Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Mafia hits wouldn’t happen in front of the wife and kid so it isn’t obvious he died . The ending was terrible

Soprano outfit literally had just murdered a rival boss (Phil) in front of his wife and grandchild.

+1. If you didn’t see it coming, you weren’t paying attention.

Anonymous wrote:Mafia hits wouldn’t happen in front of the wife and kid so it isn’t obvious he died . The ending was terrible

Soprano outfit literally had just murdered a rival boss (Phil) in front of his wife and grandchild.

Anonymous wrote:The DeMaios were a glorified crew, so no code to followed.

No -- Northern NJ Family was right there with the NY Families and was aligned with the Genovese Family. They were a big deal until they went to prison.

Mafia hits wouldn’t happen in front of the wife and kid so it isn’t obvious he died . The ending was terrible

Anonymous wrote:Why would a mob boss be driving around solo during a war? He couldn’t afford an armed driver, who’d watch the door and sit nearby in a public places? Show’s writing was so amateur and half baked.

I loved the show but agree on this point. I lived in Philly and knew some connected to the mob. Their personal Doctors even had armed “drivers” sitting in waiting rooms in case a hit came in on one of their guys and their backs were never to the door in any restaurant. Ever.

Also I believe the show runner was ambiguous about Tony’s death at first because they might have wanted the option for a show or spin off but when James Gandolfini died, Tony died with him and they starting clarifying the show’s end in interviews.

The DeMaios were a glorified crew, so no code to followed.

He's dead and it's fantastic.

I watched it live in a house with multiple TVs. I was on one and a bunch of guys not from NJ were on the other, in another room. The screens went black and they started messing with the cable, which they were convinced had gone out.

I knew. You can't be from NJ and not know. A+. Chef's kiss. No notes.

Anonymous wrote:Terrible ending, just like game of thrones

Game of Thrones was much, much worse.

Anonymous wrote:The ending is purposefully ambiguous. It's so you're catching your breath with anticipation but not finding out what the conclusion is - and the reason for that, is they are conveying what the character of Tony Soprano is going to be feeling like for the rest of his life every time that diner door opens. You are Tony Soprano in that moment, you don't know what is happening next. It is f-king genius tv. I love it so much. Anyone who doesn't get it is a total idiot.

No, the ending is not ambiguous. He was killed.

The ending is purposefully ambiguous. It's so you're catching your breath with anticipation but not finding out what the conclusion is - and the reason for that, is they are conveying what the character of Tony Soprano is going to be feeling like for the rest of his life every time that diner door opens. You are Tony Soprano in that moment, you don't know what is happening next. It is f-king genius tv. I love it so much. Anyone who doesn't get it is a total idiot.

Terrible ending, just like game of thrones

Why would a mob boss be driving around solo during a war? He couldn’t afford an armed driver, who’d watch the door and sit nearby in a public places? Show’s writing was so amateur and half baked.

Most mafia family heads do not get killed. Almost all do not get killed. Since the 1980s they all end up in prison. So no I do not think it is realistic at all that he would be killed. A hit on him would have to be approved by the commission. For a family head that would be unanimous. We know Tony had friends. Anyone involved in killing him without approval would be killed. So no.

You can go back and read 16 years' worth of discourse on final episode along with the evolution of David Chase quotes and interviews about it, where he's evasive at first about whether he's dead, and then a bit more conclusive in this Hollywood Reporter interview:

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/feature/the-sopranos-david-chase-tony-ending-the-many-saints-of-newark-1235040185/

To me, as PP said, it was inevitable that he would be killed at some point, but spelling that out that to the audience as the closing scene wasn't really in service to the character or the show. I felt satisfied by the ending because it was true to the surreal and sometimes absurd spirit of the show.

It was a "life goes on" ending, which was popular at the time rather than a definitive conclusion. Tony's lifestyle was going to get him killed, maybe in that restaurant, maybe a week later, maybe years later.