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[Gabriel_Logan]

The Sopranos is so good that overtime I cared less and less about the mafia storyline and more invested in the more mundane aspects of the characters. Tony Soprano feels like a real person and is the closest realization of the depth and complexity to a literary character on the screen.

 

[Anung]

Tony did get whacked and there is enough plot and hints to feel justified in believing that.

I should really rewatch this as its been a few years.

 

[Real Hero]

The point isn't that he got killed there and then it's just that getting arrested or being killed are the only real possible outcomes possible for him.

 

[Cipherr]

The beauty is no one knows for sure, even David Chase. So it will be debated for eternity

I don't find that to be beautiful at all. Cheap as hell if you ask me. This is like the most polarizing part of the show. There's a million ways to ensure the show is discussed without that sort of random cut to black that has people wondering if their cable cut out. I absolutely HATE that ending.

 

[Artdayne]

I think the Wire is the best show of all-time, but Sopranos is in my top 3 with the Wire and Breaking Bad. With that said, I find the Sopranos to easily be the most rewatchable. I can just pick it up with practically any episode and enjoy it.

 

[arts&crafts]

It had a better ending than Lost.

 

[Summer Haze]

The beauty is no one knows for sure, even David Chase. So it will be debated for eternity, especially now that James is gone and there is no chance of a movie or anything. I was more in the camp that he got hit.

Chase's pretentious ambiguity whenever he's asked if Tony died or not is annoying. Tony's situation at that point in the story and the camera work of the last scenes tells the viewer what happens. Not actually showing Tony getting whacked and avoidance of an answer doesn't negate that for me personally.

 

[British Monsoon]

I don't care what anyone says, Tony didn't get whacked and Chase was majorly fucking with everyone's expectations throughout that whole finale. One of my favourite endings because of the ambiguity, I would hate to see it definitively resolved either way.

 

[MegaManTrigger]

Chase's pretentious ambiguity whenever he's asked if Tony died or not is annoying. Tony's situation at that point in the story and the camera work of the last scenes tells the viewer what happens. Not actually showing Tony getting whacked and avoidance of an answer doesn't negate that for me personally.

How is ambiguity pretentious? It's allowing the audience to have a more active role in deciding how the story ends in their eyes. Just because you feel strongly about a particular event happening in one way, doesn't negate the possibility of the other way happening.

 

[VeryGooster]

Quasimodo predicted all this

I just finished my third or fourth viewing of the series over the summer. Top 3 show for me.

 

[talisayNon]

Ending is the audience getting hit because we come to a close on tony's life.

I hate this argument. Chase even said it.

 

[DietRob]

I know it's a common opinion that The Wire is one of the best TV shows ever. After multiple viewing of it and the Sopranos I got to rate the Sopranos above it in my personal rankings. Such a complete masterpiece on many different levels.

I've also lived The Wire (to a degree) so maybe the world isn't as interesting to me as the Sopranos world.

 

[Kabuki Waq]

the first time I saw the show is thought ending was ambiguous and shit.

second time years later I have realized the ending is Genious and obviously conclusive.

show peaked in Season 2 tho.

 

[Discotheque]

I don't know how people can say this when season 3 was perfection. Seriously. Not one bad or even average episode in the bunch.

 

[emrober5]

Tony got whacked, it's clear as day. From the talk with Bobby to the focus on the killer throughout that whole scene, I don't know how else they could spell it out without actually have the shooting on camera.

I think it's more effective the way it was done, though. Great ending, great show. I still go back and rewatch it from time to time.

 

[Jigorath]

One of my all time favorites.

You'll appreciate it even more on a rewatch. Lots of stuff that you didn't catch on the first go around will pop out at you this time.

 

[Murkas]

All I know is he never had the makings of a varsity athlete.

 

[Summer Haze]

How is ambiguity pretentious? It's allowing the audience to have a more active role in deciding how the story ends in their eyes. Just because you feel strongly about a particular event happening in one way, doesn't negate the possibility of the other way happening.

I'm going off the way the story is unfolding during those last episodes and how those very last scenes are shot to form what is my opinion the most logical outcome. I don't care for having any role in the things I watch other than being a viewer. People can think what they want but to me it is clear that he got popped.

 

[Ragelink26]

Someone hasn't watched the Shield. I felt like I was punked.

My man. This here is the undisputed best television ending. I can't believe this is the only mention in this thread

 

[Grinchy]

I've come around to liking the ending, but the last season is just a complete turd overall. They stretched it too thin.

I like that new show creators have learned from the mistakes of the great shows of the past by writing complete stories and sticking with the ending taking place when it is meant to take place. Stretching out a show because $$$$ is one of the worst things they can do to a great series.

 

[andythinkpad]

Terrible ending, terrible last season.

The Wire is superior in every way including the last season.

 

[RangerX]

The Wire is still no1 for me but The Sopranos is also masterful. Such rich characterization. I also liked the ending too.

 

[Count of Monte Sawed-Off]

All I know is he never had the makings of a varsity athlete.

.

 

[Grenouille]

So...was Tony really a sociopath?
He showed emotion and cared about other people. Was he faking all the time?

Also, I remember people calling AJ an annoying character but I think he got a lot better in the second half of the last season. I guess I can relate to him in some points so he got my sympathy.

 

[Reg]

Log off, that cookie shit makes me nervous.

 

[bengraven]

My interpretation of the ending is that

Spoiler

it isn't really about the specific moment if Tony lives or dies there.

Our window into Tony's life begins when he begins to seek treatment for his panic attacks. In fact, we get a small glimpse of his life just before they occur. It is not a coincidence that our time with him ends shortly after he stops this treatment presumably forever. We as the audience have invested into the people Tony cares about and their stories. We know that the series is going to be ending and we don't know what happens next and it makes us anxious.

It is in this moment we understand Tony Soprano's plight. He knows the chances of his life ending peacefully are slim. He won this confrontation with New York but ultimately it doesn't matter. He has to live with this anxiety and uneasiness for the rest of his life. When the show cuts out we don't know what happens. Meadow could come in and they have a nice family dinner. The guy who goes to the bathroom whom he fixates on could come out and murder him in a move he cannot possibly account for. As a mob head, he is a huge target for everyone. Rival families, law enforcement and potentially even his own men will want to take away what is his and he has lost the only outlet he had where he can be (mostly) honest about what his real worries are and he is now doomed to dwell on them.

The last few minutes (particularly when it aired) are meant to be a glimpse into what Tony has to live with on a daily basis.

You get it.