Ten years ago this month, “The Sopranos’’ ended its eight-year run on HBO. The last moments of the series were either a big bang or a black hole, depending on whom you ask. And the debate over whether show creator David Chase had found the perfect exit or copped out and ruined the entire series raged on for many days — actually for many years. Try bringing it up among a group of “Sopranos’’ fans today and you’ll see what I mean. It’s a more incendiary topic among TV viewers than the finale of “Lost.’’

For me, that last cut to black was blood-curdling. Ten years on, I still remember it like it was yesterday. I was reviewing the finale of one of TV’s most important series, the drama that had essentially changed the TV landscape by proving that viewers were willing to go to cable for quality, that antiheroes could be popular, and that TV writing had the potential to rival the movies. And I was reviewing the show for the front page of the Globe. The deadline for my piece was 10:15 p.m., so I knew I’d have only minutes to write down my thoughts before pushing “send.’’

The pressure was on — and then, like a sinkhole, the electricity suddenly dropped out. Or that’s what I thought for a split second. The electricity has crashed, and I’m screwed. What will I do? Will I get fired? What will my second career be, because no other news outlet will ever hire the infamous writer who let the “Sopranos’’ finale get away. Could I make a new future for myself cooking at a breakfast diner? I make really, really good oatmeal.

I was panic-stricken for nine eternal seconds, feeling like I was falling head-first into a deep pit of shame, horror, and unemployment. I rose from my computer, my heart pounding in double-time. I looked around and saw that the lights in my apartment were still on, which hardly made sense. I looked behind the TV set and saw that the plug was still in the wall. And then, before I could pick up the phone to beg my neighbors for help, the credits appeared. Like a life jacket tossed to me, the credits appeared, in silence, and it all became clear to me. The cut to black was intentional, a bold decision by Chase to hand the finale over to the viewers. He was basically inviting each of us to make our own decision about the fate of Tony and his family. Should Tony be punished for his bad deeds? It’s up to you and your own personal morality, Chase seemed to be saying.

I sat down and spilled my brains out for a few crazy minutes. “One strength of ‘The Sopranos’ is the way it forced us to think,’’ I wrote. “The show never spelled out its plot lines, its characters’ motivations, or its moral questions. It never pampered viewers with easy answers; it egged us on to analyze and project. And so the finale, while mysterious, was true to the series as a whole. Rather than an ending that would stop the conversation about Tony Soprano, Chase gave us an ending that will keep us talking.’’

So, after 10 years, tell me, what did you think of “The

Matthew Gilbert can be reached at gilbert@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @MatthewGilbert.