I freaking KNEW it! Tony Soprano did not die.

[Sheldon Cooper]

http://insidetv.ew.com/2014/08/27/david-chase-finally-reveals-tonys-fate-on-the-sopranos/



Did the guy in the ‘Members Only’ jacket whack him? Were the onion rings a crispy and delicious source of symbolism about the circle of life for Tony? What was up with Meadow’s parallel parking? Questions about that scene never ceased, and Chase’s elusiveness over Tony’s fate only furthered speculation. In-depth fan sites were spawned just over the ending alone. Even Michael Imperioli, who played Christopher Moltisanti in the show (and was tragically whacked episodes before the finale) thought Tony died.

Perhaps sick of answering questions about an event that happened seven years ago, Sopranos creator David Chase finally let a sliver of info out on Tony Soprano’s whereabouts at end of the HBO series. In an article on Vox, writer Martha P. Nochimson questions Chase on whether Tony dies in the finale. Chase’s simple reply: “‘He shook his head ‘no.’ And he said simply, ‘No he isn’t.'”

It never made sense to me that Tony would be killed at the end - there was simply no one left with enough power to authorize and execute the hit.

[Broken_Hero]

1. Just finished this series early this morning

via amazon instant prime and the season finale was a let down. Series as a whole was decent, a solid 7.5 out of 10.

[edbermac]

2. I think that Tony was whacked.

Two good videos that gave a nice interpretation. I like the repetition of threes idea. Three attempts on Tony's life, three parking attempts, the three Boy Scouts, the three creams on the truckers coffee dish, three shots of three characters eating onion rings etc.

[Sheldon Cooper]

5. The fact remains, there was no one left to pull off the hit.

If someone can make a believable case for exactly who was left to do it, I'm all ears.

[Wounded Bear]

3. Never saw a single episode...

But from the commentary I read, his being dead is the best explanation I've heard, and was my impression when I saw the highlight clips of the scene.

Mr Chase's comments sound like someone interested in doing a sequel.

[Sheldon Cooper]

4. Well, with James Gandolfini actually dead, a sequel seems unlikely.

[Ino]

6. Update on the article at same link...

UPDATE: Chase has issued a statement in reaction to the Vox story declaring that Tony is not, in fact, alive. Or at least he’s not-not dead. From Chase’s representative: “A journalist for Vox misconstrued what David Chase said in their interview. To simply quote David as saying, ‘Tony Soprano is not dead,’ is inaccurate. There is a much larger context for that statement and as such, it is not true. As David Chase has said numerous times on the record, ‘Whether Tony Soprano is alive or dead is not the point.’ To continue to search for this answer is fruitless. The final scene of The Sopranos raises a spiritual question that has no right or wrong answer.”

Which sounds like a lot of gobbledygook to me. I think Chase said Tony wasn't dead out of sadness: "Tony's not dead. Jim Gandolfini is not dead. They live on." And this update is just a way of not having to explain that, and returning the finale to its state of ambiguity.

Personally, I think all signs pointed to Tony's being shot in the finale.

BUT... just in case they wanted to do a sequel... I "saw" Meadow coming in, rushing up to the empty seat next to Tony... just in time to block the shot meant for him. She dies in his arms... just as Michael Corleone's daughter died in his arms, taking the bullet meant for her father (Godfather III).

[RiffRandell]

9. Yep, he's back-peddling.

I always got the impression he died after this VF article.

http://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2012/04/sopranos-oral-history

[fishwax]

7. I don't think David Chase really knows, because that's the main point

Tony doesn't know whether the guy walking past him is there to kill him or whether the ring of the bell on the door harkens the arrival of his would-be assassin. He'll never know, and this is how he will live out the balance of his life. Tony isn't dead in that last scene because it doesn't matter whether Tony dies right then.

[flying rabbit]

8. Schrodinger's

crook.