My opinion is that the Sopranos was such a monster hit and cultural icon,that any ending Chase would have picked would not have been good enough.

We watched Tony's kids grow up,saw his rise to power,became intimate associates with our favorite characters,and in general let the show become part of the fabric of our lives for so many years.

How do you end such an incredible run?

I think that Chase made a brilliant decision.Instead of giving us the ending,he let us provide our own. By leaving a blank canvas,he provided each of us with the luxury of closing the show in our own personal way.

Granted he pis*ed a lot of people off,but that's because the viewing public is used to neatly wrapped packages.
Chase paid us a compliment by treating us as more than mindless boob tubers.

At first,like almost everyone else,I wanted to strangle him for leaving us hanging.But as time went on,I realized that he made a brilliant move.

For me,Tony wasn't killed,and the final scene reminds us of what Tony's life is like,now and in the future.
Is a RICO bust imminent? Does he still have a viable crew? Is the New York situation over? He still has to live day to day with the possibility of being hit,as does any Mob guy.

The nice thing is that I can watch the final scene and find enough justification to support my viewpoint.The same can be said for those who believe that Tony got killed at the diner,or that Meadow caught a stray bullet.

No matter what you believe happened when the screen went black,you are right. There is enough there to support any conclusion.

To me,that is the genius of David Chase.