The Sopranos: The Definitive Explanation of the End

So I just finished watching The Sopranos, and like anybody who saw the ending I was left thinking: WTF?

Naturally I searched for an explanation, and I found the perfect one:

http://masterofsopranos.wordpress.co...on-of-the-end/

It's a very long read, but it explains the ending in full detail for those who are still left scratching their heads. Personally I think this is the best ending in television history. Everything about it is perfect and it all fits together. Read and see for yourself.

Very plausible. I'd actually need to see it again. But although plausible, I think people can also go with the paranoia 'life goes on' theory as well.

I compare it to Blade Runner and the theory of Deckard being a cyborg.

Good read though.

Have you read all of it? There's like 6 parts I think. It debunks the 'life goes on' theory. Can't remember how exactly, but I think the essay says that David Chase wouldn't have put so much thought into the scene just to say 'life goes on'.

Here's the explanation from the essay:

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

To believe that “nothing happened” or “Life goes on” is in direct contrast to the structure of all six seasons. The show was, while complex in the amount of detail and depth of character, pretty classic story-telling. When Chase did wallow in ambiguity, it was only for peripheral matters or the ending was there but the audience just failed to see it. Take the famous Russian Valery in the “Pine Barrens,” the episode wasn’t really about him or his ultimate fate, it was about Paulie and Christopher’s deteriorating relationship. Interestingly enough, after that episode, Chase cites the missing Russian three times after that episode throughout the rest of the series. All three scenes imply that the Russian never surfaced. Chris mentions the missing Russian during his intervention which causes an angry Paulie to shut him up. Paulie and Chris relay the Pine Barrens story to other crew members in the Season 5 opener. When Patsy asks what happened to the Russian, Chris replies “Who the knows?” In one of the final episodes, “Chasing It,” Tony relays to Bobby, Paulie, and Chris that he has to go see Slava to retrieve some money. Logic tells us that if Valery survived there would’ve been major consequences given Valery’s close relationship to the Russian Boss Slava. However, those three scenes imply that Valery never surfaced and Tony has continued doing business with Slava. If Chase was so invested in narrative ambiguity he would have no reason to include these three follow up scenes. Many also cite that there was no follow up regarding Dr. Melfi’s rapist as an example of Chase’s perverse pleasure in leaving storylines dangling. Once again the ending is there, if you want to see it. Once Dr. Melfi took her moral stand not to tell Tony to avenge her rapist, the story was over. That’s what that episode was about. The answers have always been there on this show. Chase always liked to hammer a point home, always artful but never clear until the end. Each episode of each season was like 13 separate pieces, each with its own storyline and themes that ultimately coalesced into the season’s ultimate themes, that all become clear by the finale. Only in retrospect can the viewer see that the arrows were always pointing the way toward the end (in part 2 of this essay, you will see, with the benefit of hindsight, why Tony dying is the only ending that makes sense). It makes no sense that Chase would abandon this style in the final season-all just to say “Life goes on” or to leave the viewer hanging. Whether or not Tony died would not be a peripheral matter to the show, it’s not something Chase would leave hanging. Chase decided to show Tony’s final fate in an artful way that required the audience to work a little bit, but the answer is there. The true identity of Tony’s murderer, and the motive, is the real ambiguous part of the finale and probably only of peripheral concern to Chase. Below is an illustration of how the first 5 seasons have a clear narrative drive that ends conclusively. Each season has its major themes and storylines that pay off by the end:

Season 1: The major thrust of the season is Tony’s struggle for control of the “family” with Uncle Junior and Tony’s relationship with his Mother. The season ends with Tony defeating Junior to become boss of the family. Junior’s crew is wiped out. Tony comes to the realization that Livia is not the loving Mom he thought she was and attempts to kill her at the hospital.

Season 2: The 2 major plotlinesare 2 separate threats to Tony Soprano. Big Pussy, Tony’s best friend has flipped to the FBI and may bring Tony down. Richie April returns from prison to challenge Tony and rekindles his old romance with Tony’s sister Janice. These storylines are resolved neatly. Richie is killed by Janice and Pussy is killed when Tony discovers he is a traitor.


Season 3: The 2 major plotlines involve Jackie Aprile Jr. and his attempt to break into the Mafia (and Tony’s attempt to keep him out) and the introduction of Ralph Ciffaretto, a new thorn in Tony’s side. By the end of the season, Jackie Jr. is killed on Tony’s orders and Tony resolves (at least temporarily) a season long feud with Ralphie.


Season 4: This is probably the least “clean” of all the season’s endings. Tony and Carmela separate in the finale (although the separation was a natural conclusion to their relationship during this season). Junior’s trial ends with a hung jury and Junior avoids prison.


Season 5: A season long Civil War in the NY Lupertazzi family is the thrust of this season. Tony’s cousin Tony Blundetto is also introduced and gets involved in the NY war. By the end of the season the NY war is resolved when Little Carmine surrenders to Johnny Sack and Tony kills his cousin Tony Blundetto(to avoid Tony’s family having it’s own war with NY). Also, Tony and Carmela are back together by the season’s end.

Consequently, for Chase to have this big buildup in the final scene of Season 6 and to end with “nothing happening” or “Life goes on” violates the shows basic structure. Why would Chase and his team of writers leave the viewer to “choose their own ending”? Why would Chase introduce the prospect of Tony’s trial in the final few moments of the final episode? Would Chase not consider this major event in Tony’s life worth seeing? The answer is simple, Carlo’s flipping and Tony inevitable trial become a moot point once Tony is killed. That’s why Tony’s impending indictment is mentioned again in Holsten’s. It’s meant to distract us from what’s really coming.

I did read it, groggly while drinking my morning coffee so I'll probably end up re-reading it again.

My point though, which I sort of left off with the Deckard comment is that, although constructuraly the argument can be made and the director can go on about what they were thinking and their motivation for the scene or ending, if there is a possibility of question, then either answer the audience may have is there for acceptable.

In Blade Runner I've been hearing for years about how the little paper horse being left at the end represents the fact that Deckard is a cyborg (android) forget the term they use in the movie, but I've watched that movie at least 20 times and there is nothing in the movie that even directly implicates this except this is what Scott 'intended'. In that case either outcome is plausible.

So, with the Soprano's Ending, even though the series of shots and the editing and all that are well planned out, since the audience doesn't see anything and there has been so much bait and switch in the series than the ending is left up to the audience. Sure the blackness at the end is a large nod towards the death ending, but it could also be that in Tony's world we should always fear and be prepared for the worse. And this is what some people feel.

The day after the episode I was asking people about this and most thought it was that life just keeps going on and only few felt he had been wacked.

Originally Posted by Ramashan

So, with the Soprano's Ending, even though the series of shots and the editing and all that are well planned out, since the audience doesn't see anything and there has been so much bait and switch in the series than the ending is left up to the audience. Sure the blackness at the end is a large nod towards the death ending, but it could also be that in Tony's world we should always fear and be prepared for the worse. And this is what some people feel.

The day after the episode I was asking people about this and most thought it was that life just keeps going on and only few felt he had been wacked.

It's not just that, Chase himself has indicated 'that it's all there'. He didn't leave it open, he just didn't tell us directly what happened. All the clues are there for us to put together (which the article does very well). Why would the camera focus on the guy with the 'Members only' jacket if nothing happened? There is so much evidence for him being 'whacked' that I don't think it would've just ended with a 'life keeps going' scene.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r4kgx...eature=related

Personally, I'm with the Tony being Wasked ending, it fits the series. I'm just saying, I believe that it is also open to translation by the viewer and what they want to happen. Regardless of what's true, i think people who are Soprano fans will be debating this for ages, which is great!

I'm not denying it, I've just rewatched the sequence and now I see it all.

But, he's asking the audience to recall things from several different episodes from several different seasons, which I honestly didn't watch all of the seasons. So, for me, the clues meant nothing.

So, yes, its all there, but your also expecting your audience to be clued in on it.

I think what I'm trying to say is, it works either way and that's the beauty of the ending.

I mean, if you are even a moderate Godfather fan, you would get the bathroom reference, but you need to be a very astute viewer to get the music clue, the trucker, the boyscouts, the parking count and the attempts of Tony's life.

As an aspiring film maker, I think that the ending sequence is brilliant in that it does everything a visual story teller should do. And, it works in more way than one.

Yeah true, but then again the sequence is aimed at the fans who have watched the series throughout the years. I didn't see all those things neither, but I did have a feeling about that guy with the jacket, the way the camera focused on him and then how he kept looking at Tony. You knew something was about to happen, but the genius is that you didn't expect it to cut off like that. That's what I love the Sopranos. It's so original, things happen that you never would've thought would happen. But man I'm such a doofus, I didn't realise there were 2 parts to the last season (I wasn't reading anything on the net just in case an odd comment or whatever would spoil it for me) so I ended up only buying the 2nd part of the 6th season. I should've known something was up when there were so many changes in the new season (AJ and Blanca and their kid) and that there were only 9 episodes. Stupid DVD didn't say nothing about PART II or PART I or whatever neither, it just said Season 6 - The Final Episodes. Now I'm going to have go back and watch the PART I episodes.

I hate when they split up seasons like that.

Regarding the OP, it is great that you have a final scene that is so filled with detail and references that you need to study it later to fully appreciate it. Because I also know that many people had a WTF? when they saw it and it left a bad taste in their mouths. I know at first I thought it was a cop-out, but I think this had to do with the way Deadwood ended and I was hoping for something more.

I havent' see the sopranos. I will, but i haven't yet, but i know how it ends.

It seems pretty damn simple to me. The show is a slice of their lives, not a discreet story. The beginning point will always be somewhat arbitrary, so the end point is too. Beyond this point they will continue being themselves and continue to lead their lives. One spot is as good as any other.

From the writer's perspective, endings are always difficult. People expect TOO much from a show like this. Absolutely nothing they did would have been good enough, so rather than try to live up to that impossible standard, they did what was appropriate, and i applaud it. And you have to admit, it wasn't an ending people were expecting, and it was rather original.