\"I get it!\"
That Star-Ledger essay was meh. IMHO the point of the devil imagery wasn't to show that he's in hell, it was to show Tony's final self-awareness that he really is purely out for himself, evil and unredeemable. He was given a second chance at becoming a better man after his near-death experience (alluded to by the bathroom light and the flashing sun), but instead he has succumbed to his worst impulses and is now beyond the point of no return. The funny thing is, now that he knows who he truly is, he is at peace with himself and appears to be one with the universe in his sick way. To the extent that he was cursed by a guilty conscience, his roulette rush proved to him that the curse has been lifted.
BTW, I like how after getting all indignant about his portrayal in Cleaver, Tony is now lusting after Kelly. Chris' case looks like an open-and-shut accident, but I wouldn't be surprised if the plotline of Cleaver (the protege's revenge after death) somehow gets reflected in the ending of the Sopranos.
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