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pentyne posted:I actually did not believe you so I checked. The show does this quite a bit and it makes re-watching earlier episodes sometimes even more confusing when I recognize a recycled actor. Sopranos is my all time favorite TV show and I'm digging reading these write ups and going down memory lane. This, The Wire and Breaking Bad are sort my holy triumvirat. I think I've done 3 solid end to end watches of it and dozens of individual episodes when it ran on A&E a lot. It opens itself really well to re-watches due to how much it skips around between story lines, how many subtle things there are and how often it refers to characters and their relationships that I can't always remember. UNtil I re-watched it in full for the first time, I had forgotten that Johnny Sack went back as far as he did. I love the moral ambiguity, hypocrisy, flaws, denial and motivation that almost every character demonstrates. You find yourself falling in love with and rooting for absolute monsters, sociopaths and idiots. I love all the dream sequence stuff and find that even the "worst" episodes are still better than 95% of poo poo I can watch no matter how long my Netflix queue gets. The writing, acting and direction are top notch and never take you out of the show. My only real gripe EVER with it was introducing Steve Buscemi's character out of loving nowhere in one of the later seasons. It was asking me to feel attached and sentimental about someone that Tony supposedly was SUPE CLOSE to and shared all this history with but I'm gently caress all if it didn't feel forced. I like Buscemi a LOT and thought he did great on the show but none of that character intro felt earned to me at all and just reeked of "And Special Guest Star...!" to me. It's been beaten to death but the ending to me is quite clear and Tony got whacked. Re-watching the last season only confirmed it for me; down to Bobby's premonition about never hearing it and everything going black, the subtle callback to "Member's Only", the "communion" with the onion rings and everything else. But what really sold me on it was the rather obvious callback to the planted gun in the men's room from The Godfather. There's also a really good long essay some dude wrote on it that I can't seem to locate that breaks it all down even if sometimes it's reaching. It's amazing to re-watch the last 5 minutes of the final episode, knowing what happens (or doesn't happen), and really appreciate how much loving tension Chase built out of parallel parking, a jukebox, a door chime, some close up cuts and just loving with audience for knowing we were counting down. Amazing TV and I hope this thread keeps going. ... Funny Sopranos story apropos of nothing and my apologies for over sharing: About 10 years ago I had a Sopranos related sex dream and was scratching my head about WTF it meant. It wasn't Adriana, Gloria, Julianna, grown up Meadow or even Melfi or Carmella. I had a god damned weird sex dream about Janice. Why, yes, I am in therapy. Why do you ask?
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Apr 25, 2019 23:51
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banned from Starbucks posted:was she pimping you out? where you mommys little tramp? Mommys little whooah? LOL She blew me in the bathroom. Pretty basic stuff. I wasn't out of the can but I was unemployed. Maybe some projection there? Hey, I'm not proud of it I just thought it was funny. Of all the Sopranos women, even in my dreams I got stuck with the bottom of the barrel. BiggerBoat fucked around with this message at 00:40 on Apr 26, 2019 |
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Apr 26, 2019 00:36
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Basebf555 posted:When you watch those first episodes after Bobby's wife dies, Janice just 100% manipulates him right from the start. There's no foundation there of like, a real relationship, the whole thing was built on Janice's manipulations. Lyvia's if you want to trace it back to its roots. Mahoning posted:Yeah, I agree, although she really did lean a little to hard into the "prejudice against Italian-Americans!" thing. Like I'll give you a pass with that if you're family is actually legit, or even if you think your family's legit. But she knew who her dad was and what he did and she still bought into that bullshit. That's the thing though. ALL of the characters rationalize their perspectives and their unique brands of self delusion and bullshit. Even Melfi and the "professionals". They're ALL flawed and at different times and in different episodes you'll find yourself either rooting for someone, completely repulsed or rolling your eyes and frustrated with their lack of self reflection. For instance, the season one episode with the soccer coach has you rooting for a bunch of thieves, murderers, hit men, drug dealers and extortionists against a sex offender where the mobsters are heroic. I think that's why the show resonates so well because, in that respect, it's a lot like real life and all of our personal relationships, with ourselves and our friends and families. We're all hosed up, hypocritical, sympathetic, narcissistic, selfish, loving, angry, impulsive, caring, insightful, stupid, empathetic, oblivious, horny, faithful, wise, cunning, violent, scared, elated and depressed to varying degrees every day and in every given hour. The show doesn't shove it down your throat and just masterfully shows you this over time through great writing, direction, pacing and incredible acting, with each character's motivation made clear. In that way, I think it's what makes it so relatable and is a large part of why so many people latch onto it. At some point, almost every character does something you either love or loathe. Except RIchie. gently caress that guy.
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Apr 27, 2019 01:07
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Midgetskydiver posted:I have no idea how these things work but I always assumed the money that Davey owed Tony doesn't count towards the profits of the game. I mean the other players don't sing like the type that need to borrow money to play. It's a play in or a house fee. Whoever runs the game gets a percentage of all the action, period, regardless of who wins or loses. So, like, if you walk in with 5 grand, whoever is hosting the game gets 5% or whatever it is. It's sometimes up front but usually settled when you cash out and almost always tied to your level of action . From there you play with your own roll or, if you're losing and if you're a degenerate gambler like Davey, you start borrowing from the house and that's when the "vig" or "the juice" kicks in and you start spiraling because you can never win your way out of it. Assuming Davey is already in the hole for 10 grand to Tony, if he wins 5k, it SHOULD go straight to who he owes it to. Any money Davey might have won SHOULD automatically go to Tony, but, assuming Davey DOES pay it all, it's still really only $4000 or w/e because of the interest plus whatever the house takes. And gamblers never pay it all off. They keep letting it ride and borrowing more. So, along with "the rake" you've also got the "vig". Mobsters just keep lending these dudes enough money to hang themselves and keep them coming back until they bust them out and then, when the guy is bled dry, they come after his assets. See: Davey's sporting goods store and his kid's college fund. Even if a player is "breaking even", if he's borrowing, whoever is lending it to him is making money for doing nothing at all beyond staking him. It's sort of what banks do, TBH, where they just collect money for providing money. or raising you credit limit. whoa. that was longer than I intended it to be. TL/DR: Whoever sets up/hosts the game collects a fee/percentage for their trouble. BiggerBoat fucked around with this message at 23:35 on Apr 27, 2019 |
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Apr 27, 2019 23:32
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Yeah this. Being "cool" or whatever.
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Apr 28, 2019 00:28
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If might also be "cool" for the gangsters to have celebs like Lawrence Taylor and Sinatra hanging around Speaking of poker scenes, one of my all time favorite Sivio freak outs. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f-LYLRK2Y38 Even better because Tony sets it all up for his own amusement.
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Apr 28, 2019 00:55
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Came here to post that retrospective but then saw it on the OP. It was pretty cool but I wish it had been longer and had more of the cast. So instead, have this clip montage of the show's best scenes that I watched last night.FOrgot how often this show was loving funny. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Ropc0KvWFw Agreed something was off with Paulie in that group and I swear up and down I thought Dominic Chianese had died. Who the gently caress was I thinking of? John Ventimiglia (Artie), if I'm not mistaken, has had his share of problems and he looked drunk as poo poo on that thing. Lorraine Bracco must be a chain smoker. I felt bad for Hesh and the girl that played the Russain nanny since they hardly got to speak. For about 2 years, when I first heard of Joey Diaz, I thought he was the actor that played Pussy and had transitioned into stand up or some poo poo. Michael Imperioli is a great actor that I never see getting much work anymore. He seems perfect for an animation voice if nothing else. Edie Falco I guess has had the most "success" moving forward. Anyway that's my "what ever happened to?" analysis. I think the cast's reverence for James Gandolfini there wasn't just "let's all speak fondly of the dead guy" and more a genuine appreciation for him as an actor and as a person. From all accounts he was a considerate, empathetic caring stand up sort of guy who never "big timed" anybody and that really came across in that group interview. The collection of talent on this show is just nuts. There's not a bad actor in the bunch, IMO and they all do so much with just their faces, their body language and their inflection. One thing that came out of that "Inside the Actor's Studo" group discussion thingy that I'd never thought of was how "non-showy" the cinematography and direction really was. It's like the anti Scorcese and a wise move - not too much of a score, nor overly intense lighting, scene framing, dramatic camera angles or intrusive mood music to tell you how to feel about a scene. You're just watching. I think they called it "cinemaverite" where the way it's shot puts the viewer in the scene and almost makes them a character. I can only recall a couple of "holy poo poo, that was insane" direction choices in this show; like when Sil is sitting at the dinner table and a guy gets shot or some of the dream scenes (where it's actually appropriate) but, overall, almost all of it is shot with no score and at traditional 90 degree angles and close ups. Sorry for 
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Apr 28, 2019 17:18
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Midgetskydiver posted:The guy who played Phil leotardo died a few years back, that may be who you are thinking of. That was it. I knew it was a Sopranos actor I'd seen in a mob movie (which doesn't really narrow it down) Too lazy to look it up but if I remember right a number of these actors were in mainstream mob movies and also had a poo poo ton of personal problems. I think Tony Sirrico and Frank Vincent were honest to god mafia dudes. I know the guys who played Artie, AJ and Matt Bevalacqua got into some legal trouble to varying degrees and I'm pretty sure the latter went down with some hard prison time for loving killing a dude or something. Who gets the vote for most underrated character? I'd say Artie since I remember his scenes the most of the all the "minor" characters. He's always stuck in the middle of all the mob poo poo, suffocated by life (and his wife) and the few times he tries to branch out he's shut down fast. The vodka loan, trying to mack on Ade, pulling a rifle on Tony, getting his arm burnt in the tomato sauce, a failed suicide. I also liked the old rear end in a top hat who came out of the can for a while and hosed with the landscaper, trying to go old school on the modern crew and talking loud poo poo, who then went down by getting set up with the stolen TV's. Speaking of suicides, successful or otherwise, what's the tally on that? Artie, Eugene, AJ, Gloria, the cop who jumped off a bridge, Dominic...feel like I'm forgetting several
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Apr 28, 2019 19:02
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crispix posted:How long had you been in the can for? "Hey, Tone, you hear what I said? Bigguh Boat told us he was havin sex with Janice and I said 'how long u been in the can for?' heh heh heh."
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Apr 28, 2019 19:15
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Your Gay Uncle posted:I have no idea how weird how you have to be to get kicked out of an anime club. Your Gay Uncle posted:making GBS threads into tube socks, wrapping them in tinfoil and dryer sheets and hiding them in a shoe box under his bed.
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May 1, 2019 11:59
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crispix posted:I think what I picked up on was how Tony reacted to the jacket. I suppose it's great that we never actually hear him talk to anyone about it (?) and so are left to draw our own conclusions about what it meant to him. My take on the jacket: - I thought it was a passive aggressive move designed to not only make Tony look ridiculous but to also inflate Richie's ego. I think if it Richie honestly thought it was so tough, good looking and bad rear end from at totemistic standpoint, he would have taken to rockin it himself. - The fact that it was hilariously out of style and would make whoever wore it a laughing stock not only showed how long Richie had been out of the game and what used to look "cool" but also only made the "gift" less important or genuine. I didn't get the impression that Richie gave a gently caress about it beyond being able to tell a recited tough guy story. Otherwise he would have worn it. It was just some ugly thing he found in a box in his basement that only reminded him of his rear end kicking days. - I think it was also a "message" to Tony in response to the incoming threats he was receiving; "Remember this dude thought he was so tough and I kicked his rear end? Why don't YOU wear it, tough guy? See what happens when I take it off YOU." It was a passive aggressive power move from a guy that knows very little about "passive" anything. The ONLY thing Richie associated the jacket with was beating up the toughest guy in the neighborhood. - The fact that he made a show of it in front of the other guys and crew members amplified all of the above, since everyone got to watch the exchange. But no one gave a poo poo and all offered either silence or polite and patronizing "compliments", which is telling given how prone the crew is to over laughing at Tony's jokes and otherwise currying favor. No one liked it or felt envy. - I don't think Tony gave it to the other guy beyond "here, you want this?" as a cursory off handed unloading and a "wtf am I gonna do with THIS?" thing and doubt it was an intentional message to Richie or anything. I just think he gave two shits about it. If he had, he would have said "I gave it to so and so" instead of "it's in the car." and would have come back with it as a power move when Richie asked where it was. Tony hated the coat and actually lied about what he did with it to spare Richie's feelings. He didn't rub it in Richie's face and was actually soft about it, implying he'd kept it safe in his car. - The fact that Richie got so bent about it had less to do with the re-gifting of it or any real or perceived slap in the face insult so much as him knowing that the entire exchange was insignificant to Tony one way or another. It not only failed to curry favor, but also failed to intimidate and Tony might as well have wiped his rear end with it; on top of Richie hoping Tony would be wearing it when he kicked his rear end one day and won the power struggle. Then he could give it to Sil or Paulie and similarly "mark" them as next in line for a beat down and/or repeat the passive aggressive pattern. - It was an empty gift and a do nothing peace offering. Anyway, that's my take on the jacket and how I read it.
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May 4, 2019 00:25
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Also, that Bevalcqua kid (the actor who played him) wound up as much of a gently caress up as his character. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lillo_Brancato_Jr.#Arrests,_conviction,_and_incarceration I was surprised to read he was released from jail 6 years ago and for some reason thought he had died. Am I thinking of a different Sopranos actor? edit: No that was him. Seems like he killed a guy but got off. Holy poo poo, this guy has been in 5 movies since he got out Sorry for the double post.
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May 4, 2019 00:30
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Solice Kirsk posted:In a later season Hesh says he doubts if Tony has 1m to his name because of how he spends and gambles. I thought he guessed "3". In any event, that reminded me of probably the only other "forced" plot point in this show: Tony's seemingly out of nowhere severe gambling problem. Nothing in the other seasons suggests this is a problem or even that Tony gambles much at all then all of a sudden he's letting it ride constantly and borrowing money.
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May 8, 2019 13:44
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Dawgstar posted:And you even get that bit in the flashback where Johnny Boy tells Tony to never gamble and a man honors his debts, and then we think Tony follows that (even the debt part in his own way) until he's suddenly off the deep end. Like I was under the impression whenever they went up to the Native American casino they were mostly getting comped. If I'm not mistaken the gambling thing was introduced during the "half" season that was created as a semi compromise/contractual thing or something. It was loaded with filler and I don't think Chase's heart was in it. Even though I enjoyed it, "Season 6.5" or whatever it was, felt shoe horned in and was kind of meandering. Think it ran 6 episodes. The real beauty of this show, and most great TV shows (The Wire, Breaking Bad, Six Feet Under...hell, I'll throw Daredevil in there) lies not only with the acting but the way they're able to write each character as simultaneously sympathetic and loathsome, with hypocrisy and conflicting selfish motivations mostly shown and not told. No one is perfect and they're all sinners, to one degree or another. Some to extreme degrees. You can find yourself rooting for Tony, Chris, Furio or pretty much anyone at any given time and then be brought around to being horrified at the same people. You can feel sorry for someone in one scene and shocked at their behavior the next. The kind of shows that make you interrupt and comment while you're watching them with someone, often to their consternation, are a sign that what you're watching is good. The writing is rarely predictable, rote, cliched, over the top or ham fisted. Humor is used sparingly and to great effect. The show is not about "who gets whacked" but "who does what and why?" The violence, sex and immorality are tertiary to the larger arc of each and every character and never gratuitous. It must have been a JOY to be an actor on this show with so much depth and inherent character motivation to work with along with believable and relatable dialogue. All the actors who worked on the show seem to echo this sentiment. I know we haven't gotten to Pussy's killing yet but a good example of what I'm talking about is when Vincent Pastore tries to spin his working as an informant as a net positive, desperately trying to save his life. "This disinformation thing....it's a loving ace!" is just perfect and the body language, the build up and the emoting in that scene is peak Sopranos. jase1 posted:I know this is a few pages back but the fee for playing in the game is something I have never heard of and I play in big games all the time. It’s mostly just the rake and that’s 10% of the pot up to a set amount. So if it’s small stakes and you are playing Texas hold me with $1/$2 blinds usually the rake would be 5 bucks for 50 and under and if the pot gets over 100 it’s another 5 or sometimes in smaller games it’s just 5%. If it’s 10 percent I expect food and drinks and massage girls. I assume in that game they were taking roughly around $100 rake per hand. You'd know more than me so I'll take your word for it. I think I conflated a buy in fee with the automatic percentage that went to the house. I knew the host got something for running the game along with the interest for any loans or what have you. I thought if you bought, say, a thousand boxes of ziti, the house kept 50, win or lose. No?
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May 9, 2019 01:32
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"You poor bastard" is 100% Tony saying "You are stuck with Janice, you have no idea what you're into and you are hosed". An amendment to "she's your problem now". Also, rather foreshadowing knowing what's coming. The nurse/doctor office scenes reminded of a moment in the show where some nurse or caretaker had a really odd lingering shot on her that, when I saw it, suggested to me she was an FBI/police/DEA plant in the Dr. office. Not sure if it was the episode that just got written up but I think it was. If memory serves, she was light skin black or Hispanic and seemed to be shown to go out of her way to eavesdrop, be in ear shot and see up close every visitor who came and went to visit Junior. I don't even remember if there was a payoff but I distinctly remember thinking at the time that they way the scene was shot was deliberately done to evoke a sense of mistrust and seemed to focus on the nurse's lingering gaze and knowing eyes. Like she was paying too much attention to a routine doctor visit. Anyone know what I'm talking about?
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May 11, 2019 18:21
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Kevyn posted:I remember Adriana doing that. Listening while Tony and the boys used her office at the club for a meeting. I recall that too but that was blatant. Plus we knew Ade had flipped. The scene I'm thinking of was far more subtle and involved not much more than a lingering camera shot, a long-ish glance at Junior/whoever else was in the room and a facial expression. It might have been the "House Arrest" episode because if I remember right, the nurse had abruptly quit or wasn't there the next time and I distinctly remember thinking the cops had pulled her out and theorizing that she'd gone to her superiors and told them "he knows" or "I've been made" or something. It wasn't a caretaker. It was a woman in the doctor's office. Maybe I'm confusing it with wheelchair bunion lady. Wouldn't be the first time I thought something significant was happening that turned out to be a red herring.
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May 11, 2019 19:42
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Andrew Verse posted:I'm fairly sure there was a brief mention sometime during Junior's trial where it's explicitly said that the FBI had someone at the doctor's office, so you're probably right. I did some digging and it seems I was. It was the flirty nurse. This isn't the scene I was remembering but this is the lady https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xmLHke70ruQ
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May 12, 2019 13:43
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Dawgstar posted:Now that I think about it it's an interesting counterpoint to the medical technician who Junior was trying to flirt with and didn't come back because she didn't want a creepy old mobster calling her 'cupcake.' Apparently, she was also in then courtroom during Junior's trial
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May 12, 2019 17:28
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Love these write ups and wish more people were chiming in. The summaries led me down a lot of YouTube rabbit holes over the last 2 weekends, watching highlights and episode recaps. I never got that subtle detail of Tony checking his gun before entering Livia's house with the very real possibility it might be a set up. I always took it as a reflexive thing due to not really knowing what was going on. Good stuff. One thing I wondered about in the episode where they whack Pussy: He's in close contact with the feds and, if I remember right, the boat and the trip in general was presented to Pussy as "I'm thinking about buying it. Come check it out." and that it was a test drive of sorts. Is that right? Because, if so how the gently caress did they clean it up so well and return it to the seller in the harbor? There'd be blood, trace evidence, bullet holes and all kinds of poo poo along with the real chance the feds would know where Pussy might be headed. If I remember right, though, he wasn't wired for the boat ride. Was it actually Tony's boat? EDIT: Also, do most of you buy Jr's assertion that he was testing Ritchie with the idea of a second hit attempt? Are we supposed to but it? Seemed to me it was Carrado being pragmatic when Ritchie couldn't muster up a crew. BiggerBoat fucked around with this message at 22:48 on May 13, 2019 |
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May 13, 2019 22:39
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Dawgstar posted:
That's how I took it as well and what I meant about Jr being "pragmatic". I don;t remember any follow ups or investigations into Ritchie's disappearance either. I assumed he must have been on parole but it's never shown so maybe not. Seems like someone in law enforcement would be asking questions and I'm still wondering if I'm remembering Pussy's murder boat the way described it. Why didn't he have the wire on that day? And was it Tony's boat? I don't think it was and seem to remember the gang luring him out there to help Tony decide if he should buy it as part of the ruse.
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May 13, 2019 23:54
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Ungratek posted:They showed up unannounced at his house and then Tony went into the bathroom and found the tape and wire. Pussy wouldn’t just be wearing it around for no reason That's right. And wasn't the ruse that he wanted Pussy's help to look over the boat he wanted to buy? Which, if so, gets me back to wondering how they cleaned up everything. Probably over thinking it though and they had likely just arranged a boat NQA ahead of time somehow.
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May 14, 2019 00:22
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Dawgstar posted:Now that Pussy's wearing a wire was brought up, it stands out to be wanting him to be wired at AJ's confirmation was a very odd choice. Wouldn't that be like one of the last places Tony or anybody would talk OC? It made for good drama, don't get me wrong. And now having typed all that, maybe it was yanking Pussy's leash to remind him the FBI was in charge. I think their reasoning is that loving everybody is gonna be there so maybe the odds of getting something good go way up.
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May 14, 2019 13:14
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Midgetskydiver posted:I put Funhouse against any single episode of any television show. It's an absolute masterpiece and in my opinion does enable season 2 to eclipse season 1 in brilliance. That closing montage is The Sopranos in microcosm: a snapshot of the dark side of the American dream, where a few criminals reap the reward for the suffering of faceless victims. Agreed. It's probably my favorite episode and thanks for another great write up, Jerusalem. A few stray observations: - The biggest thing to me about why this mob execution landed was the established relationship(s). Reminded me again about what bothered me so much about Buscemi's Tony Blundetto character being the catalyst that set off the war in the final seasons and how much it wasn't truly earned. I get why they would use Buscemi on the show (because of course you would) and he was fine but his sudden introduction and subsequent emotional weight his death carried felt really forced and crammed in to me. We got to watch Pussy and his situation evolve and stew. Blundetto was just suddenly Tony's beloved cousin we never heard about. - I like how the show never really confirmed one way or the other whether Jimmy was, in fact, a rat after Tony basically used him as a convenient out for having to face the emotional consequences and stark reality of Pussy. I'd say all signs point to be Tony being correct about Jimmy but it's never conclusively confirmed one way or the other, a little bit sad the way Tony conveniently focuses suspicion on someone he cares far less about than his friend and it's just sort of left out there as far as I remember. - Pussy trying desperately to convince his killers that "I got this down. this disinformation thing...it's a fuckin ace!" is brilliant writing and Vincent Pastore is so god damned good during that whole scene. No over acting or selling it too much. - Speaking of that, when he's reminiscing and talking about "eatin her out", I thought it had been established with Junior that eating pussy was a no no - or is that just for the old school types? Or did Pussy just not care and it was some strange confession? - I never noticed that we didn't see Paulie fire but we heard a lot of off screen gunshots too. - Didn't the ariline tickets come from busting out Davie's store? How were they considered "stolen" when we're clearly shown them being ordered on his still (at that time) good credit line? They even dedicate a few lines of dialogue to Davie asking how he's supposed to justify their purchase. Or was it a different scam? I wondered if Davie had flipped, run to the cops and used the Nevada ranch story and the divorce to set up his disappearance into the WRP when I watched it the first time. Interesting idea I think.
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May 18, 2019 02:33
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Ginette Reno posted:So in the hypothetical world where Albert does back Richie and they manage to take Tony out, does the rest of the family even back Richie after that? I feel like they would have all gone to Sil. None of that crew respected Richie. I don't think they'd have much of a choice in the matter. It would all be up to Junior unless Tony's guys wanted to go full on war and Sil wasn't a boss. Also, Junior was playing both sides; pragmatic in his own way. No matter which way the thing shook out he'd still be in charge and either way had an "out". Plus, he still had the trump card of "Tony was seeing a shrink. Who knows what he was blabbing to her about?" to play if he needed it. Dawgstar posted:Not to defend Ralphie too much (because good heavens) but it does feel like the only reason he wasn't made capo of the Aprile crew was because Tony didn't like him. Which I totally get, don't get me wrong. He was also a loose cannon who ran his mouth too much and whose assholishness tended to create situations that were less than ideal for doing business no matter how much he was earning. Thinking on it for a second, did anyone who wound up banging Janice make it out alive? BiggerBoat fucked around with this message at 20:42 on May 19, 2019 |
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May 19, 2019 20:38
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"Silvio Slo Mo"...are we talking about the scene where some dude gets his head blown off at the table and SIl gets the blood splatter and hears the ringing? Because that poo poo was dope.
BiggerBoat fucked around with this message at 22:30 on May 20, 2019 |
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May 20, 2019 15:57
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COMPAGNIE TOMMY posted:"Francis Scott Key" Take a drink everyone time someone is eating. Watching this show used to make me so hungry. I think there was even a Sopranos cookbook.
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May 21, 2019 23:45
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Torquemada posted:There is, I have it! It’s pretty entertaining. The recipes are useful if you don’t really cook a lot, as they’re quite basic. It’s written as if Artie is writing his own cookbook, and asking all his Italian friends for their own recipes. Whoever oversaw the writing did a great job, because the interviews and asides are a very creditable impression of the show’s characters. Curious if there's one for tripe. Or back yard rabbit.
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May 22, 2019 13:09
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escape artist posted:I remember Ishamael posted an amazing baked ziti recipe many, many years back. It ended up costing like $40 or more for all the ingredients, but it was the best ziti I've ever had. Did you make Bobby eat it? talktapes posted:Rewatched this recently too. I love the weird vibe when the cleanup is happening, and how it turns into this terrible bonding experience between Chris and Tony. Just these two guys alone together performing this methodical dismemberment in a quiet suburban house. And Chris shows up half high for that job and even cops to it. Tony is totally oblivious to his role in aiding and openly encouraging Chris to fall off the wagon - aggressively so really - and then later kills him as a "mercy killing" or "murder of convenience", however one reads that. It's shown that Tony is "oh so concerned" about the absent baby in the car seat but, to me, we know by then he was mainly and always concerned about himself, even if he fails to realize it. Throughout the show were shown him arguing that he's providing for his family and how much everyone else is loving his poo poo up and pushing his buttons but he's ultimately selfish and totally doing it all for himself. Sociopath. Chris was struggling and slipping anyway but the wine heist and subsequent bonding element with Tony was a textbook example of enabling, manipulation, self centeredness and just one more example of Tony's toxicity bringing nothing but pain and death to everything he interacts with through his insatiable selfishness, which really culminated with AJ's suicide attempt and the penultimate episode. BiggerBoat fucked around with this message at 00:22 on May 24, 2019 |
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May 24, 2019 00:09
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I don't know. This sounds like a fan theory born from someone spending too much watching the show. Like the idea that Bill Doutreve is Bobby Hill's dad in King of the Hill. Good write up, as usual on S3 ep1 and you're right. You can kind of feel the meandering, buying time and adjusting to Marchand's death loving up the planned story line and how it almost seems to be re-thinking things on the fly. I felt the same way in parts of season 6.5 or whatever it was (the half season) which I still liked but felt somewhat unfocused and had little but of filler to it. I know it's a meme now to make fun of the CGI they used for Livia's scenes in this season but I swear to god I never noticed it back when I watched it for the first time back in like 2001 or whatever it was. I didn't even know the actress had died so maybe I wasn't looking for it. Or I was so stoned it went over my head and past my bloodshot eyes.
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May 24, 2019 22:52
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Yeah, wow, that Livia CGI is loving brutal and I can't believe I didn't pick up on it at the time. Thanks for fueling the thread so well, Jerusalem. There's so many characters on this show to hate but I swear to god I think Janice takes the loving cake. That wake/funeral scene grinds my god damned gears because I've lost a lot of family members over the last decade and have seen first hand people do that self serving, virtue signaling, making it all about themselves poo poo SO often - all the while seeing dollar signs in their eyes and impatiently swooping in to suddenly "care", hoping there's something in it for them and pretending they ever gave a poo poo in the first place. I love Tony's "wrap it up, Janice" with the steely eyed look. Stray observations: - Looking for the symbolism in the screen shot with the mayo and the V8 bottle and I got nothing - Anyone think Meadow might have subconsciously pushed her dad's buttons, knowing it would get his goat? And for whatever "tut-tutting" Carmela might have done over the Noah thing, I have to think she agrees with her husband. - I loving love when Hugh stands up for himself and stops taking poo poo for 5 minutes. Strange that Carmela's parental dynamic has the woman in the dominant role yet her won marriage is mostly the opposite. - Very clever and cool usage of the Public Enemy film as a framing device, especially at the end. - Didn't realize that we haven't met Ralph until this point. His introduction was seamless and not jarring like Buscemi's was. Wasn't this the episode where he snorts coke with Janice and bangs her in the bathroom or is that later? - Wonder why Livia saved Tony's childhood report cards and poo poo but not Barb's or Janice's? What's the significance there I wonder? - Not mentioned but I love AJ going "what'd dad say?", seeing Noah and going "oh....I know what he said" or is that in another episode too? - Chris' drug addled rambling is great. The whole funeral scene is perfect and very realistic - everyone meandering, bored, putting on masks, acting how they THINK they should..."what are ya gonna do?"..."at least she didn't suffer". Platitudes. And every time someone tries to get deep it just results in awkward. Michael Imperioli is a loving treasure. I don't think I've ever seen him do a poo poo performance in anything.
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May 25, 2019 22:31
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Andrew Verse posted:I'd say it was real. Janice does seem to get legitimately upset whenever Hal/Harpo is brought up throughout the series. Yeah, Tony uses it because he knows it's a weak spot. He does it a few times with Harpo.
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May 26, 2019 21:41
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quote:They work through the symbols: the vending machine was her guilt for putting herself in harm's way, they can both agree on that. Um...how? Help me out here.
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May 31, 2019 00:51
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Jerusalem posted:
I just couldn't figure out the symbolic significance of the vending machine itself. TBH, I still can't. EDIT: Thanks, Jerusalem vvv BiggerBoat fucked around with this message at 14:11 on May 31, 2019 |
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May 31, 2019 12:31
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No Wave posted:I wasnt exactly blown away by Melfi not using Tony to kill someone (I never expected her to), and I dont think it says much about what is fun about their relationship (is Tony getting validation he shouldnt be getting from Melfi, how does having Tony as a client make Melfi feel special, what even is Melfi's role as a therapist supposed to be when her client is this guy). I think her "NO" declaration was a defining moment for the character. That even though she was drinking, having second thoughts, angry, thirsty for revenge, second guessing her own motivations and poo poo, she drew the line. Having Tony as a client was a superficial thrill but also a challenge, and that was her motivation, IMO. "If I can fix HIM, I can fix anyone and, therefore, a great doctor." "Everyone is deserving of healthcare", etc. I honestly think the "buzz" of treating a mobster was secondary to the idea of her rising to the challenge of her profession. And, yes, the therapy WAS a waste of time because Tony wasn't committed to telling the truth, being open and also because the nature of his work flies directly in the face of what it means to be mentally healthy and prevents him from being honest in the first place. He didn't visit Melfi to "get better". He went to her to (only) fix his panic attacks because it was loving up his job. I mean, yeah, if you're takeaway was "man, all that therapy sure was a big waste" then you definitely got the point and, at the end, Melfi shut the door in his face. Given the way the way the final episode ended, it was arguably the point of the whole series.
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May 31, 2019 22:53
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Escobarbarian posted:I’m still very behind in this thread because I’m reading Jerusalem’s recaps along with my rewatch (loving these by the way man, great work!!) as well as The Sopranos Sessions, but I had to pop in to say I just got to 205 and “What are you doing? You’re dropping your fuckin oranges” is one of the funniest lines this show ever did Is the book any good? I've heard mixed reviews
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Jun 2, 2019 23:19
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Bip Roberts posted:Imagine if it was a duck. Or Cossette, Adriana's dog. Tony's soft spot for animals is pretty consistent. And I thought the Ralphie/Jackie Jr. was just Ralph talking poo poo about his glory days and the good old days. I don't think he was prodding Jackie Jr. to do much of anything and was basically just bragging.
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Jun 4, 2019 23:47
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crispix posted:Awh no. I'd forgotten about that I've watched it straight through twice and watched a ton of reruns and I still forget poo poo. Some of the Youtube episode recaps are cool to go through.
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Jun 5, 2019 00:07
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This is a really good episode I think and thanks for another great write up. I like it as a build up, related to Carm, to the "you act like butter wouldn't melt in your mouth" speech that comes much later and is one of my favorite scenes Took me forever to figure out that the doctor was Glen from Raising Arizona.
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Jun 9, 2019 18:37
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No Wave posted:i mean we're here trying to crack the code of the scene in our own way by wondering why we spent three minutes watching meadow parallel park. When Chase himself says "it's all right there" and then you re-watch certain episodes with that in mind, knowing what to look for, I can't read the finale any other way than that Members Only guy killed him. I mean, even forgetting Bobby's observation about "never seeing it coming" or hearing it, they practically went out of their way to mirror one of the most famous scenes from The Godfather that is entirely about a surprise hit.
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Jun 12, 2019 18:14
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Oh, I don't think it "mattered" much either and I know the finale has been beaten to death. I was just addressing what a lot of people see as ambiguity that I've actually come around to reading as totally and inarguably straight forward, especially with the benefit of hindsight and being able to re-watch the series. I think what Chase ultimately was able to accomplish with the blackout and that "nothing happening" final scene was give us the "ending" without showing us The Whackening and the gratuitous bloodbath. Which he actually gave us in the penultimate episode.
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Jun 12, 2019 23:38
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