|
Sophia posted:Things that were super dated: This is actually even dated for when it aired. The pilot struggles in some areas where its clear they hadn't really nailed the direction they wanted to take the show yet, so you end up with really odd things like Tony personally running some guy down with his car in front of a hundred witnesses like it's 1950 and he's not worried about the law. They were also working on structuring how the therapy fits it, so it's a bit more awkward than in the rest of the series. As you see in the pilot, one of the original ideas was that everything that happened in Tony's life would be filtered through his therapy sessions (ie "nothing. we had coffee" when flashing back to the car escapade), but they ended up going with a more linear approach when the show got picked up. So you'll probably find the timeline a lot cleaner and the therapy less on the nose.
|
#
¿
Jan 11, 2015 21:48
|
|
|
|
| # ¿ Apr 29, 2024 10:44 |
|
|
It's really hard to think of another show out there that frames humanity the same way, and I really appreciate it for that. It's just this uniquely cynical and bitter take, which bizarrely manages to utilize caricatures to capture the "feel of reality" in ways that would be lost in a more "balanced realistic" setting. While The Sopranos mainly demystifies the mob into mundane reality with this emphasis on wiping away the glamor to let the grime shine, it uses that exact same lens on every aspect of American society that pops up. The show almost has about as much contempt for the lives of the educated and elite as it does for the foolish mob characters and their constant mistakes. Everyone is the butt of the joke. And, while there is a lot of contempt, the show is caring enough about those same elements/characters that it's also driven by pathos, and underlying everything it feels like there's almost... this... thematic shrug, where beyond either impulsive acts or empty platitudes that's all there's left to do sometimes. It's incredibly difficult to accurately describe the show's attitude in few words, but I think the most succinct way is depression. Even without the characters literal experiences with depression, the show itself applies a depressed outlook on life and society, resulting in this uniquely bitter, funny, and beautiful portrayal.
|
|
#
¿
Jan 21, 2015 14:27
|
|