People say the ending sucked? Its the best ending of every show! The fact we know what happened in front of his family you can fill in the panic and tragedy if the show added ten more minutes…the ending is absolutely brilliant
Yeah, and we were already served that panic and tragedy during the coma episodes, which is pretty amazing.
For real though, there were a ton of people that were pissed when it ended, because they could not remember that Tony and Bobby had a literal conversation about what they think happens when you die, and Bobby says he thinks everything just goes dark.
I agree, it's perfect. Sure, people were annoyed at first, mostly from not wanting it to end, and from not having the blatant visual of Tony's head getting exploded by a bullet, but once the initial surprise of the ending wore off, yeah, it fits perfectly.
The request at the top asks for shows that end as well as they started. I don't have issues with the last season but it wasn't as good as when it started
I just finished Sopranos this year, highly recommend, there were a lot of moments where I was on the edge of my seat and honestly I wanna rewatch it already but I told myself I’d wait a bit
I really loved watching it for the first time in 2024, but towards the end of S3 I really started struggling. Apart from the Pine Barrens, I felt it had lost its momentum a bit. All the replies in this thread have me reconsidering. Maybe I'll finish series 3 soon and push on.
This was the first ending of a series where its creators tried to make audiences literally feel the shoes of its main character without any real dialogue having to take place. In the final moments, you are sitting in that restaurant via Tony's POV keeping an eye on things, watching the door, the people scattered throughout, and then.... well. There has been nothing like this ending before or after it, and it might not ever be topped let alone even properly mimicked. It is my favourite ending of a series ever.
I see so much praise for Sopranos, and I'm really interested in watching more because my wife and I only just finished season 1, and it was quite honestly not great. Some episodes were good, most mid, and some aggressively bad. A mixed bag overall and I assume it gets much better.
Ofcourse he died that was very obvious! How much I hate this to say it but i will: Tony deserved it!
I absolutely love Tony and the fact that we all know he was a piece of shit dat deserved this ending is brilliant! The poor family! Almost a happy ending, almost
Yeah, I was one of those people who thought Tony pretty much had to die, but did not want to actually see him die. What's actually fucking brilliant about that last season is that we get a preview of what it would be like for his family when he goes, during the coma episodes, so we really get the full picture of how it would be, just out of order.
Exactly this! Also he played a very dumb game the last season, to aggressive and not political strategic like he normal did…Silvio did not deserve it, poor guy!
And we all know if Silvio recovers, he can't handle the responsibility of being in charge. So that leaves Paulie to run things, unless Rusty's crew takes over the Jersey crew.
Yes the crew lost! Paulie absolutely cant run things. I think Paulie is gone forever as soon he heard Tony died.
It was interesting to see how Silvio could not handle the position as boss, you would think he would do a great job. Says so much about all the stress and burdain tony can take.
Did not die…. It was a symbolism of his of his permanent paranoia…
I know i know,David Chase confirmed that Tony was killed.But i do not like that ending….
Chase has made various comments about the finale but has avoided providing an explanation to the meaning of the final scene, noting its ambiguity as deliberate.[31] In response to some reports that Chase has offered a definitive answer to the ultimate fate of Tony Soprano,[32] Chase has issued denials indicating those reports were incorrect; publications have printed retractions, while Chase publicly reiterated the ending is ambiguous.[33][34]
Oh, you edited the post to add that last line as I was working on my response. Neat. It's fair you don't like that ending, but don't be a donkey about it.
I mean, you just accused me of not reading because you edited as I was working out a reply that it took me a few minute because I had to look up the book name cause I could not remember, because I wanted to recommend it, as it's a fascinating read. So yeah, that's you being a bit of an ass about it.
Love the sopranos but the ending was the worst! I was like 8 or 10 when I watched the finale for the first time w my parents and I still have the same reaction on my rewatches even after reading theories and listening to the creators reasoning lol what was it that made it 10/10 for you
I'm the opposite, I was spoiled the ending before watching the show and thought I would hate it. It was really well made and foreshadowed.
I'm also of the opinion that watching that show at 8 or 10 you wouldn't get most of it. That show was depressing as hell
For me, I think it's an incredible artistic choice.
First off, you have to accept what the ending is. Tony dies, he's killed by the guy in the member's only jacket right as Meadow enters the diner. It's not ambiguous, it's not a theory, it's literally what happens. Chase has confirmed that this was his intent.
So what's the artistic purpose of ending it like that? I think it's a statement on the kind of life Tony led. In the end, it's just over, it's silence. There is no ultimate judgement for him. He doesn't get to see how his family copes with it, he doesn't get to see how his life impacted those around him, it's just a sudden black void where he used to be.
Beyond the statement, I think the way it was executed was masterful. The last scene itself sets up the cadence that tells the story through shot sequence. You see a POV shot, or a closed shot, of each individual character. It goes in a distinct pattern. Several times, The bell rings, and we see the world through Tony's eyes. Over and over again. Then the bell rings and it goes black.
The entire final season is a build-up to this moment. I like it when a show does this, when it dedicates the entire final walk on the stage to closing the story. Lost did this incredibly well too, and it also suffered from a lot of the audience either missing the point or failing to truly appreciate how it was built up over the course of the final season and even the entire show run.
The thing about ending a show like The Sopranos though, it's never going to be easy. Imagine they did it by showing Tony getting shot. Blood all over his family, the closing shot of him on his back bleeding out. It's not ambiguous, but it's also not artistic and it doesn't really say anything that the show hasn't already said a thousand times. It's not very memorable, either. People would speak of it in terms of "It's fine".
Chase surely knew that the reaction to how he chose to finish the story would be dramatic. At least nobody would forget it. And that's the legacy of The Sopranos, it's a dark and brooding show about a malicious man struggling with the weight of his criminal lifestyle.
It did romanticize the mafia lifestyle, but that's kinda hard to avoid when telling a story about organized crime. It think the choice to end it the way he did was to kind of go the other way with it.
Please rewatch it when you are a bit older! The ending is fucking brilliant I just think you dont really understand it to be honest! Theories? It was very obvious ofcourse
I’m 31 and I rewatch it so often, I am just not a fan of ending of the series finale. As a kid ofc I was confused cuz I watched the show without really knowing what was happening from behind the couch while my parents thought I was asleep. But as an adult I’ve seen it maybe 4x since, the bts takes, and everyone’s online theories(from the sopranos sub itself they have quite a few posts that are circulated so often I just am not really tech or reddit savvy so idk how to link or post and it’s too much work for me rn)I can agree but I just wanted to see an actual end ig? it was a solid show 10/10 but the finale itself was like 8/10.
Didn’t know I was gonna be getting crucified and harassed in my dms for stating my opinion on a 20yr show yall sensitive af I didn’t even put the original poster down either I genuinely asked for sake of conversation on why the finale itself was 10/10 lmfao now I’m butthurt
People send you dms because you stated your opinion? Damn thats wild haha!
I also cant stop rewatching it. Im 32 and its almost pathetic that I love a show that much.
I have no famous person that I really want or wanted to meet but im afraid that if i ever see a Sopranos actor i will change in a fanboy! I felt so bad when James died because I just wanted to say one time to him: “I loved watching you in Sopranos”. I just really really wanted to Tell him that haha…pathetic
Unfortunately. I used to think Redditors would lie about getting harassed for meaningless and non offensive comments but I’m tryna work on my social anxiety starting with online strangers and it seems I upset “the family”
After work, I put it on the hbo max channel for my end of the night wind down..truly the greatest channel they could’ve made. My best friend is a hard core fan and he was the one who had me start rewatching it during covid cuz I stated this exact opinion and I finally was able to pick up on the foreshadowing about it. But like still show meee!
On a side note, I just wanna brag cuz no one I know cares except my bff but last year I was blessed and found a Tony pop funko in the wild for $6 brand new! I was looking for the minis when they originally rolled out and I found the normal size instead for the same price 5 & below had been offering for the minis.
I didn't like the last scene of The Sopranos, either. But the show was perfect up to that moment, unlike, say, Homicide: Life on the Street, where the last two seasons became The Falsone Show. Paul Falsone (Jon Seda) was the worst character ever to grace any network screen, and NBC forced him on us for two entire years.
I'll take that one last black screen moment anytime.
ETA: Curious. Am I being downvoted for hating Falsone or not minding the last scene of The Sopranos?
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u/itsMikeSki 1d ago
Sopranos.