The idea that Tony will not suffer because it would be too moralistic to show that crime doesn't pay doesn't quite make sense. Although this would deny the viewers the "satisfaction" (for lack of a better word) of seeing Tony punished, the show has a pretty tragic view of life, in which everyone must fall eventually. Whether it's old age, disease (azheimers, cancer), a violent death, a natural death, the loss of one's family, etc, our downfall is inevitable. We've seen Tony's ultimate rise to power, and certainly he's suffered many setbacks, but he's never suffered a serious tragedy. He's alive and his wife and kids are alive, which is more than you can say for most of the characters on the show, and he's still boss.

If Tony made it through 6 (7?) seasons of this show without suffering a tragedy, it would be for the sole purpose of denying the viewer a fitting end to the story. Although this may wind up being the case, I would consider it beneath the show, because the purpose of art is certainly not just to wag its finger at the audience, but to follow the natural trajectory of the story. If the show is a tragedy, which it surely is (only tragedies are this grandiose), the tragedy must befall the character, not the audience. The tragedy is that Tony must fall, and because of his inability to change his horrible behavior, he must fall hard. If Tony gets through the show unscathed, then the show becomes moralistic: the tragedy is that crime pays, you don't suffer for your sins, and you, the audience, are stupid for expecting otherwise. Since there are all these comparisons to Shakespeare, what if "The Tragedy of King Lear" ended with Lear and Cordelia walking off into the sunset? It's not that we want to see Tony fall because he's evil (though I do believe he is), but that he must fall because he's a tragic figure who couldn't save himself and his family from his own self. Tony will fall eventually, so why wouldn't it happen during the show's run? Just so the writers can withhold it from us? Then the tragedy of the show is that it isn't a tragedy at all, just a fuck-you to millions of faithful viewers.

the image of images for me was phil yelling from the "tower" of his house at tony. like a kid yelling at the bully from the protection of his mothers apron.

no matter the outcome there are a lot of threads to tie up.

Form the HBO synopsis of the last episode:

A stiff wind blows clouds of asbestos from a pile of construction debris, unceremoniously dumped in the New Jersey Meadowlands

Meadowlands, huh?

the snippet that shows Tony's White Escalade - that is not Meadow driving, not to say she will not be driving it later.

I don't think Meadow will be hurt in the next episodes. The mistaken Identity could be ANYTHING. When Charm mentioned that Meadow's car had been rear-ended, maybe that is why Albie and Coco found her and Jason at that restaraunt, because they were looking for Tony and saw his Escalade.

It loots like AJ is in a closet because of the clothes.

Janice turning around in the driveway with an "oh sh*t!" look on her face.

Charm's line about the alarm in the house to AJ before she left him in the Second Coming episode...

I have a feeling the war is going to come to Tony's home - what better way to show that business is finally destroying Tony's family with a hit attempt at his own home. AJ could be scared about what is happening. Hopefully Tony has that big Automatic Rifle Bobby gave him close..

I think its Paulie that "has been playing both sides of the fence" now... maybe Carlo..

I don't know if I can wait 2 weeks...

so sorry if this is a repeat.

I have not felt that the final season conveys a sense of foreboding vis-a-vis Tony and I see no evidence that Chase's vision for this show has ever included a conventional moral component. Therefore I am skeptical that Tony will suffer some kind of comeuppance, as many here seem to predict. However this wraps up, I believe Tony will continue free from incarceration and relatively triumphant (in the typically American day-to-day way most of the rest us do). Tony has behaved throughout the series fairly consistently, and remained true to himself. I think he is in the process of achieving a middle-aged serenity; and he will organically resolve his conflicts about his mortality, his morality, and his profession by proceeding full-speed-ahead with his organized crime business.

I'm only sayin'

Gordon Ginsberg

I actually think the asbestos blowing over the "meadowlands" if it has to do with Meadow, symbolizes her growing corruption due to being part of the mob life. She is being polluted and is smart enough to know what is going on with Tony, but she is blocking everything out, just like she tried to convince AJ to do. Also dating men related to the mafia, and her seeing Jason and his breaking it off his his fiance - he was a taken man, a good catholic girl wouldn't break one of the 10 commandments..

Meadow - as pure as she might seem, is really no better than AJ or Charm.

I think Meadow getting killed- it would just be too drastic. It would be an event that totally unhinges Tony and would be too devistating to the storyline this close to the end. Everything up to that point would be of no relevance anymore to Tony, and he would only want blood until he dies.

I am not saying its not a possibility, but I think its not poetic enough for the show - it would turn the show into an action movie. I just don't see it.

I think Meadow staying alive and growing older and more accepting of the lifestyle is much more fitting for the show, and in a way is an even worse that she lives on corrupted than dies now.

Who's identity is mistaken? possibly the Arabs? Possbily Tony identifying the pictures in front of that window? Maybe someone was mistaken in seeing Tony Identify the Arab guys, thinking he was ratting out another mafia person. This would be more than enought for Phil to get any backing on a hit on Tony.