"The Sopranos" cuts to black

Exactly! That was exactly what it was all about? Were you not sitting on the edge of your seat through every scene? Waiting for the hammer to drop?

Just as you said, this was exactly how they, (the characters), must live, always leary of what's around the next corner.

I think I'm in the minority, but I thought the ending was classic.

Lisa

the last one just isn't very good.

Okay, I'm looking for a point, too. I wanted an ending as brilliant as the finale of Six Feet Under. I guess David Chase & co. just didn't have it in 'em. Too bad. All that buildup and then they just rolled over and went to sleep.

But I did like the cat. I wonder if that was the same cat that used to bring the paper to Kyle Chandler's character in Early Edition? I see a spinoff. The cat stares at a picture of someone who's about to be killed and its owner has to find the person and prevent the murder. Hey, Jennifer Garner needs a new series.

I'm pretty sure we saw, in those final, black seconds, Tony getting killed through Tony's eyes. That was my immediate reaction after a second or two. I got all tingly and said, "he's dead!" Because you wouldn't hear the gunshot if the bullet was traveling through your head.

While I was watching the credits roll I had this image in my mind of Mr. Chase planning this ending so many years ago when he first created the show. Very cool.

Tony's lives....and he is at a diner with his family in NJ where the best Onion Rings are served. My girlfriend was upset but classic ending if you ask me. Let's me believe that Tony, drank, cheated, gambled, saw another therapist about his mother, lied, killed, and lived to the ripe old age that a Godfather should live to.

HAHAHA!!! I hated Phil

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If nothing else, the last 10 minutes of the series -- the whole diner scene -- was a master class for writer/directors about creating living, breathing, palpable tension.  It was nothing short of brilliant. 

In those harsh moments, Chase allowed everyone to viscerally experience the reality of those moments for Tony Soprano -- the crushing knowledge that at any given instance it could all be snuffed out, just like a puff on a flickering flame. 

Even within the most ordinary, commonplace, and mundane dwells the potential for chaos, disaster, and tragedy -- such is life. 

As to whether it was the most fitting end to the series, I think I have made my own peace with it.  After initially participating in what must have been a collective utterance of rage unjustly hurled at all local cable service providers, I think the ending is quite profound and an exceptionally brave choice.  It won't soon be forgotten. 

I can't really comment much here, having never gotten into The Sopranos, but I do have to admire the balls of whoever decided to fade to black - very risque. To think, if there was another season, it would be a sure-fire way to make sure viewers return, and bring along a few million friends. 

And from what I've gathered, it does seem like a realistic way to end something. Let's face it, this was a show based on real life, was it not? And if Tony was the main perspective and he got shot, would you rather we went to pathetic clouds and dream sequences instead of black? Or worse, inside the grave?

I do feel sorry for you all though - I know if it was something like Xena or Buffy, or House, I'd be the first to get up in arms about it!  

When she calls my name, I turn and in that instant I lose my heart. This is the love of my life.

- Kate Mulgrew

I got all five seasons on DVD so you could say I'm a fan, wish I hadn't read the spoiler though, still the ending sounds cool even though I usually hate it when they leave you h... 

~Strike while the muse is Hot~

I’m ok with the ending now, tho I def wasn’t thrilled at first.  And every prediction I made was wrong (heh) with the exception of Phil getting whacked and Tony NOT dying (sorry, for anyone who thinks he got shot at the end, I disagree).

But when I woke up yesterday and thought/talked more about it, I felt a lot better about it, esp in context of the entire series.  It’s so in keeping with Chase’s whole style – and I’m not someone who minds open endings or ambiguity.  It’s appropriate for this show, in itself a case study in ambiguity.

There were really only a few ways it could’ve gone – Tony gets killed, goes witness protection, or goes to prison, and I didn’t wanna see any of those things happen.  I’m of the school that the ending was:  "it goes on and on and on and on...". 

The entire episode had me on the edge of my seat, tho.  I didn’t start to relax until Phil was shot (that scene was great, btw).  As far as Paulie and the cat?  That last shot of him, outside Satriale’s, sunning himself as the cat walked by, was just beautiful.  When the camera pulled back and we got the long shot of the pig on the roof, I was sure it was gonna tumble off and crush him.  Sadly, that prediction didn’t come true either.  But the last 10 min were, without a doubt, the most tense 10 min I’ve ever spent watching tv.

And I’m glad it didn’t turn into a bloodbath either, which I think is what most of us expected (I was part of a betting pool and one of the bets was how many people get whacked.  Guesses ranged from 1 to 9).

But I’m still sad about Silvio.  Also, if they have the nerve to make a Sopranos movie, I will be very upset, tho I have more faith than that in David Chase.  But like I said, few of my predictions came true, so what the hell do I know?

PS – the cat was Adriana  ;)

He’s dead.  Remember Tony’s flashback of Bobby saying “you probably don’t hear it when it happens”.   It wasn’t just a fade to black; it was an abrupt cut during a crescendo.   I read a book once, I think it was called Stone Angel or something, that ended similarly.  He’s dead.  I didn’t think it was ambiguous at all.

Totally, totally agree.  The show was all about shades of gray and the ending was so in keeping with that spirit. 

Sad to say that some fan(s) felt like the best way to get back at Chase was to vandalize his Wikipedia listing to list him as " a homosexual American television writer."

Now, if you'll exuse me, I have to go outside and feed Adriana. 

Journey Rocker Kept 'Sopranos' Creator Waiting

SPOILER ALERT: Rocker Steve Perry refused to let The Sopranos creator David Chase use his classic song "Don't Stop Believin'" in the mob show's final scene until he knew the fate of the drama's leading characters. The ex-Journey frontman kept Chase waiting until three days before the long-awaited finale aired in America on Sunday. Perry is a huge Sopranos fan and feared his 1981 rock anthem would be remembered as the soundtrack to the death of James Gandolfini's character Tony Soprano - until Chase assured him that wouldn't be the case. Perry says, "The request came in a few weeks ago and it wasn't until Thursday that it got approval, because I was concerned. I was not excited about (the possibility of) the Soprano family being whacked to 'Don't Stop Believin''. Unless I know what happens - and I will swear to secrecy - I can't in good conscience feel good about its use." And Perry was so true to his word, he didn't even tell his family the song featured in the finale. He adds, "I didn't want to blow it. Even my wife didn't know. She looked at me and said, 'You knew that and you didn't tell me?'"

When she calls my name, I turn and in that instant I lose my heart. This is the love of my life.

- Kate Mulgrew

I don't think Tony's dead--the final scene was representative of what we've seen from Tony all season long: paranoia. Every time the door opened, he had to be worried about who was coming through the door.

But really, our disagreement just underscores my point that the ending was brilliant precisely because everyone gets to make a case for the ending of their choosing.