Welcome! Tom Maurstad is now taking your questions on the end of 'The Sopranos.'

Tom Maurstad: Just thought I would list some of my favorite things from last night's finale. I must remember not to hit return until I'm ready to send. I loved the scene that opened with the tour bus and the guide saying "Little Italy once covered over 40 square blocks and now is one row of shops and restaurants." Butch gets the call from Phil as he is walking down the sidewalk. When Phil hangs up on him, Butch looks up and realizes he is surrounded by Asian people and Asian signs -- he's walked out of Little Italy and into Chinatown. He turns around and scurries back.

 From email: From JDH: Having no music playing while the credits rolled was genius. very eerie, the silence. they left it open-ended so they can return to it someday if they so choose. Not a great episode, but a great ending.

From email: From Tina: Tom and Stephen: Big fan of The Sopranos, bigger fan of Journey.  Enough said. It was a perfect ending with a perfect song.  I am happy and sad at the same time.  I will miss it.

 From email: From Gloria: My husband and I (and millions of other viewers) have been waiting, and waiting, and waiting for this finale and this is what we get?  Nothing! Meadow shows up at the restaurant and the film blacks out. What are we supposed to gather from that? She got killed or something? what in the world are we supposed to think? What a waste of a Sunday evening! Years and years of intrigue with this series and talk about a let down, nonsense, ending. They couldn't do better that?  The episode just before the finale had more action and intrigue than the finale. Like I asked,   "What was up with the clueless ending of The Sopranos?"

Tom Maurstad: I'm afraid we are just going to have to agree to disagree. I think, once you get past the shock of that sudden ending, that the obvious conclusion to be drawn is that Tony, not Meadow, was killed. That's why the screen goes black and silent. That final scene was all about being in the head of Tony, looking around, everybody seeming suspicious. I think this was an episode that has to be watched more than once.

From email: From Tom D.: Tom, The end was foreshadowed all along by Agent Harris' move to Homeland Security, the two Arabs atthe Bing, then by A.J.'s preoccupation with terrorism. Finally Harris in the meeting with Tony near the Newark Airport, refers obliquely to the Arabs and the London plane.   As you say, the dinner meeting at the diner seemed to be a setup for an apocalypse, the family arriving one at a time, Meadow's late arrival and her nerve-wracking inability to park, Tony'sflipping lackadaisically through the record menu, the small talk between Tony and Carmela, and the two sinister guys, one with USA on his cap--the one who goes in the bathroom and detonates The Bomb. It was all so random and ingenious and perfect. It had nothing to do with the Soprano family. The bombers didn't even know who the Sopranos were. In thiscontext, no matter how important this family seemed to us, and this television show, Chase's ending puts everything in perspective. It worked perfectly.

Tom Maurstad: I think that's exactly right. I chose to think that the ending signified that Tony was killed, not a bomb blowing up but that the thing: there is no literal, definitive end, only interpretations.

 From email: From Joe: The actor at the counter was credited as being Nicky Leotardo. The 2 black guys at the counter were two who tried to whack Christopher years back. Reason for abrupt to black was if you are shot in back of the head that is what would happen. Just my .02.

Fireside: Time Warner was about to get an earful from me cause I thought my cable had gone out until the credits starting rolling.

Fireside: I agree and I will be watching that episode again tonight. I have mixed feelings about whether I would rathar tony die or him and his family live on. Either way he know something was going to happen cause he was making sure bobby's kids were takin care of.

From email: From Jason: When Tony first entered the diner to begin what was the final scene, was "Tony" already in the booth?  Was this a Finnerty moment?

Tom Maurstad: I noticed that, too, that the way that scene was edited it looked like Tony, at the door, in his coat, was looking into the dining room at Tony, seated, with his coat off. I think it really was just a cut from him at the door to him in his booth, but I think the effect was intentional, to put us in that dreamy surreal place and recall Tony's other "life."

From email: From Brandy: Did i read correctly? "No big showdown with Phil." Tom, did you turn away from the screen momentarily when he takes a close shot to the head? Did you expect something like the tollbooth slaughter of Sonny? Not in 2007. it's more like GIT R DONE, and do it fast!

Tom Maurstad: What I meant, Brandy, was that there was no face-to-face showdown between Tony and Phil.

From email: From garbeau: I've been saying all along that the "final" episode is not the LAST episode and saw nothing in "Made in America" to change my mind.  Do you REALLY think that HBO is going to kill off its arguably most lucrative franchise?  I say we'll see a season seven...but not before '09. After all, as long as all four Beatles were still alive there was always hope.

 Television Editor Stephen Becker: I disagree that there will be next season. I know that in our cynical view of Hollywood, it's easy for us to assume that if enough money is poured on something, a result will come out of it. But I think David Chase ended his series exactly the way he wanted to, and no amount of money is worth him ruining his masterpiece. The only way I could see anything else with The Sopranos name on it is if there were to be a prequel, which I would very much welcome.

From email: From Scott: Do you think there is so much competition for one writer to out do the other writer and so forth that David Chase lost focus? In other words did David Chase try so hard to "shock" everyone so he could show everybody what a genius writer he is that he ruined the ending for everyone? I don't believe that ending was written for the fans. I believe it was written for Hollywood to show them how brilliant he is and who cares what the fans want. It's all about image.

Television Editor Stephen Becker: Scott -- I do think there is a lot of competition among writers to make the best show/movie/what have you. But I think Chase accomplished exactly what he set out to accomplish -- he wanted his series to continue living even after it was over. And judging by the hundreds of comments we got last night on the blog, it's doing just that. Had the series ended with Tony shooting Phil or any of the other conventional endings, there wouldn't be much to discuss.

From email: From Dan: Don't you feel the style of the ending was what offended people, not the lack of resolution?  Had there been a freeze on Tony's face as he looked up, or a slow pan back after Meadow finally joined the table, I think reaction would be different, though the resolution not different.  I really think people are just childishly angry at being unintentionally tricked into thinking their TVs had gone out at the most inopurtune time.   But had one of the other two techniques been used, these same people would bemoan the ending as unsatisfying.  I thought it was brilliant, and reminiscent of the ending of the John Sayles movie, "Limbo."

Tom Maurstad: I think that the visceral reaction to last night's conclusion was due to the abrupt style. I was talking with someone who, though he had come around and admired the ending, still was irked by the several second delay before the credits start to roll. But I think that was, as you note, the intention -- the shock, the disorientation convey the meaning in a way that would otherwise be lost. I, too, thought my cable had gone out -- not an infrequent occurence since all it takes is a cloud passing over the moon to create a signal break. But I don't think concerns about first-time viewing confusion should determine artistic choices. Mr. Chase, as he always has, was thinking about what was best for the story he wanted to tell, not what was most pleasing to the people watching.

Bill in Seattle: I like what the psychiatrist who posted to the blog last night said -- that the ending is a Rorschach (sp?) -- you see into it what you want to see.

From email: From Martha: What do you think of the significance of the cat?  Was it Chrissy come back to life and that's why he kept staring at the picture?  Also was it hanging around Paulie so much because Paulie was "the rat"?

Television Editor Stephen Becker: Matha -- I think the cat was a callback to that psychology study that Melfi used as a reason to dump Tony. It said something about psychopaths only having sympathy for animals and children. Who adopts the cat? Tony. And who is asking Meadow about all the childen she could have helped had she become a doctor? Tony. But I think there is more to it than that. After the war seemed to be over, everyone went back to their respective lives -- Carmela is back looking at real estate, Paulie is sunning himself outside and the guests at Bobby's funeral are talking about American Idol and Dreamgirls. The only one who seems to be curious at all about the past is the cat!

emily: I was really happy with the episode. The only thing I really wanted to see was Dr. Melfi. I hoped it would return to where it literally began.

 windog: I think the cat is responding to an electronic bug hidden in Chris' photo

BigAG98: 2.  Did you notice Paulie being scared to get promoted? He really didn't want to move up.

Television Editor Stephen Becker: Paulie didn't make it this far by being the boss, he knows. He even sited how all the guys who previously ran that crew all met terrible ends. So I think he's smarter that we give him credit for.

 emily: I didn't think it was odd that people were talking about stupid things at a funeral. The show does a lot to show how he characters aren't really aware of the real world. But in this case, it could just be not wanting to focus on all the bad and crazy things going on. In this case, it's not that they aren't aware, it's a coping mechanism. But for that matter, how messed up is Meadow that she wants to pursue law because of the way she saw the cops treat her dad.

 mktctx: This may be way off, but I felt like the cat was looking at the pic of Christopher with absolute hatred . . . coupled with Paulie's paranoia, could it be an homage to the Christopher/Adriana thread?

Television Editor Stephen Becker: Hmm -- i was having a tough time reading the cat's expression -- an angry cat and a happy cat look the same to me. One of our bloggers last night suggeted that the cat was Adrianna reincarnated. Though if that were the case, i would suspect she'd hop up and claw a hole through that picture of Chrissy.

John R: Hey how about this for an ending. Nothing. The family has dinner chit-chats then goes home. Meadow does her thing. AJ pursues the high school hottie. Carmela continues to complain and whine and Tony runs the NJ mob. No whacks. No indictment. No nothing.

geez: love, love, loved it ! can't wait for the big screen movie

JB: Talk about a spit take. Lol

zohrah: i heard someting this morning that said perhaps the cat represented Adrianna - i liked that one!!

 JB: I watched it 3 times last night. And the black guy after Phil gets his head run over is funny television. It's the Italian in me I guess.

BigAG98: I guess we know now the NJ Mob was not as dysfunctional and a glorified crew as ol Phil and Carmine (Sr) suggested. Huh?  They hunkered down pretty good.

From email: From Carolyn: I’m curious if the songs listed in the jukebox pages at the final diner scene were ones which had played over the previous 85 episodes?   I failed to notice some of the songs names, at the time focusing on anticipated scenes with more action, but thinking back, it occurred to me that the song list could have had some type of significance. I know many Sopranos watchers were wondering what song would be played with the running of the credits on the Finale, and as it turned out, Chase chose silence.  Did anyone else think about this? Perhaps the list contained songs Chase was contemplating using for the final credits.

Tom Maurstad: I'm sure some thought was given to all the song titles that we see. Tony seemed to choose between three songs. First he looked at "Who Will You Run to" by Heart. Then "Don't Stop Believing" by Journey, and then "I've Gotta Be Me," by Tony Bennett. All three of those titles could be construed to have meaning. Of course, Tony chose Journey. He may be an Italian mobster but when it came to music he was first and foremost a suburban boomer. He always listened to classic rock. Perfect that the final episode opened to him waking up to the classic rock station and ended with boomer-rock stalwarts Journey.

Television Editor Stephen Becker: A little off topic -- I wanted to make sure one of my favorite jokes from last night's episode didn't go unnoticed. I loved when Meadow had her very serious plea that, "The State can crush the individual." And Tony replies, "New Jersey?"

Dick in Addison: With Paulie getting old, Uncle Junior senile and Silvio near death's door, Tony is feeling mortal, even though he got Phil whacked. His business family is decimated, he's down to wife and kids. His son is a flake and his daughter is going to join the feds against his kind. His day is done, so the only thing left is maybe a big movie finish.

JB: Whenever I do something I'm proud of my wife is now saying, "You want a boutinere(sp)?"

BigAG98: I loved how agent harris was pulling for Tony just like the public is pulling for Tony. We know he is bad but we can relate to him.

emily: What do you think happened when the screen jumped to black?

Television Editor Stephen Becker: Emily -- Here's my interpretation of the screen going black: Those 8 seconds or so of black screen were the last few seconds of Tony's life. He had just been shot and the music stopped and in that time between then and the credits rolling was the end of Tony. That's also why the music stopped -- the music at the end of the shows had always been sort of the soundtrack to Tony's life. And with Tony dead, there's no more music. At first I had the same reacion as everyone else -- what the !#()&!@& happened to my Dish! But when I had time to contemplate, I learned to love the ending. To me there's no doubt: Tony's dead.

From email: From Scott: Do you think there is so much competition for one writer to out do the other writer and so forth that David Chase lost focus? In other words did David Chase try so hard to "shock" everyone so he could show everybody what a genius writer he is that he ruined the ending for everyone? I don't believe that ending was written for the fans. I believe it was written for Hollywood to show them how brilliant he is and who cares what the fans want. It's all about image.

Tom Maurstad: I think that's a pretty cynical interpretation of David Chase's motives. The Sopranos has never written to audience desires or expectations, so why would it start with the last episode. I think David Chase knew exactly how he wanted it to end and ended it that way, defying all the hype and theorizing that built up around the final episode. Why would he be trying to prove to "Hollywood" that he's a genius? He's already proven it.

Jeff: There was no ending to this story.  Tony aint dead, Meadow can't drive, yadda yadda.  My personal philosphy has changed because of this series.  Life is FULL of loose ends that are never resolved.

cgrant: I agree Jeff

From email: From Josh: I can’t remember what Bobby’s exact words were regarding what he thought it’d be like to be killed, but did it pertain to things all of a sudden going black?

Tom Maurstad: Yes, in the first episode of this last half-season, he and Tony were in the boat up at the lake, fishing and talking. Tony exclaimed that Bobby had never "lost his cherry" (killed anyone) and they were reflecting. Bobby said something about how when it's your turn you never see/hear it coming. In last week's penultimate episode, Tony remembered that moment in the conversation, flashing back to Bobby saying that.

Manigott: The last line of the song playing before the screen went black was "...the end"

emily: Why do you think Agent Harris helped Tony?

Television Editor Stephen Becker: Emily -- I think Agent Harris helped Tony because they were the same guy in a lot of ways, just on opposite sides of the law. Notice how Harris started having health problems, he argued with his wife, he had all these covert meetings and he slept around when he felt like it. Sound like anyone we know? If they act so similarly on the outside, my guess is they are the same on the inside in a lot of ways too.

cgrant: Interesting lyrics from the Journey song... Oh, the movie never endsIt goes on and on and on and on

cc: I read somewhere that Chase said that he wanted to ask questions even if he didn't have the answers.

jahoo: No the last line was "Don't Stop"

From email: From LL: The first suspicious guy in the bar looked like Johnnie Boy, Tony's Dad.   Yes ? Was the long dead dad looking over his son, who was seated at the booth as Tony 2 walked in = a  doppleganger ? Was Phil's henchman wielding a badge at the gas station while trying to locate Phil, the Brooklyn informant or a resourceful mobster willing to impersonate a cop ?

Tom Maurstad: I think -- but I could be wrong -- that guy was the mob soldier that Christopher threw out a window a few episodes ago. Maybe not, but he was a member of the New Jersey crew, we've seen him before.

alvin: What was the reason they panned twice to the screen of the survellience camera (showing strippers in the hall) while Tony was eating burgers with his lawyer? Just to remind us how much the FBI could have watching them?

Television Editor Stephen Becker: Alvin -- I think that was used as just another way to ratched up the tension -- and it worked if you ask me. I kept waiting the entire episode to see someone come after Tony, and that was certainly a chance to see someon sneaking up on him. But alas, there wasn't anybody there.

WIll the Sopranos do a spinoff or will another mafia type come to the screens?

Television Editor Stephen Becker: Brian -- it's always been my hope that NBC would buy the rights and make a sitcom called "The Walnuts" with Paulie living with his Ma. But with her dead, I suppose that isn't going to happen...

BigAG98: Stephen, I don't agree with you. I prefer the "Life goes on" scenario the best.

Television Editor Stephen Becker: Well, that's the greatness of the ending -- it's open to interpretation. But I just don't think life went on for Tony.

Dick in Addison: My next-to-favorite scene was Tony talking to the new therapist as he started out long ago with Dr. Melfi, telling about his mother, in keeping with last week's psychiatrists' scene, with Carmelo rolling her eyes, knowing he hasn't learned a thing. My favorite scene was the ending, which showed all these suspicious things happening and reminding us how vulnerable this family is and how much we want them to live forever. Then the last words of the song is "Don't stop" but it does and so the music is ended.

Philip Korenman MD: I still feel it was like a Rorschach - you see what you want to.  I didn't want to see it that way.  In fact, somebody else thought "the guy at the counter" is a bodyguard for Tony.  Could this be true?  He looked familiar but I couldn't place him.

Tom Maurstad: It's funny, my first thought was that he was a bodyguard -- he walked in with A.J. But having watched again, I don't think so. he walks in ahead of A.J. and I don't think I've seen him before. I don't think given what was going on in the episode, that Tony and family had settled back into their lives and sort of picking up where they had left off, that they would have been keeping body guards about. That would have been an uncharacteristically explicit acknowledgement of the reality of their life in a family devoted to denying the reality of their life.

LaDonna: I thought it was an excellent ending!  This way for those of us die hard fans, we can relive the series  and start from the beginning and not know the final outcome that Tony Soprano was whacked? And with Phil out of the picture, who would have whacked Tony? Phil's crew already backed down.& The blackout was to create controversy, and we were not just seeing things from Tony's perspective, otherwise we wouldn't have known why Meadow was late, it was only to build suspense. I also was watching the clock, timing 40 more minutes left, 20 minutes, 10 minutes, 5 minutes! I also thought my cable went out! And Gasped! Then I told myself to hang on... are there credits!   Whew!  Yes there were!  Life goes on.. The Sopranos LIVE on!

John R: Stephen -- you did a total 180 and I think you were influenced by the bloggers. Stick to your guns man. The finale sucked. The whole show sucked. I was bored for almost all of it except when the girls climbed on AJ.

Television Editor Stephen Becker: John -- You are correct, I did a total 180 once I had time to think some. I still think that, overall, the episode was weak. There weren't many interesting moments. But I now think the ending was very well done -- basically showing what it's like to be whacked from the whackee's point of view. I agree that that idea could have been done at anytime during the last 8 years, but I think Chase thought he had a unique idea and wanted to save it for something big.

adgirl1995: I, too, believe that Life goes on.....I do not think that Tony whacked.  I think that all those people, were, just people there just like Tony and his family.  I think that life goes on and on....

Manigott: So, are we supposed to figure out who killed Tony and why?  Someone enlighten me please...

Television Editor Stephen Becker: I don't think we're supposed to know who killed Tony, and in the end, I don't think it matters much. You could fill a football stadium with the number of people who had a reason to see Tony dead -- it could have been any one of them on any random day, especially if they caught wind that his crew was now weak.

 alvin: Some people at my work today thought the Members Only jacket guy at the counter looked a lot like Tony's father. Sort of like his father got him into this life and that symbolizes the danger perpetually lurking over his shoulder...Just food for thought.

cc: Is it true that they shot several endings?  If so, have any of the actors spoken of the endings not used?

Television Editor Stephen Becker: CC -- I heard that they shot several endings too, but i think that was just a ploy to keep the real ending from being leaked.

    BigAG98: I think AJ took a step up.  Model and BMW instead of a girl with a kid. I would be out of a depression too.

BigAG98: Tom, was it odd that at the end of the show in the diner the dysfunctional family seemed functional. AJ after getting with a 17 year old model and great new job, and sweet BMW which "Conserves oil" is happy, Meadow is happy and about to get married and work for a law firm to help her people, Carmella can think about houses, and Tony is making money again and winning on his bet. Life is back to normal. Nothing happened in the diner. But you do get to see how paranoid Tony has to live. You have not seen that side until the final five minutes.

Tom Maurstad: I do think what we saw was the family sinking back into the comfortable quicksand of denial. The difference in that last scene was that we saw, as you say, the paranoia that was curdling the edges of Tony's idyll. I think the message all along has been that for all the superficial glitz and pleasure of the mob life, it is, in fact, a miserable existence. Look at the way Junior lived and ended up -- going from being holed up in that dark, dank house to staring out a window at a state institution. And think back to that weekend up at the lake house. Even there, on the edge of paradise, Tony and family couldn't step into the garden. They couldn't be in paradise because of the way they got there, the life they brought with them.

John R: Here is the big bonanza. Every radio show, every TV show and every newspaper (just like this one) is buzzing like crazy -- a hundred times more than would have had their been a bloodbath.

Television Editor Stephen Becker: John -- I totally agree. And that's the way to make your show live on after it's over.

Larry: I read this morning about Meadow's arrival.........you see her crossing the street, then hear the door bells ring at the diner, Tony looks up, then goes to black.  You don't know that it was Meadow that entered, and when Tony looked up, who did he see?  I like Stephen's take on the "whackee" perspective..

The Russian: Were you surprised with the absence of Dr. Melfi in the finale?  Such a pivotal character for so many years, and she didn't even make a cameo.

Television Editor Stephen Becker: I wasn't too surprised, because I thought the closing shot of her last week with her closing the door pretty much said it all as far as her not being involved anymore. That being said, i had dreamed up a few scenarios in which she would have come back. And in a way, the idea of her came back when Tony started talking to AJ's counselor in with no Melfi to talk to. If Carmela's stare could have killed!

From email: I hated the ending. It was clever only for clever's sake. It indeed defied expectations one way ot the other. That being said, it was a cop out and certainly not 'brilliant'. For 8 1/2 years there has been a beggining and ending to every show and season. I don't want to "make up my own ending"  as the Sopranos are not MY characters. That's what the writers, producers, and directors are for. There should have been a gunshot sound, laughter, a scream, or something at the end.  What are the chances that Mr. Chase will provide anymore enlightenment to HIS characters in the form of an interview, added material on DVD or , I'll admit, extremely improbable movie?

Tom Maurstad: Again, I'm sorry you hated the ending, but I understand your reaction and you have plenty of company, if that's any comfort. I'll admit my immediate reaction was something like yours -- shock and anger. But I don't think it was clever for clever's sake. As you say, for the entirety of this series, The Sopranos has been marked by great beginnings and great endings -- think of all the shows that just had some beautiful intro and some dead-bang spooky brilliant finish. So why would David Chase throw that all away with the finale. I think you should watch it again (and maybe again), watch it knowing what's happening and what's coming. I'm telling you the pay-off is there.

Manigott: I figure the shooter would be the guy who went to the men's room, then shot him in back of the head.

b>LaDonna: I also liked the metaphor of the cat and that Paulie couldn't stand the cat.  I thought it was Chrissy reincarnated and was there to annoy Paulie.  I mean, who is Paulie going to fight with now?

Television Editor Stephen Becker: LaDonna -- good question. I think Paulie always enjoyed mixing it up with Christopher.

;Television Editor Stephen Becker: Manigott -- Maybe the shooters were the Cub Scouts in the back? You never know about those guys...

LaDonna: the scene with AJ's character was to show that Tony is about TONY...

Walnuts: "WOW!!!! AMAZING!!! 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.

Tom Maurstad: I guess. I haven't done that level of forensic spade-work. If you say so, that's cool. If that guy is Joe Nobody who just came in for some ice cream and just happened to get up and go to the bathroom at that moment, it still works for me.

Manigott: Well, I have to say, I loved Paulie's rant about the cat being a snake with fur, etc.

Dick in Addison: I suppose you could say that the viewers got whacked.

LaDonna: Also Tony not only got a payoff to Janice for Bobbie's demise with the NY gang, he also got $$ for Bobby's kids from the stash from Uncle Juniors hidden cash...

newgirlx: I liked at the beginning when they played "You Keep Me Hangin' On" but never played the words.  Great subliminal clue for the ending, or rather, non-ending.

BigAG98: They should have whacked Janice.  Poor kids.

John R: Check the numbers of peeps in the chat room!

GMC: What was the metaphor related to Meadow parking the car?

Television Editor Stephen Becker: GMC -- I don't know that it was a metaphor per set, I think it was more Chase jacking with our expectations. It was a way to build the tension another notch -- Will she get into the restaurant before her dad gets whacked? I think you can reason that had Meadow gotten inside a minute earlier and been sitting next to Tony, perhaps the killers would have called off the hit?

darla: Let's pretend David Chase wrote a book instead of a TV show. Wouldn't we all feel outraged at the end? I for one would be furiously thumbing back to the Kevin Finnerty chapter and yelling, "This whole thing meant NOTHING?!"Maybe I should write a newspaper column that includes random plot lines and characters that seem important but really aren't. Then I'll just cut off my ending in mid-sentence. See how brilliant my editors think I am.

Tom Maurstad: If he was writing a book I suspect he would have a different ending, one designed to work as a book rather than as a TV show. But I would read it. I don't think the Kevin Finnerty arc meant nothing; it provided a deeper insight/understanding into Tony's character and that, for me, is more than enough.

Manigott:  Janice telling Nica never to say no to her!  Going to be a real healthy kid!!

The Russian: The whole "Soprano's: The Movie" idea was tossed out, wasn't it?

Television Editor Stephen Becker: I think we will continue to hear those rumors. But how long have they been talking about a Sex and the City movie? And that hasn't exactly happened yet either....

newgirlx: Okay, show of hands, how many people reached for the phone to call the cable company at the end of show?

LaDonna: Silvio doesn't die either, from what I saw when he got shot it was only in the right shoulder, and even in his hospital bed his hair was in place

Bill in Seattle: I love the ambiguity.  After being told that Phil got whacked, our FBI friend says, "WE might just win this thing."  Who is we?  The Feds?  Or is he rooting for Tony because he likes him?

Tom Maurstad: Both, either. I think one of the threads running through the show has been the parallels between Tony and Agent Harris, how they are the same, but different. That really came home in the finale where first, Agent harris in the car and that horrible fight with his wife on the phone and then the miserable moment betwen him and the agent he's having an affair with -- he's the government agent version of Tony.

&JohnR: me

Television Editor Stephen Becker: I didn't reach for the phone but I sure reached for the remote to figure out how on earth i screwed up the taping!

Manigott: I didn't call the cable co, but I did think my cable had blown out.

windog: HBO's site last night crashed due to traffic from angry viewers

LaDonna: Agrees with Tom on the Tony Agent Harris motif

randall: Tom, are you really in with the "Tony was whacked" group? That thought never occurred to me for a moment. I just assumed that Chase toyed with us and showed us what it's like to be in Tony's shoes (and for the rest of his life), and then shut off the camera.

Tom Maurstad: The first time through I was divided, but after watching again, yeah, I'm convinced Tony is dead. But I also know that's just my interpretation.

mike: Did anyone see Adrianna in a car while Meadow was trying to park?

Television Editor Stephen Becker: I think she was walking with Big Foot and Elvis on their way to look for Jimmy Hoffa...

LaDonna: disagrees, that Tony is not whacked... no no no

LaDonna: Adrianna is dead... or the cat now

ga42: Why the obsession over "Members Only" guy being a hitman. Just because he had to go to the restroom? It's not like the guy needed to go in there to get his gun. He wasn't frisked when he walked in the restaurant!

Tom Maurstad: It was just another element to raise the tension, conjuring flashbacks to the famous scene in Godfather when Michael goes in the bathroom to get his gun.

d2: Then there's the fact that no Sopranos episode has rolled credits without music --- until last night. Music has always played a big part in the series, so, for the music to just stop when the picture jump-cuts to black, well, there has to be some meaning there, right?  And the irony in the juxtaposition of the lyrics ("...it goes on and on and on and on"  and, of course, the words "Don't stop", which were left echoing as the final sounds of the series...

Television Editor Stephen Becker: I thought a lot about the music too, and my feeling was that the song is generally upbeat ("Don't stop believin'!") and really the scene is pretty happy -- AJ is actually happy and the family is getting together for a meal. And BOOM -- that's when you get hit, the second you let your guard down thinking your sefe.

John R: Is this the biggest chat in DMN history?

Television Editor Stephen Becker: I'd like to say so, but the truth is if Sports held a chat about Tony Romo's love life it would probably squash our little get together. But we're the smart ones, right?

geez: he has a love life?

windog: Will Mr. Chase ever reveal his true thoughts on the ending?

Television Editor Stephen Becker: My guess is no, and to be honest, I'm not sure that I would want him to. I prefer the choose-your-own-adventure ending.

bo: Will David Chase being doing any interviews?

&TelevisionEditor Stephen Becker: Conveniently, he's in France now. I think he knew he'd have people wanting to talk to him. And in anticipation of that, he skipped town on us.

BigAG98: Well this is it. I'm not into any other shows. I guess it will be awhile before I am into a show enough to talk about it.

BigAG98: Chase is "In the bunker".

Manigott: Anyone notice the dialog from the tv regarding tv writers?

b>Tom Maurstad: Ooh, I'm so glad you mentioned that. I wrote it down because it was so funny and on point. Chase is so great at using TV shows and movies as a sort of greek chorus -- there's always a TV screen on somewhere in the Sopranos. So the main thing that was said. "Julius, I'm not a hard man, I'm not a mean man.The television industry to day is looking for talent. They're looking for quality. They're pre-occup0ied with talent and quality and the write is a major commodity." Nice subtextual commentary.

Manigott: The whole cafe thing was so surreal.  I mean they always ate at Artie's...

Television Editor Stephen Becker: I think it is significant though and fits into the whole "Made in America" title. That family was doing the most American of things -- eating in a greasy diner (onion rings and Cokes!) and listening to some good ol' classic rock.

justinag: when Chase said he had the ending all planned out years ago, do you think he meant that final scene or the general way things have played out over the season?

Television Editor Stephen Becker: I truly believe he had conceived that final scene -- the idea of showing the world what it is like to be Tony. And I think he worked the action toward that point all season.

justinag: when Chase said he had the ending all planned out years ago, do you think he meant that final scene or the general way things have played out over the season?

Tom Maurstad: I'm now thinking that he had that ending, at least in the way it ended, with the family and jump to black and the open-ended finality of it.

Tom Maurstad: I'm being told we have to end this thing now. But the talk will go on.  Email me at tmaurstad@dallasnews.com or join in on the ott blog. See you on the other side.

;Television Editor Stephen Becker: Alright -- Like The Sopranos, we here at the DMN like to leave everyone wanting more. And it looks like our hour is up, so I'm going to have to call it a day. Thanks to all of you for your great questions and comments. I think you each, in the words of Uncle June, deserve a boutonniere....