I have never watched The Sopranos, and my knowledge of plot points is mostly limited to examples given in a lecture from The Sopranos and Philosophy (specifically about Tony Soprano as an ethical manager). Yet I still found this exhaustingly detailed argument about the final moments of the series finale to be compelling reading. The unattributed author calls on intertextual references, cinematographic clues, symbology, authorial intent, film precursors, and philosophical precepts to make the case "why Tony died in Holsten’s in the final scene of The Sopranos." Even without any of the necessary background as a viewer, I can certainly appreciate the obsessive passion to craft a canonical resolution to a long-running and well-regarded series, as well as some of the formal elements that are particular to fan discussions (e.g. unnamed characters discussed by acronym—see the comments for a suitably pedantic mini-debate over the correct abbreviation for "Man in Member‘s Only Jacket").

The Sopranos: Definitive Explanation of “The END”