But why would he be dead. He has vanquished all foes. The only real threat had been Phil, and now he’s a grease spot in a gas station parking lot.
No, I think he’s aloive, there’s no reason for anyone to kill him. I think that Chase did exactly what he wanted to do, show us that life “DON’T STOP” there is no pat ending, tomorrow will bring a new set of problems/adventures.
I had a similar thought, so good work. 
I found Harris’ overinvolvement a bit of a stretch, but I thought he was sort of a surrogate for the viewer - like most of us, he was pulling for Tony even though he knew he shouldn’t. He was one more person taken in by the Sopranos and, as happened to a lot of characters, he was screwing up his life in the process.
We don’t know how anybody with New York will respond to Phil’s death.
Couldn’t agree more, even though I didn’t like the ending. But wait till Chase has a couple flops, and Gandolfini can’t get a job. You’re gonna see Tony waking up in a hospital bed beside Sil, newly-revived himself, and AJ’ll have Paulie-style hair as he takes orders from his father substitute.
I’m rooting for Chase and Gandolfini to have nothing but success from here on.
Not quite. This was posted earlier in this thread:
Iiiiiiiinteresting. I get to be Eddie.
well …
Reaching WAY back to page one for a moment…
None of them are nice guys, of course. I just meant that I liked most of the other characters, even Tony’s antagonists, more than I liked Phil.
Wow, is this true? If so, that’s fucking brilliant.
Does anyone have the DVDs to verify it?
Wow.
Can’t remember if I found this link via this thread – here’s the last 5 minutes (or so).
I love the twist of his shoulders, right at the final second.
Yeh… it’s just too perfect.
So Chase didn’t whack Tony.
Chase whacked us.
Makes perfect sense to me now.
Wow, wow, wow!
I am desperate for this information to be verified. (There are conflicting claims on TWoP, e.g., about whether that was really a Leotardo.)
I’d love to try to verify this. IMDB does not have the full cast list yet. I had thought to do a massive cross-reference to find the previous episodes that those actors had appeared in. Does anyone else have a cast list? (I could copy it from the tv screen, but would rather cut-and-paste.)
Okay, here’s the cast, according to http://www.tv.com/the-sopranos/show/314/episode_guide.html?season=6 Anyone who wants to help with the research, go for it!
Arthur J. Nascarella (Carlo Gervasi)
Ed Vassallo (Tom Giglione)
Max Casella (Benny Fazio)
Angelo Massagli (Bobby Baccalieri Jr.)
Carl Capotorto (Little Paulie Germani)
David Margulies (Neil Mink)
Frank Pando (Agent Grasso)
Matt Servitto (Agent Dwight Harris)
Michele de Cesare (Hunter Scangarelo)
Miryam Coppersmith (Sophia Baccalieri)
William Severs (Old Man in Diner)
Adrianne Rae Rodgers (Young Woman in Diner)
Henry O’Neill (Young Man in Diner)
Anthony J. Ribustello (Dante Greco)
Mike Sullivan (Paulie’s Friend)
Frank Albanese (Uncle Pat)
Peter Mele (George Pagilieri)
Melanie Minichino (Tara Zincone)
Don Striano (Priest)
Rajesh Bose (Gas Station Manager)
Jeffrey M. Marchetti (Peter “Bissell” LaRosa)
Danielle Divecchio (Barbara Giglione)
Paolo Colandrea (Man in Members Only Jacket)
Anita Salvate (Mary)
Ricky Aiello (Ray-Ray D’Abaldo)
Matt Pepper (Agent Ron Gosling)
Michael H. Ingram (F.B.I Agent)
Amy Russ (Female F.B.I Agent)
Colleen Morris (Nanny)
Avery Elaine Pulcher (Domenica Baccalieri)
Emily Ruth Pulcher (Domenica Baccalieri)
Saidah Arrika Ekulona (Tour Guide)
Tony White (Orderly)
Shortee Redd (Teen #1)
Rydell Rollins (Teen #2)
Daniel Bacote (Teen #3)
T.J. Allen (Teen #4)
Alan Levine (Lavoo)
Jimmy Spadola (Man in Diner)
Carol Scudder (Diner Waitress)
Du Kelly (African American Man #1 in Diner)
Sharrieff Pugh (African American Man #2 in Diner)
Patrick Joseph Connolly (Truck Driver in Diner)
Patti Karr (Old Woman in Diner)
Gregory Antonacci (Butch DeConcini)
Donna Pescow (Donna Parisi)
Jenna Stern (Dr. Doherty)
John ‘Cha Cha’ Ciarcia (Albie Cianflone)
Frank John Hughes (Walden Belfiore)
John Cenatiempo (Anthony Maffei)
Michael Kelly (Agent Ron Goddard)
Daniel Sauli (Patrick Parisi)
Joe Perrino (Jason Gervasi)
Michael Drayer (Jason Parisi)
Geraldine LiBrandi (Patty Leotardo)
Emily Wickersham (Rhiannon Flammer)
Someone on Matt Zoeller Seitz’s blog says no, those people in the diner weren’t from past episodes. The guy who’s reported to be Nikki Leotardo is identified as “Members Only Jacket guy”, and the two black guys aren’t from an earlier episode either.
A Google search on the Members Only Jacket guy brings up a newspaper article which says he owns a pizza parlor in Philly and this was his only film role.
I’m almost sure of it now. The last member of the show to get whacked was never on the cast list. We never saw it coming. We were watching and then black.
Minor corrections after comparing that list to my VCR tape:
Frank Pando (Agent Grasso) is on screen as Agent Ron Grasso
Danielle Divecchio (Barbara Giglione) is on screen as Danielle Di Vecchio (with a blank space)
Sure there is! Pick one:
Tony spoke to the Feds. Sure you and I know it was to give an empty “tip” on “terrorists”, but if any higher-up caught wind of Tony talking with a Fed in a secluded parking lot, he’d be hit fast & hard. There are many times Tony could have been seen with agent Harris too (many times at Satriale’s, for example).
Carlo flipped. Perhaps the higher-ups felt they needed to cut all ties to anyone associated with Carlo so when the charges come down, there’s nobody charged with anything still around.
Perhaps, despite Butchie’s acceptance of Tony’s deal, somebody else in NY felt revenge was necessary.
As far as the street-guys know Phil ordered 3 hits only 2 were complete. If you see target #3, you shoot.
Maybe there is dissension in the ranks in NY. Even tough Butchie said he’d look the other way while Tony did what he had to do, maybe others don’t share that vision.
Revenge by a relative. Does he have any brothers, cousins outstanding?
Perhaps the hit on Tony (assuming / accepting that it was of course) had nothing to do Phil or NY at all. Maybe it was revenge for some old job or whatever. Thing is we’d never know, as Tony wouldn’t. Tony wouldn’t have seen or heard anything. His life would just stop, very suddenly mid thought.
Couple or three dangling questions: