There's nothing I can write about The Sopranos that millions haven't already written, most of which are written more eloquently or intellectually, I'm sure. The Sopranos is definitely the show I consider "the best ever created," even though it's not my absolute favorite show. The Sopranos would come in at number two or three. Still, this Wednesday, January 10th, The Sopranos will officially turn 25 years old, so I wanted to post something about this fantastic series.
I grew up in the shadow of New York City and "came of age" (as they say) when The Sopranos aired on HBO. I'm Italian-American myself and married to an Italian-American. Where we both grew up, we were surrounded by many friends and neighbors of Italian descent with stereotypical New York attitudes. My wife and I often say watching The Sopranos makes us feel at home. We recognize certain types of personalities and people that we can understand. Maybe not the organized crime part, but the short tempers, brash, in-your-face humor, big meals, and loud mouths remind us of someone, someplace, or something from back home. Especially today, so many of us long for the "simplicity" of our pre-9-11 lives.
When the two of us see the homes, cars, and clothing in a style and decor we are so familiar with, it takes us right back to that era of the late 90s and early 2000s. I've read that the things you are into in high school (music, movies, television, etc) are the ones that will likely stay with you through the long haul. I'd agree that's true, and I know several people who still dress like it's 1988. I certainly don't know who today's new musicians or actors are. We find what we like and where we fit and stick to our little niche because it's comfortable. Heck, it's why nostalgia is so big.
I have to be honest with you all about something, though. I didn't watch The Sopranos during its initial run on HBO.
My parents didn't have HBO, and it wasn't until I was in college that I could watch bits and pieces through my stolen (allegedly) cable setup. The first episode I had ever watched from start to finish was actually the infamous final episode in 2007 in the basement apartment I was renting at the time in West Islip, New York. I had been able to watch bits and pieces of other episodes in hotels on the road at work, but the only one I can remember from start to finish was the finale.
Regardless, I felt like I knew the show well enough. I was an avid listener to Opie and Anthony and Ron and Fez, broadcast from 102.7 WNEW in New York (and later XM Satellite Radio), and both of my favorite radio programs would recap each episode in detail. It was like office water cooler talk for thousands of people simultaneously.
Ron and Fez even had a promotion sponsored by Iceland Air that was a sort of Sopranos Trivia contest in which they'd pick something obscure from the episode the night before as a trivia question to ensure you paid close attention to the episode. The odd little things one remembers.
Since both shows would talk about The Sopranos so much, I felt like I knew enough to understand the story. Boy, was I wrong! As much as I enjoyed their humorous recaps each week when I finally watched the show, I couldn't get enough of it. When the credits rolled at the end of the episode, I'd always yearn for more. I wanted to binge-watch the show before binge-watching was a thing.
In 2009, I was unemployed for several months after getting laid off from my first airline. I decided I needed a routine to prevent myself from getting bored and depressed, so I started going out for a morning jog at 8am. Shortly after starting this routine, I discovered that when I returned from my 5-mile jaunt, I'd have just enough time to shower, grab some food, and turn on A&E for the 10am showing of The Sopranos. I don't know precisely when A&E started showing The Sopranos, but I was glad they did. Part of me wants to say I saw advertisements and started right at the beginning, but I think it's more likely I came in somewhere around the end of the first season.
The content of each episode was heavily edited for daytime cable, of course, but I got the gist. I also think it may have only run through the series once before A&E stopped showing it, but by then, I was employed again and found myself so busy that I forgot that it was even on.
When my wife and I were first married, we splurged and got the most expensive television package on DirecTV, including HBO, since we both never had anything like that before. We eventually realized we watched maybe four channels and dropped down to the basic package, but we kept HBO, where we binge-watched The Sopranos repeatedly through HBO's On Demand service. Since cutting the cord, we own the series on both DVD and digital, so we can watch them whenever we want.
To this day, Sopranos reminds us of the strong New York Italian attitude that doesn't much exist in the entertainment or public sphere anymore, other than to be ridiculed, shamed, or made a joke.
In an effort to put some sort of tribute up to the greatest television show of all time, I thought I'd post my Top 5 Sopranos episodes. They might not be the "best" or most critically acclaimed, but they are the 5 episodes I happily watch over and over again. They are primarily based on emotion or feeling, but I'll do my best to explain why I chose each episode.
By the way, am I the only one who can only ever read or hear "Christopher" in Adrianna's voice? CHRIS-TAH-FAH!
5. "Pine Barrens" - May 6th, 2001
This episode is at the top of most people's lists, making number 5 on mine for the same reasons as everyone else. Pauly is probably my favorite character in the series, and seeing him slowly unravel in the woods with Christopher is a masterpiece of storytelling and acting. The looming threat of an angry Tony (and even angrier murderous Russian) hovers over them.
Other stories woven throughout this classic include a very sick Meadow catching Jackie Jr. cheating on her and Tony discovering that he once again fell for a woman (Gloria) who is depressed, unstable, and manipulative, just like his mother.
4. "Christopher" - September 29th, 2002
One scene, and one scene alone, allows this episode to make my list. It's a reasonably benign scene, but after some Googling, I realized I'm not alone in loving it. At a luncheon designed to instill pride in Italian-American women, Rosalie Aprile responds to a woman who gawks at Carmella when the speaker tries to disassociate Italian culture from the mafia. She gives the chin flick, the finger, the sit-and-spin, and the turn-around hand gesture all in one. I freakin' love it!
I don't know when I first saw this, but it's wedged itself into my brain, and when dealing with the general public, it's a moment I'm forced to think about frequently.
Also, in this episode, Silvio and the boys want to fight the Native Americans at a Columbus Day Parade while Bobby's wife Karen is killed in an auto accident. Janice pushes Ralphie down the stairs, and Silvio gets mad at Tony when Tony refuses to allow any action taken at the protest because Tony believes not everyone belongs to some victimized group.
3. "Soprano Home Movies" - April 8th, 2007
It is one of several episodes in this series with beautiful scenery; I think I like this episode more for the setting than the content. That gorgeous lakeside cabin in the woods makes me drool, while Bobby's beautiful polished wood boat makes me want to start boat shopping. I would do an awful lot for a lakeside cabin setup like that. Unfortunately, the sense of dread with an impending gang war and the series coming to a close hangs over the episode.
There's also the infamous line from Bobby that comes from his conversation with Tony while fishing and discussing how quickly and silently death comes for those in their lifestyle. "You probably don't even hear it when it happens, right?" Now, decades later, (SPOILER) series creator David Chase has confirmed that Tony dies in the final scene that so famously goes to black silence... he never heard it coming.
Also, Phil Leotardo retires after being released from the hospital with heart problems. A flashback to the scene two years earlier, when Tony escapes from the FBI raid at Johnny Sack's house, comes back to bite him as a child found the gun he tossed away and killed someone with it. The FBI included this new charge in the RICO case. Tony, somewhat out of anger, decides that Bobby must make his first kill, so Bobby makes a hit on someone up in Montreal.
2. "College" - February 7th, 1999
The beautiful scenery in this episode helps set the tone of a lovely, serene weekend where Tony and Meadow are just father and daughter looking at colleges in and around New England. It is directly in contrast to the end of the episode when we watch Tony murder someone for the first time. When stopped for gas, Tony thinks he sees someone who looks familiar, and it turns out the man he sees is a former "associate" turned government witness. The snitch went into hiding and hadn't been seen in over a decade.
Meadow takes the opportunity during a quiet moment in the car to ask her father if he's in the mafia. Tony, nearly choking on his cigar, lies and says that he's in waste management, and it's a sick stereotype that an Italian in waste management is in the mob. He then admits that "some" of his money comes from illegal gambling before Meadow rolls her eyes and drops it.
Also, Carmella "accidentally" allows Father Phil to spend the night after he shows up for free food and the use of Tony's surround sound theater system. The two fall asleep on the couch after a night of heavy sexual tension. The two were about to kiss before Father Phil threw up from drinking too much wine... or maybe fear of sleeping with the mob boss' wife. Carmella also finds out that Tony's therapist is a woman after Tony had insinuated it was a man.
This episode was only the fifth of the series, but it was the first time we saw Tony as the ruthless villain. He hunted down and choked a guy with wire while he was supposed to be out at college touring with his daughter, and it was one of the first times I, and many others, realized we were all rooting for the bad guy. He was a likable, loveable man with a family that has many of the same problems we all do... except he's a cold-blooded killer and pathological liar who shouldn't be trusted.
1. "The Knight in White Satin Armor" - April 2nd, 2000
There are a few episodes in every series that I seem to find myself putting on all the time, and this is one of them. It often happens by choice, but sometimes it's a subconscious action. Somehow, though, it seems my remote leads me to this one every time I randomly scroll through the list of episodes.
I've always found Janice's character infuriating. On the flip side, I've thought that any episode with Tony's mom, Livia, is a good one. Nancy Marchand was absolutely hysterical (and scary) with her downright brutal honesty, manipulativeness, and sarcasm. I've often found brutally mean people to be quite funny. This is why I was such a fan of Opie and Anthony and comics like Jim Norton back in the day. I often find humor in the delivery, regardless of how mean the things they say are.
Richie Aprile is much like many older men I met growing up or spent time with in the late 90s or early 00s. He could be an old neighbor, a friend, or the guy at the grocery store, but they all look, act, and talk like Richie. That soft-spoken rage that suddenly builds to an explosion is terrifying when viewed up close. The scene in which Janice murders Richie and then calls Tony for help is full of suspense. Tony suspects a setup, and I still remember being on the edge of my seat the first time I watched this episode, wondering if it truly was some form of setup. This was also the first time a main character was written off the show, which meant that nobody was truly "safe."
The following day, when Livia comes downstairs just to harass Janice and Tony, tops off the episode just perfectly. I always thought that when Tony puts Janice on a bus and not a plane back home is quite fitting, too.
Also, in this episode, Big Pussy has turned on Tony, and, to mentally get himself past the betrayal, he begins acting as if he is an FBI agent. Carmella stalks Victor, the painter that she's fallen for. She follows him into the paint supply store and tells him that she may be free one day, but she isn't right now. Victor is relieved to see her walk out of his life.
Also, Tony's mistress, Irena, tries to commit suicide after Tony breaks things off. While doing laundry, Carmella smells her perfume on Tony's clothes long after he swore to his wife that he was no longer having affairs. This deepens her own sadness that she didn't go through with her feelings with Vick and had her own affair.
.png)
Comments