David Chase failed to satisfy many with his Sopranos finale, but the Internet Sopranos commenters haven't let anyone down.

The archetypal commenters were out in spades on Digg, including the ever present Simply Sad One: "I canceled HBO this morning."

Things got a bit more fun with the arrival of Conspira-Theorist (emphasis mine here and below):

"WOW!!!! AMAZING!!!

OK, at first I was really angry. I mean really, really angry. I can't believe though that no-one has posted by now what happened. The only thing I saw that was right, was that in the last scene we are seeing through Tony's eyes. Remember when he was speaking with Bobby...basically saying that you don't see it happening?

So here is what I found out. The guy at the bar is also credited as Nikki Leotardo. The same actor played him in the first part of season 6 during a brief sit down concerning the future of Vito. That wasn't that long ago. Apparently, he is the nephew of Phil. Phil's brother Nikki Senior was killed in 1976 in a car accident. Absolutely Genius!!!! David Chase is truly rewarding the true fans who pay attention to detail.

So the point would have been that life continues and we may never know the end of the Sopranos. But if you pay attention to the history, you will find that all the answers lie in the characters in the restaurant. The trucker was the brother of the guy who was robbed by Christopher in Season 2. Remember the DVD players? The trucker had to identify the body. The boy scouts were in the train store and the black guys at the end were the ones who tried to kill Tony and only clipped him in the ear (was that season 2 or 3?).

Absolutely incredible!!!! There were three people in the restaurant who had reason to kill Tony and then it just ends. This was Chase's way of proving that he will not escape his past. It will not go on forever despite that he would like it to "don't stop". Not the fans!!! Tony would like it to keep going but just as we have to say goodbye, so does he. No more Tony and I guess we are supposed to be happy that Meadow didn't get clipped as well (she would have been between the shooter and Tony) since she is the only one worth a crap in that family.

Thank you David Chase for making it so obscure that I feel bad for hating you at first. Absolutely amazing!!!!"

what do you guys thuink? {sic}

Enter — a couple of responses later — Profane Debunker:

You're full of shit, I just re-read the credits about 10 times, "Nikki Leotardo" is not even mentioned in the credits.

The two black guys are not the same actors that played the two who were paid to wack Tony in season two. Although, I have to admit, even I was thinking that.

Honestly? I think he left it open ended, I haven't seen any good evidence pointing to anything definitive...

Profane is accompanied by his close friend Researcher Debunker:

from the hbo boards:
The end credits of this episode just say "Man in Members Only Jacket" not Nikki Leotardo (hell, googling "Nikki Leotardo" yields no results!).

And if you google actor Paolo Colandrea (who played "Man in Members Only Jacket"), you get this:
http://www.phillyburbs.com/pb-dyn/news/111-06092007-1360360.html
This guy owns a pizzeria in Philly and has never been on the Sopranos before. So he's not "Nikki Leotardo."

But enough with the negativity. Let's hear from the Bell Theorist:

Tony is obviously dead. watch the last scene again (I have several times). every time someone comes into the door you hear the bell, then the camera view shows tony, then switches to his point of view to show who is entering the restaurant. this pattern happens 4 times (first with curly haired lady who looks like janice, then trucker dude with USA cap, then carmela, then the hitman followed by AJ)

When meadow enters the restaurant you hear the bell as usual, we then see tony from the front and when we expect to see meadow from tony's view we instead get the black screen. The view from his perspective is black - he is dead (flashback to conversation on lake with Bobby)

This is the only possible explanation given what we have seen on screen.

And then, as happens not infrequently, Close Reader speaks up:

To me... The final episode all came down to Meadow. She became Michael Corleone.

Basically, she went from wanting to work with civil rights to now wanting defend unjustly accused Italian Americans, i.e. a mob lawyer. She wants to try save her father the only way she can.

So, in way, Tony failed at his one admirable goal at keeping his kids out of the family business. And I think her unable to park her oversized luxury vehicle illustrated her change.

Finally there's a refreshing quencher from Apatow Stoner Dude:

Whatever. I'm more pissed they never showed Meadows tits.

Thanks, Digg players. While some were waiting for tits, elsewhere another close reader, Ron Rosenbaum, was imagining, hoping for, predicting ducks in the finale.

And then the ducks return. Like the chickens come home to roost, get it. Go ducks.

But Ron didn't get his ducks, the same way that others didn't get their clear murder or not-murder of Tony. (Since I'm mentioning Ron, I feel compelled to mention that I've blogged about once before).

I've only watched the final episode once, but when Tony was out behind his house, raking leaves, he looks up in the sky, looking, I think, for ducks, which are gone, never to return. Internet commenters, though, we will always have with us.