I get the feeling that he really, really wished he could, and it broke his heart that he couldn't.

Think about it. Why the long interrogation? Why the final drink? I feel like Tony was looking for something, anything Sal would say that could maybe make giving him a pass, not having to kill him, seem reasonable. He gave him plenty of outs - asking what exactly he gave, how long he was an informant for - and Pussy being honest kept digging the whole deeper. I think Tony was looking to hear what he wanted to be told - That he hadn't been flipped for very long, that he hadn't given them anything - anything so he could let him off - even if that meant shelving him - on a "technicality."

Look at his expression and how his whole mood changes when Pussy admits he gave them Webistics. "I'm telling ya, this disinformation shit, it's an effective technique, it's a freakin' ace!" Pussy says and Ton looks at him, like he wants to say something, looks utterly heartbroken, and then sort of shakes his head and walks to the deck of the boat...I think any delusions of letting Pussy off of this went out the window right there.

Anyone else agree?

The long interrogation was to get as much information out of him as possible. Once Tony finds the wire, I don't think there's ever a point where Tony's considering not killing Pussy

The editing of this episode was designed to confuse the audience and make us uncertain as to whether they ever actually killed Pussy, by flashing back and forth between the dream segments. They did a similar thing with Adrianna's death.

I'm going to have to agree with Oak. There were no second chances. That sea ray was only coming back with three. A rat's a rat, friend or no friend.

Do you think he would've taken him for the boat ride anyway, if he hadn't found the wire?

Yup, they had the chains onboard already. The wire was the icing on the cake. Sal had to go.

its make believe from the imagination of david chase

Dino, you do understand the concept of discussing fiction, don't you? Why do you think there's a Soprano section on this site? So we can only discuss which types of camera angles were used for each scene?

if its fiction, anything you make up is a slap to david chase's artistic vision. oak, you should get chase on this site, if anybody could do it, it's you. 'then' mr. chase could answer all your rhetorical questions and fantasies.

lol. Whatever you say, Dino.

@OakAsFan is right.

I'm pretty sure he knew he had to whack Pussy, I think it was more trying to justify it to himself. Tony seemed like that sort of guy, and he seemed to genuinely feel sad for Pussy, because he knew it had to be done. The whole interrogation scene was likely for his own benefit, so later on when he felt guilt he could remind himself "Guy was a fuckin' rat. You had to whack him or you'd be looking at 20-to-life right now in a cell" and things like that.

I don't think Pussy would have gotten a pass even if he hadn't given much information, because he still flipped. Also remember at this point, Tony already pardoned Pussy; they thought he was a rat beforehand, around when they whacked Jimmy Altieri (who it was never specifically explained if he was also a rat, just strongly implied). So Pussy already was forgiven, now Tony finds out he really IS a rat, and that spells curtains for Pussy.

i don't think so, imo he knew he have to kill him and that pussy cannot be trusted anymore and that he have to die, he had no other choice but to kill him.

Tony may have wished it wasn't true but once he found the wire Pussy was a dead man.. To think otherwise is misguided... Pussy was put on that boat to find out what he had already told the Feds and to be killed. Thats it.

Tony already knew Pussy was a rat, he was just in denial of it all throughout season 2. Finding the actual wire in Pussy's bedroom was just the moment where Tony has to say to himself, "what are you waiting for, an indictment with 20 life sentences?". When they served the warrant at Tony's house after Livia gets detained at the airport, Tony had to be thinking he waited one day too long to deal with the Puss problem. He looked relieved when they told him it was just the airline tickets.

it does look like that but i think that it hurts tony to kill him, because he love him and he just didn't have any other choice except from killig him.

That scene in Bada Bing when he tells Paulie "I want you to see it...I want you to see that f'n wire strapped to his body...I want you to see it."

Probably one of the best scenes in the whole show.

yeah it was great !
but my favorite one is in season 4 ep 12 i think, when tony and carmella fought

I agree, i watched that again recently.

Remember when Pussy didn’t show up for the sit down between Jackie and Junior? That got Tony’s antenna up long before the detective told him he was “mic’d up” lol