And I think I would have been equally disappointed if hed said, Tony is alive. And thats because I like not knowing, and to me, everything about this ending says, Youre not supposed to know, youre supposed to live in the not-knowing.. In a single close-up, we can see that the man strongly physically resembles Eugene. Having just rewatched "Members Only," I'm completely convinced. He does so by stalking the man, following him into a convenience store where the juror takes a drink and a candy bar. And the last we see them together, Tony was still acting like a jerk toward Patsy. People are gonna remember you,' Funaro recalled. Vito instructs an overwrought Eugene to take the rest of the day off. By accepting all cookies, you agree to our use of cookies to deliver and maintain our services and site, improve the quality of Reddit, personalize Reddit content and advertising, and measure the effectiveness of advertising. Alan: What I mean is, maybe that cat is Christopher reincarnated, or maybe its just a cat that wont stop hanging around Satriales and staring at a photo of Christopher. Is it possible the man in the Members Only jacket did the job? But Tony needs help, and he starts getting it in a sit-down with Leotardos captain, Butch DiConcini (Greg Antonacci). And if Tony drops dead after the bell rings, whether from a bullet or (like poor Gigi Cestone) internal distress, obviously the next few moments involve Carmela, Meadow, and AJ being horrified and grief-stricken, but what comes after? The episode marks the first appearances of: "7 Surprises From The Sopranos 20th Anniversary Celebration", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Members_Only_(The_Sopranos)&oldid=1134519036. Galvatron1117 2 yr. ago For more information, please see our 2023 Vox Media, LLC. Phil is gone, Butchie made peace with New Jersey, and anyone else who might wish Tony a violent end is out of the picture. Uncle Junior 's mind is deteriorating. One by one, the other members of his immediate family arrive - except for Meadow - and they start to eat onion rings and indulge in small talk. Why did Eugene kill himself Sopranos? That final scene is something he felt was correct, and that came out of his desire to subvert or amend the traditions of the gangster film, while perhaps coming to terms with the fact that he was unable to escape them. Alan: So for a while, it seemed easier to just go with the idea that he dies that the cut to black follows on Bacalas line from Soprano Home Movies, Silvios reaction to the Hairdos death in Stage 5, and all that death imagery. 'Sopranos' 'Johnny Cakes' Oral History: Vito's Gay Love Story Since the tension with New York boiled over to a full-blown war, both Tony's family and Family have been on the lam. You'd expect the family to be long gone, living their lives in Florida, trying to forget Jersey. The highlight of our time together was covering The Sopranos, which shot in the papers circulation area throughout the state. Its also easy to see that Chase is of two minds on the last scene. La La Anthony, Chloe Fineman Will Play Fashion Correspondents at Met Gala 2023. And the single most obvious thing to do in a gangster movie is to kill the main character out of reflex, or because the storytellers want to express that crime doesnt pay. Did he really leave enough money in overseas accounts to take care of Carmela after his passing, or will she soon be taking Angie Bonpensieros old job passing out supermarket samples? Disputes between Tony and Phil are resolved, and it is explained that the New York associates were protecting Gerry's area and did not know Eli was associated with the Sopranos; they agree to pay Eli $50,000 compensation. Maybe the ending is saying, This guy never got it. This guy lives a charmed life. Eugene responds by smashing a glass Snapple bottle over Little Paulie's head, causing a severe gash over his eye, and kicks him repeatedly in the head. And thus, that cat is Christopher and not Christopher at the same time. Also wouldn't shooting yourself be a less painful way of dying compared to hanging, he definitely had guns. On the Talking Sopranos podcast, Funaro spoke about originally getting hired on the show to play Ralph Cifaretto. Vito is thinner and is now a spokesperson for a weight loss company; he is Tony's best earner and is ambitious. The jacket possibly signifies his affiliation to a special gang. (2019) and the 12th installment in the DC Extended Universe (DCEU). This leads me to believe that a relative of Eugenes, The Man In The Members Only Jacket is the one who killed Tony out of an act of revenge for Eugenes suicide. Raymond "Buffalo Ray" Curto is a recurring character portrayed by George Loros. She tells Eugene that he should kill Tony in "Members Only." is now attending college. Alan: The distance he walks is shorter each time, and when he gets to Holstens, we just cut from him looking at the restaurant to him in the booth, in a way that suggests hes seeing himself really, that hes seeing the whole scene play out, like hes already left his body and is just envisioning what might come next back on this mortal plane. But now I'm getting into speculation, and Eugene's brother killing Tony isn't speculation. Spending long hours trying to prove Tony was shot at the diner becomes a substitute for meaningful engagement with the shows themes, which are disturbing not just because of their implications, but because Chase and the writers present them in an open-ended, mysterious, or deliberately opaque way, like a brutal reminder to us that we cant absolutely know certain things, and its delusional to insist we can. But I dont think he has to be dead for us to think about all that related stuff, and I dont think thats the only possible interpretation. Anyway, the focus is on whod order the hit. did coco die in sopranoswhat causes chills after knee replacement surgery 28th April 2023 / bill de blasio wife $850 million / in northwestern strength coach salary / by Maybe the ending is moralistic, but not in the way that some of the people who need Tony to be dead might frame it. and our Matt: The point is, The Sopranos resisted all the usual gangster movie reflexes for seven seasons. Cookie Notice Its a great show, Chase told him. Did he just want out ? Alan: Right. Chase replayed the Bacala death line and laid down so much death imagery throughout the season and this episode, so we will understand that when the scene jarringly cuts to black, its because Tony has just died, either via a bullet from Members Only Guy or a coronary from one onion ring too many. ' Funaro recalled. Eugene/Man In Members Only Jacket relative theory We make up stories to reassure ourselves that we have control over life, and we really dont. "I said 'Look, if it ain't me, it . When that didnt work out, creator David Chase and his writing team came up with the Gene Pontecorvo character for him to play. So when he walks into the restaurant, judgment has already been passed, or maybe suspended. Tonys personal disputes halted major construction projects on several occasions. The Sopranos: The Al Green Song David Chase Considered Instead of Dont Stop Believin in the Finale. In Season Six's premiere episode "Members Only", Eugene inherited 2 million dollars from his deceased aunt. Tony is shot by Junior at the end, but that comes out of nowhere. I think the ending is sadder and more powerful if you think, All those people he killed, all those people he loved that died, all the stuff hes been through personally, including getting shot and being in a coma none of that really made much of a dent in this guys thick skull.. The bulk of the episode is devoted to Eugene Pontecorvo, previously a very minor character who appears infrequently and barely ever has any lines. Do Silvio and Paulie die in The Sopranos? - Daily Justnow Its gonna show what you can do. Funaro saw what an opportunity it was going to be for him. On the occasion of the shows 20th anniversary, weve published a book about it, The Sopranos Sessions, combining reviews of each episode, a new interview with series creator David Chase, and selections of our Star-Ledger articles about the show. It seems so obvious now. This was Christopher's scene. How do we choose to live it? Reddit community dedicated to the HBO hit TV series, The Sopranos, and movie, The Many Saints of Newark. He is a capo in the DiMeo crime family and leads the Curto crew. But its an enormous leap from how the series told stories in every scene, and episode, up until this one. Whenever the Sopranos ending is discussed, and somebody starts with the presumption that Tony is dead, I ask the same follow-up question: Why do you need for Tony to be dead? Because you have to need him to be dead to insist not only that he got shot right there in the diner, but that him being dead is in fact the entire point of the scene, and that no other approach is permissible. Eugene is, however, an intelligent man whose . Flash forward to the end of the season. But did he end up doing it to free his family? But what if it was there for Tony, who is, of course, also present? Ray Curto | The Sopranos Wiki | Fandom The Sopranos: All FBI Informants In The Show, Ranked - Screen Rant But in the larger scheme of things, who cares about Eugene? Chase lingers on the parking job to raise the question of what terrible thing will happen because its taking her so long. Both Dr. Melfi and Janice suggest a retirement home or assisted living for him, but Tony forcefully refuses. Christopher orders Eugene to kill a fat man -- in this same episode, we see Tony concerned about his ballooning weight, and a slimmed-down Vito makes references to his obesity -- named Teddy Spirodakis, initials TS. Sirico reportedly racked up a total of 28 arrests in his younger life, even if he was only . Teddy Spirodakis | Historica Wiki | Fandom Gigi defected to Tony Soprano's crew in August 1999 following the execution of Philly Parisi (Capo of Junior's crew while Junior was incarcerated). Alan: Other than maybe the revelation that Big Pussy was an FBI cooperator a plot idea conceived in the shows embryonic stages, without Chase expecting anyone would care about him resolving it The Sopranos tended to keep its plot cards face up. A.J. He couldve had a coronary or another panic attack. I think Tony died at that moment is a valid interpretation. He wants to retire from the mob life after he receives a massive inheritance, but Tony isn't too keen on the idea. The Sopranos was so deliciously bold, fresh, funny, complex and authentic that, for me, it rendered most other dramas on television unwatchable. Sometimes, a cat is just a cat, but its hard not to consider this one within the context of what happens, or doesnt, a few scenes later at Holstens. Its not an insult to say that he doesnt really know why he did what he did, because all through our interviews with him, we kept trying to get him to explain the reasoning behind certain choices, only to discover that there wasnt any, and he and the writers and directors were just doing what felt correct. And the music is continuous throughout. Terms of Service apply. Later Eugene is revealed (to the viewers, not to the mob) to be an informant for the FBI, who also prohibit him from leaving. By 2000, he is made captain of the Aprile Crew. Of course, these questions occurred to Tony after Junior shot him, and thathis response was to absorb rather shallow lessons like, make better choices in the moment, and try being a better listener while ignoring bigger ones like, Maybe youre depressed all the time because youre a gangster. Melfi steers him toward this realization throughout the series, even in the pilot. Or it could be like the decision in Long Term Parking to not only provide a glimpse of Adrianas daydream where she just gets in her car and heads south on I-95, but to deliberately stage her death scene so that shes off-camera when Silvio fires the fatal shot. Aglieri had made a name for himself by killing Salvatore Riina, one of Italy s most notorious crime figures and a huge rival of the Corleone clan. This was presented rather confusingly because of the constant flashes to Vincent going to space. Getting killed off on the hit mob show meant losing a well-paying job with unbeatable exposure. I think you and I are in agreement on the larger point of the scene, right, Matt? The Obama-Springsteen friendship continues on. Then Chase called to say they would kill off Gene by suicide. Who killed Tony Soprano. - Total War In the episode Eugene and his wife have an unexpected financial windfall when a beloved aunt, the wife of a successful Hollywood agent, leaves him $2 million in her will. And in the back of my mind, I said, Well, well see what happens.'. With a despondent wife, a drug-addicted son, a dangerous and stressful job he hates and can't leave, the specter of the FBI looming over him, and no hope of the new life that seemed so close, Eugene hangs himself in the basement. Except the longer you and I talked about it, both on our own and with Chase, the less substantial that idea felt, too, until by the end, I wasnt entirely sure that even Chase knows if the guys dead or alive. You can interpret that cut to black any way you want it (to quote the other Journey song featured on the jukebox right below Dont Stop Believin), but maybe Tony is the cat: dead and alive at the same time, because we cant see into the box to know for sure. Basically, those fans wanted to definitively know if Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini) died right there in Holstens. What does that leave us with, if that cut to black means somebody somewhere shot Tony? We dont know, and will never know. Eugene Pontecorvo | Historica Wiki | Fandom Alan: Tonys situation as he enters Holstens is complex however you look at it. The Sopranos ending: Did Tony Soprano die in the diner? - Metro
Boston University Yearbook Archives, Yumi Ochiai Survivor Today, Is There A Dr Pepper Shortage 2022, Articles W