# Tony Soprano lives **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 27, 2014, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tony-soprano-lives/696694 "2014-08-27T22:03:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2014, 11:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tony-soprano-lives/696694/61 "2014-08-29T11:28:45Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > Carmella did [make the choice to live off Tony’s money], and admitted it to the priest. But it’s not fair to blame the kids. > > Besides, for all we know they did get killed, but I doubt it. Meadow’s character arc at the end is pretty clear to me. She’s taking full advantage of her father’s money with full knowledge. She is at the point at which she has the requisite moral sense, knowledge, and independence to refuse to take her father’s money to attend an Ivy League school or whatever. And it was shown that she has bought into the charade with her fully aware dishonest defense of mobsters and keeping family secrets. Anthony Junior also showed his development into a young thug. I’m willing to give him a little more slack, however. He’s not quite at Meadow’s level yet. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2014, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tony-soprano-lives/696694/62 "2014-08-29T14:35:17Z")
> [@Novelty\_Bobble](#): > > Now that’s a whole other metaphysical argument isn’t it? Personally I don’t hold with the “viewer whacking” idea but that just a personal choice, I’m can’t say it is wrong though. I just don’t think it’s a particularly accurate or useful metaphor. > [@Acsenray](#): > > Meadow’s character arc at the end is pretty clear to me. She’s taking full advantage of her father’s money with full knowledge. The general idea is that she sells out by adopting Tony-style rationalizations for everybody’s behavior. She becomes a lawyer instead of a pediatrician, which is a metaphor for helping the bad guys instead of the innocent. She comes to view the mob as a cultural practice excused by discrimination against Italian-Americans. > [@](#): > > Anthony Junior also showed his development into a young thug. He didn’t become any kind of thug. He’s probably going to go through his life about as miserable as Tony, but without the drive or the criminality. He is too spoiled and soft to be a thug, which ironically is not a bad thing. ---
**Author:** ![MyFootsZZZ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/myfootszzz/32/12580_2.png) [@MyFootsZZZ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MyFootsZZZ)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2014, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tony-soprano-lives/696694/63 "2014-08-30T20:14:56Z")
Is it possible that Meadow was whacked? I don’t quite remember, but I thought the last thing we saw was Tony, via Meadow’s POV. I could be wrong. To be honest… I really would rather not know for sure. > [@Marley23](#): > > He didn’t become any kind of thug. He’s probably going to go through his life about as miserable as Tony, but without the drive or the criminality. He is too spoiled and soft to be a thug, which ironically is not a bad thing. He was pretty stupid too. ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2014, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tony-soprano-lives/696694/64 "2014-08-30T20:19:05Z")
I wonder if the Dexter ending was influenced by Sopranos - they could have left doubt about Dexter but did not. (and yes, I know most people hated that ending) FYI Gandolfini’s last movie comes out Sept. 12th. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2014, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tony-soprano-lives/696694/65 "2014-08-30T21:20:35Z")
> [@MyFootsZZZ](#): > > Is it possible that Meadow was whacked? I don’t quite remember, but I thought the last thing we saw was Tony, via Meadow’s POV. Anything’s possible, but there’s no particular reason to think so. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tony-soprano-lives/696694.md?page=3)