So if I understand you correctly, you are saying:

1) Chase intended to leave the ending open to the viewer.

2) Given the anger his intentionally ambiguous ending produced, he has agreed to let HBO lie and say that a minority of fans are correct that he intended a single outcome: Tony was shot.

3) He did this, why again? Seems to me that a guy as adept at dissecting human motives as you ought to be able to produce at least one plausible answer to that question. But I have yet to hear it.

Here's my theory. I hope it doesn't make me sound like a wild-eyed wing nut:

1) You misunderstood the ending.

2) You are unable to admit it.

Bret