The Sopranos dir. by , ,

11 April 2010


Genre: ,
Script: , ,
Cast: , , , , , ,
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Rated :

I’ve recently rewatched The Sopranos[1] well, some of the episodes I never caught in the first place, so in many ways it wasn’t a rewatch, although I knew where it was all headed. I had forgotten so much of what went on in this show. And it makes me wonder how we all coped before DVD box-sets. They are one of the best inventions ever!

The SopranosThis is sortof a recap of the entire 6 seasons, so if you haven’t seen The Sopranos but intend to at some point, it is probably better that you don’t read this.
The really amazing thing about The Sopranos is just how much there is. Have you read any of the analysis bloggers have done on the finale? There are loads out there. And that is just the finale. You easily spend just as long discussing the character of Tony Soprano himself. Was he a sociopath using those therapy sessions to help him manipulate others? Was he a product of his family genes, the Soprano curse? And Carmella? I think she is possibly one the most interesting characters on the show. She is isolated from the reality of what exactly Tony does, but she knows about it, she uses his tactics herself, while at the same time going on about religion and doing good deeds!

And the kids! By the end I have to say that I liked Meadow, yes she was a whiny teenager growing up, but what’s new there. And while she clearly chose her family over those abstract ideas of right and wrong, at least she picked a side. Sure she isn’t about to go out and murder anyone, but the way she felt so victimised by the actions of the cops, how Italian Americans are getting an undeserved bad name, and all the time she knows what it is her family is all about! I suppose she could be in some form of denial about it. But I don’t think so, not any more than any female seems to be in this ultra-male environment, I think she is aware that her “Daddy” does some very bad things, but he is who he is, and while that may annoy and piss her off, well, family is thicker than the law.

As for Anthony Junior, well, he never really got the chance to grow up. Sure he was in his early twenties when the show came to an end, but he acted more like a fifteen or sixteen year old. Whether that was as a result of the depression, the Soprano curse, or his mother’s molly-coddling, and his father constantly buying him things, none of us can really tell. He ended the show just as whiny as he started it out. He never managed to find something that may just have taken him out of that environment. Meadow did, but she rejected med-school to instead float about the outskirts of the mafia life and possibly end up defending them in the future.

It is hard to pick a favourite character. Paulie was great for his total craziness. And his one-liners. Sil had that hair! Janice… well, what can you say about Janice. Bobby I think was possibly the “nice-guy” among them all, and yet we’ve still seen him employ so much violence in his work. How can we like any of them? In real life we wouldn’t, what with their random violence and killings, and everything really coming down to money. They may argue that it is about tradition and honour but it isn’t. It is about the business and who gets what. Capitalism at its finest.

Spoilers:

Linknotes:

  1. HBO site

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