NEW YORK - Tony Soprano carries on.
The much-awaited conclusion of HBO's "The Sopranos" arrived Sunday night in a frenzy of audience speculation over the fate of New Jersey mob boss Tony Soprano: Would he live or be killed? Would his family die before his eyes at the hands of his enemies? Would he go to jail? Be forced to enter witness protection?
And what of his vindictive rival, Phil Leotardo? Would the Brooklyn boss, who had ordered a hit on Tony, prevail?
In the end, the only ending that mattered was the one masterminded by "Sopranos" creator David Chase. And playing against viewer expectation, as always, Chase refused to stage a mass extermination, or put the characters through any major transformation, or even provide his viewers with comfortable closure.
The most decisive development: Phil was crushed. But there were few other tidy resolutions.
This much-anticipated farewell, the series' 86th episode, was brilliant. But it was also perversely non-earthshaking _ just one last visit with the characters we have followed so devoutly since 1999.
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