Whew, what an episode! Now that was tense. Easily the best episode of the series yet. Though “double-standard” does not begin to describe the Sopranos.

Carmela and Tony are really strikingly similar people in many ways. Both feel regret over their actions, and both seek outside assistance to help them hope: Carmela with Father Phil, and Tony with Dr. Melfi. And neither believes that the other could spend 12 hours “just talking”, though ironically, they both do just that.

And poor Meadow. I guess strike what I said last week about Anthony Jr. being the only one not in the know; apparently Meadow isn’t 100% sure herself. And all you want is for Tony to be honest with Meadow, but at the same time, how can he? He can’t just be like “Oh hey Meadow, how’d the college app go? By the way I just killed a guy.” It’s heartbreaking watching Meadow plead with her father, knowing that all she wants is for her father to be honest, and knowing that Tony would love to be honest with her, if only he could. They both want so desperately to be close, and true to each other, only they can’t.

In terms of the main plotline, that whole cat and mouse game between Fabian Petrulio and Tony was fantastic. Half the episode, you don’t even know if he really is the guy Tony’s looking for, and then the other half Tony doesn’t know he’s become the prey. But, of course, Tony does get his mark in the end…after watching the man with his wife and young daughter. And I think we see a bit of remorse in Tony at the end, though it’s hard to say whether it was purely over having to lie to his daughter, or having to take a man away from his family. Watching him murder Fabian, however, it does seem like there’s more anger than remorse present.

So, now we’re left with a few interesting bits. Carmela has confessed, and promised to recant and repent…what will these mean for the family “business”? Not to mention their relationship? And Meadow is almost certain her father is lying to her…will her loyalty to him be tested soon? And how will she react? And I’m surprised that Christopher followed orders and stayed put, most unlike him to act rationally and coolly in a situation like this. Maybe his obedient trend with continue?

Can’t wait to watch another episode!!

 

So little Anthony Junior, it seems, is the very last person to learn the truth about his father’s profession. It doesn’t seem like Tony and Carmela tried too hard to hide the nature of the family business from him, but then again, Anthony Jr. isn’t the most observant child. It remains to be seen exactly how Anthony Jr. will react this this revelation about his father and his family.

Tony Soprano continues to be a paradigm of hypocrisy. He’s at once extremely dedicated to his family, both biological and professional, but has no issues sleeping with Russian prostitutes, and we see hints that he might be developing feelings for Dr. Melfi. It’s interesting to note that its her advice, more than any of his lieutenants or peers, that helps him make his decision on the successor to the family. Ultimately appointing Junior and taking more financial holdings for himself seems to be a rather brilliant move on his part. He gets more “real” control over the family, while Junior is happy with his title while simultaneously jumping into the crosshairs of the FBI, diverting attention away from Tony.

Christopher, as usual, continues raging around town, at first paranoid of Tony and then enraged at Junior. He’s a man that only knows two gears, first and sixth. I’m sure it will be of no surprise to anyone if he ends up copping it before the season is out. But Tony loves him, and deals a rather severe beating to Mikey Palmice in retribution for Junior’s actions against Chris and Brenden, and even refuses the olive branch offered him by Junior, all for Chris’ sake. Tony seems to be a rather strong and intelligent man, at least in terms of leading crime families, but his love of Chris might just be his weakest point. Chris is wildcard, unmanageable and far too reckless. But who knows, maybe Dr. Melfi will be able to talk some sense into Tony.  There’s no doubt we’ll be seeing more of her in the near future.

Other thoughts:

• What a wonderfully imposing shot of Tony tossing dirt on Jackie’s grave. Really puts away any doubt as to who’s the real boss of the DiMeo family
• Pretty comical watching Jeremy’s father sweat buckets while talking with Tony. Tony, who was perfectly friendly and amicable…though holding an axe. What’s funny is that Tony seems completely bewildered at the man’s anxiety.
• Great irony with the other Capos calling Chris out on his “scenarios”. Like they aren’t constantly doing the same thing
• Livia really did want those macaroons; her mask of feigned disgust almost slipped…but not quite. Oh well. Maybe one day Tony will get back in her good graces.
• That 90’s website that Meadow goes too…just wow. Hard to believe the internet was like that back in the day.

Stay tuned for next week’s episode!

So, Tony Soprano is back at Dr. Melfi’s, despite his apparent anger at her. He just can’t seem to stay away. Somehow, she must be helping him feel better, even though on the surface it looks as if all she ever does is get him riled up. That said, he hasn’t actually had any more panic attacks; perhaps this fact is not lost on Mr. Soprano himself.

Not that the world of the Sopranos isn’t full of things to give him panic attacks. The whole business with the Hasidic Jews, for instance, turns out to be every bit as difficult as Tony’s friend warns him it would be. Tony has to resort to some relatively extreme methods to accomplish his task, which results in Shlomo refusing to give Tony his 50% of the hotel. Tony of course does not take well at all to this, and threatens Shlomo; Shlomo responds by calling Tony a monster, a “Frankenstein”. It’s interesting to note the effect that the term “Frankenstein” has upon Tony; in many ways he is a monster, but he clearly doesn’t see himself as one. And we the viewer see that he’s not an entirely evil person. It’s just that violence and intimidation are the only ways he knows how to do business. His referral to himself and his fellow mobsters are Romans was a very accurate that regard, though it’s probably not entirely what he meant.

Elsewhere in the world, Junior still isn’t happy (surprise). The return of the stolen truck has done nothing to mollify him, and he decides to take more drastic measures. Livia, in contrast to her demeanor in previous episodes, displays a remarkable degree of mental acuity in deciding what should be done to Christopher and his meth-head friend Brenden. She realizes that Christopher should be kept alive, due to his status with Tony, but Brenden? Expendable. Christopher is treated to a “nice little” chat and nearly pisses himself, while Brenden in casually murded while in the bathtub. Christopher is probably not going be happy about this, and most likely will lead to considerable tension between him and Tony.

We also see more cracks appear in the foundation of Carmela and Tony’s marriage, with Charmegne’s confession of sleeping with Tony. Technically, it shouldn’t matter; the whole thing happened before Carmela and Tony were married, back in the 1980’s. But Carmela seems pretty shaken after the revelation, and refuses to hold Tony’s hand while at Meadow’s choir recital.

And of course, poor Jackie, wasting away from cancer. Initially in the episode we see signs of life in him, joking and laughing with his fellow mobsters. We see Tony treat him to a private dance with one of his strippers, something that Jackie quite enjoys. Junior would probably say Tony’s just doing all this so he will be named successor to the family. From his anger and denial of Jackie’s probable imminent death, however, it does seem that Tony really cares for Jackie. When he visits Jackie later in the episode, he’s disturbed to see how aloof and disconnected Jackie appears. Tony attempts to regale him with latest “business” ventures, but Jackie is almost entirely ignorant of anything but his tempture, checking and re-checking it and finally calling for the nurse. His hair, too, is finally beginning to fall out; earlier we hear Tony tell Dr. Melfi that Jackie still had a full head of hair, so how could he be dying? But now, Tony can see for himself.

But by the end, Tony seems to have reached the titular third stage of acceptance, sitting back and enjoying Meadow’s choir performance. Or perhaps, he’s still at denial. The cracks are spreading, all through the world and the family. Maybe he should still be having panic attacks.

 

Episode Recap: 

It’s another week of stress and panic attacks for Tony Soprano. Chris and his meth-head friend Brended have started hijacking trucks, angering Tony’s father Junior (who was paid to protect the trucks). Tony forces Chris and Brenden to pay restitution to Junior, much to their chagrin (though not before pocketing a slice of the money for himself). The resentment boiling in the younger generation is clearly palpable, as is the older generation’s complete disregard for it. The old families aren’t even accepting new members whatsoever, according to Tony. While the actions of Chris and Brenden are certainly perilous to the future of the family, there seems to be no way for the likes of Chris to become “made men”, leaving them no choice but to continue in their haphazard hijackings.

Chris eventually realizes the necessity of following the old rules, the chain of command, and sits out the next robbery planned by Brenden. The robbery quickly south, however, as Brenden and his comically inept companions accidentally kill the driver of the truck. Brenden then enlists the help of Christopher who in turn asks his father Tony for guidance; Tony instructs them to return the shipment of italian suits, though not before he and his associates pick out a few for themselves.

Meanwhile Tony’s mother Livia continues to fight for her right to stay in her own home unassisted. A sweet african american woman that is sent to assist Livia is quickly driven off by the cantankerous old woman’s antics, and it quickly becomes apparent after Livia almost sets her house on fire (and maiming one of her elderly friends) that he is going to have to take more drastic action; namely, obtaining power of attorney over her and legally forcing her to move into a retirement community. This move by Tony, however, greatly upsets Livia, and she refuses to speak to him, treating him and everyone around her to an icy, malevolent glare.

Elsewhere in the family, Pussy Salvatore gets  more screentime as they track down a missing car belonging one of Tony’s son’s school teachers. Following a lead from a coffee shop the two men are found and forced to sequester a new Saturn for the bereaved teacher, owing to the original’s unfortunate “chopped” up state.

The episode ends with what seems to be Tony’s last visit to his therapist Dr. Melfi. He clearly feels quite a bit of remorse over his now even more strained relationship with his mother. The care and respect of one’s mother appears to be very strongly rooted philosophy of his, and the fact that he is unable to please Livia is a source of great frustration for him. Dr. Melfi suggests that perhaps he feels a certain degree of hatred toward his mother. Tony does not take this well at all. “Are you out of your tree?” he snaps. As he turns to leave, Dr. Melfi pleads with him to acknowledge his anger and frustration, and to admit some of the blame onto his mother, else it get displaced on others. Tony returns to the stripclub, and after watching his associate struggle with a telephone, beats him over the head with the handset, displaying the displacement of anger that Dr. Melfi had warned about.

 

Overall, we see the second episode of The Sopranos continue with the discussion on the modern state of the mafia. The older members of the Soprano family are convinced that they are still living in the golden age of organized crime. In the beginning of the episode an ex mafia man on the television remarks about how modern gangsters refuse to accept their current situation; all the while, the Soprano gangsters sit around a table, counting money, ignoring him. It’s only when he admits that organized crime will never truly end that they look up and listen to what he’s saying, nodding in approval.

Tony, for his part, is just as complex as ever. He’s a guy that sort of tries to be good but at the same time falls victim to the hypocrisy and greed typical of a man of his stature. He berates Chris and Brenden for their actions yet takes large cuts of his own of the money and allows his men to take suits from the stolen truck. He tries so desperately to help his mother and is clearly extremely aggravated by her refusal to accept help, yet he won’t (at least vocally) accuse her of any wrong doing, or admit that maybe, just maybe, she’s not the best mother.

Christopher and Brenden are predictably hot-headed and eager for success, but its difficult to blame them for their impatience when their avenues for success are so routinely denied to them by their greedy superiors. The two generations have become so disenfranchised with one another; they are rotting tree trunk, being eaten from the inside, waiting to collapse.

On a personal note, definitely another great episode and I’m definitely getting hooked! Loving the complex characters and the almost Tarantino-esq dialogue. Can’t wait for more!

The Sopranos S1E1: “Pilot” Recap and Analysis

“Mid-Life Crisis in a Nutshell” might be a good name for the first episode of The Sopranos.  Of course, being the mob boss of a dying breed of criminals, with a family of fiery, old-fashioned Italian relatives, probably makes for slightly more chaotic and emotionally complex life crisis than your average middle-aged adult might face.

It’s a testament to the sheer strength of will and character possessed by protagonist Tony Soprano, that he handles the swirling vortices of stress and trauma as well as he does. That’s not to say he’s the epitome of tranquility and grace, but in comparison to his boisterous family members and colleagues, Tony manages a remarkable degree of composure. But the cracks are beginning to appear, and after a family of ducks that had been nesting in his pool take flight and vanish into the sky, Tony finally decides to seek help in the form of a therapist.

Tony’s visit to the therapist sets the backdrop for the episode, and it’s a clever framing device for the unfortunate truckload of exposition necessary in pilot episodes. We’re quickly introduced to the modern era’s version of organized crime: where once labor unions and bootleg liquor were the bread and butter of the mafia, now we have Waste Management companies and garbage, Health Corporations and insurance fraud. Evading the law is also a lot more difficult. New technologies, new legislations, “the RICO Statutes,” as Tony tells his therapist irritably. Later in the episode we hear Tony bemoan the bygone integrity of his ancestors, how now “everyone’s turning states witness. No one’s got room in their life for the penal system”.

The changing nature of the times and the decay of the old families is a theme we see repeated throughout the episode. The Sopranos and those they associate with are a fondue of hypocrisy and malice, the antithesis of the tradition nuclear family of the 1950’s. “You’ve become a master of lying and deceit!” Carmela screams at her daughter, Meadow; later we find out that Carmela herself is engaged in an affair with a priest, or “becoming a better catholic”, as she calls it. Tony claims to have stopped seeing his former mistress; shortly before a fancy dinner with his wife we see him frolicking with a busty blonde woman on a private yacht. His mother, Livia, in the midst of a rapid deterioration  in her health and sanity, refuses to relocate to a retirement community, as tony calls it, or a nursing home, as Livia see it, and continually  mourns the loss of her late husband. “He was a saint,” she cries, dapping a tissue to her teary eyes. Tony, though embroiled in deceptions of his own, is acutely aware of the problems plaguing his family and his business. He views the ducks as representations of his own family, and their departure as an ill omen for the future of the Sopranos.

Ultimately, our introduction to the world of the Sopranos is as much of a greeting as it is a farewell. The days when New York mobs threw World Series baseball games and held entire cities to ransom are long gone. What’s left are the tattered remains of once proud empires, old fools too stubborn to let go even in the face of imminent obsolescence, and arrogant youths trying to regain their ancestors’ former glory. The show paints a portrait of these two generations of men, the one seeking to regain their lost virility, and the other, younger generation, which seeks to supplant their aging relatives, and steal that virility for themselves. Tony Soprano, his uncles, and most of his associates, belong to the former, men who’s fathers grew up in a relative “golden age” of organized crime, who tutored their sons in the lessons of masculinity, hard work, being “tough”. Tony’s son Christopher, and the man he ultimately whacks, Emil, belong to the latter, dreaming of emulating their famous gangster forebears and winning back the glory of old. Photographers of famous gangsters from the 1940’s flash across the screen as Christopher pumps round after round into the back of a rival criminal, early jazz thumping in the background. “Loui Brazzi sleeps with the fishes,” Christopher snarls as they dispose of the body, quoting and ironically butchering the famous line from The Godfather. “Luca Brasi!” corrects his older companion impatiently in a scene that perfectly encapsulates the dichotomy between the two generations. “Luca Brasi.”

The episode ends with a long panning shot of the Sopranos’ birthday party in their backyard. As the camera rotates, the various family members gradually and steadily disappear off-screen. Finally, the camera ends on the now quiet and empty pool where the ducks once nested.

It’s not just the ducks that have moved on; the rest of the world has too.