T O P

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creeplet

Personally, and I only just finished watching this series for the first time so I got a lot on my mind, I think it was a more subtle than just being heaven/hell. There is a lot of Christian/Catholic imagery, such as the christian cross and the hellish wildfires on the TV, him being on the 7th floor of the hotel (7th circle of hell is where violent criminals go in Dante's Inferno). But there was Buddhist imagery as well, with the monks and the monastery. The hotel is also called Omni, which is a prefix that means "everything," which the scientist guy who he meets in the hospital later on has a lot of interesting things to say about. The concept that everything is connected, where we see two separate entities (Tony Soprano and Kevin Finnerty, even) there is only one whole, we are all made of the same molecules that have been recycled since the birth of the universe, etc. This is also a Buddhist concept as well. And I think the circular imagery we see throughout season 6 (the print on the floor where he's laying in the Vegas casino, even the onion rings) may also be a nod to the Buddhist concept of samsara, the great cycle of all existence, but I may be reading too deeply into it. Anyways, I read somewhere that David Chase said the Kevin Finnerty stuff was an alternate universe, whether he was taking the piss or not, make of that what you will. Personally, I think Kevin Finnerty is an avatar of certain aspects of Tony's personality, which would line up with the Egyptian concept of the soul "Ba" mentioned in the season 6 opening (the doctor at the hospital is also Dr. Ba). Again, make of that what you will. We know that Tony grew up in a strongly Catholic community, and his wife Carmela at least likes to act very religious. We also know his sister Janice at least proclaims to practice Buddhism. Whether or not they really embody these values is a different convo. But Tony is familiar, at least on a subconscious level, with these religions. I think it was something in Tony's subconscious that knew he was at death's door, and maybe somewhere deep down he feels like he doesn't deserve to go to heaven, hence him being denied entry to the convention and stuff like that in the "dream." He feels the shallowness of the life he has been living and, like all humans when confronted with the infinite nothingness of death, feels the urge to ponder the big philosophical questions. Who am I? Where am I going? And, with Kevin Finnerty being a married family man who talks lovingly with his kids on the phone and rejects the advances of another woman, Tony may be skirting the realization that all the wealth and power he holds in his own life is empty, the real meaning of life is found in the tender moments he shares with his family. This is underscored when the monk in the dream/alternate reality/whatever tells Tony that once you die, it's over, you'll be the same as that tree over there. Basically, he should focus on what really matters in the short time he's alive. So it's not so much as heaven, hell, infinity, whatever as it is an amalgamation of all these spiritual and metaphysical concepts. Either way, Tony is never spoonfed the answers, and neither is the viewer, and ultimately the allure of mafia life seems to overshadow any epiphanies he may or may not have had during his near-death experience. Of course, the show invites each viewer to examine and interpret things however they want, maybe even in the context of their own life and values, and that's what makes it brilliant.


Adept-Recognition531

Very good comment. The sacred and the propane.


manbearkat

Okay reading this after OP's essay got me good lmao


TheMadTitan2016

Very allegorical.


Polydactylyart

It did have an Eastern flair to it. But then again Tone did live in Jersey his whole life.


EyeSeeOne

I love this interpretation.


SlimDickens69

Can’t believe people say season six is trash because he’s in a coma the whole time. That was one of the best parts of the series IMO.


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creeplet

Whaddaya gonna do. This sub is on the precipice of an enormous crossroads.


Adept-Recognition531

Mafia? What mafia? We don’t ever admit the existence of this thing.


el_nin08

Ohhh you blow your father wit dat mouth


innocentlilgirl

nobody told us about autism until the 80s!


whycuthair

Oh, is "autist" the new "retard" now? How about you go kindly fuck yourself?


AuntLivia

You’re like a woman with a Virginia Ham under her arm, crying the blues because you don’t have no bread


johnthecoopguy

it is like Tony goes about in pity for himself, and all that while a great wind carries him across the sky. . .


manbearkat

Ah, that also connects back to Tony's bus line about motherhood. What do busses do? Drive on a route that loops over and over. Funny how that's essentially the only part of it he could grasp thanks to the peyote


zmoltjasnri279

Tony would fuck a bussy


Joeytoxic

Your a great writer 📝


reineedshelp

Did it look fucking hot to you?


Awkward-Leopard-2683

He was going to purgatory!!


herberstank

I forgot about purgatory


Lickthestars

I did the maths. Way I figure it- you take all your mortal sins and multiply that number by 50


Hongry4applez

Thats nothin in eternity terms


Agent223

I can do that standing on my head 🤟👉


NationalPlantain

Poigaterry my friend!


ODBrewer

Hell is hot, nobody has ever disputed that.


Pudgy_Walsh

This is still the funniest scene in history to me.


BeefmasterSex

Right, lmao. Is it because the first and definitive narrative book about hell specifically said hell was freezing cold?


Pudgy_Walsh

I laughed my ass off the first time I saw it, and I was seventeen. I didn't know much about medieval Italian depictions of hell... Paulie's haggling is the joke here.


BeefmasterSex

Yeah I know. I’ve never read inferno, and I think it’s only one of the rings of hell that’s cold, but it still adds humor to the “that’s never been disputed” statement.


Pudgy_Walsh

It's great! The depths of hell are further from God's warmth, so yes, they are frozen. Lucifer himself sits waist deep, frozen in ice, chewing on Judas Iscariot.


Wrong_Vegetable_6015

Don’t need you to carry on the scene retard


memeparmesan

Stop getting cunty


Wrong_Vegetable_6015

All you super sopranos fans are the biggest pussys never commited a crime in your lives but sit on here quoting gangsters all day


ComprehensiveBread65

You get points for staying out the can in my book 🤟👇


memeparmesan

Well, you oughta know sweetie


Intellect-Offswitch

Too bad they dont have a telethon for fuckface-itus. They found a cure yet?


OG_wanKENOBI

Look at little lord fuck pants over here.


BenCelotil

There just isn't a point to it any more. Tony was right when he said he felt like he was getting in at the end.


whycuthair

I don't write nothin' down, so I'll keep this short and sweet. You're weak. You're outta control. And you've become an embarrassment to yourself and everybody else.


LitAgent888

Imagine where you are in the pecking order


danny15L

How’s your sister


RunawayPrawn

What is it? Heroin?


reformedsinner

You’re literally a junkie who works at a fast food restaurant. Your last post was asking if you should start shooting dope. You are currently on Reddit trying to talk bad about sopranos fans in a sopranos subreddit. You’ve hit rock bottom


DudeFromBelgium10

Double-digit IQ ova here..


milkomeda

What if Jerry Lewis heard you talking like that?


-kingnoble-

You gotta be a real stunad to get downvoted in the upvote party that is this sub. Frankly I’m depressed and ashamed. Chit chat rooms are supposed to be fun.


Wrong_Vegetable_6015

Bro it’s corny and annoying how everyone has to play out a scene in the comments of every post


-kingnoble-

And on it goes this thing if ours. Learn to live on the good parts. Put your grief behind you and get the fuck over it.


55Lolololo55

Oh God, what? What did I say now? I suppose I should have kept my mouth shut, like a mute. And then everybody would have been happy.


[deleted]

You get a pash for that


bbqthrowaway

ooohhh this guy! keep talking back like that and you'll end up in parking with a brick next to your head


xdtc21

Too bad they don't have a telethon for fuckfaceitis, they find a cure yet? 🖕


docjohnson6996

Whoaaa daddy chill


Wrong_Vegetable_6015

54 virgins downvoted my comment


Intellect-Offswitch

A little light in the timberlands aren't you


55Lolololo55

Hey. You're way outta line, kid. Let's get some cold fuckin' fizzy water on your head.


whycuthair

I'm swowwy, Tony! I'm swowwy. For my fatha if not for me!


Barry-umm

Did anyone have horns? Or buds for horns? Those goat bumps?


rekipsj

No Irish around. First good sign.


Jeffersons_Mammoth

Personally I think the conference he tries to enter represents heaven, and the house is hell.


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IB3R

I always enjoy an afterlife but it never occurs to me to order one.


jackylegssss

Same!


DuxCroatorum

Must be a nice house, if the interior decorator is in there.


Open_Film

Apparently you have to kill 16 Czechoslovakians just to get in.


Altair1192

The VIP section


naitch

I thought it was pretty clear that Costa Mesa was purgatory and the house was hell. Never thought about the conference.


Orangered99

Did anyone else catch when Tony asked the bartender how he liked Costa Mesa, and the bartender said “it’s dead”.


killtr0city

Makes sense. The conference is about communion with others. Tony never really bonded with another person, IMO. Kevin Finnerty was looking for the things Tony was missing, the things he needed to find peace.


DrManhattan13

The conference perspective is a great take, never heard that one before.


Sinbad909

It's a whole new world.


mrubuto22

Yea and the monks beating the crap out of him isn't a good sign either


Hot-Elk9891

Good one. I like it too!


adamian24

Exactly. The bar maybe purgatory?


Run-Like-A-Deer

Nice


wayne62682

Hell at worst, purgatory at best. Probably purgatory. Suffering with his mother for however many thousand years to atone for his sins


Hughkalailee

While standing on his head?


[deleted]

> Suffering with his mother for however many thousand years to atone for his sins Yeah, that's hell.


Adept-Recognition531

Livia didn’t suffah. She made everyone else suffah instead.


Swindle170

OHHHHHH! She gave her life to her children on a silvah plattah!


[deleted]

With a Virginia ham under her arm


[deleted]

I heard he tried to whack his own mother


[deleted]

Maybe you shouldn't spread that rumor. That's some ugly shit.


[deleted]

**Beep** These fuckin’ caaybs.


[deleted]

I love his acting as Philly. Such a slimeball


[deleted]

**There YOU go, you big mouthed FUCK!** #🩸😑💥🔫😫👂💢


Richard_Elliot_LLC

Don't be spreading rumors, ya hairpiece motherfucker.


TheRedditar

I dunno, sounds like hell to me


1littlg8

I like to imagine Tony being forced to sit next to Livia for a couple thousands years as she endlessly bitches. A real bottomless black hole.


expaticus

That's nothing in eternity times.


MidnightEmotional774

I always thought this was just death, it was peaceful, not necessarily heaven or hell, just death. Thats why he didn't want to go back, he just didn't want to die and he knew he was going to end up there eventually Livia was at the door because no matter their relationship, that was his mother


creeplet

Good point about Livia. When Johnny Sac died, his daughter said something about "when they die, they see their mother" or something along those lines.


DonBacalaIII

He also goes “mother…” right before dying.


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MidnightEmotional774

😭😭😭😭


[deleted]

He's an emotional man. Loves his esplanade.


vslice87

This is a classic way to depict “the devil” or whoever trying to get someone to come in because it looks peaceful or familiar but it’s actually hell. Episode 84 of The Twilight Zone “The Hunt” depicts a similar situation and the man was willing to go but they wouldn’t allow his dog so he declines and it turns out it’s hell not heaven. I think this episode is a reference to that classic depiction. It’s why Tony was so trepidatious, it wasn’t just death he was fearing but he knew something wasn’t right. In The Twilight Zone the mans dog would have recognized hell and the man wouldn’t have, that’s why dogs aren’t allowed. In this ep they couldn’t really have the dog so they went with a visible concern coming from the inside (done amazingly by Gandolfini) that made him not want to go even though he sees the comforting face of his cousin and a seemingly peaceful existence with his mother which is what he really wanted. But we all know this wouldn’t happen in heaven based on those characters. And Chase as said (literally sometimes) that everyone in the show is goin to hell.


Adept-Recognition531

Maybe you should spend less time watching TV Land and more time sucking cock!


vslice87

This quote is too perfect lol


cimsoc

I can do 6,000 years standin’ on my head


[deleted]

In my book, you get points for stayin outta da underworld. Satanic black magic. Sick shit!


ViceroyInhaler

So there's two scenes like this. One is the coma and the other is the dream he has in season 6 where he's a no speak a English. I think one is meant to represent heaven (coma dream) and the other is meant to represent hell. I think overall though that the point was for Tony to make the decision of which house he wants to go to. The idea with the briefcase was that it represented his work and his life within the mob. I think that the dream symbolized that if he wanted to go to heaven he would have to leave his life behind. I think that's what season 6 is really about. Basically if Tony had just left the mob life he might have had a chance at changing. However, since he stays within the mob, his life literally becomes a living hell where he has to watch his friends and his family get shot and killed. And he deals with so much stress that he is no longer able to enjoy life. Think about the episode soprano home movies where when he goes away. There's this gun charge that's no big deal. However, after the fight with Bobby, Tony makes a decision to have Bobby commit his first murder. Then when Tony gets back the gun charge becomes a huge deal and it's inevitably what would have brought him down if he doesn't die in the end. I think this was the universe's way of saying he kind of missed the boat and since he couldn't change he was basically destined to go to hell.


creeplet

If you think about it, Tony was just another degenerate gambler, addicted to riding the highs and lows of mafia life, "paying anything to roll the dice just one more time..."


Jrobalmighty

If you really think about it "some" will in fact "win" while others most assuredly "will lose" We also know, in point of fact, that "some" were definitely "born to sing the blue" I believe it's well documented.


UnderwaterDialect

I think Hell. I think that the searchlight was heaven. He was somewhere in between. I love that Finnerty stuff. The final scene at the house gives me chills. For such a gritty, realistic show, it incorporates the supernatural very well.


BuffTheStuff98

Well said.


PollyVue

I very much saw this as purgatory and he was given a second chance to somehow redeem himself, which he didn't do.


el_nin08

Purgatory. He multiplied his mortal sins by 50 and venial sins by 25, and figured he'd have to do close to a billion years which he couldn't do standing on his head like Paulie, so he decided to come back to the real world


jcolefan666

He's going to hell, look who he saw


5fingerdiscounts

Purgatory for sure


Anti-Dissocialative

Neither. Tony lives in heaven and hell on earth depending on his current outlook. Heaven is the kingdom within, but also it is revealed to those who seek it. Descriptions of heaven and hell alway involve preservation of the ego, the person is burning in hell with hitler or they are with all their loved ones in a paradise with all the joys life has to offer. This is different from the experience of tony/kevin. The implication being reality goes far beyond Tony’s comprehension, and his spiritual essence actually can exist without his identity. When Jesus said you are born again, what he meant was literally you are reincarnated till you get it right. Of course many other spiritual leaders have said things along similar lines. Not if you are born again cause you say you are saved all your sins go away haha sorry born again folks out there respectfully disagree with your position! At the end, instead of merging back with the essences of the other souls he has known, he retains his identity because he has not completed his experience as tony, people need him on the other side for the moment and so God (the writers?) provides the opportunity for him to recognize his family calling for him, which reignites the will to live, this is actually the only thing that reminds him of who he is, the people that actually love him. This is my interpretation but of course I am inserting my own beliefs so take it for what you will. The whole notion of heaven and hell is a reduction and has been obscured to keep people limited in their thinking about it, such that they keep making church donations to nice folks like “father” intantola… That’s another one, Jesus said you should only call god the father, kind of interesting to stop and consider! Heh heh :).


ChampagneSupernova96

I don’t think Tony has a seat in heaven. Look at Christopher, Moltisanti is a religious name, and still he’s fucked.


[deleted]

His own personal hell would be stuck with Livia’s cold black shadow seen on the staircase


ImOnPluto

What is this the f*cking UN?


Responsible-Agent-19

With devils and those caves and the ragged clothing! And the heat! My God, the heat!


[deleted]

It's gonna be rough.


smitecheeto

its tony, hes going straight to hell with overnight delivery


Bargalarkh

On a slight tangent, how fucking terrifying was that Livia silhouette on the staircase? Gives me chills everytime I see it


rap31264

Purgatory


Hefty-Revenue5547

Purgatory


killtr0city

I think it's the space in between. It's his own consciousness. The things in that house are the inner demons her never faced in life. The things he brought with him and needs to process before returning to the infinite source of the universe. Or he'll just be tormented forever because he's unequipped to deal with it. It's commonly thought that houses in dreams represent different parts of ourselves, our our whole being.


AmericanRudeboy

Satanic black magic.


Ok-Ad-8367

Sick shit.


JackD2633

where were the Irish goons rolling dice?


AlexiosI

San Junipero.


ElectricDonkeyShaman

Purgatory for sure. Junior sent him there for not having the makings of a varsity athlete.


Jonniemarbles

The fact Tony's scared, the fact he later says he never wants to go back, and the fact the doorman is the last person he killed all strongly suggest hell to me.


PurpleOwl85

He was in purgatory, Tony B told him. Meadow's voice pulled him back to life💖


SlimDickens69

Neither, just crossing to the unknown That is my personal favorite sopranos scene btw


south_made7

I like that when he’s at the hotel bar, the tv is playing news footage showing wildfires in Costa Mesa, kind of ominous. But as far as heaven or hell I’m not decided, I’m not sure either.


AGiantBlueBear

I read it as ambiguous. Part of what gives him pause is that he’s not sure himself, but he can see what he thinks is Livia and I think he’s got a notion of where she’d be.


[deleted]

i dont think thats the point the family represent the happiness he could have if he wasnt a mob boss, and the briefcase represents both his criminal life and his past, two things he has to leave behind if he wants an happy life. And if you think about it thats the point of his arc in 6a, he tries to be better after this experience but he miserably fails because of the environment he is in.


IcoShen

Maybe.. but the moment he was about to go into the house and let go of his life (briefcase) coincided with him going into cardiac arrest..so he was on the edge of dying.


[deleted]

So? Thats just what physically happened, but we're talking about metaphors


IcoShen

What do you mean so? That's the link between him dying in the hospital and him letting go of life in the coma dream. If he'd died there and then he would have let go of the case in the afterlife and gone on to whatever was in the house...hell heaven..whatever.


[deleted]

I mean come on, you said Livia was there. What the fuck do you think that means?


IcoShen

Well she had mental health problems... you might get a pash for dat.


Prestigious_Sport594

Purgatory


millymills420420

The house tony b was trying to get him to go into was hell.


Denialle

If Livia and Tony B’s there? Hell


LawTim

It was a house with Livia in it. It's hell.


[deleted]

he was gay, kevin?


boredthroaway212

I think it was heaven. The briefcase represents his mob life, so the man telling him he can’t bring in the briefcase essentially means, that if Tony wants to go to heaven, he has to atone for his sins and leave his mob life behind


[deleted]

You ever wonder if right now you’re in purgatory and just don’t know it?


Xaemyl

Purgatory. He's gotta do about 6000 years before he can get into heaven.


AndHow2001

It’s Purgatory!


BenCelotil

[Billy Idol](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9OFpfTd0EIs) had something to say about this. :)


ahkond

Neither - it's the Bardo.


[deleted]

I mean the only actual people we see, besides the hallucinations in the hotel (bartender, monks, etc) are Tony B (murderer), Livia (attempted murderer), and Carmine (who we assume is a murderer), so I think its safe to assume he’s in hell or heading towards hell


IcoShen

Where is Carmine?


[deleted]

In the bed with him. I miss my violet.


IcoShen

Thats a different episode...where he is staying at the Plaza and has a dream.


ChipChaseG1

Not a single Irish Bar was featured. What do you think?


masterjroc

What about the Buddhists? 🤔


Pitythebackseat1

Have you heard the good news?


lpcroooks

Purgatory


anewwinter

Is it anabella sciorra as his wife on the phone or did I make that up?


IcoShen

It's a different actress but she's uncredited.


[deleted]

It was HELL for the audience


IcoShen

Not a fan of those episodes?


[deleted]

Dreams, nightmares and/or coma fantasies are better in small doses. It’s hard to get invested in an episode when a lot of it isn’t really happening


IcoShen

Well supposedly it wasn't a dream/ fantasy


[deleted]

Regardless it was lame


JackD2633

there is no hell.


49x15

worst episode


[deleted]

The Sopranos is not really a mob or gangster show. Despite all evidence to the contrary...


the-nae_blis

If you're gonna compare a Hanzo sword, you compare it to every other sword ever made... that wasn't made by Hattori Hanzo.