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crispix posted:Reminds me of when Furio first came over and was talking adorably to the babies Tony gave Furio that job specifically to “test” his savagery because he was acting all fruity at the party with the baby talk and the AMC.
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Apr 14, 2019 20:08
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| # ? May 24, 2024 11:55 |
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“Analyze This?” It’s a loving comedy! 
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Apr 14, 2019 23:33
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Kevyn posted:Tony gave Furio that job specifically to “test” his savagery because he was acting all fruity at the party with the baby talk and the AMC. After seeing him smack around a small child in Naples for setting off firecrackers? I figured it was because he knew how savage he was and that massage pimp was the perfect target to get the word out. Chris had let things go far enough to where the fear and respect was slipping. When he tried to make excuses it came off as more of the "sorry for being late T" mentality he had about everything else. Saying he didnt know what Tony wanted him to do was just another problem where Tony has to say "Chris take a gun and shoot the guy to teach him a lesson" to get his implication across and thats dangerous talk for him to have to constantly be saying. pentyne fucked around with this message at 23:56 on Apr 14, 2019 |
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Apr 14, 2019 23:54
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While Christopher should have been able to read between the lines, it is kind of understandable given that in the pilot he takes it on himself to murder Emil to send a message to the Czechs, thinking that was what Tony wanted.
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Apr 15, 2019 02:59
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Christopher could do it (he did shoot a civilian in the foot over... nothing) but he chooses his moments to act quite poorly and when he holds back, it’s usually when he could get away with going through with it.
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Apr 15, 2019 20:22
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Its more that Chris has no problem escalating violence when he's acting out in a risky and childish manner. He could've broken the pimp's arm easily and that wouldve solved it. Most of his unsolicited uses of violence in the show, mostly towards Adrianna, are about him losing his temper and taking something personally. Ironic that Tony does the same and doesnt face any actual consequences(also doesnt beat his wife)
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Apr 16, 2019 00:16
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pentyne posted:Its more that Chris has no problem escalating violence when he's acting out in a risky and childish manner. He could've broken the pimp's arm easily and that wouldve solved it. There really is something to be said for the acting chops of Matt* and Sean's actors that they make Christopher look like the stable, experienced one. *Bevilaqua, but he's going by Drinkwater now.
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Apr 16, 2019 12:43
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Season 2, Episode 2 - Do Not ResuscitateBobby Baccalieri posted:To the victor, belongs the spoils Tony waiting, breathing heavily as he tries to keep his temper in check, waiting to see the man who tried to have him killed. Uncle Junior, dressed in prison orange, is escorted into the visiting room where they talk through phones with glass between them. Both are seething at the position they're in: Junior for being essentially powerless, Tony for his failure to kill Junior before the Feds got him and now having to continue to deal with him. Through fake cheer that doesn't hide their anger, they exchange insult: Junior got made to look like an rear end in a top hat as he was manipulated by a little old lady; Tony was going to suffocate his own mother to death with a pillow etc. Despite all that, Junior keeps pushing a singular idea Tony's way, one that Tony continually rejects, that he must make peace with his mother. When Tony dismisses it out of hand, Junior even tries to appeal to his pragmatism: if he makes peace with Livia, it'll end the rumors and dirty talk about Tony and create the needed appearance to both friends and enemies that there is no bad blood in the family. Tony still isn't interested though, the key reason he made this visit was to force Junior to call the top ranked soldier he has left - Bobby "Bacala" Baccalieri - out of hiding to come see Tony. Junior wants to know why but Tony just hangs up and walks out, leaving Junior fuming again at being reminded just how powerless he really is. Jack Massarone is feeling powerless too. One of his construction sites is being blockaded by a group of black protestors, lead by Reverend Herman James Jr who - alongside his father Reverend Herman James Sr - are decrying the lack of diversity in Massarone's joint-fitters. The Junior Reverend is a passionate speaker but his father is something else, as he speaks about black blood being spilled in World War 2, Korea, Vietnam and Iraq but THE MAN keeps screwing them out of fair treatment when they return home. The protestors are spilled into a frenzy as they demand jobs and demand them NOW, leaving a despairing Massarone to retreat into his foreman's office to hide away. Tony is living in domestic bliss, hosing down the driveway in barefeet, Meadow playfully tapping at his ear when she passes him by with the mail. There's a little stormcloud in his sunny day though, Janice spots Meadow and playfully teases Tony by asking Meadow if she wants to come along to see "She who can't be named." She still hasn't grasped just how deep Tony's loathing for his mother goes, and to be fair she has no idea Livia tried to have Tony killed, but it is a pretty lovely thing to be rubbing in his face. However Meadow, who last episode tearfully told Livia that nobody could keep her away, is full of excuses, she has to study her French. Janice, who freely admits she has "regressed" to a teenage attitude, is quite clearly trying to be both the cool Aunt as well as hip and young and doesn't question Meadow's excuses. Tony hauls his hose over so he can confront Janice, tangling it in the hedge as he does so which just adds to his frustration. He wants to know why she had the real estate sign of Livia's house in the backseat of her car, and attempts to stamp the same authority he did with Junior down on her by declaring the house is for sale and that is it, the end of the discussion. Janice though continues not to take his authority seriously or grasp the depth of his rage, only reinforcing his belief that she still views him not as powerful mob boss or family patriarch, but as her fat little brother from their childhood. What he resents the most is that she continues the conversation in a laughing but reasonable way, acknowledging that the sale would happen regardless of sign but pointing out that a friend of hers is willing to take the listing for only half the commission. Where she fucks up is by noting a few thousand dollars might mean nothing to him (like she inadvertently revealed to Barbara, Janice obviously resents Tony's financial success) but it could make a big difference to Livia. "gently caress her!" he snaps and she at least knows when it will be impossible to continue any discussion, so she just gets in the car to drive away. Tony yells at her to park the car in the street the next time she disappears for a week (he's been sitting on his anger from the BBQ for over a week now it seems), determined to get the last word in as he struggles furiously with the tangled hose.   At the hospital, Livia - with no family present - isn't just in a good mood but is pleasant and likeable. Even when she has a complaint, it's provided politely and without any sense of entitlement. She doesn't like the tapioca provided as a desert for her meal but very amicably requests strawberry ice-cream instead of throwing a tantrum or bursting into tears. But when Janice arrives, even though Livia is initially in a good mood she's immediately back to scheming and looking for double-meaning everywhere. She complains that Janice reeks of cigarettes, piteously shows off the bruises from her needle injections, and then accuses Janice of not caring after disappearing for a week after only having returned. Janice tries to explain she was out looking for funding for her self-help video, but Livia is fully ramped up already and sneers that she has always hated not just New Jersey but herself, which is why she ran away. Janice, doing her best to play the dutiful daughter, tries to maintain her cheer but that just sets Livia off further who only did this basic psycho-analysis of Janice so she could contrast it with her own much bigger complaints/problems. She says nobody knows what Johnny Boy put her through, but almost immediately is defending her "saint" of a husband as she puts on the fake tears again to lament how much it would hurt him to see her abandoned by the family. The nurse returns with the strawberry ice-cream, barely gone even 5 minutes only to find the cheerful woman she left behind now insisting they just open the window and shove her out to her death to end all their suffering. She's bewildered, looking to Janice for explanation (and blame?), and Livia accuses her of trying to steal her house. Livia wails that she hopes Janice has children one day who treat her like this so she'll know the pain that Livia is feeling. Janice immediately goes ice-cold, and though we won't learn of it just yet, the fact is that Janice does have a kid and they are estranged and there is no way that Livia wouldn't know that, which makes what she just said all the crueler. She storms out, while Livia weeps bitterly for herself and is comforted by the nurse, who probably has plenty of experience in this type of thing but no way to know that Livia is probably "happier" right now than she has been in some time. Tony, in a pretty spectacular sweater, makes every appearance of being a suburban dad going to a mall, so he can have a walk-and-talk with Jack Massarone through the outdoor parking lot. Massarone is desperate to get rid of the protestors so he can continue to work, but since Junior is in charge of the Joint Fitters Union and nobody can get to him, his only choice is to come to Tony to ask him to act as a go-between. Massarone makes no bones about the fact he wants the protestors to be made "uncomfortable" like Tony has done to similar demonstrations at union sites that he controls, but Tony warns him it'll cost him. Massarone, already losing money, has no choice but to accept. Tony keeps on walking, reminding Massarone as he goes to be careful he isn't followed when meeting with him. At Satriale's that night, Pussy escorts a nervous Bobby Baccalieri into the backroom where Tony waits like a king, attended by Silvio and Paulie as a reminder of his power and Bobby's lack of the same. Bobby, tall but with a huge gut, looks like he should be intimidating but appears completely cowed. He's the last man standing not through any achievement of his own, but the fact everybody above him is either in jail, dead or so old and infirm that they're basically out of the game themselves. The idea that this browbeat, sad bear of a man will either rise up to anything within the DiMeo Crime Family is laughable at this point in the series. Tony enjoys digging at him for a little bit but then gets down to business. Bobby is to act as the go-between for himself and Junior, both to reduce Tony's exposure as well as so Tony doesn't have to stare into the face of an Uncle who tried to murder him. The good news for Junior is that he'll still be allowed to earn at a subsistence level and keep his lawyer's paid: he gets to keep 5% of his loansharking, sports betting and coke dealing, as well as maintain control over the Joint Fitter's Union. The most important thing though is that Junior is going to keep his stripes, as far as anybody is to know, the FBI got the Boss of the Family when they arrested Junior and that's the way things have to be. Though Tony is probably unaware that the DA laid out a believable argument to Junior that they were aware he was Boss in name only, it is true that the FBI currently have him listed as a "Street Boss" on their organizational chart. So it seems Tony's plan actually bore fruit, nobody quite realizes just yet that he hasn't been the Boss all along since Jackie Aprile died. Finally, Tony makes the point that everything else Junior once owned now belongs to Tony, and everybody in the room looks to Bobby to see how Junior's highest ranking surviving soldier will react to this. He just sighs and agrees to pass on the info, but as he leaves he can't resist turning to note,"To the victor, belongs the spoils". This does NOT endear him to Tony.   Tony is satisfied by this meeting that there is no threat remaining on Junior's crew, but it was other people in the room he should have been concerned about. On a different day, Pussy is in hospital recovering from a procedure for his back pain and pretty goddamn high off the drugs. The person who is going to be driving him home is somebody we've never seen before, a mobster looking type called Skip Lipari. When Pussy recovers enough to actually be making sense, they drive home and we learn exactly who Skip is: an FBI Agent. There is a casual familiarity between them, and it is soon revealed that Pussy has been an acting Informant since 1998, before the show even started. This feels like a bit of a retcon given just how openly involved in various crimes Pussy has been, but this is somewhat explained away in this conversation as Skip asks Pussy questions and his answers don't gel with we as viewers have seen. It appears he has largely been feeding the FBI fake information, they don't even know he's already been to see Tony to announce his return. Skip's biggest concern is that Pussy is dragging his feet (or his dick) to try and play both sides, which appears to be true, Skip just doesn't realize how much so. Skip pushes Pussy to forget about any so-called loyalty to Tony, assuring him that Jimmy Altieri's death removed any suspicion that might have been on him. He reminds him that Tony tried to kill his own mother, that his own Uncle tried to have him killed, and he's been "crying to a shrink" twice a week for months: he's nothing but a yuppie who considers Pussy an errand boy. Pussy looks conflicted, and whether that's an act put on for Skip's benefit or a true reflection of his feelings is anybody's guess. Harold Melvoin sits in Judge's Chambers with Junior as he argues with the Government lawyers about the possibility of house arrest for Junior on medical grounds. Junior, hooked up to an oxygen tank, has had a doctor attest that he has a heart condition, but the Government lawyers stress that this type of thing always seems to crop up whenever an older mafioso gets arrested. Melvoin quite correctly points out that Junior hasn't actually been convicted of anything yet and thus cannot and should not be referred to as a mafioso. More than that, Junior has ever right to pursue the best medical care possible, which he won't get in prison. The Government lawyers attempt to stress that even Junior's own doctor has his condition as benign at worse, but the judge is inclined to accept Melvoin's argument since there doesn't appear to be a serious flight risk. He does point out to Junior though that he'll be under house arrest, and explains the concept: he'll be stuck inside his house outside of doctor's appointments, food shopping etc. When a tracking bracelet is brought up, Melvoin is quick to accept house arrest as a fair condition but objects to being tracked. Junior hasn't been arrested since 1968, he pays his taxes AND he's a veteran of World War 2: in other words he's an apparent model citizen. Junior takes things a step too far though, deciding to play up the WWII vet angle by saying electronic tracking sounds like Nazi Germany to him. Judge Greenspan, Jewish himself, is instantly offended, and Melvoin's attempts to play up their "shared sorrow" fall flat as he orders that Junior be fitted with a tracking bracelet. Tony meanwhile is meeting with a different World War II veteran. Dressed in that same spectacular sweater from his mall trip, he's gone to the home of Reverend Herman James Jr only to find him absent, but his father present. The father is instantly suspicious of Tony who won't say if he is a friend or not, but politeness dictates he let him into the house and bring him a drink. Tony is impressed with James Sr, who at 83 is walking around with full physical and mental faculties intact. He doesn't want to go into details about his "business" with James Jr so turns the subject to World War 2, which he finds fascinating. Senior doesn't mind discussing it in generalities, but as they talk it becomes clearer to Tony that this is an extremely moral person with a very fixed sense of right and wrong. Presumably out of respect, he decides he will catch up with James Jr at a different time to discuss matters that are far from morally righteous, and takes his leave.   On a different day, Tony meets with Junior whose medical release has come through. Their meeting place is a doctor's office, the son of a bookie who is allowing Junior to meet under the protection of doctor/patient confidentiality and the FBI's legal restriction from surveillance. Now there is nothing between them, but Junior knows he is somewhat safe given the nature of Bobby's message to him: Tony wants him to stay in place as the figurehead. Tony's only regret is that he would have told Junior face-to-face if he'd known he would be out so quickly, now Bobby is yet another person in-the-know, another person to worry about. They discuss Massarone Construction, Bobby is taking care of the situation, though Tony wants it made clear the money split is 60-40 his way since he was the go-between while Junior was in prison. Junior isn't concerned about that, he wants to know if Tony has made peace with his mother, still defending Livia as an addled old woman who didn't know what she was doing. Tony is fed up with this, but at least unlike with Janice now he can take out his aggression openly. He explains he heard the FBI tapes, and they argue over whether Livia played Junior (Tony's correct take) or if Junior was just using her as a sounding board and she didn't realize what he intended (Junior's bullshit take). It's quite interesting that Junior is so adamant about taking all the blame, even though he knows that Livia played him. For him, defending her is automatic regardless of the facts simply because she is his brother's wife. It's an old fashioned take, one that Livia took advantage of, but as we learned in season 1 Junior does not compromise his ideals even when it is to his active detriment. He rants about the capos meeting behind his back as his justification for the attempt on Tony, and shockingly Tony now is the one trying to make peace. With surprising gentleness, he asks Junior to calm down and explains he had his reasons for using him as a figurehead. Junior, enjoying getting to at least have the appearance of having Tony's number, points out that for all of Tony's cleaning-up he missed Freddie Capuano. This is the owner of Green Grove, never seen before in the show, a "hairpeace motherfucker" who is the source of all the loose talk about Tony trying to suffocate Livia. Junior spits in disgust at the other rumor that he and Livia were romantically involved, accusing Capuano of gossiping like an old woman. Tony seethes at this new information, and Junior has successfully - for now at least - turned Tony's attention away from his mother. That night, the Sopranos eat dinner is silence, baffling Carmela who wants to know what everybody's problem is. AJ brings up that he has to write a report on DNA for biology, and Carmela excitedly discusses how DNA can be used to identify casualties of combat and prevent any more "unknown soldiers" from existing. The brief bit of liveliness falls apart when Janice also takes this opportunity to speak up, deciding to side with Tony about Livia without grasping that when he says he wants zero discussion of Livia in the house that also includes joint bitch-sessions about her. Tony tries to shut down the discussion but Janice continues it with Meadow, so Tony has to lay down the law. He insists there will be zero discussion, and when Meadow mocks him as "Il Duce" he reminds her that she may want to drive one of the cars when she gets her license, so does she want to continue this line of talk? This shuts everybody down while Carmela quietly begs Tony not to make a scene. Janice is quick to take his side again, telling Meadow this is her own fault for being insensitive to Tony's feelings, and a genuine smile crosses his face as he thanks her for accepting she was wrong. Carmela is thrilled, pointing out how controlling your temper and being civil pays off... and then Janice cannot loving resist bringing up yet another point, has he considered giving her friend the listing for Livia's house. Biting his tongue, he says he doesn't give a gently caress so long as it gets sold. AJ excitedly tries to tell a dirty joke and Carmela snaps at Tony for encouraging this type of behavior, and he has the decency to look somewhat shamefaced about it, while Janice quietly beams at getting her way. Part of the reason for Tony's restraint is shown the next day, because his meeting with Junior gave him a target to take his aggression out on. Freddie Capuano's parking lot at Green Grove is empty, and his Cadillac is found abandoned by the Passaic River, the state trooper finding nothing but a hairpiece there. So ends the life of a character who didn't exist on the show until a couple of scenes ago, and didn't even have an actor. The fallout from that dinner continues though. Meadow gets a chance to drive since Janice is a "responsible adult" over 25 who can supervise her. Said responsible adult is having her drive out to her dealer to buy some weed, and Meadow zips past stop signs with only a slightly nervous observation by Janice who doesn't want to risk not being the cool Aunt. They talk about Tony, Janice playing off Tony's superior attitude as insecurity from not wanting to leave New Jersey and fear of those who - like her - managed to break free. Livia comes up again and Meadow - who was just talking about how pathetic and close-minded Tony is - once again assures Janice that she would love to go visit her... but you know, all that homework and everything! She talks up how she does a lot of community service and feeds the homeless to offset the idea she is being selfish not seeing Livia, apparently with no self-awareness that she's just explained she only does these things to assure herself a good College placement. Janice doesn't call her on it, she has her own ulterior motives, she wants to know what Meadow knows about Livia that she can take advantage of to get past Livia's recent attacks on her. All Meadow can think of is the music that Tony was constantly trying to find for her, and Janice reaches back into her own childhood memories and remembers the De Castro Sisters and Mario Lanza. Hip Janice makes Meadow laugh by being revolted at the idea of Mario "Lasagna", with no idea that she's already dated herself by referencing The Andrew Sisters, who are probably like the De Castro Sisters to Meadow: the pop culture relic of a bygone era. Junior and Bobby wait to see an Optometrist, Junior complaining that he didn't look good on the news the other day when they were covering his upcoming court case. He ponders getting new glasses, a polite but confused Bobby not really seeing the need when his current frames do what they need to do. He gets better luck from another waiting patient whose frames he likes, as they commiserate about getting old (Junior's father told him not to do it, he should have listened). Mention of the other patients cataract operation reminds Junior of a joke, and with great pleasure he tells the still confused Bobby an incredibly racist joke. Irritated at the lack of response (Mikey Palmice would have roared with laughter), Junior is relieved when a visibly nervous Jack Massarone arrives and settles down in the couch beside Bobby, trying far too hard to be subtle as he slides an envelope full of cash into a magazine and then leaves to use the toilet, allowing Bobby to collect the magazine and stash it in his coat. Of course Junior wasn't a flight risk, why would he leave New Jersey when people are going to be bringing him money even while he's under arrest and awaiting trial?   Livia awakens to beautiful music, opening her eyes to see Janice preparing a vase full of flowers. With no time to put up her guard, she lets the song wash over her, as Janice settles behind her and appeals to not only her nostalgia but memories of a time when she ruled over her children. Janice is careful to remind her of a memory of when it was just the three of them - Livia, Johnny Boy and Janice - watching Mario Lanza on the Ed Sullivan Show. No Tony, no Barbara, the only other person in the memory a dead man who is no threat to Janice outside of being a perfect memory. Genuinely touched, her guard completely down, Livia sobs for "my children" and shares the moment with Janice as they hold hands and listen to the music, smiling with pure love at each other. Not long after, a thrilled Janice drives down the street bopping along to Mother and Child Reunion by Paul Simon while smoking a joint. Her happiness is genuine, even if the moment itself was carefully constructed and manipulated by her. She's managed to reach her mother in a way that Tony couldn't, despite being closer to her than either of his sisters. Tony meets with Bobby in a parking lot, disgusted at how he has to haul himself out of his car and demanding he not lean on Tony's in case he flips it over like the fat gently caress he is. Bobby hands over Tony's 60% share of Massarone's bribe, and Tony tells him action will be taken tomorrow morning at the site and he wants him there to take part. He drives away with a parting jibe about it being good exercise for Bobby, who waits for him to be gone before spitting on the ground and suggesting Tony look in the mirror sometime if he wants to see a fat gently caress.   Tony returns home for dinner as AJ is excitedly telling Carmela facts he learned from his report on DNA, which Carmela warmly agrees is fascinating, not wanting to discourage AJ from actually showing enthusiasm for his schooling. Tony notes Janice isn't there and tells Carmela not to set a place if she isn't there, she knows what time they eat. Janice does arrive only moments late, still on a high from both the marijuana and her breakthrough with Livia. Tony, all patriachal (and more than a little condescending), tells her if she doesn't arrive on time she just won't eat at all, and she can't help but giggle,"Don't send me to bed hungry, daddy" which cracks Meadow up. Happily Carmela has something to distract them all before an argument can break out, revealing that Meadow passed her driver's test. They're all thrilled, Tony kissing her cheek, but he still can't resist having a dig at Janice for her "daddy' remark, offering her some pork before remembering she doesn't eat it... in that way. AJ laughs that he gets it, and Tony quickly has to backtrack, realizing he's gone too far once again, saying there's nothing to get. Carmela just GLARES at him for bringing this poo poo to the dinner table AGAIN. After dinner, Tony smokes a cigar outside while dangling his feet in the pool, not a duck to be seen. Janice joins him, removing her own shoes and smoking a cigarette. They enjoy the fireflies and Tony says part of the reason he moved out here was to get a little bit of nature. In a good mood, he asks her about Seattle, did she ever drive by Jimi Hendrix's place? They enjoy the silence for a moment before she ruins it by once again bringing up Livia, talking about how her rehab therapist says she is doing exceptionally well. Tony is disgusted, now can she improve if there is nothing wrong with her in the first place. Janice explains it is "FaceSaving Therapy", to overcome the mental hurdles that have created fake physical symptoms. Tony can only scoff in appreciation of the irony that now it is Livia who is in therapy, albeit of a different sort. Janice points out that the reason she brings this up is that soon Livia will be able to leave, and while her medicare has covered the bills, she'll need someplace to stay after this. When Tony says she can live on the streets, she reminds him it is HER house he is talking about, and when he objects to that since she is "dead", Janice hits him with a fact he can't push past or ignore: their father bought that house. So he offers her an alternative, she can take Livia back to Green Grove. Janice reminds him she can't afford that and he glows with pleasure as he smokes, enjoying having her say that out loud, which tacitly acknowledges that he does, and thus he is financially more successful than her, which also - in his head - means he is better than her. All her own good cheer is gone now as she hits him with a,"gently caress you!" and that too is music to his ears, as they sit in silence by the pool smoking and he gets his petty revenge for everything from her earlier "Daddy" comment to the fact she's thrown him off-kilter by showing up and not taking him seriously as anything other than her little brother. The next morning, Tony and Pussy sit in his car looking out over the Massarone Construction site where the protests are continuing. They discuss Bobby, yet another example of the modern problem of not being able to get good soldiers anymore, as they're either on drugs, compromised by the law, or young idiots who won't listen to orders. Pussy asks if he feels that way about him given his back has him out of commission too, but Tony quietly notes that he's more than paid his dues already. Immediately an example of the young idiots he mentioned make themselves known, as Matthew Bevilaqua and Sean Gismonte arrive and spot Tony in his car. To Tony's shocked disbelief, they immediately approach calling out a welcome and he pulls away, roaring at them as he passes that he isn't meant to be seen here. "Now we look like jerkoffs" complains Bevilaqua as they're left choking on the dust. They get to take their own aggression out quickly enough, as they join other strikebreakers lead by Christopher Moltisanti. Christopher very deliberately provokes one of the protestors to throw the first punch, Massarone watching in horror from the site as everybody else quickly moves in with bats and begin battering the protestors as they try to fight back. Bobby and several cars of other strikebreakers arrive and they all pile on, descending into a full-on brawl. While this is happening, Janice visits Livia to bask in some more of their newfound connection. Livia is engaged in her favorite pasttime, reading the obituaries to see who has died and giving Janice all the details. Janice brings up the fact that she'll soon be out of the hospital, and cheerfully asks if she'd like to go back home. Livia, who is eating and looks extremely healthy, is confused by this, and when Janice explains she means her house, she casually declines. The woman who wept with grief at being forced from her home, who agreed to her son's murder for daring to sell the place, who snarled and rejected Green Grove as an asylum for lunatics and the abandoned.... just fobs off the idea of returning home without a second thought and claims she'll just go back to Green Grove to live. Janice tries to dismiss this idea, saying it's a place for those with nobody to look after them, but Livia - without a hint of self-awareness how this plays with her prior actions - defends the place, noting how they even provide fresh towels. Janice, getting increasingly desperate as she sees her carefully laid out plans being dashed, insists she can't go back. When Livia asks why not, she doesn't want to admit it is because Tony won't pay and they can't afford it so she unknowingly plays up an aspect she has no idea Tony was involved in. It isn't safe, why the owner went missing recently and foul play is suspected! Livia, confused and irritated by the conversation, takes a bite of a cookie and it gets caught in her throat and she starts to cough. Janice, alarmed, worries she is choking as she won't stop coughing, and rushes to get a nurse. They return to the room and fuss over her, but she waves them away, her throat cleared enough for her to complain about how they made the cookie. Janice is relieved if still frightened, but the nurse takes the opportunity to take her aside to bring up the fact that there is no emergency provision on file for Livia. She herself had no interest in discussing a Do Not Resuscitate Order with the nurse, who is hoping Janice or somebody else in the family might be willing to bring it up. If she fell into a coma/her quality of life declined precipitously, a DNR being on record would spare the family the anguish of making the decision whether to keep her alive. Janice again brings up Tony's least favorite subject at home, though she has a good point to make. As he fumes about the settings on his home entertainment system, she reminds him that he has power of attorney over her and that means, like it or not, he has to make decisions regarding her future. AJ is in the background grabbing some ice-cream as they discuss the DNR, Tony getting angrier and angrier as she won't let it go. Finally he snaps, and decides gently caress it, Livia can go back to living in the house and Janice can be the one responsible for her care. It'll actually be worth it just to see how she handles having to manage Livia on a permanent basis. He stalks off, but Janice is happy, she (thinks she) has gotten what she wanted.   Meadow pops in to see Carmela as she is teasing her eyebrows, asking where the keys to the car are. Carmela is amused at the thought that Meadow thinks she can do out driving at night, but she explains in that condescending teenager way that she's going to drive AJ to the hospital so they can see Livia. Carmela is suspicious that they'd want to do that this late at night, but agrees on the proviso they go straight to the hospital and back with nothing inbetween. Meadow complains about the lack of trust, but of course once they get to the hospital she reveals her ulterior motive. She assured Livia last week nothing could keep her away, now she's literally in the same building but is instead going up to a higher level to meet her friend Hunter, who has an eating disorder (remember her wowing over Carmela's figure in The Pilot?) meeting group there. AJ is annoyed, he has to visit Livia ALONE? But mobsters and siblings have something in common, as she offers him the bribe of letting him drive the car in the parking lot this weekend. He slowly, tentatively makes his way into Livia's room where once again she's in high spirits when there isn't anybody around to perform from, happily watching television. She's delighted of course to see AJ, but the moment he arrived her mind is already spinning to find ways to take advantage. She talks up Janice and how devoted she has been to visit every day, though of course she's never tell Janice that. No, save your praise for somebody to tell others and make them feel lovely for not living up to that ideal. But there is also a genuine affection there, she is currently feeling very warm towards her eldest daughter, something that will soon prove extremely important. When she learns that Meadow drove him here, she gets frustated about her not being there and complains to "Johnny" about family members who stick you away and forget about you. AJ, who will never be accused of being particularly bright, completely fails to pick up on "Johnny" and is indifferent to her personal attack on his sister. Like a typical grandmother, she insists he take a candy even after he openly tells her he doesn't like them. He settles down to watch television with her, but a thought that has been percolating in his head gives him an opening to ask a question that will have enormous repercussions, akin to his casual revelation last season that Tony was in therapy. He asks what a DNR is, explaining about his report on DNA but confused as to what a DNR is and why Tony and "Aunt Parvati" were arguing about it? Livia ponders this, his aunt? He means Janice? Slowly the significance sinks in, Janice - her loving daughter Janice who brought her the music and the flowers, who plays pinocle with her and insists she move back into the house instead of Green Grove - thinks she should have a Do Not Resuscitate order. AJ, with zero understanding of what hell he is unleashing, goes back to trying to open his candy while Livia sits and stews in this new information. Her reaction to Tony was bad enough, how will she act now that she suspects Janice wants her dead? Especially after allowing herself to be fooled into thinking they'd made a real connection again. The latter is the most damning in Livia's mind, she got played by Janice and that is unacceptable. The next day in therapy, the therapist is impressed with her progress but Livia, irritated, complains that it's no great achievement to know her ABCs. But when Janice arrives, Livia immediately changes. Suddenly she is all sweetness and light with the therapist while suspicious of Janice and her good news that the house will not be sold and the two of them can live together. She brings up the DNR and then tells the therapist a story of Janice selling her ballet shoes to buy amphetamines. It's surprisingly non-subtle of Livia, not what you'd expect from a master manipulator, but just like with Junior last season she has more than one plan in motion at once. Because while she acts like the old, nasty, abusive Livia on the surface, she also casually mentions that she'll leave all her money to the therapist. That use of the word "money" immediately grasps Janice's attention, just like Livia knew it would, planting a brain-worm that will burrow away in her head for the rest of the show's life. As the therapist leaves, Livia affects a mental lapse, pondering out loud where she put the money and "mistaking" Janice for her dead sister Settimia: where'd she put that money? Janice just stares as Livia mumbles away to herself, her eyes frequently drawn to the emergency evacuation sign and imagining Livia's face on a figure being pitched down the stairs. Livia, pretending to be both mentally addled and suspicious in the wrong way, asks her if she really didn't tell her where she hid the money? Janice snaps back to herself and puts on a loving face, assuring Livia they don't need to worry about it, they need to worry about her getting better so they can take her home. Once there, why they can look for the money together, wouldn't that be nice?   The brain-worm is nestled deep in there now, and it's going to stay. Junior is enjoying the shower in his house, shaving as he sings. In spite of the electronic bracelet even now around his ankle, his house arrest is far from a problem. He can get out to bullshit doctor's appointments when he needs to get out, he's in the comfort of his own home, doesn't have to shower with hundreds of others or eat the slop they dish up. He's even still earning, and on paper at least remains the Boss of the Family. Things have basically worked out about as well as they can for a guy who was marked for death by his own nephew and arrested by the FBI on multiple RICO charges. But all that changes when he drops his razor, and stooping to pick it up he slips. "Your sister's oval office!" he hisses as the pain rocks through his body. Meanwhile, Tony returns to the Reverend James' house to find a wake in progress, people singing hymns inside as the Reverend thanks a well-wisher as she leaves. It's a wake for Reverend James Senior, who passed away suddenly, shocking Tony who only saw him the other day and was impressed by his mental and physical robustness. They walk away, the Reverend James explaining his father didn't know about he and Tony's "business arrangement", which doesn't surprise Tony as he'd gotten that impression in their meeting. They discuss their parents, Tony's own father is dead but his mother is too miserable to die. Reverend James points out that the Greatest Generation are almost all gone, and when the last of them dies people like him and Tony will become the new "old folks" at family reunions. Tony laughs that they're still just kids, but James - who has lived his life as "Junior" - now finds himself in the peculiar situation of being an "elder". They get to business, the entire demonstration was cooked up by James even if the protestors themselves were legitimate. The point was to extort Massarone out of money, and they made money on both ends. Tony got paid for being the go-between for Junior, and got paid again as part of Junior's tax for being allowed to earn. Junior had no idea the whole demonstration was setup by Tony himself, while Reverend James doesn't only get a taste of Massarone's bribe to Junior, but the beating caused Massarone to do a deal with James himself for five no-show jobs that will in turn allow him to show his protestors that they achieved something as there will now be jobs on record for black joint-fitters. Tony and James argue over how those jobs will be divided between them, Tony lying that he has to kick upstairs to Junior. Basically, this entire operation has been a way for Tony to continue to make use of Junior as a figurehead/lightning rod while enjoying all the profits. He's getting paid on multiple fronts while having very little exposure, and what exposure he does have is supposedly as an underling reporting to somebody higher up than himself. There is probably also some satisfaction to be had from also continuing to manipulate Junior and eat from his table with his Uncle none the wiser, revenge for the failed assassination. James makes the successful argument that at least everybody on Tony's end knows they're engaged in crime. James would be torn to shreds if those beneath found out he was exploiting them. They ponder future jobs together, they have a good relationship together. As Tony leaves, he offers a genuine show of sorrow for James' loss of his father, who he only met once but was impressed by. Whether James appreciates being reminded of his father just after discussing his community for profit will remain unknown. The thought of James Sr is still fresh in Tony's mind though when the phone rings, and he learns from Bobby that Junior fell in the shower and may have broken his hip. Carmela gets a phone-call and is disgusted when she answers to find Livia on the other end chatting away like there is nothing wrong. Pretending to have confused Tony and Johnny, she claims she has no idea what she did for her own son to harbor resentment against her. Carmela doesn't want to give her a moment, but in spite of herself listens as Livia weeps that she is leaving whatever she has left to Tony's children and Barbara's children, she gave her life to all three of her children but only two of them came out okay. Carmela is revolted, pointing out how unhappy ALL her children are (Barbara seems pretty together if you ask me) but Livia is sticking with her script. She warns Carmela about Janice, a real snake in the grass, but as she tries to warn that Janice might do something to her, Carmela has had enough and simply hangs up. Livia is left lying in her bed, pondering her situation. She made a play against Tony to punish him, and while she escaped comeuppance immediately she now has to face an uncomfortable truth: she's burned all her bridges and left herself exposed to her oldest daughter's machinations, and Janice is the one child she has had the most trouble stamping her authority on. Even her money play was basically just a stalling maneuver. Has she outplayed herself?  Tony arrives at Junior's and finds him laid out on the couch, refusing an ambulance which first Bobby and now Tony have both suggested. Tony prods at his hip and he hisses in pain, and Tony says it is clear he needs to go to the Emergency Room. When Junior refuses, Tony tries as calmly as he can to suggest it won't hurt to go down there and make sure. But Junior suddenly stops moving, stops reacting, maybe even stops breathing? Tony, the though of James Senior's sudden death fresh in his mind, panics that Junior has suddenly died. He leans in and nervously asks if he is still there, and Junior jerks back to consciousness and insists again no ambulance. Tony agrees, they'll drive him down, he and Bobby both. He tries to help Junior up but the pain is obviously immense, and so instead - to Junior's humiliation - he scoops him up in his arms. Junior takes Bobby's momentary absence as he grabs the car to make a pained plea: don't let him go to the grave with the guilt of what he attempted on his shoulders. Tony assures him angrily he isn't dying anytime soon, but looks away when Junior again begs him to make peace with his mother. With Ella Fitzgerald's Goodnight, my Love playing over the final shot and end credits, Tony carries the Uncle who tried to have him killed outside into the night to get him the medical treatment he needs, the first sign of a possible reconciliation between them. So two episodes into the new season, things remain good for Tony Soprano. He has found a way to somewhat assuage his guilt over his mother and his anger towards his endlessly frustrating sister by pairing them off to deal with each other and leave him out of it. His nemesis Uncle Junior is now firmly in place as his puppet, exploited both for financial gain and a continued shield/cover from Federal Investigation. The core of his crew are solidly back in place again, even the turncoat Pussy is largely feeding his FBI handler fake information while Tony has re-embraced him into the fold. The last of the gossips who had spread rumors about him trying to suffocate his mother is dead, and he's even established somewhat a return to the authoritation respect he expects as a given in his home from his daughter. Now it appears like there might be somewhat of a reconciliation possible with his Uncle, even if he isn't actively seeking it. Yes, things are good for Tony, there are no active or realistic threats coming his way.  Season 2: Guy Walks into a Psychiatrist's Office... | Do Not Resuscitate | Toodle-loving-Oo | Commendatori | Big Girls Don't Cry | The Happy Wanderer | D-Girl | Full Leather Jacket | From Where to Eternity | Bust Out | House Arrest | The Knight in White Satin Armor | Funhouse Season 1 | Season 2 | Season 3 | Season 4 | Season 5 | Season 6.1 | Season 6.2 Jerusalem fucked around with this message at 13:31 on Apr 23, 2020 |
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Apr 16, 2019 14:14
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"Only poo poo in the Bible came out of Pharaoh's rear end when Moses parted the Red Sea" is an amazing line. It's always amazing to watch Sophia Marchand go from 'playing everyone in the room' to 'actually genuine.' And shown with the bit with the cookie, she can even do it for laughs.
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Apr 16, 2019 16:10
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This is such a weird and wonderful one-off moment because tonally it doesn't fit in with the rest of the series at all but it's hilarious. Spectacular writeup! e: watching all of these again and I just have to say, holy poo poo, Nancy Marchand is great. Absolutely nailing the senile-alternate-wily elderly bit. My older relatives are at the point where they're deteriorating so I'm seeing so much more nuance in what it takes to merely act that way- it's too convincing and genuine of a performance to catch that at first. Harold Stassen fucked around with this message at 22:36 on Apr 16, 2019 |
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Apr 16, 2019 22:30
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Season 2 will always be my favorite and your write ups are just making it better. gently caress, that scene with Janice and Livia - it's like they are competing for who can be the most soulless. Best show ever.
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Apr 16, 2019 22:46
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Sopranos is the only show I watch random 4 minute clips of and it has more heart and soul in it than other shows do all together . The fight between Carmela and Tony in the poolhouse where he thinks about hitting her for a split second and punches the wall is amazing OHHHH he TALKED to YOU !!!
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Apr 17, 2019 04:59
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COMPAGNIE TOMMY posted:e: watching all of these again and I just have to say, holy poo poo, Nancy Marchand is great. Absolutely nailing the senile-alternate-wily elderly bit. My older relatives are at the point where they're deteriorating so I'm seeing so much more nuance in what it takes to merely act that way- it's too convincing and genuine of a performance to catch that at first. Even knowing the type of person she is, I still sometimes find myself pondering at certain points if Livia is genuinely having a "senior moment" or just pretending for some other purpose. I had an older relative who suffered from (thankfully minor) dementia before they passed away and Marchand really hits some disturbingly familiar traits. There are other times she goes way too broad, but obviously intentionally so because Livia is playing some deeper game or wants to rub people's noses in the fact that she's obviously faking it. Dawgstar posted:"Only poo poo in the Bible came out of Pharaoh's rear end when Moses parted the Red Sea" is an amazing line. "Parted the red sea, praise his name!" That guy was great, I wonder how much he actually suspected about what his son was up too. He knew Tony was up to no good, but I feel like he figured Tony hadn't come around intending any harm which only leaves so many options to consider.
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Apr 17, 2019 09:16
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This is James Gandolfini's son Michael as Young Tony in the Soproanos prequel. Wow, you know? I mean, i know they're related, but... 
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Apr 17, 2019 17:57
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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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Pulcinella di Bund posted:Sopranos is the only show I watch random 4 minute clips of and it has more heart and soul in it than other shows do all together . That scene elevates “Whitecaps” to my favorite episode. It is such a good and realistic seeming fight. It is for my money the best acted scene of the series.
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Apr 17, 2019 18:15
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Dawgstar posted:This is James Gandolfini's son Michael as Young Tony in the Soproanos prequel. I really started noticing the resemblance on the most recent season of The Deuce. He's got the same build as his dad and even carries himself the same way.
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Apr 17, 2019 18:21
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Wait, SOPRANOS PREQUEL? Google: Aw hell a film instead of a show. Still great though.
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Apr 17, 2019 18:49
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crispix posted:That's great that he got the part. I wonder how he is acting wise. He's in The Deuce but he doesn't really have much to do in the show except sweep. He seems fine though, I doubt David Chase would be sentimental enough to just cast Gandolfini's son,he's probably got some chops.
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Apr 17, 2019 19:42
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Your Gay Uncle posted:He's in The Deuce but he doesn't really have much to do in the show except sweep. He seems fine though, I doubt David Chase would be sentimental enough to just cast Gandolfini's son,he's probably got some chops. Sweep and get in trouble with them whooaars
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Apr 17, 2019 20:15
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Mahoning posted:That scene elevates “Whitecaps” to my favorite episode. It is such a good and realistic seeming fight. It is for my money the best acted scene of the series. Edie Falco in particular hit that poo poo out of the stratosphere. In a series full of fights between those two characters, watching that scene, it's immediate that the audience is in new territory based solely on Falco's acting. She's breathless, sobbing, and completely broken. It's a hard scene for me to watch because she sells it so well. I agree that it's the best acted scene of the series and I was shocked when that scene was brought up in the 20th reunion talk and she couldn't even remember it. Imagine being that good at something lol
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Apr 17, 2019 20:16
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Jerusalem posted:Even knowing the type of person she is, I still sometimes find myself pondering at certain points if Livia is genuinely having a "senior moment" or just pretending for some other purpose. I had an older relative who suffered from (thankfully minor) dementia before they passed away and Marchand really hits some disturbingly familiar traits. There are other times she goes way too broad, but obviously intentionally so because Livia is playing some deeper game or wants to rub people's noses in the fact that she's obviously faking it. I feel like this is more eloquent/accurate than how I was able to describe it stoked for next ep  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KyfwAgNtcYM Harold Stassen fucked around with this message at 22:59 on Apr 17, 2019 |
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Apr 17, 2019 22:56
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Season 2, Episode 3 - Toodle-loving-OoRichie Aprile posted:What's mine is not yours to give me A couple episodes ago, Tony - looking for things to be angry about - ranted that he'd love to get his hands on the kids who held a party in Livia's empty house and teach them what a real badass is. Now he's getting his chance, and he's not particularly happy about. He's been called to Livia's former home by a friendly patrolman, who has let him know that the police have broken up a big party. Kids are being arrest and an ambulance is taking away a kid who has suffered an overdose. Tony is horrified, mostly because the reason he got the call is due to the identity of the person who threw the party: Meadow Soprano. She's inside the house (which is a disaster zone) watching alongside another cop as a friend throws up in the kitchen and looking utterly miserable. She protests this isn't her fault but Tony isn't interested, demanding she get in the car and driving her and an extremely drunk Hunter home. Of course, now that she's in the car and out of the immediate danger of being arrested, she reverts to typical teenager mode and is surly and openly dismissive of Tony's outrage. Carmela waits nervously at home with AJ, but sends him up to bed (much to his frustration) when Tony pulls up. Meadow attempts to rush straight upstairs and Tony is inclined to let her, but Carmela wants to have it out with her. AJ temporarily gets both their attention as he cracks a joke at Meadow's expense, and they roar at him to get upstairs as well. The parents are left alone, Carmela demanding more information from Tony: what did Meadow say? What did he say to her? This is beyond normal bad behavior, Carmela is terrified, there were designer drugs at that party. All Tony can offer is that he yelled at her, what else could he do? Elsewhere in town, Adriana La Cerva drops a strange little man off on the street, worried for her "Uncle Richie" who happily insists he just wants to walk around the neighborhood and see if he can find any of the old gang. She drives away, and Richie Aprile - older brother of the late Jackie Aprile, fresh out of a 10 year jail stint and looking like he hasn't changed one iota - makes an immediate beeline for a nearby pizza parlor named after its owner: Peter "Beansie" Gaeta. Carmela joins Tony in bed where they have a discussion familiar to parents across many cultures and timeframes: how the hell do they discipline a child who is almost old enough to be considered an outright adult themselves? Carmela grunts that she can't wait for her to off to college and out of their hair, but Tony knows that is bullshit, she'll get empty nest syndrome immediately once Meadow is gone. They lament that they've over a barrel, if you punish your kids nowadays you're the one who has to act like the warden or their chauffeur since they still have to go places and do things. If you kick them out, Social Services will come and arrest you since they're not 18 yet. Carmela remains insistent though, there must be consequences,and Tony agrees. The trouble being that if they overplay it, Meadow will realize what they already know: they're effectively powerless when it comes to stamping their authority on her anymore. On the opposite end of the spectrum is Richie Aprile. He sits at a table inside Beansie's pizza parlor, staring intensely and unsettlingly as Beansie - who immediately creates the impression of a guy who promotes a happy, charming demeanor to customers while being a piece of poo poo to his employees - makes his way around the store. One of the employees lets Beansie know somebody is here to see him, and his face falls for a second when he sees Richie. Putting on a happy face again, he approaches arms wide and glowing with affection as he greets his old colleague, claiming he had no idea he was out. Richie, eerily calm, notes that he knows Paulie Walnuts saw Beansie this morning, with the implication being he MUST have known Richie was out. Beansie, trying his best to keep up a happy face while clearly making GBS threads his pants in utter terror, promises he had no idea and tries to make good by attempting to refill Richie's coffee and ordering him a complimentary veal parm sandwich (and acts like a douchebag to his employee in the process). Richie waves that off, and Beansie - to his credit - attempts to stand up for himself as Richie calmly, forever staring, talks about how meditation has made him less crazy but still crazy enough to take an eye out. He reminds Beansie that he is the one who put him into action in the first place, that he's been in prison for 10 years and heard nothing from Beansie that entire time, and now he has three pizza parlors? Beansie warns him that, all due respect, he's not a greaseball storeowner and he won't be shaken down, especially not for causing offense he was entirely unaware of. When Richie matter-of-factly tells him he'll be by every Saturday to collect "his" take, Beansie refuses, insist that he'll step up if he has to. So Richie, just as calmly, grabs the coffee pot and smashes it into the side of Beansie's head, pitches a chair at him as he lays on the ground, then straddles him and begins methodically beating his face in as the other customers cry out in panic. Nothing but calmness from Richie though, dead-eyed little psycho that he is, as he celebrates his return from prison by beating a man unconscious in public after attempting to openly extort cash from him.   The next morning, Tony and Carmela brace themselves in the kitchen to call down Meadow and lay out her punishment. Janice, cool Aunt Janice, hip Aunt Janice, tells them they're making way too big a deal out of this. She waxes lyrical on the fact Meadow is finding herself, pushing boundaries, making her own choices. Warming up to the subject, she lectures them about ego and control: as parents they still want to control their daughter, but she's her own person now. For once, it is Carmela who shuts down Tony's attempts to just move on, listening with disbelief as Janice has the gall to explain to her how to raise her child. Meadow finally emerges (while AJ complains he is trying to watch tv), staggering past them to grab some cereal. She ignores Carmela talking to her, and then has the temerity to act shocked when Carmela responds by telling she is going to be punished for last night. Outraged, she insists again she did nothing wrong and it wasn't her fault, why it was only supposed to be her, Hunter and the Macaluso twins who broke into her grandmother's house to illegally drink alcohol! Then a bunch of other people showed up because Steve (loving Steve!  ) told them about the place, and Steve only knew because Hunter told him. Tony ain't buying that, he knows that right now at Hunter's house she'll be telling the same story but blaming Meadow. So Meadow falls back on the whole pressure from studying for college thing, but Carmela won't accept that as an excuse. They want to know more about who was dealing ectasy, but she blames that on a friend of Steve's (loving Steve! ) and gives Carmela puppydog eyes, saying it is too painful to talk about the falling out she had with Steve. She then makes her play as Tony says she has to be punished, saying she agrees and had figured the best thing to do is to take away her credit card for two weeks. Surprised but eager to jump on this, Tony agrees but stresses it'll be three weeks, though they agree to still pay her $10 a week allowance for gas so she can get around to school and her extra-curricular activities. Meadow leaves, a smirk on her face after successfully playing her parents and getting away with essentially zero punishment.Tony's in a better mood when he heads to Satriale's and meets with Richie Aprile. Richie is suddenly all smiles and joy, hugging Tony back as they rave about how good the other looks: Tony even lost his baby fat! Pussy and Paulie watch from the side as the two reunite, Richie didn't hang with Tony but Tony was his little brother's best friend and that makes them basically as good as family. Better than Christopher at least, who shows up late and complains that when he leaves the brokerage early Tony gets mad, but if he leaves late he gets mad too? Tony has enough of this to deal with when it comes to Meadow, so he changes the subject by introducing him to Richie. Christopher is impressed, he's heard a lot about him, but Richie has heard a lot about him too and is NOT impressed. Christopher is left on the backfoot, because this is the actual reason for the meeting: Richie asked to meet with Tony to talk specifically about Christopher, who he has never met before. It turns out that Adriana is his niece, and she told him that Christopher hit her recently. Back to the dead-eyed psycho that feels like it is his more natural state, Richie explains with horrible earnestness his own completely hosed up morality. Christopher is not Adriana's husband, therefore he cannot hit her, that is unforgiveable and Richie will kill him if he ever does it again. But if he marries her? Well then it's no longer any of his business. Tony simply sits quietly, on this he fully agrees with Richie even if he himself wouldn't ever hit a woman, or at least believes he wouldn't. Christopher takes this all onboard quietly, then offers Richie his hand to shake as an indication that he understands. Now Richie is happy to reciprocate, and even tells Tony after Christopher leaves that he is a good kid. Tony agrees, but when Richie turns to discussing his desire to get his old loan-sharking/protection racket running, suddenly Tony is up and walking away himself leaving a baffled Richie aside. Silvio steps out of Satriale's where he has been waiting, and explains the way things work now. He can talk to Tony about business, but at an agreed upon time only and NEVER at Satriale's. Richie, who beat a man's brains in right in public only the previous night, can't believe it.   The next evening, Dr. Melfi has a dinner out with two girlfriends, where they giggle over the fact they polished off a bottle of wine between them. Clearly tipsy, they head out through the restaurant and are called to appreciatively by Paulie Gualtieri, who is enjoying dinner with Tony, Johnny Sack, Pussy and Silvio as they discuss Richie's recent attack on Beansie, which Tony only just heard about. Melfi spots Tony and to cover her shock she wraps a giant fake smile on her face and asks how he has been. Tony, perturbed to see her, keeps his cool and calmly greets her non-commitedly. The others at the table stop to stare, interested as to who she is and what she wants, Paulie and Johnny Sack suggesting she call her friends back to join them for dinner. Tony declines, saying Melfi and her friends are leaving, making it clear he doesn't want them there. Melfi, still trying to maintain her calm, comments on the veal and Tony, bemused, asks if they're making small talk now? Mortified, she says goodbye and heads up the stairs, pausing to say "toodle-oo". The others watch her go, discussing her tits, rear end and lips. Pussy is convinced she has world-class blowjob lips and they all look to Tony for confirmation, and - uneasy, after all the only blowjob she gave him was in a dream - he puts on a smile and "admits" she was good. Paulie takes it a little too far which irritates Tony, until Paulie turns it into a joke at Silvio's expense about his first blowjob and how long it took the guy to cum. He enjoys the joke so much he repeats it verbatim to Tony who can't help but laugh himself, the awkwardness forgotten. If only Melfi was so lucky, at a later therapy session with her own shrink Dr. Elliot Kupferberg (played by director/actor/film historian Peter Bogdanovich) she belittles herself: "Toodle-loving-oo? What the gently caress was that?" Elliot ponders why she felt safer being "Jennifer" as opposed to "Dr. Melfi" with Tony that night, suggesting that she abandoned her doctor facade because she wanted to make a distinction between the therapist she was to him and does NOT want to be again. Melfi, a psychiatrist herself obviously, tells him he's almost got it but not quite, as she goes about diagnosing herself. To her mind, she regressed into a childish mentality to escape responsibility for the guilt she feels for abandoning a patient, for declining the help he asked her for. She asks Elliot, as a colleague, to say whether it was right or wrong to refuse her patient further treatment. Like most psychiatrists of course he won't give her a straight answer, instead reminding her that she has a choice to make about the type of psychiatrist she wants to be. It is a valid choice to simply treat phobias and bad habits, if this patient (she doesn't give names, of course) is too difficult or challenging there is nothing wrong with stepping aside. Melfi retreats into her rage over the patient who committed suicide due to Tony's derailing of her life, but Elliot doesn't let her get away with that. He reminds her she was still contactable, that "being on the lam" was no different to going on vacation, and she is using the suicide as an excuse. For all Melfi's attempts to psychoanalyze herself, and Elliot's attempts to deconstruct "toodle-oo", let's not discount the possibility she was just buzzed from wine and made an rear end of herself in front of somebody she knew. It happens! Is all this agonizing just an excuse for her to get her fix from her addictive new habit of treating somebody infamous/on the wrong side of the law? To flirt with danger again after almost getting burned last time when she got too close to the flame? Speaking of flame, Janice meets an old one. In Yoga class, she's surprised to see Richie Aprile there going through the same exercises. They meet up after the class, each surprised to see the other as she thought he was in prison and he thought she was in California (Seattle, she corrects for the millionth time). He explains he picked up Yoga in prison and asks if she is back in New Jersey for good, and she explains she is looking after Livia who is over in St. Erasmus hospital at the moment. Richie is surprised to hear that, Tony never mentioned it, which doesn't surprise Janice at all. Richie's next stop is an electronics store in the mall, where Tony is window-shopping while Richie fumes about being dragged out here. Tony calms him, explaining his refusal to talk to him at Satriale's wasn't personal, he doesn't talk business with anybody there. Richie has no idea about Green Grove or the FBI tapes, no idea about how far the FBI was willing to go to bug the Family, and even as Tony explains it all to him (sans a few details, obviously) all Richie can offer back is that he feels disrespected. He reminds Tony he saved him from "the hit parade", confusing Tony, so with great pleasure Richie makes the first ever reference to a legendary event: the robbery of "Feech" La Manna's cardgame. He reminds Tony that it was him stepping in on he and Jackie's behalf that saved them from what would have been at the very least a vicious beating, if not worse. Tony is amused, but as he mentioned at that dinner he's already a little sick of Richie's "big brother" act. It probably reminds him of what has been bugging him about Janice too: somebody who has been gone a long time returns and doesn't pay him the respect he believes he has earned in their absence. This is probably partly accurate, but a large part boils down to Tony's own self-esteem, he was the one who explicitly said Janice saw him as a "chubby little kid", the reference to Richie about his baby-fat probably hit hard, and let's not forget how badly hurt he has always been by Junior's statement that he didn't have the makings of a varsity athlete. So Tony attempts to play the patriach, assuring Richie with a fond (and dominating) cupping of the side of his face that he will make sure Richie has everything that was his again. Richie though doesn't act grateful to have this bestowed upon him, sarcastically "thanking" Tony for doing that for him, and when Tony tries to laugh that off Richie just goes blank-faced as he tells the literal Boss of the DiMeo Crime Family "What's mine is not yours to give me." Tony tries to keep the smile up but is clearly irritated, and as they leave the store and walk and talk, he tries again to explain how things have changed, they have to be careful now. Richie doesn't appreciate being talked down to and says he is always careful, so Tony asks him about Beansie, what was careful about that? Richie doesn't even bother to fake being chastened, just complains that Beansie is a sneaky cocksucker, and it annoys him that he's a good earner for Tony only. Tony makes the mistake of using a common turn of phrase by asking him to do him a favor and back off Beansie, and has to make the point far more firmly when Richie won't take a hint. The pizza parlors are cash only, which makes them handy for filtering money through, and he doesn't need any undue attention on them. He snaps at Richie he can either do him the favor of go gently caress himself, and Richie - a strange little man - immediately asks how his sister is. Tony is mortified, until a perplexed Richie explains he is genuinely asking. Both laugh as they realize he thought Richie was baiting him, but while it is funny it does demonstrate one of the more troubling things about Richie. He's completely unpredictable, you can't get a read on how he is thinking, he doesn't react emotionally/intellectually the way most would except for when he does, which makes the times he doesn't all the more perplexing. It's already clear that he's driving Tony up the wall, and that doesn't bode well for anybody.   Cool Aunt Janice, hip Aunt Janice, pops around to Livia's house and checks the mail, pleased to see her disability check from the State of Washington has come through. She heads inside the house she is probably already thinking of as hers... and freezes when she sees the utterly disgusting mess left over by Meadow's party. Tony eats cereal in the kitchen when cool Aunt Janice returns, outraged at what Meadow has done, demanding that Tony and Carmela not let Meadow walk all over them and get away with her unacceptable behavior! Carmela joins them, while Meadow overhears Janice's raised voice from upstairs and listens in as Janice rants and raves about her and criticizes their parenting, talking about what she would do if that was HER child. That's the last straw for Tony, who slams his bowl to the floor and gets right in her face in fury, demanding to know where she gets the balls. She warns him not to talk to her that way and Carmela tries to calm him down, but he has had enough of being concilatory. He lays it all out, she's rolled into town putting on an act of the concerned daughter, but everybody knows she is just there to pick Livia's bones. Janice doesn't back down, trying to rise above it by making a point that she is deliberately not saying things she could say. Tony leaves, feeling better having exploded, and Janice rants to Carmela that his temper tantrums haven't changed since he was a (chubby?) kid in Newark. Carmela is calm, but she's no less furious at Janice, reminding her that she doesn't appreciate having judgement passed on her as a parent, and she has already told her once that how she chooses to discipline her children is none of Janice's concern. Janice doesn't read the warning signs though, having to get in the last word, and Carmela herself finally snaps. She has had it with Sopranos (Tony, true, but mostly Livia) who never listen or pretend not to hear, so she's going to make it as clear as day:  Janice is shocked into silence at last, finally mumbling that perhaps she has stayed there too long. She walks away, and upstairs a mortified Meadow retreats to her room. Junior sees his doctor to discuss concerns about his recent fall as well as the very real heart "fibrillations" he has started to experience. The doctor, who had no qualms about helping him exaggerate his heart condition to help him stay out of jail, explains this is simply the mind/body connection: he made his heart condition out to be worse than it was, his body is trying to follow along with what the mind tells it. The good news is that he only sprained his hip, he didn't break it. A knock at the door cheers up Junior immensely, as Richie steps through the door. They hug, and here Richie is absolutely the good soldier to what he considers a real Boss, at last somebody from his past who he actually respected as a Made guy to talk to. Doctor Schreck lets them have the room to themselves, and Richie - whose face fell the moment Junior's back was turned - is all smiles as he "jokes" about how ridiculous it is he has to meet Tony at the mall and Junior here in a doctor's office. Richie likens meeting Tony to being more like an audience with the Pope, and when Junior sighs and asks what can you do, Richie steps right up to him and in a calm voice tells him he will do exactly whatever Junior tells him to do. Whatever. Whoever. Junior lets that sink in, and Richie continues, he will follow Junior's lead here: if Junior says this is the way things are then so be it. But if not... then Junior only has to point him in the right direction and he will go. Junior, who took his shot and missed and had resigned himself to his failure, suddenly sees a horrible and dangerous thing: hope.   The terrible stand-up from season 1 who bombed at Green Grove has moved up in life, as he is now bombing at the Bada Bing. It's a full house for Richie's return party, and the stand-up's material is going down like a stone in water until they wave him off and he quickly introduces the strippers to much cheering. Upstairs, Richie is the guest of honor as one after the other brings him envelopes stuffed with cash, Paulie almost getting into a fight with one big guy after cracking various jokes about his grandchildren only to be offended when the big guy retorts about his mother. Pussy calms them all down, and Silvio and Tony head upstairs where they insist Richie leave with Silvio for another gift. Richie is confused but leaves, taking the money despite Paulie's protests that he'll watch it. Once he's gone, Christopher - still smarting over being emasculated in their first meeting - complains about his attitude problem. Paule comes to his defense, he's been in prison a long time, he'll soon settle down. Tony, perhaps more trying to convince himself, agrees that he'll fine. Except he won't. Richie asked about Beansie earlier and nobody had seen him, and now that he's down in the backroom getting a blowjob from one stripper and a massage from another, it's all he can think about. He dismisses them with gratitude, paying them against their wishes (Silvio told them not to take money, but he points out it was his cock they were just playing with) before sitting alone in the back room at his own party, continuing to seethe: where the gently caress is Beansie? At one of his pizza parlors of course, and as he leaves through the back to go to his car, Richie pulls up in his own to confront him. Beansie of course didn't go because Richie, you know, smashed his face in with a coffee jug and then savagely beat him with his fists. Trying to keep his car between them, he demands to know what the gently caress Richie's problem is, while Richie demands to know why he didn't come to the party. It's possible that he may have even been intending to honor Tony's "request" for him to leave Beansie alone, but now the "disrespect" of Beansie not being at his welcome home party has set him off again. Beansie is pissed too, reminding him that he already made Richie and Jackie both a ton of money by selling heroin for them back in the day. It isn't his fault that he invested his share of the money while Richie blew all of his, but that just infuriates Richie more, since he spent his on lawyers. Richie pulls out a gun, asking if Beansie still wants to talk like a tough guy, mocking his earlier statement about not laying down. Beansie, no idiot, just turns and loving runs, Richie openly firing the gun as he chases him down the street, only losing him when a car gets in his way during the chase. His blood is up now though, he's far more excited now than he was when that stripper was blowing him. Carmela however is trying to put bad blood behind her, as she knocks on Janice's guest room door so they can have a quiet, sensible and rational discussion. She's apologetic for how she spoke, while an unusually subdued Janice offers to lower the volume of her music and apologies for being out of line herself. For the first time we hear her discuss her own child, Harpo (who goes by Hal now), who was taken to Montreal by his father and has been out of Janice's life since he was small. Clearly emotionally devastated by this, she asks Carmela if they can please not discuss it, and both of them again express their apologies and Carmela insists that she stay, at least until Livia's house is in a suitable condition to move into. Carmela insists she can't let her leave, and a thrilled Janice agrees, the two hugging, all happy families again. Beansie returns to his car, checking the coast is clear before heading for the door. A honking sinks his stomach, and he twists around as a cheerful Richie slams into him, pinning his legs between both cars. Backing up, he drives forward and directly over Beansie's legs as he squeals in agony, them calmly backs up over them again. He doesn't even look at Beansie as he does this, just going about in workmanlike fashion, his satisfaction assured at last. This is better than any stripper's blowjob he ever got.   Meadow and Hunter sing No Scrubs as they make a gigantic mess of the kitchen while cooking food. They laugh at how ineffectual their parents' punishments were, Hunter admitting she simply uses her eating disorder as a way of getting out of punishment, and enthusiastically suggesting Meadow start "purging" too if she wants a get-out-of-jail free card. Playing up the fact they're certainly not yet adults, the scene makes them as clumsy (or at least, thoughtless) as kids 10 years younger than they are, as they spill milk and cheese everywhere while talking up how they're practically adults. Livia, irritated she no longer has a private room, struggles with her automatic bed and snaps dismissively at the cheerful grandma in the opposite bed who keeps reminding her they have nurses for a reason, maybe she should call one? She mistakes Richie for a nurse as he steps in with flowers, and she has no idea who he is. When he tells her, she manages to even dent his carefully constructed facade when she mistakes him for Jackie and asks didn't he die? He has to explain all over again that Jackie was his brother, and he had cancer. "Me too!" chirps up the lovely grandma in the other bed, and Richie shrugs apologetically when Livia insists he close the curtain on her. He asks Livia about "Parvati", confusing Livia again until she realizes he means Janice, and grunts that Janice did that to shame her. Of course she did, why would anybody do anything unless it revolved around Livia Soprano? Janice arrives with Livia's dinner on a tray, surprised to spot Richie. Livia points out how nice the flowers he brought are (she didn't once mention them before Janice got there) and mistakes him for one of Johnny Boy's friends. She lights up when Janice says Richie is HER friend, does she mean a boyfriend? Richie reminds her that she used to yell at him when he'd pull up and beep his horn to pick up Janice to go on dates, and laughs when she snaps that only pimps beep their horns. She seems delighted when he tells her (nicely) that one day somebody will wash her mouth out of soap, but then remembers she is supposed to be miserable and begins moaning she wishes the Lord would take her. Janice is fed up, is she going to pull this same act on EVERYBODY who visits? Livia, cruelly, says she has plenty to feel ashamed of, starting right at Janice as she asks if she really wants to know what she is ashamed of. Janice calls her bluff, but Livia tells her not to worry about that, just worry about what she told her last week (presumably the money). Hilariously, when Janice says she's going to go grab a drink, suddenly Livia is all timid old lady asking if the girl she is so ashamed of is going to come back. "YES!" Janice replies, exasperated, and is joined by Richie as she drinks a soda and attempts to re-center herself, assuring him (but really herself) that Livia will be better once she has her back at home. Richie's takeaway from that is this means Janice is sticking around, and he is surprised when she says Tony isn't going to do that, even more surprised when she says Tony is the type to blame all his problems on somebody else, including his mother. Seeing where Richie's line of talk is going though, she warns him that they can't date again, they were bad together 20 years ago and they'll be bad for each other now. She's changed too much to go back to how things used to be. He points out that goes both ways though, he's not interested in the Janice of 20 years ago, he's interested in the Janice of now. He's changed too, after all, and she has to admit that she never would have expected to see Richie Aprile doing Yoga. The next day at breakfast, Tony complains about Janice's "gook poo poo" taking up space in the fridge, and Meadow comments that she's pleased "Parvati" is staying. Tony is amused, even though Janice thinks she is spoiled? Meadow snaps once again that is wasn't her fault (she claimed to Hunter her dad is a hypocrite, but just like him she blames everybody else for her problems) but when she swears, it kicks both Tony and Carmela off and she realizes she has overstepped (there is a fantastic moment where her eyes briefly widen as she realizes what she has done). As she pouts, Carmela warns her not to put on a sad face, this is a problem of her own making. But now she's in the uncomfortable situation of being daunted by parents she'd insisted were pathetic and powerless. So to satisfy her worldview that no longer dominating giants of her childhood, she pushes a little more. She explains she needs $15 to buy a Cole Porter CD for her singing club, part of her extracurricular activities to help get her into college. Tony isn't happy, but he hands over a $20, and staring in disdain at it, having proven to herself they're easily manipulated fools, she brusquely leaves as Carmela snaps at her for not saying thank you.   Once she is gone, talk turns to Janice. Tony can't believe they almost got rid of her only for Carmela to let her stay, and in the course of the conversation mentions Livia. AJ shows genuine, non-sarcastic confusion, he thought they weren't supposed to talk about Grandma? Tony doesn't know how to answer that, his son has no idea what Livia did or why the rules are in place, just that they're supposed to be followed. They shift back to the safer ground of Janice, with Carmela insisting it isn't Christian to toss her out, and Tony quipping that this works out okay then since she is a Buddhist. Janice arrives, bringing the flowers that Richie brought Livia. Tony is surprised to learn Richie went to see her, but can't deny Janice's comment that he always liked Livia. He says he has to go, giving Carmela a kiss goodbye (she no longer recoils), but then suddenly it is raining at night and he's wearing different clothes, driving a car as Optimistic Voices from the Wizard of Oz soundtrack plays? As he drives, be begins to black out, struggling to reach his Prozac as he slips across lanes and into an oncoming truck. With a huge smash heard behind nothing but a black screen, the next shot is of Tony lying lead on the hood of his car, having smashed through the windshield and killed instantly, his Prozac prescribed by Dr. Melfi lying beside him. The woman herself drives by, staring in horror at Tony's corpse... and wakes with a start. She grabs her dream diary and hurriedly writes the details down, even here in a private journal only referring to Tony as "patient". It's a cheap fake-out, though not on the level of the Isbela episode, and it's only because The Sopranos is such a great show that it can get away with this kind of thing every so often when it would be naturally crapped on elsewhere. Tony is involved in a car "accident" though, or rather the aftermath of one. Having just gotten word, he goes to the hospital where Beansie is in a sorry state. Strapped into a back and beck brace, his legs ruins and pinned into place in a vain effort to at least set them straight even if they can never be used again. His mother is sobbing inconsolably, comforted by his wife who is doing her best to retain her own composure. Bracing himself, Tony walks in and tries to lighten the atmosphere, Beansie's wife recoiling when he tries to give her a kiss hello. A nurse tries to kick him out but Beansie tells her to let him stay, then makes a statement that stabs Tony with guilt: he said Richie wasn't going to bother him. Beansie's wife escorts his mother out, demanding to know if Tony is going to let him get away with this, and spitting out the word "FRIEND" with bile when she tells Beansie she'll leave them to talk. Once they're gone, Tony tries to comfort Beansie as best he can, but that all falls flat when Beansie can't even blow his own nose and Tony has to hold the handkerchief in place for him. He mentions he might not be able to wipe his own rear end anymore and Tony jokes that the nose is as far as he is willing to go, and that at last gets a laugh from him. Settling in close, Tony asks if he is 1000% sure it was Richie driving the car, and Beansie is adamant, it was him all right. He comments that it lucky for Richie he isn't a rat-gently caress, because the police have already told him they don't believe this was a hit-and-run. Tony is alarmed at that, reminding him not to do anything foolish, insisting he acknowledge that they're "old school" and this will be handled in-house. Beansie finally agrees, then insists Tony not have to wait around if he wants to go visit his mother on an upper floor. Tony doesn't know how to respond to that, so just lets it lie. He doesn't want to let it lie with Richie though, who he meets in the wall to read the riot act too. Richie is completely undisturbed though, and not intimidated in the slightest as Tony looms over him. He jokes that he did back off Beansie as told... then put it in drive. Tony is furious, pointing out that any reason Richie could give for having a hard-on for Beansie is hypocritical bullshit. Richie doesn't blink, doesn't answer, just stares. So Tony reminds him that if he wants to be Old School like he claims he is, then he needs to remember the oldest rule of all: Tony is the Boss, which means what he says, goes. Richie finally has a reaction, his lip trembles... because he's loving furious at his kid brother's chubby friend ordering him around like a big shot but he knows there is nothing he can do about it... right now. So he simply agrees and leaves when ordered, leaving Tony fuming and unsatisfied. Just like with Meadow, Richie is unimpressed and openly dismissive of his authority. One pleasant surprise still awaits though. Tony drives to his mother's house yet again, this time to have the locks changed to prevent any more unexpected parties. But as he approaches the front door, he sees Meadow has once again let herself in, and also what she spent that $20 on. Struggling not to puke herself from the stink, she sobs as she scrubs the floors, bags of garbage piled up beside her. Tony steps away from the door as the closing credits music plays, bewildered and pondering the fact that maybe his childish, selfish daughter might be an adult after all.   Season 2: Guy Walks into a Psychiatrist's Office... | Do Not Resuscitate | Toodle-loving-Oo | Commendatori | Big Girls Don't Cry | The Happy Wanderer | D-Girl | Full Leather Jacket | From Where to Eternity | Bust Out | House Arrest | The Knight in White Satin Armor | Funhouse Season 1 | Season 2 | Season 3 | Season 4 | Season 5 | Season 6.1 | Season 6.2 Jerusalem fucked around with this message at 13:32 on Apr 23, 2020 |
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Apr 18, 2019 11:56
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Now the series up until now had been great, but for some reason it was this episode with the arrival of Richie that put the show into truly something special territory. I don't think David Proval ever blinks. ("Manson glances" Tony calls them later.) And I'm sure there's more shocking violence I've seen even on TV now, but there was something about Richie smashing the coffee pot across Beansie's face that made me just jump back into my chair. The second season of The Sopranos is the only season of TV I've ever honestly Netflix-style binged. I think I finished it like four AM that morning.
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Apr 18, 2019 12:41
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Mahoning posted:That scene elevates “Whitecaps” to my favorite episode. It is such a good and realistic seeming fight. It is for my money the best acted scene of the series. this scene , the fight they had upstairs, Tony yelling at AJ after pulling him out of the pool then immediately switching to comfort mode Top of the top
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Apr 18, 2019 14:43
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Dawgstar posted:Now the series up until now had been great, but for some reason it was this episode with the arrival of Richie that put the show into truly something special territory. I don't think David Proval ever blinks. ("Manson glances" Tony calls them later.) And I'm sure there's more shocking violence I've seen even on TV now, but there was something about Richie smashing the coffee pot across Beansie's face that made me just jump back into my chair. The second season of The Sopranos is the only season of TV I've ever honestly Netflix-style binged. I think I finished it like four AM that morning. The only very minor thing that robs me of finding David Proval to be the absolute best villain is that before he was ever in The Sopranos (or even before Shawshank Redemption), I remember him from UHF. So every once in awhile I picture him with staples in his face.
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Apr 18, 2019 15:23
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I should stab you in the fuckin’ eye
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Apr 18, 2019 15:40
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I loving love the way Gandolfini hits his cereal bowl when he snaps at Janice in that scene. He hits that fucker so hard it's like it just disappears from the screen. I remember hearing one of the cast members say he used to walk around with a rock in his shoe all day just to make himself angry enough to play Tony. It's these little details like the cereal bowl that show how successful that was.
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Apr 18, 2019 16:16
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Midgetskydiver posted:I loving love the way Gandolfini hits his cereal bowl when he snaps at Janice in that scene. He hits that fucker so hard it's like it just disappears from the screen. youknowwhat gently caress THIS It’s there, then it’s not. It’s awesome. Seriously though, can’t a man enjoy his Honeycomb cereal in peace? Honeycomb rules.
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Apr 18, 2019 16:23
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crazy eyes mustafa posted:youknowwhat gently caress THIS It was always those little touches that made Tony so likable and relatable. Here he is, the Don of North Jersey, trying to figure out the word puzzle on the back of his Honeycombs box like the rest of us.
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Apr 18, 2019 16:37
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Best part of that for me is that the entire conversation on Janice's side is about Meadow and then Tony loses his poo poo because he's had enough... but he immediately starts talking about their mom and what Janice is up to because that's what has really been eating at him all this time. I don't think Meadow's name comes up on his side at all.
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Apr 18, 2019 16:39
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Who? Are you guys talking about Parvati?
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Apr 18, 2019 17:18
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Dawgstar posted:This is James Gandolfini's son Michael as Young Tony in the Soproanos prequel. Is he wearing fake teeth in that pic, or is his front tooth really chipped like his pops?
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Apr 18, 2019 18:06
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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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What’s YOUR Honeycomb I.Q.?
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Apr 18, 2019 21:01
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If they had written one page of Moby Dick on the back of cereal boxes and every month ship out a different one then I may have actually been able to get through that loving tome. To this day it's the only book besides Mary Gentle's Grunts that I can't force myself to finish.
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Apr 19, 2019 02:22
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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 
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Apr 19, 2019 03:08
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The implication is that you’re having sex with the sister of the person and you’re keeping tabs in a familial manner, which is an invasive feeling coming from an adversary Which incidentally is the exact situation in the show
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Apr 19, 2019 04:32
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crispix posted:I like how Tony always reads the cereal box when he is having breakfast  (Shoutouts to @tomselleck69; I think about Gandolfini saying "breakfast box" a lot more than is healthy for a person. Also only after reading Jerusalem's recap and watching the scene in question did I realize what scene he was using for photoreference) crazy eyes mustafa posted:What’s YOUR Honeycomb I.Q.? Imagine if he'd brought this up with Melfi later; "Even the fucken breakfast box is treatin' me like I'm some kinna deficient."
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Apr 19, 2019 06:32
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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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