Wait, hold on. According the article, the question is: "Did Tony die?" and the answer is as above. That's a weird way to answer the question.

Boy that guy made a huge article over a simple answer.

Whether Tony dies or not in the restaurant is now an irrelevant question, since there will never, ever be more of THE SOPRANOS. So whatever ending you like, go with it.

And the funny thing is that what you just wrote is exactly what Chase envisioned it to be at the time.

Well now that we know he didn't die, I'm sticking with my theory in the OP from 7 years ago.

Maybe Chase made those comments because he's planning a Sopranos movie with James Gandol....oooohhh.

I agree with bunkaroo. It's a sentimental answer. I doubt he'd have even said anything if Gandolfini were still alive.

Chase's publicist sent out this response:

http://www.vulture.com/2014/08/david...didnt-die.html

That publicist can fuck right off with that noise.

I still love the ending, especially in light of Chase's statement that trying to definitively answer whether Tony lived or died is missing the point.

David Chase pretty much confirmed that Tony was alive years ago, after stating that Sopranos films were a possibility. I never thought the theories that Tony died held any weight anyway, which I've argued ad nauseum on this very board.

No weight? Come on, that's ludicrous. If they held no weight, members only guy wouldn't be in the scene at all. Just a bunch of onion rings being eaten whole and Meadow not being able to parallel park a car. You know, the deeper meaning of life as spoken by the genius of our time, David Chase.

Exactly. And this justifies all the hatred for the finale. at everyone who was sooo sure "it was all there."

Hmm, I thought the ending to the series was great.

I did too. Dead or not, I liked the ending.

Oddly enough I was just watching some clips from the series, including the final scene on YouTube yesterday. The ending never really bothered me but maybe its because I knew what it was prior to watching the series as I didn't watch it until a few years after it ended. I'd like to get the complete Blu-ray set eventually.

Yeah i just finished watching the whole series for the first, time took me about a month or so on Blu-ray. Watching the whole series while knowing about this 'weird' open ended ending the whole time. It was still a great ride and i really loved the entire series. but it was kinda strange watching the whole thing while knowing how it 'ended' heh

Came in here to see if after all these years and maybe now that people digested the ending that it's not so bad anymore? in retrospect? Was kinda fun to read that first thread and it's 10 pages of 'WTF?!' haha

Personally i find it a little odd, sure i kinda see where Chase was going with this but couldn't he at least made Meadow be at the table with the whole family? Them 4 just enjoying family meal time, not worrying about indictments or whackings etc.

Sure i would of preferred an actual conclusion from the creator and writer and not just a 'let the audience interpret as they see fit' ending. I mean it's YOUR vision, so what is it?

But nonetheless great series and I'll miss it! was fun going through the 86 episodes day after day

The ending never bothered me to begin with. But then, I'm OK with the ending to (and whole last season of) Lost, too.

We got a snapshot of Tony's life. The life existed before the show started, and existed (however short or long) after the show ended. I don't get how knowing Tony died in 5 minutes vs 5 years really changes the show. Maybe he got shot in the head in front of his family in a diner. Maybe he died of old age in a rocking chair. That isn't really the point of the show.

The point of the show is that modern day organized crime exists in a world that has changed, and even though there's a strong pull towards tradition, the organization changes too (usually unintentionally). Who ever heard of a crime boss seeing a therapist over unresolved mommy issues and general work pressures?

These are not necessarily people who want their kids to grow up and follow in their footsteps. How do the kids deal with who their dad is? How does the mob wife see her own deal with the devil? Where does family end and Family begin? Which takes precedence (Christopher, Uncle Junior)? And for those who like violence, there's Furio.

I'll take a moment here to recognize Nancy Marchand (RIP) for portraying one of the most annoying mothers in the history of television. After seeing her on screen, at no point is it difficult to see why Tony turned out as he did. Her slow whining voice is giving me anxiety now just thinking of it.

There's nothing about the ending that changed my appreciation for looking into the lives of these characters.

I thought the ending was great. Probably one of my favorite series endings ever.

I finally saw the last half season earlier this year, several years after having watched the rest of the series. I managed to remain surprisingly unspoiled other than knowing that the ending had caused a huge amount of uproar. It was a little weird watching while knowing that. When I finally did see it I just laughed. I thought it worked, and it was great to finally know what all the fuss was about. I enjoyed the series, I enjoyed the ending, and I am especially glad that I no longer have to exit a thread when the conversation turns to the Sopranos.

Anyone been watching The Sopranos marathon on HBO the last week as they are celebrating the 20th Anniversary of the Premiere in January 1999. I have to say the writing was top notch on this show as there are so many great one-liners, as this could be just as much a comedy as it is a drama. Of course the Pine Barrens episode is still my favorite!

BTW : David Chase recently accidentally admitted to Alan Sepinwall that Tony does die at the end of the episode by slipping up and calling it a "death scene". Then he cursed Alan out for making him say that.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbi...ath-scene.html

https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/ustv/a...soprano-death/

Oral History of The Sopranos over at Deadline:
https://deadline.com/tag/the-sopranos/

Hilarious. I'm surprised I didn't see that headline. Thanks for sharing.

I think he changes his mind constantly on whether Tony is or isn’t dead personally. I still view it as open ended as to how it ended, and since there isn’t likely to be anything further after the finale (beyond the spinoff film which is a prequel) there won’t be a definitive answer really.