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. You'd expect the family to be long gone, living their lives in Florida, trying to forget Jersey. The juror is stopped by Eugene, who reveals he knows this man and is a juror and "I know you'll do the right thing" (implying he will vote not guilty and result in a hung jury). So at that point, you have to ask: Why would Tony Soprano become a target for a hit right then? Maybe he left a note warning the wife about what he did, I hope so. We only have this one life, and precious little control over how long it lasts. The loved ones who lost people to witness protection or because they ran away suspect they were murdered but cant prove it, even though we viewers saw it happen. Eugene Pontecorvo also appears in a flashback to 1995 in the episode "To Save Us All From Satan's Power" as a bodyguard of Junior Soprano's, along with Gigi Cestone. Heres how to watch them host the events red carpet, together with Derek Blasberg and Emma Chamberlain. It's a town in Italy, but the name translates to "crow bridge." But did he end up doing it to free his family? Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, Teddy Spirodakis: Killed at a diner by Eugene on orders from. While he is the only son of the Tony, it becomes obvious he lacks potential for a career in his father's organization, though . You\'ll receive the next newsletter in your inbox. At the same time, IFC Center in New York City is hosting The Sopranos Film Festival, a mix of episodes, features, shorts, cartoons, and panel discussions. But again, that seems like a reach to me, especially since Members Only Guy hasnt come out of the bathroom yet. Matt: Yes. While Tony "thinks on it," Chris has Eugene kill a man, implying it will give him a better chance of having Tony let him go. The episode's title comes from Eugene's tan Members Only jacket, which an expensively dressed Vito gently ribs him for wearing. Or him surviving three car wrecks, one of which fatally wounded Christopher. Patsy himself almost took out Tony in the season 3 premiere, so you know his resentment ran deep. I couldn't find much of anything. Anthony John "A.J." Soprano, Jr. frequently referred to as Anthony Jr. or Tony Soprano Jr. is the son of Carmela and Tony Soprano, and the younger brother of Meadow Soprano. Thats one more reason why this scene feels dreamlike, along with all those incidental characters, like Members Only Guy and the uniformed Boy Scouts, who feel like people youd meet in an 80s music video. To have that storyline, I jumped on it and tried to ride it as best I could.. Anyway, the focus is on whod order the hit. Although mild-mannered, Eugene has a tendency to lose his temper, similar to Ralph Cifaretto. With Tony and the Feds both hindering Eugene's chance to escape the mafia life and his stress caused by his unstable home life, Eugene sees no way out and hangs himself in his basement. That's traditionally the episode that sets up everything that happens throughout the season. There are no cookies for figuring things out. Alan: Let me ask you this, then: If, during one of our many conversations with Chase, he had invited us to lean in close, and whispered, Guys, Tonys dead, how would that change your feelings about the ending? Her father, Hugh De Angelis, thinks an inspector he used to know would waive the requirement, but his contact has retired. 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. At Chris's behest, he then kills a debtor; in return, Chris says, "I'll put in a good word to T about the Florida thing." who is kenaz in the bible; how to connect universal remote to philips tv; who helped prospero and how This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google First, I started hearing rumors. When that didnt work out, creator David Chase and his writing team came up with the Gene Pontecorvo character for him to play. And he has Phil killed. Tony is haunted by dreams of Sal . If the scenes about the fragility of life, and the omnipresent specter of death that leaves us all fumbling about for meaning in this cold, cruel world, why leave even a trace of ambiguity? Numerous clues in this episode foreshadow Tony Soprano's death: In the episode, Eugene Pontecorvo commits suicide after Tony refuses to let him "retire" from mob life and move with his family to Florida after receiving a $2 million dollar inheritance. How do we choose to live it? Copyright 2023 Endgame360 Inc. All Rights Reserved. Did he just want out ? So was it in part to free them? He is either an enormous success or a pitiful failure. Phil Leotardo, now the acting boss of the Lupertazzi crime family, is taking care of business for the imprisoned Johnny Sack. Eugene is also an informant for the FBI, and has become more valuable to the Bureau since the death of Ray Curto; they, too, will not free him. When discussing the final scene of The Sopranos, many people rightly focus on would-be assassins in Holstens. Chase was right about Funaro going out on a strong note, of course. But the very fact that Chase devotes so much time to what seems like nothing makes the whole scene all the more nerve-racking. As the boss, Tony also ordered the deaths of 11 other people during the events of the series. I know it happened. He begins developing serious stress with his home life due to his wife pushing him to talk Tony into their retiring to Florida with the money and also his son's incessant drug-use. 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. With that out of the way, we can focus on a more interesting question: Who ordered the hit on Tony Soprano when his time finally came? Paulie, long the most useless captain on the payroll, is the only major ally he has left. And they weren't. 18 comments 88% Upvoted This thread is archived Maybe the ending is saying, This guy never got it. Now, Off the Back of a Truck takes you one step further into the world of Tony Soprano and his families, offering an Italian potluck of fresh and fun takes that any true fan can get lost in for hours. Trying to escape, Eli is knocked down by a hit-and-run driver and seriously injured. But what if it was there for Tony, who is, of course, also present? Murders committed by Pontecorvo Teddy Spirodakis: Killed at a diner by Eugene on orders from Christopher Moltisanti for failing to pay his debts. 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. Explore the world of Jaguar cars and learn more about models A man in Tonys business will always have enemies Eric Scatino probably still nurses a massive grudge so its not outside the realm of plot logic that some rando or long-forgotten character could have hired Members Only Guy to do the deed. Frankly, Im not even sure why were still debating this. When Tony prevents Eugene from moving to Florida with his family, he commits suicide. He was pretty crazy. Its gonna show what you can do. Funaro saw what an opportunity it was going to be for him. I mean its a prompt for us to think about death and life, and what weve done with our lives. Jack Nicholson Reprises Role as Courtside Lakers Fan. Former Oregon, USC RB Travis Dye has signed as UDFA with New York Jets, per league souce. And if it helps to move the discussion beyond the question of whether hes dead or alive, Ill just say, Fine, hes dead. And now what? As for the fringe theories, the idea that the Pontecorvo family set up Tonys murder doesnt quite hold water. Though Funaro had the occasional moment on an episode, his first big scene came when he smashed Little Paulie with a bottle at the construction site. He is a prototypical underachiever and a constant source of stress and anxiety for his parents. Michelle Obama and Bruce Springsteen Tore Up the Stage with Glory Days. The final scene of The Sopranos raises a spiritual question that has no right or wrong answer. I think the most important two words in those two sentences are spiritual question. And if we fixate on anything other than that, were missing the point. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. Alan: Right. Carmela repeatedly asks Tony to see if he can get the stop order lifted, but he keeps putting it off. -All 92 deaths analyzed, evaluated, and . Theodore Spirodakis was born in Boston, Massachusetts to a family of Greek descent, and he became an untidy and obese person and a compulsive gambler. Is the Daniel Baldwin script a huge hit at the start of AJs shocking career as a Hollywood tastemaker? 15 35 Related Topics His first act on the show is seen in "Proshai, Livushka" when he and Bobby Zanone assault a garbage sanitation man for threatening to rat out Ralph Cifaretto. I think were supposed to be thinking about death, or the finiteness of life, during that last scene, but not necessarily that Tony died right then and there, and thats the end of the story. Chase provides glimpses of all the other customers a scout troop, two unidentified black males at the jukebox, a man in a Members Only jacket like Eugene Pontecorvos at the counter because he wants us to wonder if one of them might be there to take out Tony. At this moment in Made in America, nobody that we know of wants Tony dead. Uncle Junior 's mind is deteriorating. She tells Eugene that he should kill Tony in "Members Only." Despite the episode's focus on his character. Eugene then walks out calmly. Later Eugene is revealed (to the viewers, not to the mob) to be an informant for the FBI, who also prohibit him from leaving. Alan: I spent many years after the finale as a card-carrying, vocal member of Team Tony Lives. 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? Copyright 2023 Endgame360 Inc. All Rights Reserved. Then right before the final scene he's looking at the family album. But all that stuff exists outside the text, not in it. Is this, the superstitious Paulie wonders, just a cat, or his late colleague returned to life? When the Soprano family meet at Holsten's diner for a meal, this man enters the diner ahead of Anthony Soprano Jr. and sits at the counter. Alan: Back in the day, I felt like death was an easier sentence for Tony to take, because so much of his life thanks to genetics, mental health, and the monstrous business he has chosen brings him so much misery. Host Roy Wood Jr. and President Biden made a case for why this goofy event is important. 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. Getting killed off on the hit mob show meant losing a well-paying job with unbeatable exposure. You'd expect the family to be long gone, living their lives in Florida, trying to forget Jersey. The murder happens in a restaurant, as does Tony's. Tony is shot by Junior at the end, but that comes out of nowhere. Plus, that last stretch of 21 episodes does have a persistent chill, visually and plot-wise a series of deaths and declines, with a lot of the color bleached out. Eugene's name isn't Corvo, "crow." 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. Its hard to imagine him putting together such a career without The Sopranos. I felt then, and now, afraid for Tony Soprano, and painfully aware of both his fragile mortality and my own, more keenly than any other piece of art has made me feel. With his wife bitter and his son using heroin, Eugene hangs himself. RELATED: So absolutely, the show is putting us in a frame of mind to anticipate a death. His taking control of the reins of power capped an unusually fast climb to the top of Italian organized crime. Yeah, I was thinking that, too that despite the hours weve spent talking to Chase about the ending, I dont think its necessarily been explained in any meaningful sense, in terms of what happened next, and I get the impression that Chase cant really explain it either. Scan this QR code to download the app now. The investigation of identity becomes more overt this season, as both Tony and Carmela ask "Who am I? Now? And its true that, the longer the Holstens scene and the parallel parking go on and on and on and on the harder it becomes to shake the feeling that Tony, or Meadow, or maybe everybody, is about to get whacked. Personally, hes on good enough terms with his immediate family that theyd all happily join him for onion rings and more at their favorite ice cream place. Eugene Pontecorvo, played by actor Robert Funaro, is a fictional character in the HBO television series The Sopranos. 2023 Vox Media, LLC. He was never interested in the Russian, the rapist, the stable fire, or any of the other characters and threads that he left dangling over the life of the series, except as forces that test the main characters and reveal their essence. Carmela's construction of her spec house is suspended, due to a "stop order" issued by a building inspector because improper lumber has been used. La La Anthony, Chloe Fineman Will Play Fashion Correspondents at Met Gala 2023. Not much character development is given to Lorenzo, making him the average informant. Phils murder ends the war, which had been disastrous for mob business in New York and New Jersey. So it felt better to go with Tony died. It was An Answer, in a way that Tony lives never entirely felt like one to me, and when Chase wrote that article about the scene for DGA Quarterly, and talked about the fragility of our mortal existence, I was able to smile and say, Aha! 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. 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. 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). Think about the randomness of him seeing the FBI agents coming over the hill and escaping even as they arrest Johnny. Eugene killed himself, after all. Whether we get to see what comes next or not, which is a more entertaining, exciting, and/or thematically fitting conclusion to the story of The Sopranos: Tonys abrupt death or his continued existence? While Tony is cooking dinner, Junior, thinking he is a long-dead mobster, shoots him in the gut. Crows are a symbol of death, and have appeared as such on the show, during the ceremony when Christopher and Eugene are made. But what he said, specifically and he was directing it toward everybody was, Whether Tony Soprano is alive or dead is not the point. I understand what the scene was about and, more importantly, I know how it made me feel the first time I watched it, every time since, and through all these conversations Ive had with you and the rest of the Sopranos-loving world about it over the last decade. To put it another way: Chase was saying that Tony didnt reform and die peacefully in bed decades later. Alan: Theres no way around that, and even David Chase says as much in the sixth interview later in this book. Coachellas parent company AEG is removing any and all videos related to Oceans only performance. Alan: Yeah, I would say the circumstantial evidence of death in the scene is overwhelming. Its not wrong. Eugene then tells the juror not to bother paying, as he then pays for the man's small purchase. Even Tony Sirico (Paulie Walnuts), the least sensitive person about characters getting killed off, had words of encouragement. Only the bravest celebs will go full catboy at 2023s Met Gala. Pontecorvo ran a low-stakes poker game, a sports betting agency, and held a no-show job at the Esplanade construction site. Biography So does AJ, who luckily fails to kill himself Tony happening to come home at that moment is a Tony caliber stroke of good luck and in this very episode, the kid survives a truck explosion. I've been fascinated lately with the meaning of names in The Sopranos. At times a little too much, but Livia never did at all. The Austrian physicist Erwin Schrdinger famously theorized that if you place a cat into a box with some kind of hazardous material, the cat may live or die, but until you actually open the box to check, the cat is simultaneously dead and alive. And, as I said, it proceeds from the speakers need to have Tony die at that moment, not from any evidence in the scene itself. Why cut to black on that shot of Tonys uninflected face, as opposed to a glimpse of Members Only Guy raising a pistol, or even Tony looking distressed as his body deals with a gunshot, a coronary, a stroke (like the one that killed Livia), or some other cause of sudden death? Most people think the crow was there for Christopher. From there, his character continued growing in prominence. Alan: I hear what youre saying. Translation: He's not an actor. Eugene is also an informant for the FBI, and has become more valuable to the Bureau since the death of Ray Curto; they, too, will not free him. When people ask me, Do you think Tony died? I sometimes answer, Of course. And then I pause and add, Sooner or later, everybody does. Which admittedly is a dickish thing to say but you know what I mean? And, flipping that, what if hed whispered, Guys, Tonys alive? It's Pontecorvo, "crow bridge." The show absolutely dabbled in the supernatural throughout, from Paulie being haunted by Mikey Palmice, to Tony dreaming something that Tony B was actually doing, to whatever and wherever Kevin Finnerty was. Because nothing in that scene says, Somebody just killed him and thats what the cut to black is about. The only objectively true statement that can be made about that ending is that its ambiguous. Matt: Well, thats interesting, because it brings Chase himself into the mix, and I think we both should admit that our interpretation of the ending is affected by our conversations with him while writing this book. The way the ending teases audiences by seeming very definite while denying us answers and closure makes it the ultimate Sopranos moment. In the episode Unidentified Black Males, while he and Little Paulie Germani are engaging in what initially began as a harmless banter at the Esplanade construction site, Little Paulie goes too far in Eugene's mind when he conveys through an innuendo that Eugene is a homosexual. Alan: Maybe we should ask the cat. Actors with recurring roles on The Sopranos lived in fear of their characters dying. Eugene Pontecorvo inherits $2 million and would like to retire with his family to Florida. I think you could make a better case for Tony Dies if you assume hes dead before this scene even starts. Roy Wood Jr. Talks Scandals at White House Correspondents Dinner, Watching Frank Oceans Coachella Set Online Wont Be Easy. Dye played just 10 games due to injury and saw his season end with an injury against Colorado last November. No. Whats more in character for The Sopranos, to kill a magically charmed character in the final scene, or to refuse to do so? Getting killed off on the hit mob show meant losing a well-paying job with unbeatable exposure. Why is this night different from all other nights? 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. He and his wife plan to take the money and retire to Florida, but Tony turns down his request because he's a made man and there's no retiring from that. Remember, too, that Tony is the Homer Simpson of crime bosses, miraculously avoiding death or prison even as it claims other characters. I thought I saw a couple of blacks running that way." Blow-Up is one of his favorite films, and it has a famously non-definitive ending that invites the viewer to project their own meanings. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. 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. Or it could be, as I wrote in my original recap hours after the finale aired, that the character who died there was us, the spectator. "Members Only" is the first episode of the last season. But at the. After Raymond Curto dies of a massive stroke while giving potentially damaging information to Agent Robyn Sanseverino about Tony discussing a murder, the F.B.I. The actor had appeared in mob movies like "Goodfellas," and was also no stranger to crime himself. 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. Youre going out this way, but its gonna be good. Matt: Yeah, hes checking out the scene in there for self-protection, but he does that everywhere he goes. Password must be at least 8 characters and contain: As part of your account, youll receive occasional updates and offers from New York, which you can opt out of anytime. Matt: An important distinction. (2019) and the 12th installment in the DC Extended Universe (DCEU). In both of those, Chase employs an unusual editing style, cutting directly from a shot of Tony looking out at the space hes just entered to a different point of view where hes already crossed most of the distance to the relative hes come to see. And if, to quote Mad Men, the greatest predictor of what somebody is going to do is what they have done in the past, Tonys always going to basically be Tony, the loquacious gangster who puts himself first. But now I'm getting into speculation, and Eugene's brother killing Tony isn't speculation. Matt: I think its more interesting if he lives. Eugene Hermann Porter is a main character and a former antagonist, as well as a survivor of the outbreak in AMC's The Walking Dead. I dont believe its necessary to establish that to discuss the ending of the show, nor do I think the evidence necessarily points to that. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. This email will be used to sign into all New York sites. Tony's decision is relayed through Silvio: "Your Florida thing. Matt: Just like the Holstens scene. It's also been suggested that it was there for Eugene. But is that enough to convict Chase for murdering his main character? This is what I keep coming back to. Matt: Death shows the ultimate absurdity of life. AJ Soprano. Janice is raising a new daughter with Bobby Baccalieri, who has taken up model railroading as a hobby. Every other major boss on the show, from Johnny Sack to Phil Leotardo ( Frank Vincent . Eugene killed himself, after all. Scan this QR code to download the app now. Feeling that there was no way out, Pontecorvo hanged himself in his basement. The explanations arent entirely satisfying. I dont know why do you think he offed himself. Whos Going to the Met Gala Dressed as Karl Lagerfelds Cat? 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.. So New York had plenty of reasons to kill Tony. Fuckin internet. 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. This week, Tom and Shiv get it on. 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. Why did he choose that place to kill himself? The highlight of our time together was covering The Sopranos, which shot in the papers circulation area throughout the state. Eugene Pontecorvo The Sopranos really is about mental illness and the inherent hardships of the human condition, and Eugene Pontecorvo ( Robert Funaro) embodied the intersection between duty. With a friendlier boss who didnt have an 80-90% chance of being indicted, New York could make its money with fewer headaches. The hit was ordered by . At Hesh's request, Tony tries to reach out directly to Johnny through his optometrist brother-in-law, Anthony Infante, but Johnny is only paying attention to his immediate family's financial troubles.
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