

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Imagine how much better it would have been if they had shown Tony get shot in the head and then had another scene where Paulie Walnuts says "Can you believe they wacked Tony? Mama Mia!" That way everyone would know what happened and there would be no ambiguity
 
The whole season foreshadows it. He gets shot in the head.

There is no reason any of those hints couldn't be a red herring when Chase went to the trouble to cut to black.

If the cutting to black thing doesn't dissuade you from going "What, are you crazy? He's definitely dead.", then I don't know what to tell you guys. It's the equivalent of Chase screaming at the screen "Make up your own minds!".
 
All I know is that I'm still heartbroken that we no longer have James Gandolfini.

Nobody has come close to matching his presence on the small screen.
 

Occam

Member
Assuming this isn't humorous, how you do figure that?

Because it was explained several times during the final season (and shown!) that "you don't even hear it (a bullet shot into your head) when it happens". The last scene is Tony's POV. He is shot in the head, which is why everything turns black and the sound stops.
 

Lothar

Banned
Imagine how much better it would have been if they had shown Tony get shot in the head and then had another scene where Paulie Walnuts says "Can you believe they wacked Tony? Mama Mia!" That way everyone would know what happened and there would be no ambiguity

Still terrible but wouldn't be as shitty, you're correct about that. Nothing could be worse than people just thinking their cable broke.
 
Also the last episode should have been filmed in front of a live studio audience so the whole cast could walk on stage and give a bow to thunderous applause. "Thanks for 6 and a half great seasons!"
 

Anung

Un Rama
Because it was explained several times during the final season (and shown!) that "don't even hear it (a bullet shot into your head) when it happens". The last scene is Tony's POV. He is shot in the head, which is why everything turns black and the sound stops.

Silvio even tells Tony that he was on the floor and had no idea what happened in the moment and he wasn't even the person who gets whacked in that scene.

Plus what happens to Phil Leotardo.
 
Because it was explained several times during the final season (and shown!) that "don't even hear it (a bullet shot into your head) when it happens". The last scene is Tony's POV. He is shot in the head, which is why everything turns black and the sound stops.

It could have as easily been to contrast the way Bobby actually died in that train-shop. Or maybe it's in reference to him actually committing his first murder, in the very same episode, in which case it would have been meant to showcase his ignorance of the whole thing. It could also have been in reference to the ending, but the point is: ambiguity.
 
Maybe directors feel like they dont have any choice. Maybe they feel like the audience wont get it unless they smear it all over the screen.

And maybe they shoot an unconventional final scene with no textual resolution and then bang their head on the desk when people fanwank their way to a Big Ending.
 

TheMan

Member
lol, watched this on my mom's dvr, thought it was busted for a second. Used to hate it, but they way they built tension in that scene was masterful.
 

Occam

Member
Silvio even tells Tony that he was on the floor and had no idea what happened in the moment and he wasn't even the person who gets whacked in that scene.

Plus what happens to Phil Leotardo.

Exactly. It was pretty on the nose. Like I said, no ambiguity at all.
 
Man, I just realized Twitter was 1 year old when this aired. I would love to see the tweets of people flipping their shit from that moment. Probably not that many people on the service at that time, though.
 
Best ending to a show ever.

The end is actually built up over the last season: the poem at the start of the season describing everyone, the brother in law bringing up how 'you probably wouldn't even hear it coming', the bell ringing when Tony is on the jetty is the same as the bell ringing as the door opening up.

I was shocked when I first saw it, then about ten seconds after the blackness, I laughed and almost cried at the same time.
 

eLGee

Member
I think it is a masterful and truly amazing ending. It sticks with you, and the way Tony's paranoia is transferred to the viewer is really out of this world. In a lesser director we would've seen Tony's head explode over his family, but Chase knew that it wasn't necessary. And would we still be talking about it? Probably not.

Personally, I think he died there and then. It makes sense for me. And I can understand that people want him to be alive. But if it wasn't then, it would be another day. Maybe the very next day. It doesn't matter. It wouldn't ever stop.
 

Occam

Member
Best ending to a show ever.

The end is actually built up over the last season: the poem at the start of the season describing everyone, the brother in law bringing up how 'you probably wouldn't even hear it coming', the bell ringing when Tony is on the jetty is the same as the bell ringing as the door opening up.

I was shocked when I first saw it, then about ten seconds after the blackness, I laughed and almost cried at the same time.

Yeah, I was shocked, too. The ending was great.
 
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