re: Tony Soprano

Cocomo, lol, I was actually about to mention MasterofSoprano's incredible breakdown of that final scene! I have read it before, and it's an amazing in-depth view of that last scene, he breaks it down in every way possible. And yes, given all the facts, it is most likely that Tony died at the hands of the Members-Only-Guy, who I believe was mostly likely a relative or friend of Phil Leotardo's, seeking revenge for Phil's death.

This is basically what it boils down to. Tony's life was always in danger, and even if he wasn't killed at Holsten's that night, it could have happened the next night, or the night after that. A mobster's life is always in a precarious situation, when you are in that world, you could be "whacked" at any time, for many different reasons. Tony most definitely had a lot of enemies in his life, and especially after the bloody feud with Phil Leotardo, he knew that at any time, a hitman from New York could come for him.

Not to mention that he most likely was headed to prison because of Carlo Gervasi becoming an informant who would testify against Tony. So things were not looking up for Tony at the end of the series.