kalel posted:

I finished the sopranos

my review: it was good. thanks for reading

kalel posted:

the most interesting part of the sopranos for me was how the war on terror subtly influenced the story, worming its way into the background of the world until it became a major part of the final season. ignoring any other qualities, it's pretty remarkable as a time capsule of the attitude of that era.

this whole time I've been watching, I couldn't help myself but compare it to mad men—for my money, the greatest TV show I've seen. The storytelling style and seasonal arc structure are very similar, so it's no surprise they share creative teams. what makes them different is that while mad men is simply a (very faithful) recreation, facsimile, imitation of a bygone era, sopranos took place in the time that it was made. Which makes it all the more impressive how narratively cohesive it ended up being, and how naturally the themes evolved in the background of a very transformative era in america's history. while I still think mad men is the more well constructed show, I suspect in this specific comparison that my opinion is only by virtue of the fact that the time in which it took place already happened—the writers knew which events happened when, and could hit those themes to the beat of history as precisely as they wanted. sopranos, meanwhile, had to act as a conduit for the zeitgeist as it evolved, which means there was probably a lot of pressure to toe the line politically due to the very controversial nature of 9/11, the subsequent invasions in the Middle East, and the war on terror. not to mention having to integrate and compensate for new technology, such as DNA tracking, cell phones, personal computers, and the internet.

(it's also definitely one of the funniest shows ever made. I can't remember the last time I cry laughed but the scenes of Chris and friends planning what became "Cleaver" were all gold and I still find myself laughing about them as they pop in my head from time to time.)

but it makes me sad a little, to not have experienced the show as it happened while living in the time it was made, as I did breaking bad for example. Because now I can only experience it in comparison to other things: other television shows, my expectations based on reputation, my memories of my personal experience during that time. It's difficult for me to accept it on its own terms; I can only see it now after it's already been assessed to be a classic. and, also, I'm sad that a talent like gandolfini is gone.

I'm not sure whether I want to touch many saints of newark. I feel like the show ended exactly as it needed to end, and I'm not interested in a cameo fest with a bunch of younger versions of characters I'd already invested in and followed to the end. I'm content to let this sit in my mind for a little bit and see what it does in the background while I'm not looking.

BiggerBoat posted:

He did similar write ups for The Wire, if you like that show.

Rev. Bleech_ posted:

"'Ahegau?" "Bless you! heheheheheh. Did you hear that Ton'? He said 'ahegau' and I said 'bless you'"

Data Graham posted:

What's the general opinion on Many Saints?

kalel posted:

loling at pages 179+ itt

Jerusalem posted:

Crazy how their worldview on the place of women and what constitutes being a "real man" disappeared the second the money made it work. Much like how values of loyalty and respect also seemed contingent on the money being made. You know... I'm starting to get the sense that the Mafia's espoused principles may in fact be largely set dressing for a primary concern of making money! (now now, no need to clap for my searing powers of observation!)

FlamingLiberal posted:

I think the coma stuff just goes on too long. It's not bad in theory, but it's like 3 episodes.

PostNouveau posted:

The show's pretty bad at picking music,

crispix posted:

Tony quidprano posted:

The executive game scam collapses any time you try to apply any sort of logic to it. It always comes up and people always make the mistake of trying to make sense of it. Just black box it and enjoy Silvio yelling about cheese instead, much more enjoyable experience.

Pissed Ape Sexist posted:

E: This is why gambling is regulated-- it's entirely exploitative by nature, even when 100% legal

Ainsley McTree posted:

Quotes just show the ultimate absurdity of posting.

Pope Corky the IX posted:

Other television shows have been trying to recreate that "Janice shoots Richie" moment for decades now.

CoffeeBoofer posted:

Ralph Hurley posted:

To this day I still have no clue what “under my subspecies” was supposed to mean but it’s the funniest poo poo ever and the whole crew just sits there like 🗿 when he says it.