Dissecting 'Sopranos' final scene: Questions abound
Posted: Monday, June 11, 2007 5:49 PM by Gael Fashingbauer Cooper
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TV
The comments on my first 'Sopranos' finale post are just getting too long to wade through, so let's start a new post. And let's delve more into the scene that everyone's talking about, the final scene at Holsten's, the characters who populated the diner, and the Journey song that ended the show.
The Nikki Leotardo question
People have been posting all over the Web that the guy in the diner who disappeared into the men's room was credited as Nikki Leotardo, the nephew of Phil, claiming that the same actor has appeared as Nikki before. But is that true? This Philadelphia newspaper article interviewed Paoli Colandrea, the Italian pizzeria owner who played that character, who says he was just dubbed "Mystery Man," and that he has NOT been on the show (or any show) before. In this feature, the man claims to know what happens after the episode ends, leading some credence to the idea that he may have had ulterior motives. When I rewatched the credits, I saw Colandrea credited only as"Man in Members Only Jacket." I watched the credits twice and never saw a mention of "Nikki Leotardo."
The New York Times was one of the ones spreading this rumor, and one of their commenters claims that the guy in the Members Only Jacket was Nikki Leotardo, despite what his credit said. How they can know this, when according to the Philly article above, Colandrea was never on the show before, I have no real idea.
"Members Only" is also the name of the Sopranos episode where Uncle Junior shoots Tony.
The other extras in the diner
What about the other suspicious people in the diner? Or were they only suspicious to those who knew this was the series' final scene? A post reproduced in this Deadspin entry claims that the Cub Scouts seen in the diner were the same little boys in the model-train store when Bobby was shot last week. (Shouldn't those kids still be in 24-hour therapy, after what they saw?) It also claims that "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." It goes on to claim that the two African-American men who walk in to the diner tried to kill Tony in an earlier episode, "but only clipped him in the ear."
But at least one commenter has pointed out that one of those men was killed in his original episode. And the NY Times article I reference above says that HBO is denying that any of the characters in that final scene, Cub Scouts, truckers, African-American guys, whatever, were EVER on the show before.
Don't Stop Believin'
Every 1980s music fan instantly recognized the Journey tune, "Don't Stop Believin'" when Tony played it on the jukebox in the final scene. The guys from Journey knew it was being used, but not that it would be used in such a pivotal way. In this fun feature, keyboard player Jonathan Cain, who wrote the song along with Steve Perry and Neal Schon, reveals that he didn't tell his family in advance, watching the show along with them and waiting for his song's moment in the sun.
Tony passes up Journey's "Any Way You Want It," which as many viewers point out, could be the theme song for the episode. (The other song that is often mentioned, "You Keep Me Hangin' On," was played in the beginning of the episode. It's also been pointed out by many viewers because the lyrics so perfectly mirror how many viewers felt at the end of the episode.)
Will there be a movie?
Many viewers felt the ending scene was done as it was to set up a potential "Sopranos" movie. This Associated Press story says Chase has said he's "almost certainly not going to make a 'Sopranos' film" (but note that "almost"). Nikki Finke's May 10 column, however, makes it sound like Chase was recently inspired by thoughts of Soprano grandparents coming to the U.S., and that he may be thinking movie after all. ("Godfather 2," anyone?)
Update: Chase says no movie. Or does he?
Losing his shirt?
Some have argued for the scenario that the final scene was all a dream of Tony's. There's evidence for that. When he meets with Junior, he is wearing what appears to be a solid-colored beige shirt (partially hidden under his leather jacket). When he walks into Holsten's and stands for a second in the door, that shirt is still visible on him. It appears that he seems himself sitting at a table, and now that his jacket is off, he appears to be wearing a shirt with white stripes down the sides. Was everything from the moment he paused in the doorway a dream? Or was the light hitting his shirt in such a way that that, in combination with the jacket, the stripes were hidden?
Chase on the final scene
David Chase is (hiding out) in France at the moment, but he told New Jersey Star-Ledger TV critic Alan Sepinwall some interesting things about the ending. Sepinwall quotes Chase as saying "I have no interest in explaining, defending, reinterpreting, or adding to what is there ...No one was trying to be audacious, honest to God. "We did what we thought we had to do. No one was trying to blow people's minds, or thinking, 'Wow, this'll (tick) them off.' People get the impression that you're trying to (mess) with them and it's not true. You're trying to entertain them."
Assorted other "Sopranos" links:
--Home page of Holsten's, the Bloomfield, N.J. diner where it all went down. I see French fries on the menu, but as a reader pointed out, no onion rings. UPDATE: A reader points to this wonderful photo blog of Holsten's, which does in fact show onion rings...and they look pretty good, too.
--Other songs Tony rejected on the jukebox that might still have messages for him, in addition to "Any Way You Want It": "Those Were the Days," "Only the Strong Survive," "Who Will You Run To," "Since I Don't Have You," "A Lonely Place," "I've Gotta Be Me."
--Readers point out: If you really want a lyrically complex song to dissect, earlier in the episode, in A.J.'s big scene with the SUV that burns up because he parks on leaves, Bob Dylan's "It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)" is playing. (Lyrics here.)
--Many viewers have claimed that the ending is the classic "Lady or the Tiger" scenario. Tony could have been looking up at Meadow, the lady, and be safe, or at the tiger, someone come to kill him. Viewers/readers fill in the ending they want, and people can argue endlessly for their side. If you want to read the entire "Lady or the Tiger" story, it's here; if it's too long, Wikipedia has a summary.
--Here's information about the specific "Twilight Zone" episode being watched in the safe house.
--Best new vocabulary word to come out of the finale, as posted by Jimbosil at Television Without Pity: "I propose a new term for the TV culture lexicon: Meadowpark (noun): An ambiguous, sudden ending to a long-running television series. 'Oh my God, did you remember that last episode of the X-Files? What a (expletive deleted) meadowpark that was...' "
