The Sopranos finale has become one of the most infamous of any TV show, but it was foreshadowed earlier in the series. The Sopranos gave us one of the best gangster TV shows of all time, following New Jersey’s Soprano Mafia family and their acquaintances. James Gandolfini gives an Emmy Award-winning performance as Tony Soprano, the family’s patriarch, as he juggles Mafia life and his mental health. Throughout The Sopranos‘ six seasons, Tony often seemed untouchable, but the finale episode suggests that fate might have caught up with him at last.
The Sopranos finale was polarizing, with many reviewers describing it as “genius,” while others felt that The Sopranos‘ ending betrayed the show’s viewers. Tony and Carmela meet Meadow in a diner, and have arrived early. The scene repeatedly cuts between Tony and Carmela’s conversation, Meadow’s struggle to park her car, and a man sitting at the bar, who eventually leaves in the direction of the restroom. The tension builds throughout these short scenes, but rather than an explosive burst of action, the screen cuts to black. While Tony’s fate is not shown, it may have been set up earlier.
The Bobby Quote That May Have Hinted At Tony Soprano’s Fate
Tony’s Death (If It Happened) Would Fit Bobby’s Description
One of the saddest deaths in The Sopranos is Bobby’s, as he is one of the genuinely nice characters in a show full of villains and antiheroes. One Sopranos scene made it clear Bobby would die heartbreakingly, as he finally found the model train he had been looking for. In an earlier scene, Tony and Bobby are talking about death, when Bobby says “You probably don’t even hear it when it happens,” referring to the sudden nature of being killed. Bobby’s line foreshadowed his own death, but it could also apply to Tony.
Tony is distracted in several different ways while sitting in the bar. He and his family are discussing several different subjects while waiting for Meadow. Every time the doorbell rings, Tony looks up, yet it is never Meadow until the last second. Tony spent much of The Sopranos on his guard and aware that he had enemies, but he was not minding his surroundings during this scene. If the man sitting at the bar really was an assassin, Tony would not have heard his death coming, exactly as Bobby described it.
This Paulie Quote Sums Up Tony’s Fate
What Does Paulie’s Line Mean?
Paulie Walnuts is one of the most quotable characters in The Sopranos, as he is often hilarious without meaning to be. One of his best lines is surprisingly philosophical and concerns life and death. Paulie Walnuts foreshadowed Tony’s fate during a conversation with Meadow, in which he says, “In the midst of death, we are in life’, huh? Or is it the other way around?” Meadow answers that she thinks it’s the other way around. Paulie quips back in his more typical comedic fashion, “Either version, you’re halfway up the ass.”
Meadow’s version of the quote is correct, and the original is often attributed to Notker the Stammerer, a 9th-century monk.
Both readings of this line could apply to Tony, if he is assassinated in The Sopranos finale. He is, theoretically, killed while in the middle of an ordinary life event, out for dinner with his family. Alternatively, Meadow’s correction is also correct, as it means that even while we are living, we get closer to the event of our death. It is a morbid expression, but one that also describes Tony (along with all the other characters). That said, it has not been confirmed whether Tony died or not. While this is frustrating to many viewers, it was deliberate.
Tony’s Fate Not Being Confirmed Is The Point Of The Sopranos Ending
Despite All The Mystery, The Sopranos Creator May Have Confirmed Tony’s Death
The Sopranos’ controversial ending does not answer the question of Tony’s fate. While viewers have reportedly found clues that prove Tony Soprano died in the diner, this has not been verified. That said, the question “Did Tony die?” is not necessarily essential to answer. The Sopranos killed several major characters, including fan-favorites, and the deliberately ambiguous ending illustrates how death will come for all the characters at some point. Tony just has more reason to fear assassination than most. Even if he lived, he might always look up every time the door opens.
Related
Shocking Sopranos Theory Reveals Who Betrayed Tony, And It Totally Changes Season 6
There are many questions surrounding Tony’s death in the Sopranos season 6 finale, but one theory reveals who betrayed the show’s protagonist.
While The Sopranos writers have generally tried to keep Tony’s fate a mystery, it is possible that the show’s creator, David Chase, may have revealed more than he intended to. Chase told USA Today that his original ending had shown Tony driving through a tunnel on his way to a meeting, before the screen cut to black to signify “something bad happened.” While Chase changed The Sopranos‘ original ending, the cut scene idea was kept. Chase referred to it as a “death scene” during the interview, but acknowledged that there are different interpretations.
Source: USA Today
10/10
- Release Date
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1999 – 2007
- Network
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HBO
- Showrunner
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David Chase
- Directors
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Tim Van Patten, John Patterson, Alan Taylor, Jack Bender, Steve Buscemi, Daniel Attias, David Chase, Andy Wolk, Danny Leiner, David Nutter, James Hayman, Lee Tamahori, Lorraine Senna, Matthew Penn, Mike Figgis, Nick Gomez, Peter Bogdanovich, Phil Abraham, Rodrigo García
- Writers
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Michael Imperioli, Jason Cahill, Lawrence Konner, David Flebotte, James Manos, Jr., Salvatore Stabile, Toni Kalem, Mark Saraceni, Nick Santora
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James Gandolfini
Tony Soprano
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