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When they opened up the Soprano gun cabinet with Little Paulie there is a lingering focus on the grenade. It seems odd because for one I'm not sure why tony would keep something like that in his home and second of all is there significants to showing this to Little Paulie (possibly opening tony up to prosecution if he flipped). I'm not sure if theres significant to it or if it was just something the set designed tossed in to fill the space.
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Sep 12, 2019 20:11
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I think it's more like remember, these people are not just criminals, they literally call themselves soldiers and are literally ready to go to war (though they wouldn't fight the feds, but a last stand against New York is in the cards)
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Sep 12, 2019 22:31
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Kinda odd the feds never made them open that cabinet when they searched his house all those times.
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Sep 12, 2019 22:35
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It's pretty secret, I doubt they'd say hey open up all your false pillars
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Sep 12, 2019 23:26
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I always figured it was for those people who thought the AK in the pilot was too over the top.
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Sep 12, 2019 23:28
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Bip Roberts posted:When they opened up the Soprano gun cabinet with Little Paulie there is a lingering focus on the grenade. It seems odd because for one I'm not sure why tony would keep something like that in his home and second of all is there significants to showing this to Little Paulie (possibly opening tony up to prosecution if he flipped). I'm not sure if theres significant to it or if it was just something the set designed tossed in to fill the space. I noticed that too. If I remember right, the hidden gun cabinet was shown twice and they almost seemed to dwell on it or frame it in such a way that it was meant to be foreshadowing but, nope.
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Sep 13, 2019 01:33
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I’ve always taken it as a visual gag. I mean, there’s been a live grenade in the wall right next to the table at which they’ve held all their Sunday dinners? That’s insane.
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Sep 13, 2019 12:40
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COMPAGNIE TOMMY posted:I think it's more like remember, these people are not just criminals, they literally call themselves soldiers and are literally ready to go to war (though they wouldn't fight the feds, but a last stand against New York is in the cards) Like Harris said when they were taking that video tour of the house when one guy said it looked like they were stockpiling for World War 2, "More likely the Colombo War." At the time that was only like five or so years ago and kicked off when the acting boss decided he wanted to be actual boss.
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Sep 13, 2019 12:54
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Pope Corky the IX posted:I’ve always taken it as a visual gag. I mean, there’s been a live grenade in the wall right next to the table at which they’ve held all their Sunday dinners? That’s insane. I agree, and think there's another layer to the joke: the infidelities were too much for Carmela, but this has always been okay
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Sep 13, 2019 19:11
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This is the episode that first informed me of the existence of Peter Luger's, which I have not yet patronized but plan to eventually. This show did however turn me on to the River Cafe in Brooklyn (the restaurant at the foot of the bridge where Johnny Sack meets Paulie after he gets out of prison)
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Sep 13, 2019 23:54
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I've always wanted to go to Pizza Land.
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Sep 14, 2019 01:59
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Another running joke is Carmela insisting that AJ is not ready for certain literature, regardless of how old he is. There's Billy Budd and "What kind of book is that to teach to high school kids?!" and then with the Second Coming "What kind of poem is that to teach to college kids?!" I'm sure I'm forgetting a few examples. Also, going back to "Full Leather Jacket" for a moment, if you pay attention in the scene where Matt and Sean are bothering Tony in the Bing restroom, the paper towel dispenser is empty when Tony tries to use it. So when he's loving with Sean after he stupidly mentions the safecracking job, Tony's not just checking for a wire, he's also drying his hands on his shirt. And Sean's last name is Gismonte, with Matt always calling him Gis or Jizz. So when Sean gets shot in the head by Christopher, Matt is literally screaming "JIZZ!!"
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Sep 14, 2019 12:34
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Pope Corky the IX posted:Also, going back to "Full Leather Jacket" for a moment, if you pay attention in the scene where Matt and Sean are bothering Tony in the Bing restroom, the paper towel dispenser is empty when Tony tries to use it. So when he's loving with Sean after he stupidly mentions the safecracking job, Tony's not just checking for a wire, he's also drying his hands on his shirt. Tony is a very resourceful person. He has smarts, personality, leadership potential; all the perquisites to lead young men onto the field of sport.
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Sep 14, 2019 13:03
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Bedshaped posted:Tony is a very resourceful person. He has smarts, personality, leadership potential; all the perquisites to lead young men onto the field of sport. I never thought he had the makings of a varsity athlete.
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Sep 14, 2019 13:24
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Dawgstar posted:I never thought he had the makings of a varsity athlete. Shut up! All girl cousins are here! edit: As an aside, I grew up in an Italian/Spanish family so hung out with second, third, and fourth cousins all the time. Getting embarrassed in front of my cousins was always the worst, so that little line always cracks me up. Solice Kirsk fucked around with this message at 13:57 on Sep 14, 2019 |
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Sep 14, 2019 13:53
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Small hands, that was your problem.
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Sep 14, 2019 14:18
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Tony declaring confidently he has a knack for picking up on if somebody has flipped, meeting Jack Massarone and then coming back to the Bada-Bing and going,"I couldn't figure out poo poo!" always cracks me up, especially after his painfully obvious "friendly" hugs to check him for a wire. Family are in town so the write-up for Rat Pack will be another day or so, sorry.
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Sep 14, 2019 14:30
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The way Silvio pragmatically says "He has his own process" after Christopher asks what the next step is with Massarone was great too.
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Sep 14, 2019 15:05
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Just a heads up Steve Schirpa is the marshal of this years San Genmaro festival https://mobile.twitter.com/amandamull/status/1172993657416355841
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Sep 15, 2019 04:15
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gotta say, that's the least appetizing sausage I've ever seen.
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Sep 17, 2019 04:05
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No Wave posted:gotta say, that's the least appetizing sausage I've ever seen. 
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Sep 17, 2019 05:39
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Season 5, Episode 2 - Rat PackTony Blundetto posted:Mmboy, are you fat! On a stormy night, two stone-faced men watch from their car as another man drives into the parking lot of a diner and rushes inside carrying a rectangular object in a plastic sheet. Inside the diner, Tony Soprano greets the man: Jack Massarone from Massarone Construction, who initially reached out to Tony a couple of seasons earlier thinking that Tony was simply a middle-man for his Uncle Junior. Since then he has benefited immensely from working on the Esplanade Project, a sweet contract he got as part of Tony, Johnny and Zellman's (and Ralph's, to be fair) strategy to bilk the Government out of every cent they could. To show his gratitude he offers Tony the rectangular object, an art piece put together of Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jr - The Rat Pack - outside a Las Vegas casino. Tony is thrilled by the work, admitting he doesn't go for modern art usually but this piece really speaks to him. Massarone sits down, still wearing his Museum of Science and Trucking cap, humble-bragging about the fact he'll be making a speech at the opening of the museum about his part in its construction. After giving his order to the waitress (he's having exactly what Tony is getting), he quietly asks Tony if he's heard anything from Zellman about plans to repurpose the old bus station and what bid would be good to make to guarantee he gets the contract. Tony's guard is up now, for reasons entirely unrelated to Massarone, as he quietly grunts that he and Zellman don't talk much anymore, not explaining that the reason why is that he whipped him with a belt and Zellman's girlfriend lit the flame that exploded Tony's marriage. Massarone, who quickly explains he's on Rogaine when Tony asks him to take his cap off, asks Tony to check if Zellman will let this new bid fall under the same arrangement as the Esplanade. They're leading questions, but this time Tony's responses are guarded more out of habit than suspicion, as he non-committedly says he'll look into it. Things become more animated when Massarone jokes that his mother is probably in hell and Tony commiserates that he had "one of those too", and they warm up to the subject of talking poo poo about Massarone's dead mother. Meanwhile outside, a police officer pulls up alongside the two stone-faced men and asks them if there is an issue, but they assure him they're just having a chat. The officer drives on, but not before taking a note of their license plate first.   In another car in another dark and rainy area, Adriana is having a less happy discussion with FBI Agent Sanseverino. A third man sits stern and silent in the back seat as Adriana lets them know what she knows about somebody called Joey Cogo. She didn't know him really, but he did send over a bottle of Veuve to their table last week when she and Christopher were out to dinner with Tony and his "friend" Valentina. The man in the back shows her horrifying photos of Cogo on the mortuary slab, his face beaten in, revolting her. He offers her another photo, a mugshot of another man, and asks if he was with Joey. She agrees he was and the mysterious third Agent immediately rushes out of his car into the rain and jumps into another, and they race away. She's startled, is somebody going to be arrested now? Was a word from her all it took? If it was intended to intimidate her or impress upon her the power and speed of the FBI, it is a lesson she'll take to heart in a very different way by the end of the episode. During the day, the mail comes around the office of the FBI Taskforce, neatly allowing us to see multiple different areas of the long-running operation to bring down the Mafia. First is an office where Ray Curto is nonchalantly filling in the gaps of his wiretap audio recording of Tony Soprano screaming at his Captains during the "downturn" in season 4 where they weren't making as much money as he wanted. Where the audio was distorted or scratchy, Curto doesn't even blink when it comes to betraying every confidence to Agents Harris and Grasso. If anything, Curto is more pissed that he hasn't gotten compensation for a shirt he was wearing that Ralph Cifaretto spilled coffee on. As far as he's concerned, he was working for the FBI so they can pay for it to be cleaned! In another room, Agents Sanseverino and Ciccerone eat Chinese food while reviewing surveillance camera footage of the Crazy Horse parking lot, noting that Adriana has lied to them and not for the first time about Paulie Gualtieri's frequent visits to the club. Finally he approaches the office of Bureau Chief Cubitoso, who instructs him to give the mail to "Angela" outside and to shut the door. He, the two stone-faced men from the previous night and Prosecutor Castleman from Junior's trial are listening to the tape of Massarone's conversation with Tony. Massarone is yet the latest in a collected series of "rats", lending a whole new irony to the art piece just gifted to Tony. But while the stone-faced Agents are happy about the sound quality and Cubitoso is keen to highlight the case they're putting together, Castleman is less impressed. He blames them for "dropping the ball" on the jury tampering investigation into Junior's trial, ignoring Cubitoso's protest of how big an asset Massarone is (he is, he ties Tony in to INCREDIBLE fraud) and mocking the idea that "three-year-old airplane tickets" and loose ties to the Bevilaqua murder are anything to brag about. He has a bit of a point though, even with 1000 snitches Tony still has to go on trial, and if they were able to get to a juror on Junior's trial they'll be able to get to one on Tony's too which would render the whole thing moot. He lives unimpressed, while Cubitoso remains undaunted, pointing out that Castleman is lashing out because nailing Junior would have secured him a six-figure future at a big law firm and now he's just the guy who couldn't put away an old man (who claims to have dementia!) living in a small house in the suburbs of New Jersey.   Speaking of that old man, Junior is at home with a fuller house than usual. Bobby is putting together a salad made with dandelions Feech La Manna grabbed from a vacant lot on his way over. Tony joins them just as Feech was about to leave, the two hugging and Tony greeting Bobby who is working on the salad. Tony mocks Junior's frequent complaints about nobody ever visiting given how full the house is, and remains in a delighted mood when Junior asks for the news on Tony B. Feech is interested, noting that Tony B is a "good kid. Smart" which Tony happily agrees with. But when Junior grunts that Tony B was a loving weirdo, Tony can't resist getting back at him by asking if the dandelions came from the vacant lot where all the dogs piss. He, Feech and Bobby roar with laughter after he reveals it was a joke to a mortified Junior, who isn't happy about being the subject of fun. Tony naturally clammed up around Massarone but with Feech he is more than happy to fill him in on his plans for Tony B: they have a dealer who takes used airbags and resells them. Bobby chimes in, saying that it's a growing market with plenty of legit dealers and bodyshops buying them to reinstall as "new". Feech is impressed, if a little wowed by this "brave new world" when back in his day they didn't even have a shoulder strap for seatbelts. Tony and Feech embrace again as he heads out the door, asking Tony to let him know when Tony B gets out. The moment he is gone though, Junior's happy smile drops and he shoves the dandelions out of the way. He isn't still sensitive about the dog piss comment, he was just being polite while Feech was there. He just wants an egg now, and asks Bobby to make Tony one too. Tony declines, nibbling at the dandelions as he pulls a Motorola phone out of a plastic bag to show off: he's bought it to give to Tony B so he can speak whenever they want. Junior beams at the thought of the "Class of 2004" getting out of prison after all this time... then muses that he'd like an egg, and asks Bobby to make him and Tony one. Bobby reminds him he's already making one and that Tony didn't want one, but Junior moves smoothly into talking about Tony and Tony "Egg" again. Tony points out it is Tony B, but again Junior just moves on, laughing as he remembers the two of them slipping a camera in the bathroom at Barbara's confirmation. Forgetting Junior's mistake or thinking it was a slip of the tongue, Tony also laughs at the cherished memory of this violation of privacy as the phone rings. Bobby answers and now the good times really end as he gasps over the bad news he has just received of a death. Junior is depressed, ANOTHER death, who now? The answer shocks them, this wasn't just "any" death of some family friend or associate: Carmine Lupertazzi is dead. They sit quietly for a moment and then Bobby offers that this horrible lich was a "great man", saying he heard he invented points shaving. Apparently it wasn't just a tall tale, as Junior warmly remembers CCNY vs. Kentucky in 1951 with a clarity he fails to have for even recent events.  With great sincerity though, the moment he and Tony are alone, Junior with quiet desperation asks if he ever told him he wants to be cremated. He has, complains Tony, about four times, but Junior presses on, saying he wants his ashes kept in an urn on the mantelpiece so he'll always be surrounded by family. Tony makes a joke, saying they'll keep him under the moose head, but Junior warns him not to make too many jokes. Life is like a game he used to play as a kid called "Crack the Whip". Everybody ran around holding hands until somebody "cracked the whip" which rolled through their arms like a wave until eventually somebody let go, and suddenly you were the last person at the end of the line. Tony doesn't joke about that, after all like the reverend warned him one day you wake up and you're the "elder" of the family and life is going on without you. The funeral service comes, Carmine laid out in an open casket as his son stands and greets mourners. But as Jimmy Petrille tells him how much Carmine meant to all of them - and not just financially! - Little Carmine can't help but notice Johnny Sack's arrival and the entourage surrounding him. Including newly released Phil Leotardo, Johnny is smiles and charm and jokes as he hugs and holds court, clearly already positioning himself as the new power in the wake of Carmine's death. Seething, Little Carmine gets ahold of himself and turns to his wife Nicole so he can introduce her to Jimmy, but when they turn around he's already moved on to get in on the action with Johnny himself. Luckily Little Carmine is distracted by the arrival of Angelo Garepe, who unlike Phil clearly has no interest in politics and just wants to pay his respect to the son of his now-deceased old friend. Relieved, Little Carmine introduces Nicole to Angelo. New Jersey are in attendance, of course, Tony stands beside Paulie and Silvio (Ray Curto is in the background watching everything closely) where he has just recieved news that cheers him even at this funeral. Throwing an arm around Albert Barese and greeting Christopher as he arrives, he explains that Tony B is finally out. Paulie - who only just came to terms with the threat of blood-relation Christopher - offers the sage advice to start B off small. His good mood improves more when Lorraine Calluzzo shows up with her musclebound boyfriend Jason Evanina in tow. She is the "lady shylock", notorious for being a woman in a man's world, a role she has clearly taken to with gusto considering she's middle-aged and dating a handsome young man many years her junior, just like the fat middle-aged men with their young model girlfriends! The scrum around Johnny hasn't subsided, but even he knows things have gone a little too far now as Phil cracks jokes to the gathered attendees who are unaware of Little Carmine staring a hole through them. Johnny approaches to belatedly pay his respects, Nicole offering her gratitude for the beautiful flowers Ginny sent, and Little Carmine asks for a minute alone. Stepping barely beyond the door to the next room, Little Carmine lashes out in a "safe" direction by obsessing over the Opus Dei medallion on Carmine's rosary. Their voices get raised as Little Carmine accuses Johnny of putting it there to please Ginny and her "New Jersey housewife fundamentalist poo poo", catching the attention of the mourners waiting in line to pay their respects to Carmine's corpse. Tony mumbles that the body isn't even cold yet, and an older woman in front of him agrees with disgust that nobody has any respect for anything anymore. As they continue to growl at each other within plain earshot, Tony approaches Carmine's body and looks down on it. How he truly felt about Carmine is anybody's guess. He respected him for certain, but he also loathed him at times or considered him a pain in the rear end. As he stares at the dead body now though while listening to the two potential heirs to the throne airing their dirty laundry in public, surely he's thinking that he didn't appreciate a good thing when he had it.   At home Tony watches Band of Brothers, and becomes emotional hearing Edward Heffron recounting the death of a fellow soldier who took a bullet he always considered was meant for him. The reason for Tony's strong reaction to this will only become clearer as the season goes on and we learn more about how Tony B ended up in prison for 20 years. At a nightclub, Adriana is joined by her friend Tina Francesco in the bathroom. Tina has really gotten her poo poo together since we first saw her as the scummy girlfriend of the trashy "Mustang Sally" who was the last kill of Bobby Baccalieri's father before his own death. Wearing a beautiful fur, complaining about her make-up, we quickly learn the source of her money: she's helping her father fake invoices to embezzle cash. She brought the fur as a treat for herself since she is taking "all the risk", plus she's upset about a recent break-up with a boyfriend who said he was too clingy. She openly admits her envy of Adriana who has a handsome, wealthy fiance with great hair, while Adriana openly admits her love of Tina's fur in spite of her love for animals. They head back outside after a tight hug, absolutely the best of friends until moments after returning to their table Adriana can't help but notice Tina flirting with Christopher. Her date is Little Paulie, and while she laughs at her jokes she gives Christopher seductive looks, lets her hand run along his leg a little too long after playfully slapping at him after a joke he made, and comments with a meaningful look that she wears fur because she is "bare everywhere else". Once Christopher and Adriana return home, he rants about how she doesn't provide him with a good support system by drinking wine at home after they've been out all night with all kinds of temptations shoved in his face. Acidly she remarks he seemed to have a good time tonight and he immediately picks up on her tone and quickly jumps to suggesting maybe she somehow got the impression kind of that perhaps there was a hint of interest towards the concept of the possibility of mistakenly thinking he was interested in Tina (maybe it was the line "Let's see her box" that gave Adriana that impression?). Going too far the other way he assures her he thinks "that oval office" is too full of herself, causing Adriana who moments ago was pissed at Tina to defend her great friend who is set to be her maid of honor. Aggressively defensive, Christopher complains that now he is upset and Adriana - caught between anger at Tina but also wanting to defend her - apologizes, giving him a little kiss on the head. The next day, Tony races eagerly around to the home of his Aunt Quintina, only seen a couple of times before - played by a different actress - in the show after Tony tried to force Livia and her to go to Arizona to live with Aunt Gemma. She answers the doorbell which he is repeatedly ringing and he slips in and quickly kisses and hugs her, desperate to end his conversation with her, looking around her shoulder trying to spot his cousin. He's like a child again, racing around to a friend's house, but he has to wait because Tony B is getting dressed in an old suit for the outing they have planned. So Tony makes time like he probably did 1000 times before in many different houses, looking at the photos on the wall, pretending to be interested in them or the conversations of the parents who also probably didn't really feel great about a stranger in their house. Quintina, who Tony once described as the other "loving miserab'" in the family, proves as good as her reputation as she sighs her way through a series of complaints about not having much for Tony B to come back to, or how his ex-wife won't answer her calls or let her see her grandchildren etc. Tony looks at a photo of his mother in middle-age smoking a cigarette and with a rare genuine smile on her face and quickly looks aside to a miserable looking teenage girl in an ANARCHY t-shirt with black-dyed hair. It is Kelly, Tony B's daughter, and Quintina admits sadly that "she's lost to us", saying Tony B intends to hire a private detective to find her, her face making it clear how likely she thinks that will work.   There is a disconnect here often commented on when discussion of season 5 comes up. Tony B is a new character inserted fully into the lives and histories of characters we've seen develop over the previous 4 seasons. Attempts have been made to tie him in with existing storylines: Aunt Quintina was an established character, her disposition was known, it was a simple matter to give her a son. The problem comes when that son didn't just exist but was supposedly an integral and valued part of Tony Soprano's life... that just never once got mentioned. Ever. Compounding this now is the fact that Tony B has a daughter roughly the same age as Meadow, and it seems bizarre that she wouldn't have been a part of their lives. When Ralphie Cifaretto appeared from nowhere, it felt slightly off but you could somewhat buy into the notion that he was overstating what he felt was a strong shared history with Tony and Jackie. Tony B is not some deluded petty criminal who thinks he is more important than he actually was, it is Tony who pushes this idea onto us the viewer of Tony B's importance to him and his past, and it feels forced. It is purely because the show is so well written and acted that this issue is largely able to be ignored or swept under the carpet, a kind of shared but unspoken agreement to just take it in stride and move on in spite of the clear weirdness of this setup. Quintina moves on to a happier subject as she shows Tony a picture of himself and Tony B as babies, sitting naked on the floor. Tony is delighted, remarking even back then his "cannoli" was bigger. As they talk, Tony B finally makes his first in-person appearance... from right out of the 1980s. Wearing an old suit that was the height of fashion when he went away to prison, Tony B looks ridiculous in an oversized suit jacket with the sleeves pushed up ala Miami Vice. Tony's head whips around when he sees him, and he slowly approaches and cups the side of Tony B's head before hauling him in close and embracing him tightly. Tony B can't believe it has been 15 years, and Tony cracks a joke that he himself hasn't changed a bit before laughing at his own expense, a mistake he will quickly come to regret. Quintina snaps a photo of the two of them, and the flash is the transition for a shift to Vesuvio's where a huge crowd of family and friends scream out a surprise welcome to him. Tony B grabs at his heart and fakes a punch Tony's way, Tony beaming all the brighter as he mimes dodging, feeling the old magic between them. Artie emerges from the crowd to greet Tony B too, hugging him tight and declaring he's had peppers marinating for 15 years. As everybody moves to the tables, Artie can't help cracking a joke about Tony B's suit, and gets hit back with a whip-quick quip about his bald pate. Tony B is 15 years older, has lost a lot of the muscle he once carried, is wearing an out-of-date suit, but the quick wit he was apparently known for seemingly hasn't faded. After Artie leaves, Tony B is bewildered by his weird energy and surprised to learn that he and Tony aren't really on speaking terms anymore. Tony, always reluctant to speak openly to almost anybody, doesn't think twice about quietly letting him know about the situation with the loan and Artie's suicide attempt: even after all these years, he trusts Tony B implicitly. Carmela is up next to greet Tony B, hugging him tight and telling him how much she missed him (she never once mentioned him in 4 seasons, but then again neither did Tony). For the first time, Tony B's happy vibe disappears as he realizes his ex-wife and his children aren't there. But, perhaps due to 15 years in jail teaching him how to control himself, he forces a wry grin and asks what can you do. This uncomfortable moment is broken up when Janice rushes up and hugs him too, then hauls him away to meet the family, ignoring Tony's protest that they were talking. She introduces him to Bobby, Bobby Jr and Sophia, and Bobby Jr kind of lampshades the whole situation by pointing out that not only have they never met, but he's never even heard of him before! Bobby, knowing his son has just deeply offended the guest of honor, quickly gets the family to make an exit and Janice doesn't second-guess him at all. Meta-commentary aside, it's a nice moment where Tony B gets to truly feel how little his absence meant in the day-to-day lives of his family and friends while he was away keeping to his vow and never saying a word to lessen his sentence. Tony fumes that Bobby and Janice let their kid say anything, but then his own kids arrive, and Tony B is immediately enchanted by Meadow. Not in any weird sexual or creepy way, but he sees a beautiful young woman he last saw as a child, something that sparks something deep inside of him for his own child. This isn't helped by the usually intelligent Meadow blunderingly asking how Kelly is doing and reminding him more sharply of the contrast between his daughter and Tony's. Tony tries to calm things by making a self-deprecating (but really passive-aggressive) joke about how he has to make an appointment to have dinner with his kids now due to the separation, which only further serves to highlight that even in his worst case scenario Tony has it better than Tony B. The latter excuses himself to greet his Uncle Zio, and Meadow and AJ quickly depart their parents. That leaves Tony and Carmela standing together in a warped version of their togetherness at other family gatherings at Vesuvios: obscenely, they were closer and happier together at the wake for Jackie Jr than they are now. Carmela can't even bring herself to make empty conversation, and simply walks away without even a farewell for (or from) her estranged husband.   On a tangent, it's killing every writing bone in my body to constantly write Tony and Tony B in such close proximity, so from now on for every scene they're both in together I'll just call him Blundetto. At the bar, Blundetto finally takes a moment to just breathe and have a moment to himself, but it doesn't last long. Tony taps a glass to get everybody's attention and calls his cousin over, where he makes a heartfelt speech about their youth together. As a child he always wanted a brother and his mother used to complain that his cousin should be good enough, and it took him too long to realize she was right (it's safe for him to say that now, she'd dead and he can make her out to be anything he wants or needs her to be at the time). He details how they were thick as thieves, known as "Tony Uncle Johnny" and "Tony Uncle Al" based on their fathers. People laugh at the story, are touched by the story, even when Tony kind of goes off on a tangent about other uncles being dead. He brings it back strong though when he notes that Blundetto has been gone for a long time but is back for good now, and they all toast to his return before he hugs his cousin tight again. Night falls and the two Tonys wander half-drunk through the parking lot of the Bada Bing on to the next stage of his welcome home. Blundetto is effusive in his praise for Meadow and Tony commiserates that he is sure wherever Kelly is, she is okay too, but becomes upset when Blundetto notes it couldn't be helped with an old man in prison and who knows how it might have gone for Meadow in the same case. Tony - again for reasons that will become clearer in future episodes - is immediately on the defensive but Blundetto quickly defuses it, insisting that he was just expressing his relief that it wasn't both of them who got sent away 15 years ago, not a wish that Tony had gone down INSTEAD of him. Mollified, Tony brings him into the Bada Bing where he meets the Family after meeting the family. Inside is another party, where he quickly settles in at the bar with Silvio, Paulie, Christopher, Eugene, Ray Curto (of course) and even Johnny Sack. Blundetto admits it is taking him some getting used to his cousin being the top man, and gets confused by Paulie proudly quoting "Sun Tazoo" who he claims Tony recommended to him. Silvio corrects him on the pronunciation and calls him an rear end-kiss, getting a roar of laughter from the others. Feech La Manna arrives and hugs him, handing over an envelope of cash to help him get back onto his feet, surprising Blundetto who can't believe he's been out two weeks and is already back on his feet. "You hit the ground running and don't look back" Feech insists, and Blundetto thanks him again and gets him a seat at the bar. All this is watched from the top floor by Tony, who is drinking with Hesh, taking in with great interest/some concern Feech's gesture to his cousin. In the toilet, Johnny Sack - potential future Boss of one of the Five Families - is taking a poo poo and smoking a cigarette in an open stall while Tony pisses into a urinal, another fine example of the difference between the percieved glamor of the Mafia and the squalid reality. They discuss the bus station project, Tony noting Massarone was asking for a number for his bid. He admits he used to be bored by Massarone but has taken a liking to him, and Johnny agrees, saying he always liked him. Neither one has any sense he's been turned, apparently his servile behavior around them not only remains the same as it ever was but is the kind of thing both guys like. Talk turns to the funeral and Johnny starts ranting about Little Carmine, but Tony refuses to engage, leaving the bathroom. But when he returns, he's taken aback when Blundetto - who is holding court and has everybody charmed - just blurts out how fat Tony is. Tony is shocked, eyes darting to Christopher and Hesh who are both nervously waiting on his reaction. A hurt little smile crossing his face, he "laughingly" asks what he just said and a confused Blundetto reminds him he's just quoting an old Jackie Gleason character. Tony laughs, grabs him tight and pretends to knock his head into the bar. Everybody smiles and laughs, relieved, but the little verbal barb remains planted deep in Tony's flesh.   The next morning he and Blundetto sit in the same diner where Cousin Brian first detailed the HUD scam to Tony and Ralphie, and Tony hopes to make another successful business arrangement here. As they're poured coffee he eagerly explains he has plans to get Blundetto on his feet, unless he already has something in mind. It turns out he does, though what it is proves a true surprise to Tony. At Springfield prison he became an orderly as a way to avoid hard labor, but found he had a knack for it and became committed to rehab work, and that is what he wants to continue. He has an Associate's Degree (after five years) and now is only six months away from a massage license. Tony, trying to see the angle, assumes he means he wants to open a "massage" parlor, but Blundetto doesn't have anything like that in mind. He wants to be a genuine licensed massage therapist, and when he sees the confusion and disappointment on Tony's way he reminds him he has been out of "this" for a long time now, and he sees a way to stay out of prison and do something legitimate and he thinks he should take it. Tony, quietly desperate, starts to talk about the airbag scam but Blundetto quickly cuts him off. He truly appreciates the offer but until he is certified he just needs legitimate and ONLY legitimate work. Tony, disappointed, trying to mask how upset he is at Blundetto not following the script, gets up from their booth saying he knows a Korean guy who needs a delivery man for his linen fleet. Blundetto is eager, and his desire for legitimacy doesn't extend to passing up Tony offering to get him an in at the DMV to rubber-stamp a driver's license or his offer to sort out "the union poo poo". Pulling on their coats, they embrace again, Blundetto offering heartfelt gratitude and Tony laughing and accepting it. But when Blundetto walks away, Tony's face falls: THIS is his cousin? His "brother"? His inseparable twin? He doesn't even recognize him anymore.
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Sep 17, 2019 14:36
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AJ is kicked out of the poolhouse by Carmela, who is hosting a film night for her friends including Rosalie, Gabriella, Janice, Adriana and Donna Parisi. In a well-meaning but ultimately shallow attempt to "better" themselves, Carmela has decided they're going to watch movies from the American Film Institute's Top movies list, starting with Citizen Kane. Rosalie despairs to see it is in black and white, while Carmela quotes from Leonard Maltin so they all have a primer on what to expect: great cinematography, music and screen-writing by Orson Welles and Herman J.... something. She puts the video tape in (this show is 20 years old) and they settle in to watch, sitting uncomfortably (Adriana especially) through the FBI piracy warning. 119 minutes later they watch ROSEBUD burn on the sled and the bookended shot of Xanadu and the No Trespassing sign, and Carmela turns the light on to reveal they're all clearly bored out of their minds and just happy to have it over with... with one minor exception, as Adriana has one of the most fantastic takes on Citizen Kane I think I have ever heard:Adriana La Cerva posted:So it was a sled, huh? He should have told somebody. They attempt to discuss the film, Gabriella taking a good stab by pointing out how Kane had all that stuff but died alone. If Carmela, sitting in her giant McMansion surrounded by material goods and nothing but a sulky teenager, notes the parallels, she gives no sign, just cracking a joke about how he deserved it, clearly seeing more of Kane in Tony than herself. Rosalie gives a blunter assessment of the film though, she hated it. She thought Kane was conceited (true!) but... that's all she has to offer. They sit in silence, and Carmela awkwardly falls back on Leonard Maltin by bringing up the cinematography, safe waters they can all leap into since an expert already told them it was fine. But the awkward silence soon returns, saved only when Donna eagerly provides them with some gossip about Laura Basi, who clearly had some plastic surgery. They cackle with laughter and Rosalie turns the conversation to Carmela's situation, asking how she is doing. She fills them in on the strategies of the lawyers she is using, with one suggesting she is entitled to half of Tony's money under equitable distribution laws. Another lawyer wants her to play hardball and go after Tony's assets, though she admits it is mostly cash and hard to pin down even after her work to set up the trust. Gabriella's well-meaning comment that she could end up with nothing after all these years is not exactly a pleasant thing to hear, so the conversation shifts to generalized bitching about how marriage loses its lustre within a couple of years. Janice agrees, surprising them since she is still a newlywed, and she cracks a great joke about Bobby's failure to find HER rosebud.   Of course of all the women in the room, Adriana is the only one not married, and it isn't exactly cheerful news for her that the best she can look forward to is at most 2-3 years of attention before Christopher gets bored with her and she becomes another wine-drinking bitter New Jersey housewife. Her despondency continues through to a meeting with Agent Sanseverino, where she picks at her croissant and complains about the bitterness of the wives. Sanseverino isn't particularly interested, asking questions about Carmine's funeral (Adriana says she didn't know him, a non-answer to if she went) and giving a brusque,"No" when asked if she has kids. Adriana tries to continue talking about movie night, trying to turn Sanseverino into a friend she can just chat with, but Sanseverino shifts straight into the Blundetto homecoming party instead. Agitated and ready to snap, Adriana complains that she only ever thinks about work and doesn't care about her in the slightest, alarming Sanseverino who knows an informant has to be handled carefully. Mental wheels turning in her head, she picks out the most appropriate thing she can think of and tells a concise version (possibly true, possibly not) about being married to another Agent who joined another task force, moved to Los Angeles and jumped a paygrade without her all while she thought they were committed to getting pregnant. This hits ALL the marks for Adriana (which makes me suspect it's largely bullshit thought up on the fly), covering marriage, betrayal, pregnancy etc. She immediately feels for Sanseverino, but is let down when she immediately attempts to go back to their work. Bitching, Adriana demands to know what she gets out of betraying her friends and family, and hilariously outright dismisses with a roll of her eyes Sanseverino's attempt to remind her she is doing something good and right by helping her Government. So again Sanseverino offers up a personal tidbit, which again could just be made up from whole cloth. It's another story that seems designed to hit all the right notes for Adriana: a sister's boyfriend who stole their tv, traded it for guns, sold some to a high school kid and shot a coconut with a sixth which caused a ricochet that left her sister a paraplegic. It would only be better if there was a sad little puppy in there somewhere too. Sanseverino claims this was what gave her the motivation to join the FBI to stop people like this who hurt her sister, and now Adriana is also with the "good guys". Adriana literally cries at this line, exactly the kind of motivational upper she needed. Tony B arrives at Satriale's where he finds Silvio, Vito and Paulie playing poker. They crack jokes about not expecting a linen delivery or his inability to pay his debts when he asks to join in their game. This of course sets him off on a series of wisecracks that gets them all guffawing even as he takes shots at each of them in turn with rapid-fire puns and comical insults (likening Paulie to "loving Grandpa Munster over here" is my favorite). Paulie notices the table he brought in and asks if it is for drying shirts, and Tony B explains it is a massage chair. They exchange looks, and moments later we cut to an ecstatic Vito getting a massage while an exhilarated Paulie enjoys the freedom of movement he is feeling in his back and neck after his own massage and Silvio is as relaxed as we've ever seen him sitting on a nearby table. Tony B continues to crack wise at Vito's expense, but unlike with Ralphie Vito isn't offended or revolted by the cruelty because it feels good natured AND it is accompanied by a life-changing massage. Tony enters the room to this scene, shocked by what he is seeing while his top men rave about the quality of his cousin's massages. Blundetto cracks jokes at his own expense about learning to ease another man's tensions in prison, and Tony - still uncertain but reading the room as relaxed and good-humored - makes his own crack about leaving for an hour and coming back to a slumber party. Unfortunately, Blundetto's joke about waking up on the wrong side of the bed immediately rubs Tony the wrong way, and he quietly demands Blundetto join him outside for a moment. Outside, he is livid, having mistaken Blundetto's use of a common expression for a comment about who he is sleeping with. He refuses to accept Blundetto's insistence there was nothing mean intended, ranting about the fat jokes at the Bada Bing, and finally the truth comes out as he snarls that things have changed around here because he is now the Boss of the Family. There it is. The same thing that enraged him about Richie Aprile and also Janice's first return. Tony hates being reminded of a time when he was something less than all-powerful, his own self-loathing is projected onto these people who knew him before and weren't around as he changed and grew and became the top dog (his mother was the latter but she was a special, unassailable case). At heart he's still a chubby little kid and he hates seeing (or percieving) that reflected in the eyes of others. His cousin Tony Blundetto was his best friend and like a brother to him, but he has returned with the same mindset he had about Tony 15 years ago: an equal, somebody to joke around and break balls with, but the gratitude and love he has shown Tony for his assistance is the gratitude and love of a friend for another friend and not an underling for a loving God/Superior. For Blundetto's part, having this giant, snarling man in his face shouting at him to know his place leads to a moment, a blink and you miss it point where the years roll back and you see the barest hint of the rising star who was feared as an enforcer. "You're crowding me," he mutters, eyes locked with Tony's, not backing down an inch. But as mentioned earlier he's also learned control in prison, and so he just holds his ground and accepts Tony's order that he not make fun of him anymore. Tony, feeling awkward and unsettled now after yet again his sudden explosion of rage/loss of control has failed to satisfy, looks about and grumbles that there will be no more "massage poo poo" inside, a further attempt to stamp his authority down that just makes his grip look shakier. He walks back inside, leaving Blundetto still with that fixed stern look on his face before he stops holding his breath, releasing his own tension. This is not the return he expected.   At Crazy Horse ahead of opening, Tina watches as Adriana goes through the receipts, asking if she declares all of it? "Most of it" giggles Adriana and they share a laugh, though Tina - who has already openly told her about how she embezzles for the other company she does books for - reminds her she wouldn't have to declare all of it if SHE did the books. Christopher arrives in a bad mood after repeatedly having his bill rejected by the cigarette machine, complaining he's been at it for an house, which triggers Tina to smirk that she beats he can go longer than an hour. Intrigued, Christopher "flirtingly" asks why she talks like a whore, and Tina openly offers back that it's because men like it. Christopher has to agree, and can't take his eyes off of her as she sips her martini and never breaks eye contact. Adriana returns with a fresh bill, glaring daggers at him, and not happy with Tina either who just offers her an innocent shrug. At the Bada Bing as Silvio and Christopher play pool, Tony is slightly too enthusiastically insisting that life has never been better for him as he goes out when he wants, fucks who he wants, comes home drunk etc. Silvio, not intending any humor, asks him what is different from when he and Carmela were together and Tony has to admit that nothing has actually changed in his day-to-day life outside of "a mindset", not taking that extra step to consider whether maybe Carmela has good reason to be pissed at him. Unfortunately his good mood quickly disappears when Patsy shows up relieved to find him, and gives him warning to stop going up around Fairfield where he knows his current goomar lives. He explains that he was meeting a cop "friend" up there who warned him that he saw a couple of men parked outside of the Napoleon diner a couple of weeks ago, and suspecting they were "fags" he ran their plates and got back a "no hit". They all know that means the FBI, worrying Tony who knows for certain he wasn't followed the last time he went up to Napoleon's... which means they must have been following Massarone. This is of great concern, unlike the belligerent Prosecutor Castleman Tony knows how huge having a guy like Massarone would be for the FBI, if he flipped Tony would be hosed. Pausing for a moment he quickly amends that to they would ALL be hosed, not wanting them to think he's only thinking of himself. Silvio reminds him they have a girl who works where the Grand Jury meets so they'd know if he'd been called in to testify, which means they can't be certain if Massarone is just being followed or if he's already working with the Feds. That doesn't give Tony much relief, because plenty of tougher guys than Massarone have been flipped in the past. Silvio, Patsy and Christopher wait for guidance but Tony is unsure what to do, caught in the vexing situation of Massarone not only being a goldmine for them but also the fact he's personally grown to like him. But now he's viewing everything in a fresh context, was the painting just a friendly gesture or an attempt to curry favor/allay suspicion? He hates that he can't just take things at their face value, so Silvio suggests he arrange a meeting to feel Jack out. But Tony insists he be the one to do it, he is the only one who really knows how Massarone acts and thinks. He points out his father was good at "vibing people out" and Tony has that skill too, and now that he's looking for it he is confident he will pick up if Massarone is up to something. Massarone meets with Tony at a fast food place, though Tony has to pause first to take a call from Carmela, livid that he has removed the components from the home theater. Unable to help himself, Tony rages back hypocritically that he bought that home theater for them to enjoy as a family, again trying to somehow make out like the collapse of their marriage if her fault even after admitting to Silvio he was whoring and drinking and coming home at all hours even before the separation. He flies into a rage when she, venting her own anger, says she is pursuing a legal separation agreement, and he roars that he won't pay for a lawyer when they should be able to settle things between themselves. "THEN STOP TAKING poo poo OUT OF THE HOUSE!" she snaps, hanging up, knowing how this must look to her (very gossipy) friends. Tony has to regain control of himself, trying to settle his nerves before getting out and asking Jack to take a walk. Once Massarone is out of his car, Tony hugs him tight, wraps an arm around him as they walk, almost blatantly feeling him for a wire. He offers incredibly vague "news" that "our friend who celebrates Hanukkah says it is in the works", thanks Massarone for his observation that he has lost a little weight, then tries to feel him out both verbally and physically, even at one point straight up asking Jack if he was followed. Their short meeting over, Tony returns to the Bada Bing where he angrily, in direct contrast to his earlier confidence, admits that he couldn't tell poo poo.   Settling down at his desk, he fumes as Christopher asks what their next move is, and Silvio notices that something is on his mind. Tony ponders, and finally admits that Massarone asked if he'd lost weight. Silvio and Christopher wince, while it isn't something they'd like to bring up, it's VERY obvious Tony hasn't lost any weight, and Tony grasps that this probably isn't simple flattery on Jack's behalf. The phone rings and Silvio is startled by the volume of the person on the other end, handing it over to Tony. It's Mr. Kim, the Korean who gave Blundetto a job, furious about something he did to one of the linen trucks. Tony, in no mood to deal with this, snaps at Kim to fire him if he wants and hangs up. Christopher considers and suggests Blundetto could handle Massarone if Tony decides to go that way. Tony, who just screamed at Kim to fire Blundetto from his legit job if he wanted, now screams at Christopher for trying to gently caress with a man who is just trying to go straight! Completing the whiplash trifecta, Tony then bitterly offers a,"gently caress him, guy's loving useless to me" about his beloved "brother". He leaves in a huff, and a confused Christopher asks if this is a yes on Massarone? Silvio simply notes that Tony has his own process, which is half true and half his bullshit way of saying he hasn't got a loving clue what his Boss is thinking. Meanwhile Carmela's second film club meeting has been an enormous success since instead of watching Casablanca they just drank wine and gossipped. She is still determined to get the home system back, until Janice checks the next movie on the list and they all quietly cringe to hear it is The Godfather. Rosalie and Adriana head outside to smoke cigarettes, Rosalie commenting on the bear that had been up there recently. Adriana proves her still surprising naivete by asking why Angie Bonpensiero doesn't come to these things, and is surprised by the contempt in Rosalie's voice when she grunts that she isn't welcome. Why? Because Pussy went into the witness protection program. Whether she believes that or not is irrelevant, it just seems that Angie is tarred by the same brush that made Pussy an un-person. Adriana of course is only hearing that anybody who works with the FBI is a traitor and a monster and trash, as Rosalie sneers that even Judas had the decency to commit suicide after betraying Jesus instead of going into the "Apostle Protection Program". Spotting that Adriana is shivering, Rosalie assumes it's due to the cold and heads back inside. Tony sits at "home" drunk. Perhaps Carmela was right to think of him when watching Citizen Kane, because for all his money and power Tony cuts a lonely, pathetic figure. Drunk, in an undershirt, he staggers about the room trying to find a spot to put the painting Massarone gave him, trying to find pleasure in it like he did when first given. Even more pathetic though? The home he is in is Livia's. With Bobby's home now Janice's as well, it freed up Livia's old place and now this is where he lives, in the same house his monstrous mother haunted him from for the last few years of her life. Adriana knocks back the wine as Carmela and the other wives all talk about what a wonderful support program they have, how much they love each other etc. Adriana, who just heard Rosalie sneer with contempt at one of the women who was formerly a beloved member of this circle, breaks down into tears, alarming everybody. Struggling to articulate, desperate to unburden through confession but knowing the cost if she does, she manages to get out that she's not what they think, that there's something driving her crazy she needs to tell them. But to her their concerned looks are judgmental glares, and she rushes out of the room in a panic. Rosalie reminds them she's been drinking like crazy and they rush out after her as she stumbles down the driveway and trips and falls flat on her face. They try to help her but she pulls clear and leaps into her car, driving away as they stand watching, confused, concerned, upset but also a little irritated, what was her problem?  Tony, tired of staring drunkenly at the painting on the mantel, grabs his Motorola and calls Blundetto's, which has a,"We Are The Champions" ringtone. Tony B answers, as confused (and irritated) and concerned as Carmela and the others were with Adriana, it's 3 in the morning why is he calling? Tony jokes that he wanted to test the phone was working, then lets him know that Kim has it out for him. Blundetto seems unconcerned, admitting he rubs him the wrong way, and Tony cracks wise that he shouldn't be a massuese then. For once his quick wit fails him as Tony B takes a bit too long to get the joke, and Tony takes the opportunity to admit why he really called. He feels bad about ripping into him the other day, and wants to clarify that when it is just the two of them they can break balls and kid around like the old days... just not in public or around the others. So basically, like with his marriage, Tony wants it both ways. Blundetto accepts this though, admitting he is the Boss, and now Tony leaps from friend to authority again by warning him he can't say things like that over the phone. Blundetto, just wanting to get some sleep, makes a silent appeal before biting his tongue and apologizing. With that out of the way, Tony just wants to chat now, they're just two dudes back on their own again (and both living in their mothers' houses) and Blundetto assures him he knows he can get back with Carmela if he really wants. Tony decides to vent about how she goes from zero to bitch, and an exhausted Blundetto takes the opportunity to remind him he has to be up in two hours to go work.... but Tony is also his best friend and he wants him to know he will be there for him, so if he needs to talk he will stay up. Tony cracks a sardonic joke but he also seems somewhat touched, and insists Blundetto go to sleep. The genuine show of affection seems to have triggered something, and after using the bathroom he pauses at the mirror and removes his shirt, looking at his obvious lack of weight loss, sensing the artificiality of Massarone's observation at last. Driving through the early morning darkness, he tosses the painting out of the window from the Pulaski Skyway and into the river. A few hours later a sadder, less impressive review of the FBI's current operations unfold. Cubitoso arrives to inspect the corpse of Jack Massarone, jammed into the boot of a car with a golf-club cover stuffed into his mouth to give an obvious message: he has been silenced. Ray Curto is still handing over tapes but continuing to complain about his compensation, insisting that his son's MS treatment is expensive. Agent Grasso is not impressed, reminding him he promised to record a Making Ceremony for them and still hasn't delivered. But the most important is saved for last. A still depressed Adriana sits in the car with Sanseverino, uninterested in the Agent's attempts to get confirmation that Vito Spatafore is now running Ralph Cifaretto's construction business. She lights up a cigarette in the car, a "second generation air bag" sticker on the window no guarantee is isn't a repurposed one, and comes to a decision. At the start of the episode, one brief confirmation for her kicked the FBI into action, and now she intends to do it deliberately. She has something interesting for Sanseverino, she knows somebody who is ripping off her employer for at least 100k. This sparks the Agent's interest, and Adriana continues to dish the details: this woman works for a furniture wholesaler, making up vendors and writing them real checks for her partner to cash. Is that a Federal Crime? Over a 100 grand in fraudulent checks certainly gets the FBI's interest, and Sanseverino takes down the details. The company is Brettler and Sons Imports and the partner is Victor who is also the father of the bookkeeper... one Tina Francesco. And just like that, Adriana La Cerva has finally regained some small measure of power/control in her life.  Season 5: Two Tonys | Rat Pack | Where's Johnny? | All Happy Families... | Irregular Around the Margins | Sentimental Education | In Camelot | Marco Polo | Unidentified Black Males | Cold Cuts | The Test Dream | Long Term Parking | All Due Respect Season 1 | Season 2 | Season 3 | Season 4 | Season 5 | Season 6.1 | Season 6.2 Jerusalem fucked around with this message at 14:42 on Apr 23, 2020 |
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Sep 17, 2019 14:36
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Babish is on the Sopranos kick this week. I made baked ziti (well, penne) last night and it sure as hell didn't look as good as Carm's: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c_BGPTK3GQk
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Sep 17, 2019 16:31
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I'm beginning to think I'm the only person who enjoyed the Tony B plot.
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Sep 17, 2019 17:26
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Ungratek posted:I'm beginning to think I'm the only person who enjoyed the Tony B plot. It feels both simultaneously shoehorned in but also enjoyable and well done? I love the scenes with him, Angelo, and Rusty. Frankie Valli is hilarious on this show.
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Sep 17, 2019 17:55
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This is the season I have examined the least, so I am especially digging these write-ups. Jerusalem, you really should turn this into a book when you're done. These are just so loving good.
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Sep 17, 2019 18:05
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Ungratek posted:I'm beginning to think I'm the only person who enjoyed the Tony B plot. Nah, I don't think so. I liked it. The only downside is Tony B coming out of nowhere. I mean, Steve Buscemi is unsurprisingly really good in the role, there's a lot of drama, he's got an arc. It's just he springs fully formed from the brow of David Chase without much warning. I think we only comment on it because the rest of the show is comparatively so tightly constructed. As Jerusalem says Ralphie suddenly showing up two seasons in makes sense (he was in the Aprile crew, probably handling their Florida 'trade,' he would absolutely lie about being close to somebody even if he was just an annoying hang around, etc) whereas it doesn't for Tony B, and I'd forgotten all about Kelly which stretches things even further. Dawgstar fucked around with this message at 18:13 on Sep 17, 2019 |
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Sep 17, 2019 18:10
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Dawgstar posted:It's just he springs fully formed from the brow of David Chase without much warning. I think we only comment on it because the rest of the show is comparatively so tightly constructed. I think it's doubly noticeable coming right after Seasons 3 and 4. Like Jerusalem pointed out at the end of his Whitecaps write-up, those two felt particularly cohesive due to storylines starting in the earlier season and not wrapping up until much later, with lots of smaller arcs cropping up here and there and getting resolved in the span of a few episodes. Just when it felt like The Sopranos had grown beyond the issues of season-to-season serialization that plague every show, it dives right back in by rewriting history to bring in new featured players to draw out a new plot.
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Sep 17, 2019 19:03
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Rosalie Aprile posted:Apostle Protection Program I think Rosalie might low key be the funniest character in the show.
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Sep 17, 2019 20:51
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I wonder what happens if Adriana comes clean to the wives right then. You've got several mob wives who would then know exactly what her situation is and would certainly be less apt to accept the "oh she must've gone into witness protection" explanation if Adriana up and disappears, and I wonder if it's possible that they could've brought the matter straight to Tony and worked something out where it would not have had to end the way it does for her. I guess what I'm asking is, if Tony/Sil had to look their wives right in the face and tell them they murdered Adriana, would they still do it?
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Sep 17, 2019 20:52
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they would never have to admit that, carmela/silvio's wife are not going to press them on it. They know which topics not to get too curious about.
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Sep 17, 2019 21:01
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Your Gay Uncle posted:I think Rosalie might low key be the funniest character in the show. Fuckin' nosy? Eat your manicotti!
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Sep 17, 2019 21:07
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No Wave posted:they would never have to admit that, carmela/silvio's wife are not going to press them on it. They know which topics not to get too curious about. Even if Adriana comes to them directly for help? You're probably right but I can't help but be curious how the wives would've handled the situation had Adriana come clean right then and there. Would they have run straight to their husbands and told on her? Gone to Tony but to ask for leniency for Adriana? I just wonder how they'd respond to a really dangerous crisis like that where a friend comes to them for help. And if they did decide to try to help her out of the situation, would Tony still jump straight to the most extreme solution or would he go along with a compromise?
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Sep 17, 2019 21:13
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Pope Corky the IX posted:Fuckin' nosy? Eat your manicotti! https://youtu.be/yauvR70OPB8?t=17 I like Tony B as a character and as a reflection of what Tony S could have been but I do think his introduction was very mishandled and uncharacteristically sloppy. They mentioned Feech a few times in the previous seasons so you have some familiarity with him and his place in the shows history but Tony B just shows up. I suppose it would make sense that no one would mention Tony B around Tony S ( gently caress this is alot of Tony's) because he would probably snap at anyone who did because of all the guilt.
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Sep 17, 2019 21:39
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They would just kill Adriana in a public manner that gives them deniability. Car jacking or drug overdose or something. It would be very out of place to let a snitch live given everything else in the show
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Sep 17, 2019 21:51
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https://twitter.com/BillCorbett/status/1174096023247101952?s=19
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Sep 18, 2019 02:15
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JethroMcB posted:I think it's doubly noticeable coming right after Seasons 3 and 4. Like Jerusalem pointed out at the end of his Whitecaps write-up, those two felt particularly cohesive due to storylines starting in the earlier season and not wrapping up until much later, with lots of smaller arcs cropping up here and there and getting resolved in the span of a few episodes. Just when it felt like The Sopranos had grown beyond the issues of season-to-season serialization that plague every show, it dives right back in by rewriting history to bring in new featured players to draw out a new plot. It might not feel as organic as I would like but seasons 5 and 6 are still fantastic TV. I think it would annoy me more but for that but the performances of Buscemi, Vincent, etc are all quite good. Of course that's helped by the show having generally tight writing.
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Sep 18, 2019 02:28
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Fantastic writeup. Did anyone else think that the painting might have been bugged??
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Sep 18, 2019 03:24
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Jerusalem posted:Tony declaring confidently he has a knack for picking up on if somebody has flipped, meeting Jack Massarone and then coming back to the Bada-Bing and going,"I couldn't figure out poo poo!" always cracks me up, especially after his painfully obvious "friendly" hugs to check him for a wire. the punchline to this is that tony finally figures out massarone has flipped because jack says tony looks like he's losing weight, and tony realises the guy was trying to distract him, because they both know he's gained weight lol
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Sep 18, 2019 07:48
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