I’m almost sorry we’re still talking about this, but then again, Sunday’s Sopranos finale drew almost 12 million viewers, making it the second most watched show on broadcast or cable last week (behind only America’s Got Talent). Anyway, while viewers continue to rewind their DVRs in search of clues, we can put a few burning questions to rest, now that series creator David Chase has briefly broken his silence, and now that Adriana herself has spoken to EW.com.
"Anybody who wants to watch it, it’s all there," said Chase — who’s granted one and only one post-finale interview, to Alan Sepinwall, TV critic at New Jersey’s own Star-Ledger newspaper — about possible clues in the finale. He insisted that the purpose of the blackout was not to frustrate viewers or to leave the door open for a Sopranos movie, a project he said he doubts he will ever be inspired to write. Beyond that, he said he wants the episode’s content to speak for itself. "I have no interest in explaining, defending, reinterpreting, or adding to what is there."
Meanwhile, there’s a popular theory circulating via e-mail thatthere were as many as three hitmen in the diner — the twoAfrican-American men (supposedly the guys who once tried to carjackTony), and the Italian-looking guy in the Members Only jacket.According to this theory, that’s "Nikki Leotardo," a supposed nephew ofPhil’s, and his trip to the men’s room may have been to recover a gunstashed there, Michael Corleone-style. ("Members Only" is also thetitle of the episode in which Uncle Junior shot Tony.) The blackout,then, represents Tony’s sudden death at "Nikki"’s hands, a moment inwhich, just as Bobby had once surmised, you don’t hear your assailantcoming, and everything just suddenly goes black. Nice theory, but inthe credits, the mysterious fellow is simply referred to as "Man inMembers Only jacket." Sepinwall pretty thoroughly demolishes the claimsat the end of his article (Members Only guy had never acted on the showbefore, and Tony killed one of the carjackers), and there’s moredebunking in this TV Barn thread.
One who briefly entertained but now dismisses this theory is Drea De Matteo (pictured), to whom EW’s Shirley Halperin spoke after last night’s Maroon 5 concertat New York’s Bowery Ballroom. The erstwhile Adriana said of theepisode, "I loved it. I thought it was an amazing way to end it. It wasso David Chase. But I got the craziest e-mail [the one referred toabove], saying he was dead, and I believed it. Especially the partabout everything fading to black, and the Members Only jacket, all thatsymbolism. Now, I don’t really think he died, but it doesn’t matter. Iknow people are hating it, but I thought it was perfect." She added,"I’m gonna go on the Internet tonight and read all this s—."
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I think the symbolism is intentional, but I don’t think Tony died there: the whole point of the series was that we entered in the middle of the family’s problems, and that they would go on without us. I also love the new “audience got whacked” theory that’s going around now. By the way, Drea de Matteo is just as beautiful in real life–she lives in my neighborhood and I’ve seen her a few times already. She’s incredibly nice, too.
That’s big of David Chase not wanting to explain any of that crap he put out there in that finale. Whatever.
Hi Gary, this is about your other article for today, which doesn’t feature comments. You wrote about Steel Magnolias:
‘WHAT’S THE HITCH? In addition to the traditional cake, there’s also a ”groom’s cake,” which is shaped like an armadillo, with putty-colored frosting and a blood-red interior. Ewwww. Let’s hope that animal-shaped groom’s cakes are just a regional custom, confined to a small area.’
Um… I think you’re joking, but I’m not sure. For the record, the actual tradition is that the big white cake is the ‘bride’s cake’ and then there’s a ‘groom’s cake’ which is chocolate. But it should be a beautiful gourmet cake. Sometimes grooms get their way and have a tacky one, but that’s not the standard.
The whole point of that scene is that the wedding is garish and the cake is a hideous outrage. Guests are shocked by it, but too polite to say anything. They’ll gossip about it for years though – and real-life southerners still laugh out loud about that ‘armadillo cake.’
This horse is officially dead. Let’s stop beating it.
Didn’t they make a big point of showing us that the restaurant was chosen at the last moment? It’s not the type of place that takes reservations. So when and why would a guy stash a gun in the back?
David Chase: “I have no interest in explaining, defending, reinterpreting, or adding to what is there.”
Translation: “Go to hell, audience.”
I think that Chase had written himself into a corner and there were only a few (all unpleasant) ways to go for Tony–so Chase just didn’t decide anything and ended it. I don’t think that it is particularly profound–maybe it’s a bit lazy, but this way half of the people are happy and half are unhappy–and he can be “begged” in the future to make a movie, etc. with a good starting point.
Many artistic geniuses, or geniuses at large, are jerks.
Never had HBO, so never watched Sopranos and cant relate to the ending. But I can tell you right now, if Lost ends like this 3 years from now I’m gonna be awfully pissed.
Since Chase can’t be bothered to explain the ending, let’s refuse to buy anymore Sopranos merchandise, especially the DVD’s. Chase certainly gets a nice cut of the sales, hit em’ in his pretensious, self absorbed wallet!
I feel dirty, cheated, and its hard to watch old episodes for me now knowing that David Chases master plan was complete garbage.
“Agent Harris” actor hints that Tony was indeed killed. Article at above link
“agent harris” also says it cuts as the guy is advancing to Tony, actually, he walks by and is going to the bathroom, he remembered it wrong, so i don’t think Tony gets killed.
hey, last image is of Tonys face, and then it goes to black….WE got whacked!
I finally watched the ending and I actually thought it was pretty good. At first I was confused but then I realized that there is no chance of writing an ending that would be satisfying to everyone. Plus in reality we know what the next phase of everyones life is. The fact that there wasn’t a big climax fits since the big stuff happened in the episode before with the Family and the last episode is just Tony and his family.
Who cares about the ending? I want David Chase to explain the cat staring at Christopher’s picture.
The problem with this analysis is that you are bundling the “Nikki Leotardo” theory with the death theory. The Nikki thing was debunked. But the clues are still there for Tony’s sudden death by gunshot. The Member’s Only tie-in is there. The Godfather references are there (bathroom visit, and an appearance of an orange in the episode.) The Bobby boat conversation is probably the biggest clue. And even though I openly admit it is a stretch…there is an infomercial in the background of one of the scenes for…the “Magic Bullet.”
I applaud Chase for refusing to explain the scene. This isn’t “Lost,” where the creators’ product is so convoluted and contrived that they’re forced to explain each episode for fans too lazy or unable to figure it out. Nor is “The Sopranos” a series where myriad little clues point to a “mind-bending reveal” in the final episode. “The Sopranos” is a quieter, more contemplative and, yes, ambiguous experience, and has always been so. Chase has respect for his audience, leaving it to them to take what they want from the series. He does not insult them by spelling everything out or explaining “the meaning of it all” to the press. (If he did, then why watch the show in the first place?). Most of the people who don’t “get” the ending have simply had the wrong idea about this show from day one.
Dave, personally I don’t think Tony was killed at the end (just my opinion). Either way I think there is no way the Member’s Only Guy would have shot him. I mean if you are going to hit the head of the NJ mob you don’t go into the restaurant and sit there for awhile and order coffee and talk to the waitress so that people can see you and identify you later. It would be more like Bobby or The Hairdo’s murder, where the guy walks in takes the shot, drops the gun and leaves.
I liked this finale. (and I suspect people that hated it will like it a little better on repeat viewings)I just don’t understand why people DEMAND that Chase explain what happened to Tony.
Personally, I think he did a masterful job of staging that scene in the dinner in a way that EITHER interpretation (Tony Lives or Tony Gets Whacked) has validity (I’m personally in the “Tony Lives” camp). Neither side can claim with 100 percent certainty that “their” ending is the right one….what’s wrong with that?
Why does Chase have to be a Judge Judy like figure that settles a dispute? No matter what he did, he was never going to satisfy anyone, so why not get people talking and let them decide for themselves how it ended.
I mean, from the tone of some of the complainers, I get the feeling that if Chase came over to their house and cooked them a five-course meal, they would DEMAND that he feed it to them…with a spoon.
diner*
I think it did what it was supposed to. ENTERTAINED. Anyway, everyone is still talking about it. I don’t have cable and it has got me thinking about buying a season to see what the fuss is about.
I can’t believe all the people opining about the gun in the bathroom thing don’t remember that Pacino had to stash the gun in the bathroom because he was searched and in the restaurant alone. Why would the Members Only guy have to go to the bathroom to get a gun? There weren’t any bodyguards or anything… He would have just walked up to Tony and shot him and walked out.
I’m with you GLENN. If LOST ends like this, I’m going to be pissed!
DR. KRAKOWER: The whole “let the audience decide for themselves” argument is about as new as a Paris Hilton tape. It’s been done in countless movies and television shows before. I can remember ANGEL having a similar ambiguous ending, and I’m sure there’s been countless other that I’m unaware of. What a cop-out by Chase! Have some balls and give the audience a definitive ending.
Morons! This was not a plot-driven show; it was about so much more than who killed who. I especially can’t believe there are theories going around about what “really” happened at the end. Nothing “really” happened to Tony or anyone else — its fiction, people! Go back to reading Harry Potter and STFU.
That was a awful and lame ending to a landmark series, and it pisses me off even more reading David Chase’s cavalier “I don’t have to explain myself” justification for pulling that crap on the fans of this show.
I’m really glad that all of us who thought the ending was brilliant are coming out of the wood works now…on Monday I thought I was the only one!
Came across this alternative ending prepared by Maxim…
Check it out: http://www.maximonline.com/ExclusiveSopranosFinaleAlternateEnding/video/973.aspx?src=ddn28
Just one more note on the topic and then I think I’ve said all there is to say on this. If you hated it that’s fine. If you loved it that’s fine. I can’t understand why the two camps have to go on and on about how wrong the other side is. Can’t people just have thier own tastes and opinions without having to negate those who don’t feel the same way?
While I agree that everyone has their own opinion I am not sure how a better ending (not that this one was perfect) could have been created. Would people really rather have had Meadow come in and sit down and then have the camera pull back on the family and fade to black as the song ends? That is way worse and totally cheeze.
I think Chase was in an almost impossible situation and came up with something very different and interesting.