By Matthew Wood

As the final season of THE SOPRANOS unfolds, the sense that the whole thing will come crashing down has been inevitable. Well, consider things pretty much crashed.

Phil Leotardo gave the word, and it’s do or die for the entire Soprano family. Bobby: Shot dead by Phil’s boys. Silvio: In critical condition after getting shot outside the strip club. And the word on the street is Tony’s next on the list.

It didn’t have to be like this. As word spread of Phil’s plans to take out much of the Soprano crew, Tony tried to get him offed. But, a mistaken identity (condolences to the poor Ukrainian guy who happened to look just like Phil) has upped the stakes even more. As the second-to-last episode comes to a close, Tony is holed up -- away from his family, fearing for his life -- clutching a shotgun and waiting for the inevitable attempt on his life.

And, it’s too bad, because things were just starting to look up for the family. A.J. is finding some friends, getting drunk at frat parties and getting some boobs in his face at the Bada Bing. Meadow’s new beau is the talk of the town. And even Dr. Melfi got up enough courage to drop Tony as a patient, after she hears of a study suggesting that criminal minds like to manipulate their therapists.

But that’s all in the background now. It’s a matter of life and death as we prepare for what may be the most-anticipated series finale in the history of television.

So, let’s start the speculation. The big theory is that Tony gets whacked in the finale. That almost seems too easy; he’s been through too much, so he’s gotta make it through, right? Well, maybe.  What is pretty certain is that, before we’re finished with this, heads are gonna roll. It’s just a matter of whose heads. Phil is in hiding, but you know has to come out before all is said and done.

Here’s how I think it’s going to go down: The two crews keep their all-out war going, until finally it’s just Tony and Phil, mano a mano. They’re so far beyond compromise that it almost has to come down to a gunfight for all the marbles. But, I don’t think either of them will die. I think they'll duke it out, maybe throw some punches, but neither can kill the other. And, in the end, they'll come to a truce, Tony gets out of the business and takes his family far away, with a chance to start over.

Or, maybe Tony gets sick of it all and goes on a shooting spree that doesn’t end until everybody’s out of the picture, including himself.

Or, perhaps Tony and Phil bury the hatchet (figuratively, of course) and head to the Bing to do shots of Jameson and have their way with hot naked chicks. The possibilities are endless.