s/o If you just watched or rewatched The Sopranos, let's talk about the ending

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I thought it was brilliant. Interesting theory that the son & wife died, never thought about that! But I think it was limited to Tony.

It wouldn’t have been wife and kids. Code wouldn’t let someone kill them, just Tony.

Agree. Have you *ever* heard of a mob wife being killed along with the husband? It's not how it happens. They do have their "code" because it's what separates them from your regular drug gang, for whatever it's worth. Carmela and AJ are innocents and not involved in the mob activity. They were not killed. It's not some drug lord film where everyone is brutally killed.

Here's a wife that was killed and it was acknowledged that there is no longer a code: https://www.cbc.ca/amp/1.6845655

Wives rarely targeted in Mafia attacks, says policing expert. That's from the link you posted, which admitted it's highly unusual. It also happened in 2023 and the Sopranos ended in 2007. Very confident the show's writers had absolutely no concept of having Carmela and AJ gunned down. You've been watching too many movies about drug lords.

[Anonymous]

I just rewatched in February. I knew the ending was coming so the experience was different as it was not a surprise. I noticed this time there was a lot of foreshadowing of his death towards the end of the series (the episodes where he gets shot and then dreams/has out of body experience of hell) so I thought it was the logical end to a mobster's life and it had been suggested that it was coming soon. I still didn't really like it as the end to the series because it.m ended all the other story lines abruptly without conclusions, but I liked it better than the first time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I thought it was brilliant. Interesting theory that the son & wife died, never thought about that! But I think it was limited to Tony.

It wouldn’t have been wife and kids. Code wouldn’t let someone kill them, just Tony.

Agree. Have you *ever* heard of a mob wife being killed along with the husband? It's not how it happens. They do have their "code" because it's what separates them from your regular drug gang, for whatever it's worth. Carmela and AJ are innocents and not involved in the mob activity. They were not killed. It's not some drug lord film where everyone is brutally killed.

Here's a wife that was killed and it was acknowledged that there is no longer a code: https://www.cbc.ca/amp/1.6845655

Wives rarely targeted in Mafia attacks, says policing expert. That's from the link you posted, which admitted it's highly unusual. It also happened in 2023 and the Sopranos ended in 2007. Very confident the show's writers had absolutely no concept of having Carmela and AJ gunned down. You've been watching too many movies about drug lords.

Carmela and AJ could easily have been killed with Tony. You must not watch much HBO.

[Anonymous]

Carmela and AJ wouldn’t have been killed in a Mafia hit . It doesn’t make sense with Mafia rules.

[Anonymous]

I thought the ending was lazy and a real FU to the fans who stuck with the show for years. I hate when writers basically give up and use an ambiguous plot,

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I thought it was brilliant. Interesting theory that the son & wife died, never thought about that! But I think it was limited to Tony.

It wouldn’t have been wife and kids. Code wouldn’t let someone kill them, just Tony.

Agree. Have you *ever* heard of a mob wife being killed along with the husband? It's not how it happens. They do have their "code" because it's what separates them from your regular drug gang, for whatever it's worth. Carmela and AJ are innocents and not involved in the mob activity. They were not killed. It's not some drug lord film where everyone is brutally killed.

Here's a wife that was killed and it was acknowledged that there is no longer a code: https://www.cbc.ca/amp/1.6845655

Wives rarely targeted in Mafia attacks, says policing expert. That's from the link you posted, which admitted it's highly unusual. It also happened in 2023 and the Sopranos ended in 2007. Very confident the show's writers had absolutely no concept of having Carmela and AJ gunned down. You've been watching too many movies about drug lords.

Carmela and AJ could easily have been killed with Tony. You must not watch much HBO.

What does HBO have to do with it? The Sopranos wasn't about central American or Mexican drug lords. Nor was it some revisionist Djano.

Even in the real world of mafias, wives and innocent children aren't hits.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think it's more than likely that Tony died, but I think it's purposefully left up to the viewer to fill in that detail for themselves.

To me, it's a lazy ending if the fade to black wasn't supposed to be him dying and he certainly deserved it.

That wasn't a fade to black. It was a cut to black. A fade would have had a very different impact.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I thought it was brilliant. Interesting theory that the son & wife died, never thought about that! But I think it was limited to Tony.

It wouldn’t have been wife and kids. Code wouldn’t let someone kill them, just Tony.

Agree. Have you *ever* heard of a mob wife being killed along with the husband? It's not how it happens. They do have their "code" because it's what separates them from your regular drug gang, for whatever it's worth. Carmela and AJ are innocents and not involved in the mob activity. They were not killed. It's not some drug lord film where everyone is brutally killed.

Here's a wife that was killed and it was acknowledged that there is no longer a code: https://www.cbc.ca/amp/1.6845655

Wives rarely targeted in Mafia attacks, says policing expert. That's from the link you posted, which admitted it's highly unusual. It also happened in 2023 and the Sopranos ended in 2007. Very confident the show's writers had absolutely no concept of having Carmela and AJ gunned down. You've been watching too many movies about drug lords.

Carmela and AJ could easily have been killed with Tony. You must not watch much HBO.

What does HBO have to do with it? The Sopranos wasn't about central American or Mexican drug lords. Nor was it some revisionist Djano.

Even in the real world of mafias, wives and innocent children aren't hits.

HBO drama series are known for their unexpected, violent and shocking scenes. Like Phil having his head run over by his wife's car.

[Anonymous]

Some posters are being too superficial. I highly recommend this in-depth analysis of what happened by Mike Cole http://mikecole.org/the-sopranos-ending-made-in-america/

To summarize the ending:

"However, The Sopranos is first and foremost a work of fiction. And as such, it is likely subject to all the plot development devices commonly employed by authors of fiction including: dramatic irony, symbolism, and meaningful scene sequencing. Using an understanding of these techniques to glean clues from the final two episodes, we can clearly conclude the following:

Tony was indeed "whacked"
Carmela and AJ also were killed
Meadow lived
Patsy Parisi betrayed Tony
AJ inadvertently facilitated the murders
Rhiannon was an unwitting accomplice for the murders"

Definitely worth your time if you are a Sopranos fan!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Some posters are being too superficial. I highly recommend this in-depth analysis of what happened by Mike Cole http://mikecole.org/the-sopranos-ending-made-in-america/

To summarize the ending:

"However, The Sopranos is first and foremost a work of fiction. And as such, it is likely subject to all the plot development devices commonly employed by authors of fiction including: dramatic irony, symbolism, and meaningful scene sequencing. Using an understanding of these techniques to glean clues from the final two episodes, we can clearly conclude the following:

Tony was indeed "whacked"
Carmela and AJ also were killed
Meadow lived
Patsy Parisi betrayed Tony
AJ inadvertently facilitated the murders
Rhiannon was an unwitting accomplice for the murders"

Definitely worth your time if you are a Sopranos fan!

It’s fiction but it lives in Tony’s world. It is not fantasy. A dragon did not come and burn them. A hit on a mafia boss requires the unanimous approval of the Commission in advance. If not everyone involved will be killed. Story does not lay the groundwork for that. Also never would the hit include family. If Tony was to be hit, a close friend would have picked him up somewhere to do something and killed him. One of his own people.

Fiction but you are still stuck in the world you live in. If you don’t do that then the show is crap, not realistic and foolishness.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Some posters are being too superficial. I highly recommend this in-depth analysis of what happened by Mike Cole http://mikecole.org/the-sopranos-ending-made-in-america/

To summarize the ending:

"However, The Sopranos is first and foremost a work of fiction. And as such, it is likely subject to all the plot development devices commonly employed by authors of fiction including: dramatic irony, symbolism, and meaningful scene sequencing. Using an understanding of these techniques to glean clues from the final two episodes, we can clearly conclude the following:

Tony was indeed "whacked"
Carmela and AJ also were killed
Meadow lived
Patsy Parisi betrayed Tony
AJ inadvertently facilitated the murders
Rhiannon was an unwitting accomplice for the murders"

Definitely worth your time if you are a Sopranos fan!

It’s fiction but it lives in Tony’s world. It is not fantasy. A dragon did not come and burn them. A hit on a mafia boss requires the unanimous approval of the Commission in advance. If not everyone involved will be killed. Story does not lay the groundwork for that. Also never would the hit include family. If Tony was to be hit, a close friend would have picked him up somewhere to do something and killed him. One of his own people.

Fiction but you are still stuck in the world you live in. If you don’t do that then the show is crap, not realistic and foolishness.

Did you read the analysis?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think it's more than likely that Tony died, but I think it's purposefully left up to the viewer to fill in that detail for themselves.

To me, it's a lazy ending if the fade to black wasn't supposed to be him dying and he certainly deserved it.

That wasn't a fade to black. It was a cut to black. A fade would have had a very different impact.

+1. His brains were blown out. No fade.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Some posters are being too superficial. I highly recommend this in-depth analysis of what happened by Mike Cole http://mikecole.org/the-sopranos-ending-made-in-america/

To summarize the ending:

"However, The Sopranos is first and foremost a work of fiction. And as such, it is likely subject to all the plot development devices commonly employed by authors of fiction including: dramatic irony, symbolism, and meaningful scene sequencing. Using an understanding of these techniques to glean clues from the final two episodes, we can clearly conclude the following:

Tony was indeed "whacked"
Carmela and AJ also were killed
Meadow lived
Patsy Parisi betrayed Tony
AJ inadvertently facilitated the murders
Rhiannon was an unwitting accomplice for the murders"

Definitely worth your time if you are a Sopranos fan!

It’s fiction but it lives in Tony’s world. It is not fantasy. A dragon did not come and burn them. A hit on a mafia boss requires the unanimous approval of the Commission in advance. If not everyone involved will be killed. Story does not lay the groundwork for that. Also never would the hit include family. If Tony was to be hit, a close friend would have picked him up somewhere to do something and killed him. One of his own people.

Fiction but you are still stuck in the world you live in. If you don’t do that then the show is crap, not realistic and foolishness.

Did you read the analysis?

I don't know who Mike Cole and a quick glance at the links shows someone who is not a show creator or writer. Just a random person.

The PP is correct. The writers were operating by the plausible behaviors of the organized mafia families. The one thing that is absent throughout the entire Sopranos series is Tony worrying about the safety of his wife and children. He's aware that he himself is a hit target sooner or later. But he never worries about Carmela or the kids. Because he knows the rules of the mafia world he moves in. He's more worried about making sure they have enough money should he be hit. As the linked article to the Canadian hit made clear, mafia spouses and children are really not targets. That the killer of the woman in Montreal was quickly found by the police tells you it wasn't your ordered mafia hit but something else, even if the killer was part of organized crime.

Ask yourself very carefully: why would another family take out Carmela and AJ? Why would they risk violating a sacred rule? Assume you're a mafia don of another family and you want to take out Tony. You know if you tell the hitman to also take out the rest of the Soprano family, you'd just substantially increased the odds that the same will happen to your own wife and children sooner or later. And you'd have a struggle on your hands with your own people because *you just don't take out the wife and kids* and there will be no respect for you from the underlings. The other families, watching what'd happened, would be more likely to take you out just to make sure you don't do the same to their own families. Because they know they can't do business with you anymore.

This is what happened: hitman walks quickly in and shoots Tony and walks right out. All in seconds. Carmela is hysterical, AJ is stunned. But when it comes to the police, all they'll remember is a blur, someone in black. Then, one way or another, word will get to Carmela that as long as she can't remember anything else about the face, she'll be ok and there will always be money. And that's it. She will teach herself to forget anything she saw, bury Tony and get on with life.

[Anonymous]

Just watched the ending on Youtube.

Tony is looking up just as it fades out, strongly suggesting he's seeing Meadow walking into the restaurant. Timing is right for this if you count the seconds from her dashing from the car to the restaurant.

If that's Meadow walking into the restaurant, the hit must be from behind Tony, which could be someone coming from the bathroom.

However, I will say, there's plenty of diners in the restaurant plus the restaurant staff. Seems like a terrible place for a hit. Too many witnesses. Unless, of course, the hitman took out everyone in the restaurant, eh?

Maybe he does die but from a brain aneurysm or heart attack?

No way a hit man takes out Tony and Carmela and AJ and coolly walks out with every eyes watching him.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Some posters are being too superficial. I highly recommend this in-depth analysis of what happened by Mike Cole http://mikecole.org/the-sopranos-ending-made-in-america/

To summarize the ending:

"However, The Sopranos is first and foremost a work of fiction. And as such, it is likely subject to all the plot development devices commonly employed by authors of fiction including: dramatic irony, symbolism, and meaningful scene sequencing. Using an understanding of these techniques to glean clues from the final two episodes, we can clearly conclude the following:

Tony was indeed "whacked"
Carmela and AJ also were killed
Meadow lived
Patsy Parisi betrayed Tony
AJ inadvertently facilitated the murders
Rhiannon was an unwitting accomplice for the murders"

Definitely worth your time if you are a Sopranos fan!

It’s fiction but it lives in Tony’s world. It is not fantasy. A dragon did not come and burn them. A hit on a mafia boss requires the unanimous approval of the Commission in advance. If not everyone involved will be killed. Story does not lay the groundwork for that. Also never would the hit include family. If Tony was to be hit, a close friend would have picked him up somewhere to do something and killed him. One of his own people.

Fiction but you are still stuck in the world you live in. If you don’t do that then the show is crap, not realistic and foolishness.

Did you read the analysis?

I don't know who Mike Cole and a quick glance at the links shows someone who is not a show creator or writer. Just a random person.

The PP is correct. The writers were operating by the plausible behaviors of the organized mafia families. The one thing that is absent throughout the entire Sopranos series is Tony worrying about the safety of his wife and children. He's aware that he himself is a hit target sooner or later. But he never worries about Carmela or the kids. Because he knows the rules of the mafia world he moves in. He's more worried about making sure they have enough money should he be hit. As the linked article to the Canadian hit made clear, mafia spouses and children are really not targets. That the killer of the woman in Montreal was quickly found by the police tells you it wasn't your ordered mafia hit but something else, even if the killer was part of organized crime.

Ask yourself very carefully: why would another family take out Carmela and AJ? Why would they risk violating a sacred rule? Assume you're a mafia don of another family and you want to take out Tony. You know if you tell the hitman to also take out the rest of the Soprano family, you'd just substantially increased the odds that the same will happen to your own wife and children sooner or later. And you'd have a struggle on your hands with your own people because *you just don't take out the wife and kids* and there will be no respect for you from the underlings. The other families, watching what'd happened, would be more likely to take you out just to make sure you don't do the same to their own families. Because they know they can't do business with you anymore.

This is what happened: hitman walks quickly in and shoots Tony and walks right out. All in seconds. Carmela is hysterical, AJ is stunned. But when it comes to the police, all they'll remember is a blur, someone in black. Then, one way or another, word will get to Carmela that as long as she can't remember anything else about the face, she'll be ok and there will always be money. And that's it. She will teach herself to forget anything she saw, bury Tony and get on with life.

You have an imagination, lol.