Posted on 03/10/2006 10:52:47 AM PST by misterrob
I didn't see one had been started for the show so I thought I'd create one.
Last season left us with Tony having to exercise some leadership within his own organization in order to save them from a war with the larger and more powerful NY families. His nemesis is picked up during a sweep leaving a void in the mob heirarchy. Meanwhile Tony and his wife have reconciled (badly done mind you), Meadow is now engaged to her confused, brow beaten and somewhat afraid boyfriend. Initial reviews point to a good season with new cast members Ben Kingsley, Tim Daley and Juliana Margulies joining the show.
"For years, most of "Sopranos" fandom has been divided into two intersecting sets: those who watch for the whacking and crude humor, and those who watch for the psychiatry and art-house storytelling."
I'm definitely in the "Both" camp. I love the goomba stuff, and I love the philosophical meanderings. Which is what makes it one of the best shows ever.
The more I think about last night's show, the more I like it, because its an investment episode. Everything that follows, the inevitable "bloody action packed climax", is going to be heightened because of the pensive and soft moments shown among the various family members, even if those moments merely reiterate or expand upon their varied and obvious flaws. When Carmella weeps over the bullet riddled corpse of AJ because he did something really stupid (or maybe he kills himself by hanging or the like when he realizes he's basically hopeless), it won't be powerful because AJ was a good kid, it'll be powerful because he *wasn't* a good kid, and the tragedy isn't so much his death as it is his life, and the failure of his parents--who love him more than anything, despite their shallowness or corruption--to raise him properly. That's what would be sad. And the scenes between AJ and Carmella last night, and next week, "You are a cross to bear", will be what empowers one of the series' inevitable climaxes.
There is a New Age faith that mixes Buddhism and Christianity in its view of the afterlife. They believe that at death, the spirit occupying the body splits in two. One half of the spirit contains the memories of this latest life, and it survives, either happy about this life or filled with regret about it. The other half, stripped of all memories, ends up in one of three places based on its latest life. It may end up in the light, merged into the greater Godhead, known to Buddhists as Nirvana or Extinguishment, and to the Christians as sainthood. Or it may end up at the Womb's Door, known to all as reincarnation. Or it may be sent to the garbage pit to be devoured and annihilated. (The lighthouse versus the fire.)
Tony says, "My whole life was in that briefcase." He has been stripped of his memories. Kevin Finnerty, courtesy of the joke from that guy in the bar, means Infinity. And a Buddhist slaps him as a karmic reward!
Tony says, "Who am I? Where do I go?" Stripped of memories, he doesn't know who he is, or why he is where he is. But he knows, courtesy of that session in the ER, that he's headed for the garbage pit.
The scenes for the next episode show an empire that is falling apart.
Chris's statement about the guy who hanged himself -- "He took the easy way out" -- will, I suspect, echo when Chris turns rat over the Middle Eastern players in the story and ends up taking the easy way out himself.
Now expelled from college, AJ is certainly going to try his hand at the family business, and he'll be no more successful at that than at anything else he's tried. He'll be the next Bevilacqua kid or Jackie Jr. He may or may not cap old Uncle Junior, but he's headed for disaster.
I don't see Tony returning from this journey. Either he dies in two weeks, or he lives as a vegatable, a mute witness to the collapse of everything he's worked for.
I wish I could take back the hour I waisted watching this episode.
Undoubtedly the worst episode they have ever produced.
Note to self: if the entire show is basically a dream sequence, bail.
I wouldn't be surprised to see Chris taking a dirt nap shortly. I read somewhere that he's supposed to reprise his role as "Detective Falco" on Law & Order in the not too distant future.
Having him be a mobster in New Jersey and a cop in New York simultaneously would be just too much to take. Heck, even "24" killed off President Palmer before that idiot Haysbert moved on to become a Delta Force guy in "The Unit".
(For those that don't know what I meant about Haysbert being an idiot, check the FR site for a recent interview he did, out-doing Martin Sheen in the "I played a better President on TV than the President" department)
OK, I finally saw the second episode. Am I the only one here who thinks Carmella looks like Cindy Sheehan?
What's with the enormous hole in Tony's belly? I thought bullets made a small hole going in?
I think the voice of Tony's wife in this episode was Gloria. Remember, she is dead also.
I'm giving it one more chance tonight. So far, the loopy Tony in limbo land is hyper corny. I'm hoping the writers either revive him and we chuckle as the boys go back to killing people for no reason or we kill him off and I get to keep on correcting papers and listening to Motown on Sunday nights.
I'm hoping tonight all of that nonsense will disappear (it was ALL a dream) and we will be treated to Tony being found on the floor at Uncle Jr's house and commence from there.
What a mess..
sw
Well, he's still dreaming but I think this show is great. How can you not LYAO at Paulie Walnuts?
Is Tony about to repent of his evil ways?
I thought he might be a goner there for awhile, but the previews show he seems to get back to his former self.
So many "inside stories".
I thought it was a great episode, I guess everyone can breathe a sigh of relief, that Tony won't die. It'll be interesting to see what direction they take Tony, does he want to reform and repent from his life and get to heaven, or does he continue down the path that leads to hell? Next week's preview suggests the latter.
The "movie pitch" scene was one of the funniest in recent memory, reminiscent of Christopher's intervention.
Chris' intervention was a classic, especially when Paulie grabbed him and started beating the crap out of him.
Methinks if the writers don't change, the market already has.
Excellent show...just the right balance.
The scene of Tony being "welcomed" into the "house" by Tony Blundetto (Buscemi) was brilliantly menacing.
I especially liked that Paulie pissed Tony off so badly that it almost killed him.
I just wish Deadwood would crank back up,, the Sopranos is getting old
I wish they all would get wacked already
Paulie...what can I say? Just being in his vicinity is enough to get bumped off by him...Tony Sirico is a marvelous actor.
Don't worry, they pissed of the Columbians tonight,..if they don't get whacked, their writers might get it from real Columbians. Something about vanZandt may have worked 10 years ago, but today seems more like a target.
the only non screw up character on the entire show
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