David Chase Breaks Down the Final Scene of “The Sopranos”

And I find it awesome, just to hear how a director thinks about his craft. To me, the ending was a giant “huh… WTF” when I first saw it. Then it softened into a more nuanced “well, they had to end it somehow” stance. But I’m starting to come around to feeling that it’s actually downright brilliant and near perfect.

Of course, Chase won’t say for certain, whether Tony “got it” or not. And I wouldn’t want him to.

“I thought the possibility would go through a lot of people’s minds or maybe everybody’s mind that he was killed. He might have gotten shot three years ago in that situation. But he didn’t. Whether this is the end here, or not, it’s going to come at some point for the rest of us. Hopefully we’re not going to get shot by some rival gang mob or anything like that. I’m not saying that [happened]. But obviously he stood more of a chance of getting shot by a rival gang mob than you or I do because he put himself in that situation. All I know is the end is coming for all of us.”

Sopranos fans should read the whole breakdown and bolster their own opinions, or perhaps give the ending a second thought. You can watch the final scene here.