It’s pretty clear what happened when you look at the sequence of the shots.
The bell indicates that the next scene is from Tony’s POV, the bell rings when Meadow enters and that’s when the blank screen comes, showing that Tony doesn’t see anything because he’s dead.
The show that put HBO on the map. A high quality drama. Very addictive and you just had to see the next episode.
Company has “Game Of Thrones” but it will be remembered for “The Sopranos.”
HBO is premium entertainment for good reason.
I enjoyed the show but never thought it was anything special anymore than any other gangster show.
Gandolfini was made for that role but was probably typecast and would have trouble duplicating that success anywhere else.
The show had it’s share of interesting characters. I wonder if it would have had the same cache if it had been on a different network rather than HBO? HBO allowed that show to present all the crudeness and ugliness of real life with too much profanity and nudity.
My interpretation of that last scene is that Tony tells his family they are going to Italy to live... They have been happy ever since...
Tony got lucky to avoid being whacked multiple times. His luck was bound to run out eventually.
“Then, nothing. Cut to black.”
If that was not the greatest series ending ever - it is in the top 3.
Having said this - I know some people hated it. Why? Because some people wanted a tried and true, solid, dependable ending. (yawn)
https://themobmuseum.org/nickname-generator/
The greatest final episode ever, because people are still talking about it.
What the hell? Is was just a damn TV show.
Tony got tired of the viewers knowing all so had the viewer whacked. Go directly to black, do not fade.
The show is unique in my opinion as having no one worthy of sympathy.
I’ve been whacked in a diner plenty of times...usually around 2:00am in the morning, right after the bars close.
Dead in Rome of a heart attack at age 51.
RIP, Jimmy.
I wonder if it’s not something completely different: the ending allows for a continuation. ‘Never say “never”’. With the ending as it is, the show could have picked up again anytime.
I never really watched The Sopranos in its first run, but a few years ago my son got me hooked on Game of Thrones, so I am subscribing to HBO at least until June.
I decided I should go back and re-watch The Sopranos. My first impression was the characters, acting and writing were great. The dark humor of a mob Boss whose wife doesn’t understand him, whose kids don’t listen to him and who ends up visiting a pyschiatrist was unique. I can see why it won so many awards.
But about the time I reached the end of season 2,it seemed to me hat the overall plot advanced painfully slow. I just just didn’t’ find myself interested in going further. And by series end, the plot still hadn’t advanced all that much. The same family characters are eating diner food, and we’re still left wondering, will Tony’s enemies manage to whack him, or won’t they?
They presaged the whack in an earlier show when, IIRC Tony says “...wham, that’s it, you’re gone...” I think they were holidaying at a lake with another couple and the guys got to talking about being on the receiving end of a hit.
Never watched it; I worked 15-18hrs a day, 7 days a week, at my business, and lost track of the TV show.
Great series, great ending. I know intense mafia wars probably can’t happen like they used to, but my wish is that we saw more of that kind of stuff in the last two seasons. NY considered north NJ a glorified crew because of the numbers, fine, actually show them getting crushed or whatever.
Freegards
I always liked how in the last scene they are eating onion rings which could be considered symbolism for communion wafers
Never could understand the controversy over this. It was always obvious to me that Tony was whacked given his earlier conversation in the boat with his BIL where they wonder what happens when you die — and specifically ask “does everything just go dark?”
The controversy SHOULD be about WHO whacked him.