A series I never watched but I've always heard good things so, well, I'm diving into it. Bought S1 on DVD and will start watching tonight!
Any comments to say on this series?
Any comments to say on this series?
Divinginto the Sopranos.
- Thread starter Trekker4747
- Start date
Two episodes in and already find it to be pretty engrossing and interesting series, very well written, shot and acted.
Be interesting to see how the rest of this goes. (I've heard some... not so good things about the series finale but I'm a long way off from getting to that.)
Be interesting to see how the rest of this goes. (I've heard some... not so good things about the series finale but I'm a long way off from getting to that.)
I hope you enjoy it. Watching it on DVD must be cool (haven't done it yet). Wathcing it in first run was awesome, aside from the year plus hiatuses between seasons. It got rather annoying. I agree with what you said about the writing and acting, it was definitely top notch.
Tony's shrink has some fantastic legs on her. And his daughter is a real hottie herself.
And his two little quido helpers are a couple of mooks. Well, one of them is, the other one's got no brains now.
And his two little quido helpers are a couple of mooks. Well, one of them is, the other one's got no brains now.
You know, it's interesting -and great- how they can take a character who's, in reality, is a dispicable and evil person given his chosen "occupation" and make him a likable, sympathetic, character.
Don't worry about the finale. Like a lot of modern finales, you'll either love it or you'll hate it, but the people that hate it are more vocal than those that love it. Personally, I love it, but it took me around 3-5 days to realise that I loved it.
Yeah, she grows up nicely. She's the sort of girl that can make a man jizz in his pants uncontrollably.
The thing is, Tony's father and uncle were influential guys in the NJ mob, his mother was the most ruthless gangster that never was, and both his sisters moved away to escape their parents. Tony was raised to be a gangster, and he didn't feel that he could run away to a different life because someone had to stay behind with his parents. A part of him doesn't want to live the life he lives and feels he was forced into it, but at the same time, he loves it and is really good at his "job". He can't walk away because he enjoys it too much. Instead, he has settled for making sure that his kids don't get caught up in crime like he did.
So, yeah. He's a good guy and really likeable, but he's also a monster of the highest order. James Gandolfini can only be praised for how well he pulls that off.
Ah, The Sopranos. Top notch television, if you ask me. Unlike some others, I really feel like it's last season was its best.
That's kind of how I've read him so far, I've got 4-episodes left to watch in the first season and I won't buy the 2nd season for a couple of weeks. But he just seems like a guy who wants to do the best for his family and be a good father and husband (er, aisde from the adultery he commits) as possible given his lot in life. He's good at "his" job and enjoys it but, in the end, he's still a human being and we see this in many of his scenes with his family (both his real one and his "business" one) and we do see a bit of his humanity in his sessions with Dr. MILF.
Of course we'll find out in later episodes his sister Janice really didn't fall that far from the tree either.
Uh, spoiler?!
It really was a great series and one in which, as you'll learn, anyone can die at anytime. Try to stay free of spoilers, as there are some truly shocking moments throughout the series that shouldn't be ruined.
The characters are great, as well. While it's true of Tony the most, the majority of the "main" characters all have moments where you really root for them, as well as moments when you realize what horrible, depraved people they truly are. Be prepared to love a character one week, hate them the next, and love them again a few episodes later.
Did you catch the reference to Goodfellas with the scene in the bakery with Christopher? I think that was in season one.
The characters are great, as well. While it's true of Tony the most, the majority of the "main" characters all have moments where you really root for them, as well as moments when you realize what horrible, depraved people they truly are. Be prepared to love a character one week, hate them the next, and love them again a few episodes later.
Did you catch the reference to Goodfellas with the scene in the bakery with Christopher? I think that was in season one.
I've watched through the first season a couple of times now and I really enjoyed it.
As I said above, I found Tony to be an interesting character as he seemed like a mostly genuine father and a man who was just trying to do the best he could for his family and even as a man who didn't necessairly like his "lot" in life, though he enjoyed his "work." One scene I really liked was a scene in the episode where one of Meadow's friends had sex with one of her teachers. Tony gets wind of this and, naturally, organizes his crew to execute a hit on the man in the name of "justice." A discussion with Dr. Melfi and others leads Tony to the thought that this isn't "justice" so much as it is revenge, he decides not to go with the hit and simply allows the man to be taken care of by police. He comes home that night drunk and seemingly happy that he hadn't killed anyone/had done a good thing.
It was secnes like this, some of the scenes with his son (like playing the Nintendo with him), family, and even his opening up with Dr. Melfi it seemed the "good" in Tony was coming out, as much as it could given his "occupation."
I'm one episode away from finishing the Second Season for the second time and I am left a bit less impressed though I'm willing to assume that this is perhaps part of the series "arc" in that it's now bringing Tony to a bit of a lower point.
What hurts the Second Season, some, for me is that any "humanity" we see in Tony during Season 1 is gone. Since taking on the mantle of the boss of his crime family he's given himself a bit of a harder edge and we see little of the "humanity" of him that we were treated to in the first season. We seem him struggle with both of his kids, despite having a "mostly" good relationship with them in the first season, his wife -despite the two of them seeming to have an "understanding" about his infedelity and his work- and what hurts the season most of all, for me, is the "chemistry" between him and Dr. Melfi doesn't seem to be there as much as it was in the first season. In the frist season Melfi seemed to be mostly "helping" Tony work through the struggles with the contraditctions in his life to find a "happy medium." In the second season, for me, it took too long for the therapy sessions to resume and when they did they didn't pop as much or blend into the episode's story as well. I also missed a lot of the interaction between Tony and the two members of his crew (Silvio and Paulie) as it generated a lot of fun banter and the season also lacks from having Christopher around, though he gets an interesting arc in the season.
It's possible that being the boss hardened Tony a bit as his worlds began to collide but it seems to mostly cost him his relationship with his wife and family.
I realize that Tony is not supposed to be "good man" given that he's in a life of crime but as he also points out to Dr. Melfi in a second season episode he's only a "bad guy" towards people who've chosen this lot in life and/or knew what they were getting into. He's a criminal, I get that. But in the first season he was a criminal that seemed to have a "heart of gold."
I'm a bit less passionate about this series following this season, but I won't give up on it accepting that the whole series is an arc and tale for the characters and I have to also accept that maybe I'm not supposed to see these men as "good people" and enjoy their villainy. Unfortuantly, the second season lacked some of that "fun", esp between Tony, Silvio, Paulie and Christopher as well as Tony and Dr. Milfi (which I thought was what was supposed to "drive the narrative" of this story, the episodes being Tony relating events while in a session.) Though, the lack of chemisty between Milfi and Tony could also be due to Milfi's own problems.
Still a good series, but the second season left me a bit disapointed.
I've yet to watch the last episodeof S2 yet, I will watch it tomorrow. But what happens in the penultimate episode (Tony's sister killing her fiance was a surprise even if it did seem to come out of nowhere.)
As I said above, I found Tony to be an interesting character as he seemed like a mostly genuine father and a man who was just trying to do the best he could for his family and even as a man who didn't necessairly like his "lot" in life, though he enjoyed his "work." One scene I really liked was a scene in the episode where one of Meadow's friends had sex with one of her teachers. Tony gets wind of this and, naturally, organizes his crew to execute a hit on the man in the name of "justice." A discussion with Dr. Melfi and others leads Tony to the thought that this isn't "justice" so much as it is revenge, he decides not to go with the hit and simply allows the man to be taken care of by police. He comes home that night drunk and seemingly happy that he hadn't killed anyone/had done a good thing.
It was secnes like this, some of the scenes with his son (like playing the Nintendo with him), family, and even his opening up with Dr. Melfi it seemed the "good" in Tony was coming out, as much as it could given his "occupation."
I'm one episode away from finishing the Second Season for the second time and I am left a bit less impressed though I'm willing to assume that this is perhaps part of the series "arc" in that it's now bringing Tony to a bit of a lower point.
What hurts the Second Season, some, for me is that any "humanity" we see in Tony during Season 1 is gone. Since taking on the mantle of the boss of his crime family he's given himself a bit of a harder edge and we see little of the "humanity" of him that we were treated to in the first season. We seem him struggle with both of his kids, despite having a "mostly" good relationship with them in the first season, his wife -despite the two of them seeming to have an "understanding" about his infedelity and his work- and what hurts the season most of all, for me, is the "chemistry" between him and Dr. Melfi doesn't seem to be there as much as it was in the first season. In the frist season Melfi seemed to be mostly "helping" Tony work through the struggles with the contraditctions in his life to find a "happy medium." In the second season, for me, it took too long for the therapy sessions to resume and when they did they didn't pop as much or blend into the episode's story as well. I also missed a lot of the interaction between Tony and the two members of his crew (Silvio and Paulie) as it generated a lot of fun banter and the season also lacks from having Christopher around, though he gets an interesting arc in the season.
It's possible that being the boss hardened Tony a bit as his worlds began to collide but it seems to mostly cost him his relationship with his wife and family.
I realize that Tony is not supposed to be "good man" given that he's in a life of crime but as he also points out to Dr. Melfi in a second season episode he's only a "bad guy" towards people who've chosen this lot in life and/or knew what they were getting into. He's a criminal, I get that. But in the first season he was a criminal that seemed to have a "heart of gold."
I'm a bit less passionate about this series following this season, but I won't give up on it accepting that the whole series is an arc and tale for the characters and I have to also accept that maybe I'm not supposed to see these men as "good people" and enjoy their villainy. Unfortuantly, the second season lacked some of that "fun", esp between Tony, Silvio, Paulie and Christopher as well as Tony and Dr. Milfi (which I thought was what was supposed to "drive the narrative" of this story, the episodes being Tony relating events while in a session.) Though, the lack of chemisty between Milfi and Tony could also be due to Milfi's own problems.
Still a good series, but the second season left me a bit disapointed.
I've yet to watch the last episodeof S2 yet, I will watch it tomorrow. But what happens in the penultimate episode (Tony's sister killing her fiance was a surprise even if it did seem to come out of nowhere.)
I love when he says to Janice, "All in all it was a nice visit." 
And season two is weaker than most seasons, I think. David Chase agrees as well so don't worry very good things are to come. Season Three has a great running storyline and Season Four is a little hit and miss but features some amazing emotional moments. Season Five is fantastic and takes the show to a whole new level. Season Six is a little controversial but it works 100% for me.
And season two is weaker than most seasons, I think. David Chase agrees as well so don't worry very good things are to come. Season Three has a great running storyline and Season Four is a little hit and miss but features some amazing emotional moments. Season Five is fantastic and takes the show to a whole new level. Season Six is a little controversial but it works 100% for me.
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