The show is not at all shown solely from tony's perspective... it's told from multiple points of view. I don't know where you'd get this idea from.
I still don't see any concrete evidence that Tony was killed in the last scene. You could easily interpret it in other ways just as well.
ike a real bosses life should he have been whacked in the real world, he never got to see his plan play out, though he was expecting to, it never happened. He'll never get to see Meadow get married, or AJ succeed with the movie thing, or restore his marriage with Carmela, just like we won't get to see it. People seem to forget that the whole show was done through Tony's point of view. So when his light was snuffed out so abruptly, our view into his world went right along with it.
This for example. The same would be true had he been taken down by police, arrested, charged and sent to prison.
Here's the thing, a hitman wouldn't need to go to the bathroom first just to come out again to shoot Tony. Some people say it's an homage to the godfather; however, unlike the godfather where Michael was expected and knew he was going to be searched, a potential hitman in this case wouldn't need to over complicate it. He's walk in and shoot him in the face. Not dick around at the bar watching him chit chat with his family and then go to the bathroom. What for? What need? he doesn't have a gun hidden back there like Michael Corleone.
The scene is filmed in the most ominous way intentionally. Chase is illustrating the tension and pressure Tony will have to LIVE with for the rest of his life. We were suspicious of every single person who walks in that door, men who look like people who've tried to kill Tony and vice versa.
Then of course there is the issue of a lack of motive. Who would have done it? Who called the hit?
Nobody within Jersey had the popular backing, certainly. The fragmented family will long be in the process of picking up the shattered pieces and there aren't any other real leaders in the Soprano family. Who in the Jersey family would be in a position? Paulie? He doesn't have the support, his role will ALWAYS be that of a second or third wheel. Further, Paulie was burned by New York, surely even he would have learned the pitfalls of trusting outside families. Patsy Parisi? He had the motive surely, but he also had PLENTY of opportunity to kill tony, case in point: when he drunkenly stood in the soprano family yard with a gun in hand. But Patsy was the family accountant, not much of a killer and while not unpopular he never seemed to have any sort of support from the other capos.
Of course we already know Silvio wasn't behind it, though he had been approached and paid a hefty price for his refusal. Sil was really the only viable candidate to take over the reins. He was high in the Soprano administration, he was capable, respected universally but loyal.
New York? Maybe. this is probably the most likely option, though they had made peace with Tony during the last Sit down. Some will argue that this was simply done to lure tony into a false sense of security, but then, it makes no sense for this to happen off screen and for the viewer to be in a position where they must invent scenes which never occurred to justify the outcome.
No, I think Tony walked out of the Diner alive. Perhaps arrested by undercover cops, perhaps completely unscathed. Who knows? Like the song says, it goes on and on and on...
