The standard argument points to Bobby's foreshadowing when he says, "You probably don't even hear it when it happens." This cannot be dismissed, but it is not iron-clad as evidence of Tony's death. In one of the first therapy scenes, Tony tells the story of his father's demise: "Now that my father's dead, he's a saint. When he was alive, nothin'. My dad was tough: he ran his own crew. Guy like that, and my mother wore him down to a little nub. He was a squeaking little gerbil when he died." This is the evidence which girds my argument that Tony survived that night at the diner, walked out under his own power, got picked up by the Feds, kept his mouth shut for a long bid, and came back defeated. In his absence, Meadow increases her wealth and status while Carmela continues to live above her means under the care of others. When he's released, everyone has forgotten Tony. By the time he gets out, the mafia has been fully replaced by corporate America, the domestication of society, and the rise of the digital world. It doesn't make sense to him. The only crews that make money are doing crypto schemes and identity theft. Tony has his iPhone font on max, can barely see it, and doesn't stand a chance to use it even if he could. No more Bing. No pork store. No crew. No respect. No purpose. A battle axe for a wife, a daughter who is more successful than he ever was, his son barely surviving and being supported by his sister. He grows quiet. He stays at home watching WWII documentaries and old films. A squeaking little gerbil. Ground to a nub. Every now and then he feels that tug to be alive again, uses all of his energy to get to the park, and feeds the ducks... @simcomsystems #TheSopranos #TonySoprano