You're right Sticky. I think it was a masterpiece. Not a convenient ending, no happy ending, no mob shootout, no finality. Except in our minds. Its Chase's story, not ours.
However, this is an interesting theory posted at
http://digg.com/movies/The_Sopranos_..._Did_You_Think
Quote:
OK, at first I was really angry. I mean really, really angry. I can't believe though that no-one has posted by now what happened. The only thing I saw that was right, was that in the last scene we are seeing through Tony's eyes. Remember when he was speaking with Bobby...basically saying that you don't see it happening?
So here is what I found out. The guy at the bar is also credited as Nikki Leotardo. The same actor played him in the first part of season 6 during a brief sit down concerning the future of Vito. That wasn't that long ago. Apparently, he is the nephew of Phil. Phil's brother Nikki Senior was killed in 1976 in a car accident. Absolutely Genius!!!! David Chase is truly rewarding the true fans who pay attention to detail.
So the point would have been that life continues and we may never know the end of the Sopranos. But if you pay attention to the history, you will find that all the answers lie in the characters in the restaurant. The trucker was the brother of the guy who was robbed by Christopher in Season 2. Remember the DVD players? The trucker had to identify the body. The boy scouts were in the train store and the black guys at the end were the ones who tried to kill Tony and only clipped him in the ear (was that season 2 or 3?).
Absolutely incredible!!!! There were three people in the restaurant who had reason to kill Tony and then it just ends. This was Chase's way of proving that he will not escape his past. It will not go on forever despite that he would like it to "don't stop". Not the fans!!! Tony would like it to keep going but just as we have to say goodbye, so does he. No more Tony and I guess we are supposed to be happy that Meadow didn't get clipped as well (she would have been between the shooter and Tony) since she is the only one worth a crap in that family.
Thank you David Chase for making it so obscure that I feel bad for hating you at first. Absolutely amazing!!!!"
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To be fair, there are some people that take issue with the above at that site and have some proof to back them up.
But, the brilliance in the ending lies not in it's ending but how we perceive it ending. The debate and disucssion will last for days. Had it closed with them ordering dinner with no sinister background or with T getting his forehead ventilated, we'd be done discussing it by now.