Light on whackings, The Sopranos ends its penultimate season with us wondering, `Who's next?'

One good whacking.

That's all the penultimate season on The Sopranos gave us.

That whacking, you'll recall, happened a full week ago, in this season's next-to-last episode, when roly-poly homosexual capo Vito was beaten to death and left with a parting gift up his keister.

This just-concluded season opened, of course, with Tony Soprano getting gut shot by his demented Uncle Junior, who's in deep denial over the near-whacking and currently residing in a nut nut, mentally incompetent to stand trial.

Since that first episode, we were left to wonder who'll get whacked next.

As it turned out, no one, aside from a minor player or two, but just the threat of another good whacking was delightfully entertaining.

Would it be Christopher, the 12-Stepping, dope-shooting, hotheaded nephew of Tony?

Or perhaps Paulie, the motherless, prostate cancer-ridden wiseguy?

Maybe it'd be Silvio, who's caught admiring himself in the mirror at one point, the man-who-might-be Boss.

Readers of this weblog have submitted plenty of ideas (see Banjo's Mini-Poll in right sidebar).

When The Sopranos finally concludes with eight episodes next year, what will happen to Tony and family?

Will Tony get busted, enter the Witness Protection Program and turn government witness, as so many of his real-life counterparts have done?

Will he get put away in the can and eventually die, like John Gotti, the Dapper Don?

Who'd take over?

Would spoiled brat son A.J. be brought into the fold, like Vito Corleone did with son Michael in The Godfather?

I've seen Michael Corleone. I knew Michael Corleone. A.J. Soprano is no Michael Corleone.

Meadow?

Bobby Baccala?

Janice Soprano Baccala? HA!

The possibilities are endless!

Maybe Tony will whack wife Carmela when she gets to the bottom of Adrianna's disappearance, then hook up with Dr. Melfi, who could provide him with endless hours of Freudian pillow talk, plus some hot, meaningful sex.

Shut up and look at me. What would you like to see happen? Write it down in the comments section. Now.