The Sopranos: Last Season

It's entirely possible, since music played such a huge role in the show.

 

He also woke up and got himself a gun, a first time reference to the theme song.

 

But would you admit it if you changed your mind after thinking about it for a while, like so many other people are doing?

 

I read on the Star Ledger blog a simliar theory.

Notice that when Tony lays down on the bed, he doesn't change cloths or have sheets on the bed. But he does when he wakes up at the beginning of the next episode. The theory is that Tony is dreaming the episode.

But this doesn't take into account the passage of time. Who says that the last episode begins the following morning? Carm was complaining that they had been hiding out for an extended period of time... so it probably wasn't the next day.

 

I could not agree more. Now please leave it alone...NO MOVIES!!!!

 

So, whether it was a dream or it was *real* and happening from Tony's POV, it makes sense: the show cuts to black suddenly because Tony got whacked.

Which was how I thought the show would end anyway.


Evan

 

I do find all of the theories interesting...


I wonder what the heck happened in Vegas.

I believe real life bookmakers were taking bets on
whether or not Tony would live. Does what happened
qualify as "green" (relative to "red" or "black" bet on
the roulette wheel) ?????

I doubt anyone was putting money on "we won't
know" - LOL

I find it interesting that Chase gave a clue about
Butch not being the culprit - because he was
an intelligent guy who recognized that maybe
Phil was forgetting about business and taking
things a little too personally.


My logic says that all theories should start with
the fundamental question : What is the significance
of "cut to black" versus "fade to black" ???

I think that answer is fairly obvious. "Cut to black"
means Tony suddenly died - and he never saw it
coming... very much like when Phil got it in the
back of the head.

The idea of whether Tony was really in the
restaurant - or dreaming about being in the
restaurant - is a very valid - very real
question - that does not really have a
definite answer.

My guess is its not an alarm clock. I base
this theory solely on the SOUND of the bell.
It sounds like a bell on the door of a business -
not like any alarm clock I've ever heard.


I did some research yesterday after I proposed
that the most logical killer would be Phil's wife,
mostly because I wanted to verify that it WAS
Phil's wife behind the wheel when he got shot.

Based on what I read, Phil was indeed married
and his wife was occasionally in the show. Her
most notable appearance on the show centered
around her view on the Vito Spatafore story line.

Apparently, Phil's wife ENCOURAGED Phil to help
Vito meet his maker. So she had a killer's instinct.
And she also commented to Vito's wife after his
death that it was probably his lifestyle that got
him killed - hinting that Vito was the victim of
a random meeting gone awry.

That's a very cold viewpoint. So I tend to think
that if Phil's wife was pushed - she COULD have pulled
the trigger... much like Janice did when she
murdered Richie Aprile.

The only real question I have with Phil's wife
being the shooter is the location.

1.) It's not clear why she would opt to do it
at such a public location - AND - more importantly
how she would have known to look for Tony and
his family there.

2.) Given that Tony appeared to case the joint
before he went inside, it would appear that Phil's
wife would have had to come inside after Tony
arrived - but somewhat earlier than when Meadow
arrived - BUT - she would have had to be fairly
quick - because once Tony saw her - he would
realize he's in deep doo...

Maybe she walked inside - immediately behind
the black kids - or maybe when Tony turned
his head to follow the guy go into the bathroom.

I want to watch the whole scene VERY closely
and determine what happened where - and in
what sequence... to see if my theory can
stand.


Anyone else think its a futile effort ?????

 

Why would'nt she have had somebody else do it?

 

So for me(in my own little personal mental universe) the Sopranos ended with Tony being wacked and never knowing what hit him. I think his conversation with Bobby earlier about what dying is like was definite foreshadowing. Also it is emotionally satisfying that his reign of sociopathic evil(after having been given numerous chances for change and redemption) finally ends. Can't read Chase's mind but that is how I choose to interpet it. And it does not matter in the least to me not knowing who actually was responsible for the dirty deed.

 

Agreed...unless the movie is a 60's look at the beginnings...don't mess with anything after the season finale, it's perfect the way it is.

I'm of the feeling that Tony didn't get whacked, the viewer did. I know Chase won't admit it, but i think he did it for two reasons; one, because it's a great idea, and two, because some viewers were bloodthirsty about the violence on the show and Chase kinda said "so you want more killing, here...see how it feels".

I feel it's the best finale possible, second only to the final minutes of the Newhart finale which was sheer genius and quite inspired.

 

Mob wives (in the Sopranos at least) haven't tended to get that involved. That would spell certain death for her. But her issues with Vito were probably based on her religious beliefs. She would not have had a problem with Vito dropping dead (the religious excuse that he deserved it would prevail) and she ultimately thinks one of his "own kind" did it. But she'd certianly have an issue with Phil being the guy who did it. Any killing sentences him to hell. The bottom line is that the only way for Phil's wife to survive is to behave and take whatever money she gets for having been a bosses wife.

But then again I don't subscribe to the Tony getting shot theory. That last scene, when I watched it again, is not really that ominous. There is no reason to even think he gets shot with the exception of the way the camera surveys the people. This just isn't how the writers and directors have done killings in past shows. Even Phil's death was sort of obvious. The line "wave bye bye to pop pop" was a priceless give-a-way. I think its far worse news for Tony... that his awful life just goes on.

 

This morning on Howard Stern they reported that a women who dances at Scores (or somewhere) was invited to the set and saw them film a scene where Paulie gets shot. I don't believe that a) someone could get on set for such a secret scene and b) there was ever a plan to have Paulie shot. But has anyone else heard reliable reports of this scene?

 

If Phil's wife did it - she would have acted alone - it's doubtful she
could have found a sympathetic hit man - because the killer would
have to be WILLING to die.

My theory about Phil's wife involves a crazy reaction - from someone
who really isn't WORRIED about being killed in the process... who might
even turn and shoot herself afterwards.

What do they call it in legal terms ? Crime of passion (?)
Temporary insanity (?)

If that DID happen - it would be completely out of left field with
respect to Tony's expectations. The last thing he would
expect would be to get clipped by an angry mob WIFE.

But try putting yourself in her position. She waited TWENTY
years for Phil to return from prison - and then she watched
him die in front of her grandkids - in the most awful revolting
manner fathomable.

I have several reasons for arguing that "cut to black" means
death:

1.) The concept was discussed three times in the last
9 episodes. Once with Bobby on the boat, again when
Silvio recanted what happened when he was in the NY
restaurant, and again via a flashback of Bobby's words
on the boat.
2.) If Tony was killed - and his whole family went with
him - is it something that people really wanted to see
in great detail???? I think Tony's character had a strange
love/hate relationship with the viewing audience. We
knew he was a sociopath (maybe more as of late - than
before), but I think a lot of people WANTED him to live.
A lot of people were rooting for him to survive. I know
I was. And I can't explain "why?"


My theory about "cut to black" is somewhat like the end
of "Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid" where we didn't
SEE Robert Redford and Paul Newman die...

Of course, in that situation, we knew it - because the movie
was based on real history...

Add into the mix, the idea that the actor who plays Tony has
been adamant that he doesn't want to do a sequel or
a movie... which meant Tony HAD to die - possibly to
appease Galdolfini...

I recognize the way it was done left the door open because
the whole thing could be reversed... but I doubt it will
happen - in part - because the market for a movie
was systematically reduced in the last 4 or 5 episodes.
No Christopher, no Bobby, Silvio will have to undergo a
miraculous recovery, etc.

I think Chase is already expressing an interest in making
a movie that shows Tony's FATHER (and Uncle Junior)
as young men... and possibly a young child version
of Tony. But that's not a sequel - thats a prequel.

Besides - if the whole thing needed to be reversed - he
could always do something like just make everything
that happened as of late a "dream sequence"...

Given that this was once done before on Dallas,
I don't think Chase wants to go there... no matter
how much money they tempt him with....


I don't think Tony dying makes the show any less
a show about Tony's biological family (as opposed
to his crime family). Why ? Because Tony would
have died in the presence of his family - and he
would have died (in my world, where Phil's wife
did it) in a way that Tony was destroyed by someone
OUTSIDE the crime family - for PERSONAL reasons -
not business.

 

That assumes that the dancer at Scores is able to tell the difference
between different actors and characters in the story. She could
easily have seen Phil die - and thought he was Paulie Walnuts.


It is kind of amusing that this has been a big topic of discussion on
AM talk radio. They talked about it all week BEFORE the last episode
on the sports talk channel I listen to. And they haven't been able
to stop talking about it since. Even Jim Rome talked about it on
his national show.

The funniest comment I heard Rome make was when he read an email
from someone who said that the NBA championship game should
end prematurely with the lights being turned out in the arena
a few minutes before the game is scheduled to end - LOL

 

...but we certainly heard the gunshots. We hear nothing but silence here.

The more people discuss the possibilities, the more I'm convinced that Tony doesn't get whacked, that life goes on for the Soprano family.

The whole POV theory doesn't work for me, since Tony ISN'T in every scene.

 

And I think there was a fade in "Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid"


The similarity is mostly that Butch and Sundance were anti-heros
who we didn't WANT to *see* die... any student of history would
have known that they DID die before walking in to the theater.


I'm not saying that we suddenly inherited Tony's POV.

I'm saying that there were a lot people who didn't actually want
to WATCH Tony get wacked.

I'm sure there are some bloodthirsty people who did want to
see it.... for no other reason than to confirm what they
guessed would happen

 

How about the viewer getting whacked? That works for me... and it fits with "life goes on for the Soprano family"... I believe that was the plan.

 

I was shocked when that bottle of ketchup got whacked....

 

I was very disappointed when Tony grabbed the bottle. I thought he was going to show the secret of getting Heinz 57 out of the bottle, but no...

 

Bobby buying the train for eight grand, after Janis had been asking Tony for more money to keep Junior in style...that was comical as well.

There's a page in the Wikipedia dealing with all the humouris malapropisms in the show...it's a good read;

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sopranos#Malapropisms

 

I'm definitely in the 'life goes on' camp. Tony will always have to look over his shoulder and wonder when something bad might happen. Regarding the Journey song, I didn't like it at first, and there are definitely a lot better choices, but it does work lyrically. Don't Stop Believin' in whatever ending you want, Chase is saying. The flipside of the record Any Way You Want It says it as well. And the band name Journey ties in perfectly with the seven year journey of the Soprano family.

 

Yeah, I dig that, especially since I'm also connecting it with A.J.'s rant at the funeral.

 

I agree with you.

 

Awright, gotta add my fiddy cents in now...

This whole last season was about Tony and The Light. Whereas most people seeing that distant white light figure it's about death, for Tony it was always a symbol that he was going to live; to survive whatever was coming at him -- from being shot (the hospital OR lights), the coma dream (Kevin Finnerty, etc.), the SUV accident (headlights overhead), the peyote reactions in the bathroom, and then in the desert, where he finally "got it". He would survive all of this.

What was the last thing we saw Sunday night? Tony's face, and lights out.

I believe this Tony is no more. He has ceased to be. He is an ex-capo.