Tony's crew circles the wagons as Johnny Sack turns up the heat. Carmela counts her blessings; Christopher is freaked out by an unexpected visitor; Benny's connection to the plumbers' union comes in handy; AJ demonstrates his business acumen; and Tony ponders whether to execute a "sacrifice bunt."

Don't miss the season finale of "The Sopranos" on June 6th at 9PM ET.

I wonder if Christopher's unexpected visitor could possibly be the FBI???? Investigating Adrianna's death maybe? Or maybe they'll work on him to nab Tony. He is in the state of mind where he could rat him out, yet I would be kind of surprised if he did.


TIS

Good guess! I think it's very possible that Agent Robyn Sanseverino and/or Agent Deborah Ciccerone-Waldrup (AKA "Danielle") turn up at Christopher's door.

I'd expect the latter, most likely because he never knew Sanseverino. Then again... it could be someone of no importance at all, knowing how the show can usually be...

Nick

I don’t anticipate the FBI pursuing this at all. First, they have to realize that they screwed up big time and if they think Adriana is dead, then there is no way that Chris is going to flip now. Secondly, if they think that Adriana did flee, chances are she didn’t tell Chris. Therefore, they aren’t going to be the ones to break the news to him that his missing fiancée was an FBI informant and risk him finding and killing her.

I’m pretty sure that Chris’s unexpected visitor will not be the FBI because they would be expected.

So this is the second last episode?

In the tralier
I thought i saw phil choking slivo in the car....
Did anyone else see this at some part in this episode's tralier?

It'll be the season finale. One more season (of ten episodes) will be shown next year.

Anyone think Tony B. will be Chris' "unexpected" visitor?

Maybe Phil Leotardo will be Chris' unexpected visitor, killing him, leading to an all out war with Johnny Sac and the NY mob.

A guy on the "Today" show said Adriana isn't really dead, she just got a warning. He sounded pretty confident, like he has inside information. Maybe she's the "unexpected visitor". I doubt it. I think she's dead.

If Tony's crew goes to war with New York they have a lot to worry about. Cuz New York Wiseguys far outnumber Jersey.

There was a small blurb in yesterday's NY Daily News about Steve Van Zandt (Silvio) - he was questioned about the possibility of Adrianna being alive. In a rare, frank moment (for stars of the show) he he said Adrianna was DEFINITELY dead.

SC,

Steven was also on Leno last night and was asked the same thing. His reply was, "did you think I was shooting at a squirrel?" :p Yea, I think she is definitely dead. Too bad, I liked her.


TIS

If the producers (creative director) wanted to have Adriana irrefutably dead, they would have depicted her as such on screen, and not just shots heard.

The door remains open.

Just watched that episode again last night. Of course, anything is possible, but I don't think you need to see the body drop in order to believe she was killed. Tony smacking Christopher saying "you think you're alone in this", as Christopher was telling him how he loved her is in itself proof that this murder took place. It was something Tony didn't want to do either.

I know we've been surprised before by the Sopranos, but having Adrianna "not" be dead in the end, would be too cheesy in my opinion, even though I was sorry to see her go. We'll see how it plays out.

TIS

Really, how does one not think she is dead? Think about it. Is a hardened and dedicated mobster like Silvio going to drive out into some secluded woods, pull her out of the car, fire is gun twice in her direction, yet not kill her? Did he give her a wad of money and tell her to get as far away from Jersey as possible? Remember Silvio took part in killing Pussy because he was talking to the FBI. And as much as he might have liked Adrianna, he didnt care nearly as much about her as he did about Pussy. These guys know what has to be done in these situations. They dont want to go to jail for the rest of their lives. The reason I dont think her body was shown is because she was one of the most beloved characters on the show and she was a woman. People already had very adverse reactions to her death without seeing the body, think of how some would have reacted after seeing her lifeless, bleeding body on the ground with two holes in the chest. Sometimes it is just not necessary to show the body.

I think they call it a "TWIST".

I for one think she is dead, but with Chase you never know what he has in his mind.

As you know, many times they start things like this to get people going. Just like some of the other reality shows let false info out.

Notice that Silvio killed more Rats than any other Mobster in the Soprano crew? Christopher lured a Capo named Jimmy to a trap in the 1st season. Silvio comes up and says "Goodbye rat." And Silvio participated in the murder of a soldier "Big Pussy" along with Capo Paulie and his Boss Tony Soprano. Silvio alone killed Adriana.

Wrong!

Tony killed the old Rat from Season 1, episode: College

Then Tony killed Big Pussy along with Silvio & Paulie

& just recently in episode 2 of this season Tony killed Jack Massarone.

Do you think Tony was the triggerman in the death of Jack Masserone? I sure doubt it. Sure, he certainly gave the order. But he didn't do it himself. He's a boss, and that's a piece of work he would delegate to an underling, no doubt about it. He wouldn't take the risk of getting caught or being successfully linked to a murder by the cops and Feds. He'd give the order.

Tony killed Febby Petrulio (in the "College" episode) because he was the only one around to do it, and he thought that Febby might go on the lam any time if he hesitated.

And Tony personally killed Big Pussy because that whole affair was something that affected him deeply. It wasn't just some rat, this was one of his very best friends betraying him.

So, as it stands, Silvio is beating Tony 3 to 2 in the "rat-killing race"!

FYI:

Saw Michael Imperioli on Fox & Friends this morning while getting ready for work. The host of the show told him that some paper or magazine had an article in it today saying the Michael's character will get whacked in the finale. Michael's reply...."there's a decent chance." He also said that there was a good chance that any one of the characters could go. Did anyone else see this? What do you think?

TIS

NO I AM NOT WRONG!!! I AM REFFERING TO THE RAT THAT GOT KILLED IN THE LAST EPISODE OF SEASON 1

Please calm down

Tony kills that young kid that shoots Christopher after giving him a soda and the kids pisses his pants. I think he is with Pussie at the time.

The guy Tony whacked in the last episode of Season 1 was Chuckie Signore. Tony shot him on his (Chuckie's) boat, and then he and Silvio dumped the body.

Silvio shot Jimmy Altieri in that same episode, and Altieri's body was found with a rat stuffed in his mouth. (The "I Dream of Jeannie Cusamano" episode).

Tony also killed the "rat" (Fabio Patchullio) in the first season episode in which he was driving Meadow around New England while looking at schools. (The "College" episode).

The debate is strictly about what RATS Tony has killed personally, not all ALL of his victims.

Overall, Tony has personally killed five people on this show:
Febby Petrulio
Chucky Signore
Matthew Bevilaqua
Big Pussy Bonpensiero
Ralph Cifaretto

Of those five victims, only Febby and Pussy were rats. Chucky was a rival mobster who had to go in the Junior-Tony conflict, Matthew was killed in retaliation for the shooting of Christopher, and Ralph was killed because of the mistaken notion that he burned Pie O My.

So, Tony has killed 2 rats personally. Silvio has killed 3 rats personally: Jimmy Altieri, Pussy, and Adriana.

We all clear on this now?

While not making any statement whatever, regarding either President Reagan's or my own political views, it is comforting to know that Episode 13 will be aired tonight without any concerns for pre-emption by anything.

This is way out there and a long shot. But what if tonight turned out to be the series finale. What if HBO and chase created all this talk about season 6 in a year and a half as a hoax just to surprise everyone. It would keep the speculation and the hype down to a minimum and just totally blow everybody away. Imagine if tonight at 9:00pm you are watching and the announcer says "And now the two hour series finale of the Sopranos" Woaaaah Awesome

Ha ha!! Yea, that would be a great "gotcha", and something that's never been done before, but how disappointing for us fans who know there is "at least" 10 more episodes. It'd be a shocker all right.

Anyone think that there's even the slightest chance that there will be 7th (money talks, anything can be negotiated right???) Now, that would be a decent "ploy" letting us all think that 6 is the final season, and surprising us with a 7th. I know, wishful thinking.

TIS

What about the "flashback" season? When is that gonna happen?

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!
When johnny sack and tony were meeting at sack's house and huged each other then the feds came and chased after them but a fed jumped on johnny.
And Tony..well he was running for 3 or 9 miles for the feds not to catch him. He got home but it wasn't easy. So funny

The part where tony soprano has a shotgun in his hands and shoots at tony.b was cool. All the blood from tony.b's head was dropping

I want my hour back.

I thought it was 2 hours. And they whack TONY B? Goddamn, and they make it look like a war will happen and what? The FBI brings down the ENTIRE Brooklyn crew. How cheap.

Well that guy David Chase does it again. He blows it by having the best episode of the season the second to last. I was NOT amused by tonight's episode. So Tony B gets it...reeeeeal shocker there guys Nothing else happens, that Jonny Sac gets pinched is NOT season ender material. God, I am so underwhelemed its not even funny. I can't be alone here guys?

Wow. Dont know how I feel about this one.

The entire Brooklyn Crew indicted? That was huge. I was expecting an all out war coming, but I guess its not going to happen. One things for sure. Tony is gonna be kicking himself in the ass for taking out Tony B. Thats his punishment for murdering his cousin I guess.

On a side note. I realized that out of the 4 ex cons that came on the show at the beginning of the season, 2 are dead, and the other 2 are back in jail. Kind of ironic.

Goooooood episode.

Anybody else wanna see Phil Leotardo get it BAD??

OK...it looks like Tony and Johnny Sac are cool, but if Johnny Sac is gonna be out of action for awhile, whats gonna happen with Phil Leotardo looking for more revenge?

Tony did well with killing Tony B. Consider it a mercy killing, PLUS he took the wind out of Johnny Sac's sails.

Blundetto is dead ... Good last episode , but another year and a half

Whose to say that Phill isnt indicted too. I bet he and Johnny are put away for a long long time. Especially Phill, considering he was an ex con probably on parole.

As much as he is an ass, IT'S FRANK VINCENT, man. :p

I wanna see Vito get it for suggesting to whack Tony.

Good point....

My pal.

Just wondering....How do you think all the malcontents in Tony's crew would have felt if Tony gave up Christopher also?

I get the impression SOME of them (ie. Vito) might have been happy about that, but I can't see Silvio in that group....he would've believed that IF Tony gave up Chris, Tony could've given up ANY ONE of them.

If Christopher was sold out too, and I was in Tony's crew, I would have felt scared. If this guy can have members of his blood family killed, then one slip up, and I might meet the barrel of a shotgun too.

It was obvious how hard it was for Tony to kill Tony B to save him from the long tortous death he would have otherwise endured. I agree with SC that, in Tony's mind, it was a mercy killing.

I don't think he'd kill Christopher either, at least not at this point and I agree with RB that the others in crew would wonder if for one slip up they'd be next.

Tony running when the Feds pulled up to the house, seemed realistic, in that, obviously that was the only thing he could do, plus you wouldn't expect Tony to be a fast mover looking somewhat awkward tackling the cold/wet/snowy environment while on the run. At first I was wondering if an agent would find him and shoot him, and end the season there.

Yes SC, I wouldn't mind if Phil Leotardo bit the bullet either (even if it is PLaw's bud :p ). The way he talked to Chris' mother??? Mama mia!!! :p

One question however, Tony's car was there and the Feds surely will find it. Since Tony's lawyer told him he wasn't mentioned in the indictment, does that mean Tony's clear for now, as far as the feds are concerned????

AJ may have finally found his niche in "event planning" hu?

Oh, and on another thread we were talking about "loose ends". Well, one very minor loose end was resolved......The picture of Tony and his beloved horse hanging on the wall at Paulie's house, now in the dumpster.

TIS

Tony killing his cousin just struck a memory of a Don ordering the death of his brother. Sound familiar?

I was hoping for an all-out-war in this season finale. I hate when the previews deceive you. Happened that way in season 3, and 4. Enough is enough.

While Johnny and tony are talking, Tony freezes and takes off. Then Johnny turns and sees the Feds, who I didn't recognize at first sight until I saw the FBI initials. That part was hilarious. Somebody in the Brooklyn based Mob family was an informant.

They should've showed this episode last week, and ended the season w/ Adrianna's murder. WTF, who cares about Tony B - it was kinda obvious to me that such a big star wasn't going to carry over into another season...

I agree with you on the episode switch Geoff. Last week's would have been a perfect ending to have this week. Although we all knew it was most likely coming, how it played out was kind of a surprise.

Good episode, but last year's finale was better.


TIS

What was it about the painting that made Tony decide to whack Tony B.?? I can only suggest that it had to tie in with what Tony and Silvio discussed (about being the boss and making the hard decision to do the right thing).

Any other ideas?

This didn't feel like a season finale. Nothing shocked me tonight. John got busted - so what? Tony B. got killed - expected. Good episode, but not for a finale.

How do these guys get away with all these murders? Where are all the CSI people to solve the murders? There have been so many killings on this show, some that aren't even planned out (the waiter this season comes to mind). There wasn't any evidence that points to Chris and Paulie? It seems like they can kill anyone and not get caught. The writers are getting carried away.

I was suprised when Tony B got shot. I thought it was Phil then I was like "WHAT THE HELL." I was expecting Tony to wake up any second but lost hope when he put the gun down.

New York area NBC4 viewers put it on now - Mike Francesa (from Mike & The Mad Dog) is interviewing Johnny Sac! (I didn't even know about this show "Mike'd Up")

What was it about the painting that made Tony decide to whack Tony B.?? I can only suggest that it had to tie in with what Tony and Silvio discussed (about being the boss and making the hard decision to do the right thing).

Any other ideas? [/b][/quote]Tony saw the picture of him as a general and thought to himself that he posessed those qualities of a leader and needed to take care of buisness, no matter how difficult the task may be. (whacking his cousin). The Tony we saw tonight twards the end of the episode is the Tony he should always be. A strong leader.

Most definitely "anticlimatic".

Two prizefighters slugging it out in the 12th round, but neither goes down.

Smarty Jones failing at Belmont.

Many other analogies, that other Members may choose to address.

But the loose ends:

1) Adriana - she could still "resurrect"
2) Have the Feds got Tony in the x-hair?
3) Will Johnny Sack, you know his trial will be delayed, witnesses and evidence will "conveniently disappear", simply become "Junior" i.e. an old man just waiting out his time OR will there be all out war between he and Tony?
4) Loyalty of Silvio (back to is Adriana REALLY dead?)

Just some random thoughts after an otherwise dull finale.

Don't you guys think that Tony might be very frustrated when he realizes he didn't have to kill Tony B once the WHOLE crew got indicted?

Thats the first thing I thought of when they said the whole Patrile crew got taken down. Doctor Melfi is definetly gonna have her hands full next season.

I wonder if they will bring Uncle Junior back next season or write him out as dying? It still looks like he is out of it. Chianese isn't getting any younger. Anything can happen in a year and a half. Tony S killing Tony B was a surprise. I really didn't think that he would do it. Remember his speech about family last week. This was a so, so episode. I doubt that Phil Leotardo will be back since he was among those indited. I wonder if this was a way for Chase to wrap up the Johnny Sac storyline and get rid of him all together?

After a good night of sleep and contemplation I came to the conclusion that I liked last nights finale and I thought it was a fitting ending to season 5. My conclusion is also based on the fact that we have to wait until January or March of 2006 for season 6. It was nice that they closed the Tony B story line and put an end to a possible all out war between NY & NJ. A war between the two could not have been resolved in a hour last night and it would have been murder on fans to start something like an all out war only to finish it in a year and a half.

I thought about Tony second guessing himself about taking out his cousin after the FBI indictments, but I feel that Tony has gained a powerfull new found respect from his Capos after carrying out that difficult job using his own hands to do it.

They made a good effort to make sure that all the major charactors were in the show and had some meaningfull scenes. However I would have liked if the scene between Tony & Junior was with the OLD Junior, not the altzhemiers Junior.

Steve Van Zandt had his most lines in one scene to date. I guess that makes up for his lack of lines during the entire season. That was the equivilant of Springsteen letting him do the lead vocals on about six songs during one of the Boss's concerts.

The funniest part of the show was Johnny Sac getting cuffed with his snow covered face, and when they slapped the cuffs on Sal Vitro.

The season began with a bear comming out of the woods, and the season ended with a bear comming out of the woods.

Good observation!

I am supposed to have a picture of the NY family sellout in my mind? Has he actually appeared on the show and I just didnt catch his name?? Could some one throw up a pic if possible?

What was it about the painting that made Tony decide to whack Tony B.?? I can only suggest that it had to tie in with what Tony and Silvio discussed (about being the boss and making the hard decision to do the right thing).

Any other ideas? [/b][/quote]Tony saw the picture of him as a general and thought to himself that he posessed those qualities of a leader and needed to take care of buisness, no matter how difficult the task may be. (whacking his cousin). The Tony we saw tonight twards the end of the episode is the Tony he should always be. A strong leader. [/b][/quote]I had a slightly different thought. I think Tony saw an image of himself as Napolean (out of control, megalomania, self absorbed). Then he realized that he was going to lose it all (just as Napolean) if he didn't do what was right - in the mob sense of "right".

I agree with Daigo Mick. The episode grows on you. It also has a reality ring to it. The FBI has been all over the mob in recent years; Gotti, Gigante are both in jail.

Things to consider:
- Adriana is gone, but Raymond now becomes the focal point of the FBI in the quest to get Tony. This SHOULD be a big factor in next season's episodes.
- Junior is fading. Tony realizes it. He tried to go to him for advice and realized that Junior isn't home.
- With Tony B gone and Johnny's crew indicted, what are the affects on the Soprano business.
- Does Christopher pick up Tony B's casino? How will the rest of the crew react.
- Does Little Carmine come back in the picture with Johnny Sack out of business?

Many storyline possibilities, but as in the past, many storylines die.

Kudos to Johnny Sack for his flop in the snow. I wonder if it was rehearsed that way or an out take that was better than the reheasal?

I gotta agree this was not a season ending material. The AJ Beer party, visit to Paulie's house and seeing the painting and Dr Melfi scenes were time fillers. The scene with Chris when they talked about Adriana should pretty much lay to rest any thought of her coming back.

I figured Tony B would get it. Now at the end of the season only Phil Leotardo remains of all the new characters that they "introduced" at the Hollywood premeire before they began the first episode of the season. So what can they do in Year 6?

The FBI Sack bust was a complete anticlimax for the impending war.

I was disappointed...

Adriana is dead. there is no loose end there.

Adriana is dead. there is no loose end there. [/QB][/quote]Some people just don't want to accept it for some reason.

An ambiguous end to an ambiguous season. I figured Tony B. was gonna get it (no choice), and that Johny Sack would survive (need some material for next season, whenever that is ). Anyone else here surprised about how fast Carm seemed to give up on Adriana? I thought that was out of character for her.
The one who really deserved to be whacked was A.J., who is more irritating than his sister and Janice combined.

At first I was surprised, but after thinking about it, her reaction made perfect sense....its what family does when being supportive of a family member....they diss the "non-family" spouse who left.

She's finished. Accept it and move on. Plenty of loose ends to be had through this series, but this isn't one of them.

The only thing that strikes me is curious is if Johnny Sac will have some sort of beef with Tony for getting away so "easily" while he gets pinched, but I don't think anything will come that way.

Nick

That could be a possibility for season 6. I have a feeling someone in the immediate family will die. Or maybe I'm just thinking like a Godfather fan.

It could be Tony himself, but from natural causes. I think his cancer will be a bigger storyline.

That could be a possibility for season 6. I have a feeling someone in the immediate family will die. Or maybe I'm just thinking like a Godfather fan.

It could be Tony himself, but from natural causes. I think his cancer will be a bigger storyline. [/b][/quote]After 6 seasons of build-up, I would hope and doubt the show is going to end with Tony dying of skin cancer. ...With the feds taking down NY, and Chase finally bringing Ray Curto back into the storyline, it looks like the show is going to end with most if not everyone in prison.

Members, be assured I have no particular attachment to the character Adriana. She was really as much an "airhead" as a "crackhead".

The reason I hold out the possibility she could resurrect (be assured I hold no possibility whatever of a Tony B resurrection) is that the producers chose not to show her "dead, dead, dead". While the depiction hardly had to be as "graphic" as that for Tony B or, last season, Ralphie, it could have been "mild" such as was the depiction of Lorraine earlier this season.

Possibly the actress, Ms DeMateo, had a contractual provision with the production company that her character would not be depicted as dead. But failing that, that Adriana's death was not shown, the door for a Season 6 resurrection is open, even though I will acknowledge not all that wide.

Thanking the Forum in advance for allowing me to post this; I certainly will agree that any further discussion by me on this point would be "beating the dead horse".

or should that be, "beating a dead whore "?

Sorry...I couldn't resist

Once again, Adriana is dead. They don't have to show what happens in order to prove she's dead. Silvio is Tony's numer one henchman. He wouldn't make sure she survived. Who knows what he did to the body. But overall, she's dead. Accept it

For cryin' out loud...Adriana is DEAD.

The door for a season six resurection is not open at all. In fact, it is slammed shut.

I can't believe people think she is still alive.

She IS??? What next.....you gonna tell me Tony B. is dead, too??


:p

She IS??? What next.....you gonna tell me Tony B. is dead, too??


:p [/b][/quote]Actually, I don't think Tony B. is really dead. Although we've seen the body, we didn't actually see them dispose of the body. So, the possibility is still out there that he may return. :rolleyes:

Im still waiting for the return of Jackie Aprile Sr.

Correct me if I am wrong, but they never showed his dead cancer soaked body did they? Ive been suspicious of this for the last 4 seasons.

While we're at it....I understand Pussy is a damn good swimmer

What is this? First Adriana? Then Tony B and now Jackie Junior? This ain't no fantasy. Tony B is dead, too. Bullet wound was shown on his head. Jackie Junior was buried in the end of season 3.

The only person that possibly survived is the Russian guy

Adrianna is dead. The character is sympathetic, so they didn't want to show Adrianna get shot and butchered. Plus it would make Tomy, Silvio, and others look even worse for doing that to her.

Plus, Chase probably wanted all this talk about her not being dead. Because of the lackluster season finale, it's one of the only things that will keep people waiting for Season 6.

Nobody is talking about her still being alive. just beecause a few people are ranting about that possibility doesnt mean that this is another loose end. Lets just say this... If Adriana is still alive, then I have lost all respect for the show.

Well, I thought it was a pretty good episode. Could it have been better? Yes, but overall I was pretty satisfied. We all pretty much knew TB was gonna get whacked, but it was still a good scene. I definitely wasnt expecting Johnny Sack to get busted, though I still see his character playing a fairly significant part in season 6. I really thought that war was going to seem inevitable after this last episode, but now it appears it does not have to be. This show has been the absolute best show on TV the past 5 years, even though a lot of people say it has declined. Not sure if I want to say it has declined but it definitely isnt the same as it used to be. I think they maube introduce too many new characters. Our favorite characters like Paulie, Silvio, and Junior dont get near as much screen time as they used to back in the first few seasons. I almost always like the new characters they introduce, but sometimes it seems like the main reason for introducing som of them is so that they wont really have to kill off any of the main characters. Adrianna did go, but who else besides her has died in recent memory that has been around from the beginning. Not that I'm rooting for anyone in particular to die, but if next season is indeed the last, it seems logical that at least a few of the originals would have to die.
And speaking of season 6, I really dont know how I see it going now that Tony and Johnny seem to have made peace. Phil will undoubtedly be indicted along with John and the other NY guys, so that should ease Tony's problems with him. Raymond Curto's biggest episode yet seems to foreshadow him having a major impact on season 6. I also think Christopher will play a very big role, but I dont exactly know how. No matter how often I think about it, I cant see Tony dead or in jail though when it is all said and done. Just one guy's thoughts.

Does anyone else remember from the 4th season the dream tony had, where he was at the house where tony b was killed? It seems that all his dreams tie in some how further down the road. Like pussy. And tony also had a dream about wacking paulie, maybe him taking the picture will be the start of of fued that will lead to betrayal and even death.

Which episode/season?

I think he's kidding

Which episode/season? [/b][/quote]Actually im not, see for yourself, Season 2 Episode 13 "Funhouse" When tony is having his fever dreams he is on the board walk he looks into one of those microscope things that looks over at the ocean, and he sees himself playing cards with paulie, then pulls out a gun and bang, paulie falls over on his chair.

Which episode/season? [/b][/quote]Season 2, Episode 26 "Funhouse"

el bumpo!

Only shown last night in the UK, bumping this so I don't have to track it down again later!

im confused. what is el bumpo? lol.

Mr. S, Chris meant he was bumping the thread.

Fitting, entirely satsifying finale to what I still consider (and have done since about four episodes in) the best season so far!

Just when I thought he was out, they pull him back in--yes, I'm referring to Larry Boy Barese, who has seemingly resumed his position of Capo after beating the trial and having a whole season in absence ("House Arrest" they're calling it these days). So where's Albert?

Magnificent acting throughout this episode. Tony's character just keeps on getting more tortured and complicated. I was surprised by his lack of compassion when he whacked his cousin.

An odd, disjointed, out-of-place (Tony seemed to have a purpose, but then left without actually saying anything) visit to Paulie. Paulie's deliberate softening of the face with "You don't come round no more" brought a smile to my face.

It's tied things up nicely in my opinion, and if anything, too nicely: with Sack et al probably going to the can now (or at least under severe house arrest until their trials), where is next season's tension going to come from? The New York-New Jersey war was one of the most tense storylines ever, much more than the bickering between members of the same family (a la Paulie and Chrissy), though there are still some possibilities.

I'm still laughing a day later at Johnny Sack's slip. His snow-covered faced as they escorted him away said it all!

Just a question to those who know more about the Mafia than me: when he saw the FBI coming, what was the need in Johnny Sack running? If he got away, does that mean he escapes conviction? Or will they just find him anyway? I never really understood how he thought there was any reason to try and escape.

Gandolfini certainly has piled the wait on. Tony, at the end of the season, looked as debauched, decadent and (for lack of a better word) fat as ever. Highly fitting, considering what he's gone through. Tony's the most immoral man on the show, and yet he's my favourite character by far (he is also the most complex). Loved the moment when he hovered round before exiting Junior's place, knowing fine well his uncle's lost it, and when he and Chrissy finally showed some real emotion (those two are the only characters on the show who would show their "weaknesses" to each other); it's moments like this that make this the fantastic show it is.

It's a little ironic I feel that, of all the people round Tony, the only person who had any real significance on his decision to whack Tony B was Melfi.

An odd finale in the lack of family scenes (a stark contrast to Season 4's), and I suppose I would have liked a more of a cliffhanger ending, but none the worse for that. It simply caps off the best season so far.

Thoughts?
Mick

I agree Mick.

I would have to say Sack ran because he was not "prepared" to be arrested. As we saw with Tony throwing his gun. Sack never did so. He probably wanted to tie up a few loose ends and get rid of a little more evidence.

Plus a natural reaction might have been to "GET THE HELL OUTTA THERE!"

I was wondering what people thought about the Van Morrison song "Glad Tidings" being sprinkled throughout the episode, like when Tony killed his cousin and when Tony came out of the woods, "like the haunting bear (anyone else make that connection?)" I think the Bear/Tony comparison was quite a brilliant nugget on the hands of Terrence Winter, Chase and the other writers. I think the song worked so well with it's scenes. What do you guys think? What do you think about the Bear/Tony thing too?

Doc

What I always wondered was why Tony ain't give sac the heads up about the feds coming.

DonFerro, the bear connection is a very subtle and ironic reference. As a matter of fact, when the bushes were rustling, and the camera was in slow motion, I actually thought it was a bear (didn't notice Tony's overcoat ).

Songs in episodes are rare these days, so whenever I hear them now it alwats creates some kind of out-of-place, surrealist feel. Good job with the Buscemi hit though (they actually used the track as source music); created the tension beautifully.

Mick

I think it is a good possibility that Adrienna is alive...I heard that Season 6 is full of real surprises...Hey Bobby Ewing came back...I think it may depend on how " Joey "does..which I fell asleep to the two times I attempted to watch it!!