*SPOILERS AHEAD* 

The iconic opening guitar note paired with the nostalgic shot from “The Sopranos” title sequence was the most exciting part of the Super Bowl. I jumped out of my seat and my heart started racing. I could not wait to see what was coming next. It was Jamie-Lynn Sigler, the Long Island native known for her Jersey persona, Meadow Soprano, driving a new Chevy electric truck and, yes, parking it. Sixty seconds of utter perfection made up one of the greatest commercials in Super Bowl history. 

It comes as no surprise to Sopranos’ fans that creator, David Chase, was behind this ad. Chase has been incredibly protective of his creation since the finale aired, so it was hardly shocking that this ad hit every note perfectly. The title sequence toed the line beautifully between the modern shots of the Turnpike and the same pacing as the mid-2000s original. The EZ-Pass sign and the Freedom Tower represented the “new generation” that Chevy was trying to push. 

The best part of this ad was the suspense of who was driving the car. We knew it could not be James Gandolfini, so the door was open for many options. Personally, I thought it would be Michael Imperioli — not reprising his role of Christopher Moltisanti for obvious reasons — just driving a truck. Considering his popular podcast and recent book alongside Steve Schirpa, aka Bobby Bacala, he was the first to come to mind. Boy, was I wrong. Instead, they showed Sigler in the rearview mirror sucking on a lollipop instead of smoking her dad’s iconic cigar and immediately everyone knew this was more than just a regular ad. 

Driving a car triggers many not-so-great memories for Sopranos characters. Tony’s panic attack, Uncle Jun and Olivia calling the hit on Tony, Adrianna and Silvio’s infamous ride into the woods, Christopher’s fatal last drive, Adrianna and Tony leaving the club and, of course,    Meadow herself, unable to parallel park outside of the diner in the final scene are just a few. This brought an odd satisfaction to many Sopranos fans, watching Meadow easily slide into the spot, step out and hug her on-screen brother A.J., played by Robert Iler, shows that the new generation is still together — that they survived that potentially fateful day at the diner and pulled the heartstrings of every single fan of the greatest show in television history. 

We have no idea if Tony  Soprano survived the family outing to the diner. As his Mafia family crashed around him, he got the Soprano family together for what might be the last time. Due to Gandolfini’s tragic death we might never find out if Tony survived or if the man in the Members Only jacket shot him upon exiting the bathroom. What we know now is that Meadow and A.J. survived and remained close through the fallout of their father’s career. 

Chevy absolutely nailed this commercial on every level. It is the one everyone is talking about in the wake of the big game and will live on as the only sliver of a Sopranos sequel we might ever get. It might not get me to buy an electric truck, but Chevy leaves with the Lombardi Trophy of marketing for the 2022 Super Bowl.