Sopranos goes out without a bang

Last Thursday, I made a bold prediction that Tony Soprano would die in the series finale of “The Sopranos.” \nI was so geeked the entire weekend that I couldn’t think of anything else. I had dreams, violent fantasies of the act and how it would go down. At one point I even hypothesized the killer would be Colonel Mustard with the lead pipe in the conservatory. Page Dr. Melfi, I was losing my friggin’ mind.\nFinally the moment of truth: Sunday at 9 p.m. A couple of friends and I gathered around my television and watched with sustained glee. This was the end ... Only it wasn’t.\nAs 9:58 rolled around, Tony was still alive and breathing his patented deep, nasal breaths. He walked into a diner. What a perfect place for a bloodbath, I thought to myself. Then it happened. No, he wasn’t whacked. It was far worse. He put money into the jukebox and selected Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin.’” How can the best television mobster die to such a cheesy sound track?\nIt’s now 10:04. I know the end is near. A shady-looking character at the bar goes into the bathroom. He’s going to get a gun! Tony’s daughter comes running into the diner. She’s trying to warn Tony about something! What does she know? Jesus, Mary and Joseph, the suspense is killing me! I can’t wait! I ... WTF? My satellite feed has gone out! Of all the inopportune times! I fumble for my remote and curse up a storm that would make Paulie Walnuts blush. Why can’t I fix this? Ugh!\nAnd then the credits roll. That’s all, folks. After an eternity of thunderstruck silence, I speak.\n“What the hell?”\nApparently, legions of other viewers felt the same way. Bloggers charged the finale was worse than that of “Seinfeld.” A Facebook group “aaaaaaaa I’M PISSED BC THE LAST EPISODE OF SOPRANOS SUCKED” has been formed and thus far has 381 members. I was thinking about joining the group, but then I watched the episode again.\nIt’s not as bad the second time around, with the brutal yet darkly funny execution of Phil Leotardo (he gets shot and then an idling car rolls over his head) and the hospital scene in which Tony visits an unconscious Silvio and does not say a word. And, yes, even the ending.\nWith the open-ended ending, creator David Chase has given the world’s culture junkies a barstool conversation for the rest of time: “What do you think happens to Tony Soprano?”\nI still believe that in the gangster film genre (yes “The Sopranos” is an 86-part film), no one stays on top. You either end up dead or in jail. I also believe Tony Soprano is too good at what he does to ever end up in jail, at least for the rest of his life. I think Tony Soprano dies in a mafia-FBI shoot-out. He goes out blasting.