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One overarching theme in The Sopranos that still comes to mind to this day is how disingenuous almost every character was. It was a story full of horrible lovely people who went to great lengths to maintain their various images but were really only interested in getting what they wanted out of others, some of them to such an extent that it's a challenge to even call them truly human.
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Mar 17, 2019 18:52
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I have different kinds of favourites but what amazed me about the Sopranos was how awful I felt for finding some parts of it incredibly funny, like when the scene in Curb your Enthusiasm with Larry flouncing around in the bra was on Junior's TV and he thought it was him. Then he thought Geoff from CYE was Bobby.
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Mar 19, 2019 01:38
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Christopher was such a loving bimbo.
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Mar 19, 2019 13:18
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I always remember Melfi reading out Tony's apology letter to her psychiatrist, Elliott. I am reminded of it to this day every time I read something written by a dumb person trying to come across proper. 
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Mar 22, 2019 22:25
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I am re-watching thanks to y'all. It feels strange to watch the same thing more than 10 years later and perceive it so very differently. Two episodes in and I am really surprised by how much was packed into them. Also I had forgotten (or maybe didn't fully appreciate) just how massive an idiot child Christopher is and how much work Tony has to do to suppress the urge to throttle him. Something that really stood out for me was how in episode 2 it seemed like he sat out the botched hijack of one of Junior's trucks not because he had taken the time to consider the potential consequences of his actions, but just out of a shallow reconsideration of his all-important self image and readjustment of his ego - possibly by laying off the coke for a bit as he is in his underwear, holding a beer and has apparently been up all night when Brendan turns up. He is a great portrayal of a person who somehow manages to exist with their head completely up their rear end.
crispix fucked around with this message at 13:23 on Mar 23, 2019 |
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Mar 23, 2019 13:19
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My favourite moment in Anger, Denial, Acceptance is when Artie loses his temper and throws that bit of meat at Tony and for a good 2-3 seconds he is just frozen there with it hanging on his face. Artie realises that he has just thrown food into the face of Tony Soprano. Nothing is said but Artie's relief when Tony throws that first bit of food back at him is so palpable.
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Mar 24, 2019 18:51
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Dawgstar posted:You have to wonder what Tony was thinking. If this had been at the pork store or the Bing, he probably couldn't have let that slide but since he was surrounded by people he didn't especially care about if he looked 'weak' in front of, sure, yeah, food fight. I am pretty sure they were alone in the kitchen? Although as Jerusalem pointed out in his digest of the episode Carmella at some point came along and watched them having a food fight. It's not really clear if she witnessed the argument beforehand? Solice Kirsk posted:Artie is basically Tony's only real friend in the world and I think he holds onto that for the same selfish reasons he holds on to Carmela. He lets Artie get away with tons of poo poo even in public. Even against other made guys. Yeah I feel like this scene is important in telling us about Artie's character. He really is shockingly hotheaded. That's not a bald joke, btw. I am going to watch Pax Soprana and maybe also Down Neck tonight 
crispix fucked around with this message at 20:19 on Mar 24, 2019 |
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Mar 24, 2019 20:15
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Something that I didn't quite pick up on so much when I watched this when I was younger is just how grossly socially inept so many characters in the mob are. It's seen most clearly so far when Mikey is talking about the tailor's grandson's death in graphic detail while the man is standing right in front of him. I guess it reinforces that these people are complete sociopaths with no capacity for empathy. I have to say that it has really surprised me how much of this kind of thing was missed on me when I first watched this. I suppose I was younger and more interested in the superficial aspects of the story. At times though it has almost felt like I am watching a different show. There are still things that I miss, and thanks excellent poster Jerusalem for the episode digests - they really add a lot to this rewatch.
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Mar 26, 2019 20:13
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Was there any significance to AJ trying to swat the fly any time anyone went into his room?
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Mar 28, 2019 22:32
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Mahoning posted:The family therapist is loving hilarious. Amazing delivery of all of his lines. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AQkVMRHyfi4 Such a memorable scene. You could almost swear Melfi's ex husband's actor is on the verge of corpsing at the very end there.
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Mar 29, 2019 21:42
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I just assumed Tony had asked him whose rear end was bigger
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Mar 30, 2019 14:11
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Tony dancing drunk to James Brown is one of my favourite scenes in the whole series and it is amazing how his antics bely the seriousness of what happened that evening https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JYCYonmN9PU I may be way off but my interpretation of what happened at the end of Boca was that Tony made that call to the police happen. I remember putting it together in my head the first time I watched the show that he had had Meadow call the police. I can see that that was a big stretch but I guess it kind of fitted with how he and Meadow have this developing adult understanding with each other and I saw her reactions at the end of the episode in that context - Carmella is in her night clothes but Meadow is still dressed and it seems like she was waiting for him to come home. Also it seems out of character for her to look so worried if her concern was merely that her dad had come home shitfaced. And Jerusalem that was a very interesting analysis of a major theme in the show. It always struck me how the men superficially appear to be affectionate with each other to an extent that would make heterosexual American men (at least in the 1990s) generally uncomfortable yet their definitions of masculinity and opinions on homosexuality are so backward for the time. crispix fucked around with this message at 15:09 on Mar 31, 2019 |
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Mar 31, 2019 14:59
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Scenes with Artie and Tony are so great. One that stands out for great acting is Tony throwing Artie out of the Bada Bing club https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lonfT9ITxhk. Artie doesn't say a word after he has made his case and Tony loses his temper but the way he keeps turning to look at Tony right up until he has the door slammed on him says so much. I can't put my finger on exactly why but I find Artie's little impression of the hat guy when Tony sits back down hilarious. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xv3SeUdRBZM
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Apr 1, 2019 01:39
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It would have broken my heart if Paulie or Silvio had been flipped. They were such a comical double act  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7e9372Gu-8A (this was After Tony got his ear grazed by a bullet from Mikey's hitmen in S1) Have to wonder if the "Safe families" poster was made or at least put there specially
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Apr 5, 2019 20:07
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JethroMcB posted:"Character spends an entire episode having extensive interactions with imaginary figure" is maybe my least favorite TV drama trope - doubly so when the hallucination takes place in a public setting or pulls in other, real characters. It's a testament to how good the rest of this episode is that I can give it a pass here. Tony was off his tits on lithium, OP 
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Apr 8, 2019 22:17
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Thanks for all the write ups, Jerusalem. It has really added a lot to my re-watch - not least that I am pacing myself by waiting for your digest before watching each episode. I had forgotten just how massive a character Livia was. I have actually encountered a personality like hers in life many years ago (thankfully only at work) since I watched the show. This person blew tiny events completely out of proportion and interpreted everything going on as being completely about them and harboured grudges (in many cases for over a decade) over completely trivial things. The scariest thing was how they had a face that hid all the craziness from people they weren't around much but they would gradually "groom" people to try to turn them against the people they resented. They would make themselves out to be a victim in every situation and would even try to tell people they thought they had got close to that they were being abused by their husband and kids at home. Eventually it became a running joke because it was obviously bullshit - it was known that this person actually lived an incredibly pampered life but it ended with them being fired for making death threats about people at work (!). I won't go into what happened after that but they did not take kindly to being brought face to face with the reality that people knew exactly what they were doing. Sorry for the tangent but I had always thought of this person as "Livia" because I recognised the same behaviour that is shown in the character in The Sopranos. On re-watching though there were so many little things that were lost on me the last time I watched because I hadn't encountered this person. It seems to me the character was either based on a real person with such a disorder or they researched whatever the condition is in meticulous detail. The character is so perfectly observed. Sort of brings to mind the question Elliot asked Jennifer in therapy about why we enjoy watching films. The Sopranos by today's standards never mind those of the time has this unique captivating quality because so many of the characters are just so complete. It is fascinating to watch these psychos live their lives and interact but you would never want to be anywhere near anything like them :/ crispix fucked around with this message at 21:41 on Apr 10, 2019 |
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Apr 10, 2019 19:54
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Gandolfini really developed Tony's speech a lot in that first season. By the end of it Tony speaks much more nasally and his diction has become so much poorer - the TH sounds have mostly disappeared and I don't know has become I nuddo. One of the things that really stood out for me in the pilot was how differently he spoke in it.
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Apr 13, 2019 22:01
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Reminds me of when Furio first came over and was talking adorably to the babies Then minutes later you see him going into a brothel and beating the poo poo out of a woman and blowing a guy's knees off.
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Apr 14, 2019 14:56
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That's great that he got the part. I wonder how he is acting wise. I remember the Scatino kid was played by a fantastically bad actor who went on to be in abortion of a television show Nip/Tuck
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Apr 17, 2019 18:10
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I like how Tony always reads the cereal box when he is having breakfast 
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Apr 18, 2019 20:31
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I am really loving season 2. Janice was probably the character in the show who interested me most. Her near overnight transformation from Parvati the hippy perpetual adolescent into Janice the mobster's housewife was funny but it was also blatantly obvious to us at that point that in spite of appearances, just like her mother, she was someone who viewed other people as objects to be used as vehicles to achieve her goals that were driven entirely by greed and envy. From the minute she showed up she was working methodically to achieve a plan she had clearly cooked up in detail at the other side of the continent. I always thought it was as heartwarming as The Sopranos gets that the only thing that saved Tony from Janice was that because she was at least as impulsive as he was, all her plans came to an abrupt end at her own hands.
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Apr 19, 2019 12:33
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The only difference I can really see between Livia and Janice in the way they operated was that Janice was motivated by material greed and envy (I guess this would be debatable - maybe the envy of Tony and Carmella's lifestyle had deeper roots) while Livia was motivated by a need to feel in control of everyone around her. Either way though, they are both going to conspire in separate ways to have their son/brother whacked!
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Apr 19, 2019 19:10
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Also Bobby whose role later on really could not be foreseen. Even in his first appearance he seems like such a tragically misplaced person 
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Apr 20, 2019 00:37
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Always struck me how Tony's parenting incorporated his mafioso tactical thinking - "if she realises we're powerless, we're hosed!". Also Meadow's little smirk and strut away from the situation where she should have faced consequences for her actions but actually dictated the terms of her own punishment is priceless.
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Apr 20, 2019 18:18
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Paulie loves to repeat his jokes. He is such a loving nutter
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Apr 20, 2019 20:13
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code:crispix fucked around with this message at 21:16 on Apr 20, 2019 |
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Apr 20, 2019 21:12
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Parvati Vishnu posted:I'm petitioning the state department but they still have me on their enemy radicals list so... 
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Apr 21, 2019 13:56
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Borrowed Ladder posted:The part about 'how's your sister" always bumped me because Tony says, " I thought you are baiting me. Ya know like,how's your sister, gently caress your mother" like that's a common set up for a diss "Your sister's oval office" or just plain "your sister" is used with frequency in the show as one of the very strongest insults. I don't know how you could have missed that.
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Apr 21, 2019 20:18
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Kevyn posted:I like that flashback scene in the Christmas episode where he plays a very unconvincing 12 year old version of Jackie Jr. His dad is very proud to show off that his large adult son knows the capital of Canada. It is amazing how many people think it's Toronto, though https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YCzSUJv2kho Okay that's pretty bad. The way they have Christopher dressed, too. Also I could never believe in the flashbacks because after the first series Gandolfini got so much fatter and lost the hair from his pate.
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Apr 23, 2019 21:36
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pentyne posted:I actually did not believe you so I checked. Hope Vitali Baganov is still in the acting game when I am casting for Theresa May in my film Brexit: How a Country hosed Itself.
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Apr 23, 2019 22:22
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banned from Starbucks posted:Having grown up around a few Jackie Jrs I can say he nailed that role perfectly. banned from Starbucks Paulie?  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_yoSRcHna0
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Apr 23, 2019 23:49
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I don't want to ruin the rewatch but holy crap the heavy handed product placement of Ramlösa in Bust Out https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZXcBvq2Jscw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LEMBO2nkCwI And my favourite: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qrgm0i2uU2U&t=20s I really get the feeling Ventimiglia was deliberately hamming it up in that scene 
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Apr 25, 2019 15:21
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BiggerBoat posted:I had a god damned weird sex dream about Janice. How long had you been in the can for?
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Apr 26, 2019 00:12
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John Carter Hensley's acting in that episode was hilarious - it even stood out like a sore thumb to me the first time I saw it. The actor was visibly self-conscious about having to sing and oh my that little angry mince out of the room Also I swear at this point in the show you can almost see Gandolfini getting fatter between episodes.
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Apr 26, 2019 19:52
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He already looked like a guy who enjoyed his food. I wonder if any alcohol was consumed during his drunk scenes. I don't think I have seen an actor act drunk better than Gandolfini. The whole spectrum from slightly mellowed out with a beer in front of the TV drunk to completely off his tits, crashing around the house, dancing the Camel Walk at his bewildered wife before passing out on the floor drunk and everything in between. He was amazing 
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Apr 26, 2019 20:56
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He's a real sick gently caress when he's gamblin', op.
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Apr 28, 2019 01:02
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Big Puss never made it to the cemetery   I wonder if Vito's kid spent time there.
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Apr 29, 2019 20:37
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Ya look like a Poota-Reecan hoo-ah 
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May 1, 2019 19:55
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I always thought this was a great episode and not just because of the scene with Chris Tardio in his underpants  I didn't actually get the other dimension of the jacket that Jerusalem outlined. I always just saw it as Richie trying to come to terms with Tony's authority: he could accept him in his position if he wore the jacket because this symbolised to Richie and the world at large that Richie could see off Tony if we wanted to - instead he was being the great peacemaker. Jerusalem's interpretation is much more interesting though. Whatever the truth of it, it is possibly my favourite example of a recurring theme in the show - that is, just how seriously these psychos take such ostensibly utterly trivial and petty things.
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May 2, 2019 19:32
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| # ¿ Apr 29, 2024 12:49 |
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I think what I picked up on was how Tony reacted to the jacket. I suppose it's great that we never actually hear him talk to anyone about it (?) and so are left to draw our own conclusions about what it meant to him.
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May 2, 2019 20:49
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