Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

The Sopranos creator David Chase highlights season 3 scene that might reveal ‘truth’ behind divisive ending

Series writer shared detail that might have finally disclosed what actually happened

Jacob Stolworthy
Thursday 12 September 2024 08:15 BST
Comments
The Soprano family meet for dinner in final episode Made in America

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

David Chase has revealed a Sopranos detail that some fans might read as confirmation of Tony’s fate.

HBO show The Sopranos ended in 2007 with a finale that continues to be meticulously analysed to this day. It depicts a seemingly ordinary yet extremely tense restaurant scene between Tony (James Gandolfini) and his family, which ends with the screen cutting to black.

Viewers were left stunned by the moment and, over the years, many have assumed this stylistic decision symbolised the show’s protagonist getting ‘whacked’. Ever since, Chase has been fielding requests for clarification - and, in 2020, even referred to it as a “death scene”.

Another detail that will corroborate the theory that Tony was killed in those closing moments has surfaced in a new documentary, Wise Guy: David Chase and The Sopranos – in which the creator reveals why Martin Scorsese didn’t like the show.

The two-part series, directed by Alex Gibney, shows Chase reflecting on the series, sharing insights into its creation, casting and classic scenes. When discussing the ending, he said: “Why cut to black?’

Here, he referenced a scene that takes place much earlier in the show – in season three, episode two, which is called “Proshai, Livushka”. In the scene, Tony’s daughter Meadow (Jamie-Lynn Sigler) helps her brother AJ (Robert Iler) with his homework, which is an analysis of the Robert Frost poem, “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening Poem”.

“I mean, there was that scene where Meadow and AJ – this was a long time back – he was doing his homework,” Chase told Gibney.

The scene shows AJ wondering what the poem represents, to which Meadow asks him: “What’s covering the field?” He replies: “Snow,” and Meadow then asks: “What does snow symbolise?”

AJ, not picking up her point, asks: ‘Christmas?”, and Meadow replies: “Hello? Cold, endless white, endless nothing. Death!”

Apple TV+ logo

Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 days

New subscribers only. £8.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled

Try for free
Apple TV+ logo

Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 days

New subscribers only. £8.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled

Try for free

In the documentary, Chase tells Gibney “that was in my head” when he wrote the ending, adding: ‘See, now people will say, ‘Now he admitted Tony died!’”

A ‘Sopranos’ scene involving Meadow and AJ hinted how the show would end
A ‘Sopranos’ scene involving Meadow and AJ hinted how the show would end (HBO)

It’s worth noting that, while Chase has often shared details about his thought process behind the final scene, he has never conclusively revealed Tony’s fate, leaving it open to interpretation.

In The Sopranos Sessions, a book published in 2019, Chase elaborated: “[The point was] that he could have been whacked in the diner. We all could be whacked in a diner. That was the point of the scene.”

Wise Guy: David Chase and The Sopranos is available to stream in the UK on NOW.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in