Sopranos - 5/13

Julianna Skiff's re-emergence makes me wonder how much she knows.

Also, is it possible Christopher had a wire camera in that hat? He wasn't acting the way he had when coked up in episodes past.... more jumpy.... like someone doing something he shouldn't be doing, deathly afraid of being found out.

Also, Heidi and Kennedy.... both big events in 1968.... whetevuhthefuck....

 

The only thing I think we'll see in the final 3 episodes for sure is AJ getting a taste of the life. The parallels between him and Tony are too great. If there is any upshot of this series, it's that the main character was pulled into the life despite his inner nature and found himself warped by it but could never get over his distaste of it, hence the therapy. Now, we're seeing AJ matriculate to Mafia U. after dabbling in real college ("I spent a semester at Rutgers.") and he's had fainting problems in the past. The lineage of the family within The Family is the story and it rose to the surface last night.

I won't be overly surprised if the final 3 episodes are anti-climactic after last night.There might be more bloodshed but the series could end with Tony still on top, still at odds with Phil, still annoyed by Paulie, still having Sil at his side, still the same fucked up prick he's always been — except that his real son is now at his side instead of his adopted son.

 

Like Tony discovering he's using again?

 

No.

Not like that.

 

"I was prostate with grief."

 

I thought it was Seton Hall that Tony spent a semester attending... if I remember the "College" episode correctly.

 

Didn't it seem strange to you that her and Tony never took off their clothes when they were in bed. Perhaps she was just giving him a lap dance.

 

hmmmmmmmm

 

HBO has some liberal standards, but I don't think the world is ready to see James Gandolfini with his pants off in widescreen HD.

 

Makin ziti with the black socks on was traumatic enough!

 

Most of the ground has already been covered here (well done, as usual) but I'd just to chime in and say that the brilliance of the scene where Tony snuffs out Chris is that, at the time, you don't really know if it's a mercy killing or if Tony is riding himself of a major problem in his life. And like Zeke said, they're not mutually exclusive. I think as the episode goes on, you see that Tony really did kill Chris because he saw an opportunity to move on and finally end his love/hate relationship with him. I've written this before, and I'm not breaking any new ground obviously, but it's fascinating to me how David Chase has Tony do something that reminds viewers that Tony isn't a loveable character. Convensional television wisdom says you shouldn't be rooting for him. He's a muderous, selfish, lying, adulterous psychopath incapable of love, and yet we're drawn to him. Deep down, he's not good. He's evil. Maybe the whole point of the show is that Tony is his mother's boy, just like David Chase feels that he's always going to be his mother's boy. And it begs the question: Why do we, as viewers, feel empathy for someone who on the surface is so dislikeable and full of despair? And someone who is so "comfortably numb" to the evil deeds he's done and forced others to do? One minute Chris is telling Tony to smell the roses, and they're smiling together, and the next, Tony is putting his hand on Chris' face, quietly killling him.

Honestly, the more I think about it, those Pink Floyd lyrics were about Tony, not Chris. I think you can see how Tony's story is in some ways being echoed with what A.J. is going through this year. (Otherwise why have the A.J. story, since Robert Iller is such a mediocore actor.)

Think of these lyrics in the context of Tony, who dreamed earlier this season (and the season before last in "Test Dream") about what his life would have been like with different choices. When we reach adulthood, we're fully formed. We can't become different people, no matter what bullshit therapy we attend/endure.


When I was a child
I caught a fleeting glimpse
Out of the corner of my eye.
I turned to look but it was gone
I cannot put my finger on it now
The child is grown,
The dream is gone.
I have become comfortably numb.

 

Nice work on posting the lyrics. I think there is also a parallel there with the "Twilight Zone" episode mentioned by the guy in the back seat of the car to Tony in an episode a couple weeks ago. It's the guy who took over construction after Vito's demise.

The Twilight Zone episode he is referring to before Tony cuts him off concerns a crook who is killed while committing a robbery. He goes to the afterlife and spends all his time drinking, winning at craps and hanging out with beautiful women. As great as it is, he gets bored after awhile and goes to the guy who he thinks is St. Peter and asks him if he can go "to the other place."

The response? "This is the other place!!"