Mark Anderson Writes

  Ralph was responsible for cooking that horse alive. When we first meet Ralph he is getting an earful from Tony Soprano about the firebomb in the sanitation war. Tony repeatedly tells Ralph, ‘No. More. Fires.’ And the story goes full circle and ends with Ralph causing more fires and killing Pie-O-My. Ralph and fires is further alluded to when Valentina, who Tony stole from Ralph like he stole Pie-Oh-My, is burnt in the face and disfigured whilst at a stove making Tony some eggs. And pointing to Ralph’s fascination with the movie Gladiator, Ralph goes out fighting to the death like a gladiator. He was my favourite character and I was sad to see him go.

  Throughout Season 6 it is stressed that Butchie DeConcini does not like Tony Soprano. Tony and Butchie meet on several occasions and in all of them Butchie does not hide his disdain for Tony Soprano. There is a subtle clue that points to the fact that it was Butchie who had Tony Soprano whacked. When they are in the warehouse with Little Carmine discussing a truce there is a moment where Butchie leans forward and the words CAT in orange appear behind him. The colour orange symbolises death and the orange cat that Tony finds in the safe house is a bad omen like Paulie said it was.   Furthermore, if Butchie could betray Phil, his own boss then what would stop him  from  betraying Tony Soprano who he resented? If I was David Chase Tony’s killer  would have been wearing a New York cap to further hammer home the point that it was  New York that whacked Tony, but I digress. As to why Tony was killed the answer is obvious. It is mafia protocol that you cannot kill a Made man in front of h

  Tony Soprano got whacked in Holsten’s in front of Carmela and AJ and Meadow. It’s all there. Tony is seated in front of the large portrait of the house that resembles the Inn at the Oaks that he saw in the coma dream. The number 38 behind him points to his death. It is my hunch that the Man in the Members Only jacket shot Tony Soprano with a .38 caliber pistol. Moreover the word DEATH in gematria adds up to the number 38. Secondly, there is another subtle image that points to Tony Soprano getting whacked. There is a waitress to Tony’s left who points to her forehead with a lead pencil just before the final shot. This is David Chase telling us that Tony was shot in the temple with a lead bullet, died instantly.