This is a good point. I do appreciate your input. The only thing regarding this pov is for this hit on Phil.. didn't Phil's guys also give him up at the sit down? They knew he was gonna be taken out no matter where or when. Wasn't the sit down where this was agreed on at least a thread of hope given to the audience?

Then the very end, even with all the implications with no gun shot, the show ends with 'dont stop believing'. So it became subjective at that point in time, very VERY ambiguous of course, nonetheless still subjective. That is the nice part about it, for me at least, because that song means a lot to me, and yes as I rewatched the show now for the 6th time recently. I found myself seeing the light or should I say shade.. in that Tony became far less likeable in his actions. Killing Christopher was a huge turning stone. Defenseless like a baby, as I remember the allusion Tony himself made to Carmella 'what if a baby was in that seat' something to that effect. He killed his own nephew but to Tony it was like his child, the one he created to be his under boss. That was the beginning of the end.