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Three years later, what are your thoughts on The Sopranos finale?

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B

BertramCooper

Banned
With Lost coming to an end tonight and 24 ending tomorrow night, now seems like a good time to discuss one of the most talked-about series finales ever.

The final scene.

The uproar surrounding the finale was unprecedented. Even non-Sopranos fans were talking about it the next day.

To call it polarizing would be an understatement. Many thought it was a work of art and the perfect ending to Chase's masterpiece. Others thought it was cheap and overly cryptic.

What are your thoughts on it? What does it mean? What happened after the scene cut to black?
 
N

Not a Jellyfish

but I am a sheep
I am on the side that I loved it, and I loved discussing it with friends the following days.

It was an amazing ending to an amazing show. :D
 
S

Staccat0

Fail out bailed
People who idolized Tony deserved it. I just assumed he was killed based on some dialogue earlier in the series, but I pay attention
 
F

friskykillface

Banned
LOST will end the same way :eek: :lol

but seriously, i didn't have HBO at the time :( so i missed it live, but when i saw it i was kinda disappointed, but it leaves it open to everyone having a guess at what happened. i liked that :D
 
D

demon

I don't mean to alarm you but you have dogs on your face
I can't listen to Don't Stop Believing without thinking of The Sopranos now. :lol
 
A

AlphaSnake

...and that, kids, was the first time I sucked a dick for crack
It was stupid. Just watching it again reminded me how stupid it was. There was a lot of cryptic crap in there you were meant to interpret as the death of the whole family. Half of the diner was filled with people Tony screwed over at one point or another, I believe including a few agents. The belief is that they were all there to ambush and kill him.

Others say it's just a throwback to Tony's past, a reminder of sorts. I say, it's bullshit and a cop out.
 
D

demon

I don't mean to alarm you but you have dogs on your face
That youtube video......was that really the ending? I thought the last few seconds were different somehow.
 
C

cory

Banned
It was ok, a little cryptic though. Having never seen the show, I'd be a little pissed if I were a regular viewer considering they spent half of the last 5 minutes showing Meadow trying to parallel park.
 
M

McBacon

SHOOTY McRAD DICK
Can someone explain the furore to a non Sopranos watcher?

I know I should watch it, but I don't have the time for another 100 hour TV show.
 
B

BertramCooper

Banned
demon said:
That youtube video......was that really the ending? I thought the last few seconds were different somehow.
Click to expand...
Yup, that was it.

Meadow crosses the street, Tony looks up as someone enters the door off-screen (probably Meadow, but we'll never know for sure), and the screen cuts to black.
 
G

gdt

Member
I love it, I think it's brilliant.


I don't think he died by the way. That tense buildup is just what Tony is always feeling, and what he'll feel for the rest of his (not on TV) life.
 
M

MjFrancis

Member
jamieson87 said:
I was glad that he was at least at peace with his family.
Click to expand...
That's pretty much what I got out of it. It was up to the viewer to decide what happened, but Tony had finally made peace with his family and his life. Either everyone was there to kill him, or there was some sophomoric meaning to their presence in the cafe, symbolism that he was accepting of his role in their lives. There wasn't any palatable justification for ending such a series on a presumptuous art-house note - even though I got the ending, it was still atrocious.
 
B

BertramCooper

Banned
Many people who think Tony dies point to a comment Bobby made from an earlier episode in Season 6.

"At the end, you probably don't hear anything, everything just goes black."

Is it a legitimate clue, or are people reading too much into it?
 
M

mooooose

Member
I think it was just a way of conveying the anxiety Tony goes through (and will continue to go through) even though his family life is finally back on track and the NY situation was mostly stable.

They say the Bobby thing is a clue, the quote from the midseason finale or whatever, but I think it's a red herring. If anything, it was meant FOR Bobby.
 
B

Bob White

Member
I'm someone that thinks Shogo killed Shuya and Noriko at the end of Battle Royale, so Tony dieing in the last scene isn't too far of a stretch for me. And I totally don't remember that scene having that much looming dread in it. Yeah, Tony got fucking whacked out of his skull.
 
M

Meier

Member
I saw it live and had no problems with it. I loved the outcry about people being concerned their broadcast was fucked up since it was black for awhile until the credits kicked in.
 
D

D4Danger

Unconfirmed Member
McBacon said:
Can someone explain the furore to a non Sopranos watcher?

I know I should watch it, but I don't have the time for another 100 hour TV show.
Click to expand...

The new New York crime boss (Phil Leotardo) decides he doesn't like doing business with Tony so he takes a hit on him and his two closest allies. They need to kill all 3 within 24 hours so the Soprano crew don't have time to hit back.

They manage to kill kill Bobby (Tony's brother-in-law) but they botch the attempt on Sal (Tony's right-hand man) which sends Tony into hiding. While in hiding he gets help from his FBI contact to track down Phil Leotardo via a pay phone.

Phil Leotardo gets shot in the head while buying gas and making a phone call. Tony decides that it's over so he comes out of hiding and goes to dinner with his family.

While sat in the diner there is a man who first sits at the counter then goes to the bathroom. Outside, Meadow is trying to park, it then cuts to the diner door and you think Meadow is going to walk through and join the rest of the family but it cuts to black for 20 seconds instead.

Tony was probably assassinated by the guy who went to the bathroom.
 
N

Not a Jellyfish

but I am a sheep
D4Danger said:
While sat in the diner there is a man who first sits at the counter then goes to the bathroom. Outside, Meadow is trying to park, it then cuts to the diner door and you think Meadow is going to walk through and join the rest of the family but it cuts to black for 20 seconds instead.

Tony was probably assassinated by the guy who went to the bathroom.
Click to expand...

I disagree, I believe they wanted to viewer to assume that at first but really when looking at the scene, past events in the series, and "Don't Stop Believing" playing and the screen going black right when it says "Don't Stop".

I believe that Tony is not killed in the diner but that his paranoia will not stop and he goes on everyday of his life in paranoia for the hit that never comes. This indeed will continue his mental health problems, and cause more emotional stress on his entire family.

I admit the guy in the bathroom is very classic mob hit style, gun being hidden in a stall but it is put their to show that the viewer is as paranoid as Tony himself.
 
M

McBacon

SHOOTY McRAD DICK
Sounds cool. I'm not sure how I'd feel if I'd spent years following the storyline, but from an outsider that sounds pretty sweet.

Thanks
 
C

Callo Merlose

Banned
Not a Jellyfish said:
I disagree, I believe they wanted to viewer to assume that at first but really when looking at the scene, past events in the series, and "Don't Stop Believing" playing and the screen going black right when it says "Don't Stop".

I believe that Tony is not killed in the diner but that his paranoia will not stop and he goes on everyday of his life in paranoia for the hit that never comes. This indeed will continue his mental health problems, and cause more emotional stress on his entire family.

I admit the guy in the bathroom is very classic mob hit style, gun being hidden in a stall but it is put their to show that the viewer is as paranoid as Tony himself.
Click to expand...
Didn't have to type this out myself.
 
K

Kodiak690

Neo Member
I think Tony being killed is too obvious. I think that it's meant to show the anxiety of constantly being on guard to the audience. The guy who goes to the restroom is part of that. He's there to show that Tony must be on guard and suspicious of everyone who might be a threat, whether or not they actually are.

Another idea that I haven't seen anyone mention is that it's possible he just dies of natural causes right then and there. A little anti-climatic, but that's how life is.. Which is kind of one of the more subtle tones of the series. It would go with the quote from earlier in the series about everything just going black. Besides, if it were the case that he was murdered by the guy in the members only jacket, wouldn't there be some screaming or just shuffling as the guy pulls the gun out? There's nothing to indicate that he was shot.
 
D

Deku

Banned
BertramCooper said:
With Lost coming to an end tonight and 24 ending tomorrow night, now seems like a good time to discuss one of the most talked-about series finales ever.

The final scene.

The uproar surrounding the finale was unprecedented. Even non-Sopranos fans were talking about it the next day.

To call it polarizing would be an understatement. Many thought it was a work of art and the perfect ending to Chase's masterpiece. Others thought it was cheap and overly cryptic.

What are your thoughts on it? What does it mean? What happened after the scene cut to black?
Click to expand...


i have never seen it yet. waiting to get the whole series on disc then rewatching some pay.

I watched seasons 1-3 religiously.
 
B

bob_arctor

Tough_Smooth
gdt5016 said:
That tense buildup is just what Tony is always feeling, and what he'll feel for the rest of his (not on TV) life.
Click to expand...

This is what made it so brilliant to me. As a viewer, you put someone like Tony on something of a pedestal, maybe thinking the gangster lifestyle is pretty damn enviable but in that last scene you experience the fear of looming death, this oppressive shadow that just weighs on you where everyone's a possible enemy and you want no part of it, not for one second. Tony on the other hand, well, that's just a day in the life.
 
Nostalgic Nightmare

Nostalgic Nightmare

Member
He was absolutely killed in my opinion. The rest of the families were tired of his antics, and really didn't need him or his crew's drama. Most of his crew was looking to defect or dead.
He had it coming, and deserved it. The whole point of him talking to Bobby about what it's like when you die was the exact way they ended it. You finally got an insight as to how he felt every day because he had made so many enemies, and you get to see how it is to get whacked.
 
P

PumpkinPie

Banned
Nostalgic Nightmare said:
He was absolutely killed in my opinion. The rest of the families were tired of his antics, and really didn't need him or his crew's drama. Most of his crew was looking to defect or dead.
He had it coming, and deserved it. The whole point of him talking to Bobby about what it's like when you die was the exact way they ended it. You finally got an insight as to how he felt every day because he had made so many enemies, and you get to see how it is to get whacked.
Click to expand...

This is what I thought.

The Sopranos & Six Feet Under = best shows ever made.
 
P

Prine

Banned
PumpkinPie said:
This is what I thought.

The Sopranos & Six Feet Under = best shows ever made.
Click to expand...

Im offended when people attempt to put Lost and 24 on the same shelf as Sopranos. But everyone has opinions and all that malarkey.
 
LQX

LQX

Member
Its open for interpretation which I thought was great. It would have been so easy to end this show with the typical cliché gangster movie ending but they did not.
 
L

lordoftherink

Member
Old Lace said:
Am I the only one that feels like The Sopranos was uneven in quality at times?
Click to expand...
The first three seasons were absolutely incredible, the fourth, bits of the fifth, and most of the first half of the sixth were a disappointment in comparison. Overall, though, it was still a great show, and even in the fourth season, my personal least favorite, there was sure to be a great episode or two.
As for the ending, I thought it was great, everything leading up to it was outstanding, especially the episode that came before the finale. I don't really know which of the various theories to side with completely, but I'd have to say that Tony living, but living in paranoia makes more sense to me.
Who would be plotting for Tony's death with Phil gone, and I'm pretty sure there was mention of family being off-limits. The thing with Bobby could have just been a red herring, but then again, it could be completely the opposite.
It isn't three years later for me though, I just watched the entire series for the first time a few months ago.
 
M

Messypandas

Member
Masterfull TV. I enjoyed it because it didn't need to close the book on the show it left you at a point where you can decide the outcome for yourself. Life ends horribly or life goes on. People desire too much information and closure.
 
V

Vandiger

Member
Old Lace said:
Am I the only one that feels like The Sopranos was uneven in quality at times?
Click to expand...

No, first three seasons were the best, then came longer breaks in between seasons and just a general drop in quality. Sucked bad when waiting for the next season only to be dissapointed.

I consider Rome, Deadwood(shitty finale), Wire, Six Feet Under better than Sopranos due to how bad a drop it was after the 3rd season.
 
D

Dan

No longer boycotting the Wolfenstein franchise
Gilgamesh said:
Brilliant and incredibly ballsy.

And Don't Stop Believin' is always so awesome.
Click to expand...
Yep. I think it was the only and best way to end the series. There's no explicit punishment of Tony that would let viewers pat themselves on the back for believing he should be killed, not after the same viewers watched dozens of hours enjoying Tony's destructive lifestyle.

Old Lace said:
Am I the only one that feels like The Sopranos was uneven in quality at times?
Click to expand...
Nope, it definitely had peaks and valleys in quality.
 
P

PotatoeMasher

Member
The scene is formulaic in the sense that you see a shot of Tony and it is followed by a new angle—his vantage. Each time we hear the door open, see Tony looking, and see what he sees. The last shot (pitch black) is what Tony is seeing. He's dead. Likely the dude from the bathroom.

edit: looks like this is the consensus, as well. It seems pretty clear having had so much time to watch it over and over. I hated it at the time, but it's the best now.
 
C

Chairman Yang

if he talks about books, you better damn well listen
I generally don't like TV series/movie endings where events are unclear. Yeah, it causes debate and leaves room for interpretation, but it's a cheap sort of debate and ultimately none of the interpretations are satisfying.

I much prefer the sort of ambiguity in works like, say, Christopher Nolan movies, where all or most of the events are plain to see, and there are clear, satisfying endings, but there's lots of food for thought regardless.

Count me in the camp that thinks the Sopranos ending is lame. Not that Sopranos is really on par with later HBO shows like Rome or The Wire anyways, although I appreciate its role in spurring the creation of those types of shows in the first place.
 
V

VeryGooster

Banned
Very long, but very insightful analysis of the final scene:

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

I remember initially being pissed the hell off because I thought my cable had gone out, but then realized that was it. At first I didn't like it, but then I decided I'll accept a "your own perception of what exactly happened/will happen," but that whole article has me leading towards the "He's dead. Seriously," school of thought.

Edit: Wow. Way beaten on that one.
 
T

Tobor

Member
Good timing, I'm rewatching the entire series right now. (I'm in the middle of Season 3, yay Pine Barrens!)

I loved the finale, and all of Season 6 for that matter.
 
S

Snuggles

erotic butter maelstrom
Ah, one of my two all time favorite shows. <3 Sopranos, I've seen ever episode like 5 times at least.

Anyways, I hated it at first. It felt like Chase was just being a massive dick to his audience by not giving them what they wanted: a definitive conclusion to Tony's story. Instead of seeing him get whacked or go to jail, he just made a funny face and the screen went black. So yeah, at the time I was pretty pissed once I realized that my cable didn't black out and that it was actually supposed to happen.

...but over time, especially after re-watching that final episode I accept the ending. I understand that not every story has to be wrapped up with a pretty bow at the end, by going black they weren't so much ending the story of the Soprano family as they were just ending our time with them. I can appreciate that the ending was left purposefully vague, so were free to analyze it and find our own meaning but I don't think there is much hidden meaning there, if you read any of Chase's interviews about it, it's apparent that he's not in the business of pleasing the audience.

So overall, I'm fine with the ending. It certainly doesn't hurt the show in retrospect and it lets us imagine our own conclusion but I still feel the sting of that blackout.
 
M

Madman

Member
Ending sucked. Felt like Chase was dry of ideas (Johnny Sack getting cancer?) and just didn't have it in him to write a real ending. A black screen is great for making people come up with their own ideal endings, but when Chase says stuff like "The most pathetic - to me - was how much they wanted [Tony's] blood, after cheering him on for 8 years" it doesn't leave much room for interpretation.
 
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