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Made in America

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"Made in America" is the 9th episode of Season 6 Part 2, the 21st overall episode of the season and the series ultimate episode of the HBO original series The Sopranos. It is the 86th overall and final episode in the series. Written and directed by series creator and showrunner David Chase, it originally aired on June 10, 2007.

Episode cast[]

* = credit only ** = photo only

Guest starring[]

Plot summary[]

Tony is in hiding with his crew. At nightfall, he meets FBI Agent Harris and gives him information about Ahmed and Muhammed. In exchange, he asks for Phil's location, but Harris says he knows nothing. Tony visits his family in the safe house where they are hiding and later joins them in attending Bobby's funeral. Tony visits Janice at her house; she tells him she will raise Bobby's children. Harris calls Tony with information that Phil has been using payphones from gas stations in Oyster Bay, Long Island, and Tony's crew begins surveilling gas stations in the area.

Butchie and Ray-Ray await anxiously for news on Tony’s whereabouts in the now significantly shrunken and cold Little Italy. Phil calls Butchie from a payphone, expresses anger about his failure to kill Tony, and rejects Butchie's suggestion to make peace. Phil vaguely threatens Butchie before hanging up. After Phil abruptly hangs up on him, Butchie looks up and realizes he mistakenly strayed onto Chinatown. He decides to turn back. Tony meets with Butchie and Albie to negotiate without Phil's knowledge. Butchie refuses to disclose his boss' location, but agrees to a truce and tells Tony to "do what you gotta do".

Tony and his family move back into their North Caldwell home. Benny and Walden track Phil to a gas station and shoot him dead; Agent Harris is pleased by this news, seemingly because there was an FBI pool on which crime family would kill the other.

A.J. and his girlfriend Rhiannon escape from his Nissan Xterra after he left its engine running in dry leaves and let it catch fire. He takes up jogging and tells his parents he intends to join the Army. They arrange for him to work for Little Carmine's film production company instead.

Meadow and Patrick announce they are engaged and that Meadow may land a job at a law firm. Meadow tells Tony she wants to defend those oppressed by the government, particularly immigrants; she considers her father a victim of FBI prejudice against Italian-Americans. Tony visits the comatose Silvio in the hospital.

Carlo goes missing; Paulie fears he may have become an informant after his son Jason was arrested on a drugs charge. Tony's lawyer, Neil Mink, tells Tony that Carlo is likely testifying and that Tony will be indicted.

With Carlo gone, Tony meets with Paulie at Satriale’s and offers him the leadership of the Aprile crew. Paulie initially refuses, worrying that the crew is cursed, but accepts when Tony tells him he will offer the position to Patsy. When Tony leaves, Paulie is left sitting alone at Satriale’s, the cat staring at him being the only living thing left next to him.

Janice visits an Alzheimer’s ridden Junior in a state-run care home to tell him of Bobby's death, but Junior is too confused to understand. Pat tells Tony he believes Janice is scheming to claim for herself the last money Junior's accountant is holding. Tony claims he no longer cares of what happens to Junior, but decides to visit him one last time to prevent the money from going to Janice.

Tony visits Junior and tells him to give the money to Bobby's children, but realizes Junior does not recognize him. Tony tries to get Junior to remember the money’s location, but Junior doesn’t remember what the money even was. Junior reacts with surprise when Tony reminds him of his involvement in the Mafia, and Tony leaves with tears in his eyes.

The Sopranos arrange to meet at a diner. Tony arrives first at the table, listens to "Don't Stop Believing" by Journey on the mini jukebox and watches customers come and go. Carmela arrives next, and Tony tells her Carlo will testify. A.J. then arrives and reminds his father of his advice to "remember the good times". Meanwhile, the focus is placed on many different customers at the diner, including a man wearing a Members Only jacket who heads to the bathroom by Tony’s side. Meadow arrives late and parks her car outside after a number of tries. As the entrance bell rings, Tony looks up and the screen suddenly cuts to black for several seconds before the end credits begin rolling.

Different interpretations[]

The ambiguous final scene of the series finale has sparked extensive debate since its airing. The sudden cut to black as Tony sits with his family at a diner has been interpreted in a variety of ways, reflecting the open-ended intentions of David Chase's storytelling. However, he has said of the ending, "Anyone who wants to watch it, it's all there."[1]

Tony is murdered[]

The dominant interpretation is that the cut to black represents Tony's murder. This is alleged to be canon given the discussion between Bobby Baccalieri and Tony in "Soprano Home Movies", wherein Bobby proclaims "You probably don't even hear it when it happens." Silvio has a similar experience when Gerry Torciano is shot in portrayed silence in Stage 5.

The most common suspect is the man in the Members Only jacket, who is prominently featured and credited. This theory draws on parallels to The Godfather, where Michael Corleone retrieves a gun from the bathroom to execute a hit on Virgil Sollozzo. The man in the Members Only jacket is seen heading towards the bathroom at Tony's "3 o'clock," a phrase repeated throughout the series multiple times.

Another interpretation is that the murderer is someone else who enters through the front door of the diner, either seen or unseen by the audience. The tension of the scene is amplified by the bell ringing every time that the door opens, suggesting that danger could arrive at any moment.

A heterodox interpretation is that Tony's death is at some unspecified point in the future, suggesting Tony's fate is already sealed and inevitable, and offering ambiguity in the present.

Some viewers and critics suggest that Tony's murder is orchestrated by individuals within or adjacent to the DiMeo/Soprano crime family, with some pointing to the following suspects:

  • Paulie Gualtieri, due to visible reservations of taking over the "cursed" Aprile crew--whose previous capos all died shortly after taking over--and Tony's prior consideration of potentially whacking him for spilling secrets to Johnny Sacrimoni.
  • Patsy Parisi, due to Tony's hit on his twin brother for defamatory remarks about Tony attempting to suffocate his mother and seeing a psychiatrist.
  • Butch DeConcini, in order to clean up loose ends following Phil Leotardo's assassination, or as retribution for whacking Phil in a manner that his family could not have an open casket at his funeral due to his head being crushed like a watermelon by his own SUV.
  • Deanne Pontecorvo, because of Tony not letting Eugene Pontecorvo retire to Florida, leading to his suicide.
  • Carlo Gervasi, due to being afraid of retaliation for cooperating with the FBI.
  • Man in Members Only jacket alone, or any random revenge-seeker, because of insanity or some unknown grudge towards Tony.

A significant theory alleges that Paulie, Patsy, and Butch collaborated to whack Tony, with all their combined grievances.

It is alleged that David Chase confirmed that Tony was killed in the final scene by various entertainment outlets,[2] though Chase and others have rebutted this notion, instead claiming that the final scene is open-ended or may have alternative explanations.[3][4]

Things that could be potential foreshadowing could be:

  • In the episode "Members Only", Vito Spatafore makes fun of Eugene Pontecorvo for wearing a jacket with the logo "Members Only" on it. Eugene does not answer and gives Vito a secretive and intense look. This may have been a clue to convey to the audience that he was part of another secret and unmentioned gang, that the man who allegedly shot Tony wearing a similar jacket may have been a part of, as a revenge against Tony for refusing Eugene to get his relocating wish fulfilled and ultimately committing suicide.
  • The last episode "Made in America" opens with a close up shot of Tony Soprano lying in bed sleeping positioned like a cadaver would be in a coffin as funeral music plays in the background.
  • The previous episode (The Blue Comet) contains a flashback to a scene from "Soprano Home Movies", in which Bobby Baccalieri and Tony Soprano discuss what it's like being killed, saying "in our line of work, it's always out there. You probably don't even hear it when it happens". While the flashback may or may not be referring to this scene, the cut to black and complete silence would be exactly what Bobby described. Another notable connection between the two episodes is the fact the that "The Magic Moment" by The Drifters is the outro music track of the Soprano Home Movies episode, while Tony can be seen skipping this same song on the jukebox in the final episode before choosing "Don't Stop Believin'" by Journey.
  • David Chase sets up a pattern of point of view shots where we see a shot of Tony, then his point of view of someone walking into the restaurant when the bell on the door rings, and then the reaction shot. Following this pattern, we hear the bell ring as Meadow opens the door, we get the shot of Tony, then right when we should see Meadow walking in from Tony's point of view, we get black nothingness.
  • Had Meadow not experienced trouble parallel parking her car, she would have been in the restaurant seated beside her dad Tony (opposite of A.J.), thus blocking the hitman's shot.
  • When Tony is out to eat with Meadow earlier in the last episode, she asks "so what do I owe this pleasure to go sake bombing?" Tony replies "we used to have dinner all the time, you're gonna get married and my chances are flying by me". This is presumably Tony's last moments with Meadow before she witnessed his murder.
  • The screen abruptly cuts to black and all sound mutes as opposed to the fade in most other episodes that keeps the soundtrack running (which goes hand in hand with the above-mentioned discussion).
  • The person staring at Tony Soprano and walking to the bathroom is significant enough to be credited, with a special mention to his Members Only jacket. "Members Only" is the episode in which Tony got shot, and is a reference to being in the mob, as well as to Eugene in "Members Only", who kills himself when Tony won't let him move his family to Florida. The "Members Only" man simply can be seen to represent everyone Tony has wronged throughout his life. He is also the only patron we see walking into the diner before we get Tony's point of view of him walking into the diner followed by A.J., and while A.J. sits next to Tony, the man in the Members Only jackets sits at the barstand and watches over Tony.
  • A hitman walking into a bathroom to retrieve his weapon is reminiscent of a famous scene from The Godfather, in which Michael Corleone does so before murdering a rival gangster named Virgil Sollozzo and a police captain Mark McCluskey. In "Johnny Cakes", A.J. says that this is Tony's favorite scene.
  • It's the only time in the series Tony is seen peeling an orange, an obvious reference to The Godfather movies, where oranges are closely associated with an approaching death or being shot.
  • The scene has been edited in a way that builds up tension, which naturally leads the audience on to believe something momentous is going to happen (which may or may not be the case).
  • Many of the patrons in the diner represent an event from previous episodes that involved killing someone.
  • Tony Soprano often spoke, in "Soprano Home Movies", "For All Debts Public and Private", and "The Happy Wanderer", of the fact that there are only two ways out for a boss, which is being dead or getting in the jail. We saw Johnny Sack, another boss, go the route of going to jail. We also saw Little Carmine Lupertazzi stepping away from the title of Boss to enjoy and live his life, so it would make sense that we see Tony take the other path, which is death.
  • Patsy Parisi at one point in the series pointed a gun at Tony Soprano through his home's window overlooking his swimming pool and considered shooting him to death, as revenge for ordering Gigi Cestone to kill his twin brother Phillip "Philly Spoons" Parisi. Even in his drunken stupor, Patsy decided to go against it and instead urinated in Tony's swimming pool. He had the motives to kill Tony and may have also seen it as a way to stage a coup d'état of the DiMeo crime family and take over as boss. Patsy Parisi may have hired the hitman to kill Tony. Meadow Soprano now dating Patsy’s son, Patrick Parisi, could explain how Patsy Parisi got the drop that Tony Soprano would be at Holsten’s that night, as Meadow could have told Patrick, who could have told his father.
  • Silvio Dante was shot several times and left in a coma by a man wearing the same Members Only jacket who was part of the Lupertazzi family hit squad sent by Phil Leotardo. This could be someone associated with him, who has similar taste in clothing. Patsy Parisi shot back at the hitmen several times, but he may have intentionally missed his shots to set Silvio up to be killed as part of a larger revenge mission and possible coup d'état against Tony Soprano.  
  • In "From Where to Eternity" Christopher says he has a message, "3 o'clock", to Paulie and Tony from Mikey Palmice. Tony is sitting at a table in Holsten's facing Carmela and A.J., which is to his immediate right is the hallway to the men's room. In theory, the “Member's Only” guy would have had a clear view of Tony if he made a hit on him. In military terms, he would have been at 3 o'clock.
  • Despite the hit on Phil Leotardo being allowed by the Lupertazzi family, the job was done very messily with Phil being killed in front of his wife and infant grandchildren, and then having his skull crushed by his moving SUV that was stuck in drive. Tony may have been shot to death at the diner in front of his family to send a message that if you perform a messy hit like that, you'll die in another messy hit as punishment. It's also possible that the other New York families would have pushed for the Lupertazzis to whack Tony in the similar manner in front of his family.
  • Relating to the above, Tony may have been considered a loose end to the new leadership of the Lupertazzi family, and killing him was likely considered severing the final link between them and the Phil Leotardo hit.  
  • Instead of the screen fading to black and the credits rolling, it is an abrupt cut to a black screen that lasts for at least 3 seconds, suggesting it was an important part of the episode itself and not just a mere transition to the credits.
  • No music playing during the end credits could symbolize that it truly happened to Tony, as he was possibly killed in front of his wife and kids.

Tony survives[]

We never actually see anything happen other than suggestive editing – we don't even see a gun. Or to put it more simply, we do not see Tony Soprano die on screen. The lyrics of the famous Journey song (Don't Stop Believin') indicate that life goes on despite all the trouble. The “Members Only” guy’s jacket is missing the Members Only logo. Maybe that means that he – like the jacket – is an imitation, not the real thing.

Some additionally argue that the audience is "whacked" by being denied closure, forced to experience the uncertainty and tension Tony must live with every day.

A significantly prevailing theory is that Tony lives, but his life is effectively over. Burdened by imminent legal troubles as an indictment is on the horizon, his arrest could lead to a long prison sentence or further betrayals within his family. With the enemies he has made over the years, both rivals and allies, the possibility of retribution looms large. The decline of the mob is also a recurring theme throughout the series; and as Tony's empire shrinks and he loses many key members of the family by death or flipping, he is left more isolated and vulnerable. At this point, he forgets the "little moments" because of the gravity of his situation. That is to say, Tony will live in perpetual fear and isolation for the rest of his life, and can no longer experience life to any worthy degree.

A less common theory suggests Tony cut a deal with the FBI, wherein the Members Only guy is part of an operation to escort Tony to safety, with the cut to black representing Tony's disappearance into anonymity as he prioritizes survival over loyalty to La Cosa Nostra. In the end, it is unknown what the ultimate fate of Tony Soprano is, and if the mysterious man in the Members Only jacket was or was not the hitman who took Tony's life.

Tony dies, but not by murder[]

Another obscure theory is that Tony died of a heart attack or stroke, triggered by his unhealthy lifestyle and the stress of his situation. A more satirical theory is that Tony simply choked on an onion ring during the final scene, leading to his death.

Gallery[]

  1. ↑ https://www.reuters.com/article/us-sopranos-idUSN0644006120070615/
  2. ↑ https://www.eonline.com/news/1308324/sopranos-creator-david-chase-finally-confirms-tonys-fate
  3. ↑ https://www.usmagazine.com/entertainment/news/revisiting-the-sopranos-series-finale-did-tony-soprano-die/
  4. ↑ https://www.today.com/popculture/tv/sopranos-ending-explanation-rcna170260
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