Current Events > The Sopranos premiered 21 years ago today....

(+) Yeah! (+)

Still the GOAT
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Tony, the real OG.

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god, i'm old
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spudger posted...

god, i'm old

how old are you?

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I got into it more or less after it was over.
Like many HBO series, it starts out solid then turns into a soap opera for a few season then ends stong again. Though I never have seen the full final episode. Though I have seen the last scene. Good show overall.
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wtf, I click on this topic and then I'm recommended a video from The Sopranos on YouTube

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Welp this is going to make me want to rewatch the series again. Aside from shit like Seinfeld, I've seen this show more than any other one out there.

Maybe I'll just fire up a few classic episodes instead. Funhouse, Whoever Did This, Pine Barrens, Long Term Parking, etc here I go

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The Great Muta 22 posted...

Welp this is going to make me want to rewatch the series again. Aside from shit like Seinfeld, I've seen this show more than any other one out there.

Maybe I'll just fire up a few classic episodes instead. Funhouse, Whoever Did This, Pine Barrens, Long Term Parking, etc here I go

He is Risen

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The Great Muta 22 posted...

Welp this is going to make me want to rewatch the series again. Aside from shit like Seinfeld, I've seen this show more than any other one out there.

Maybe I'll just fire up a few classic episodes instead. Funhouse, Whoever Did This, Pine Barrens, Long Term Parking, etc here I go

I tend to like the Meadow scenes!
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SiO4 posted...

I tend to like the Meadow scenes!

Like the season 6 premier where she dances in her panties!!!

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Best show ever by far

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TommyG663513 posted...

Like the season 6 premier where she dances in her panties!!!

Ohhh, not sure I remember that.
Gotta do some research on that!!
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SiO4 posted...

Ohhh, not sure I remember that.
Gotta do some research on that!!

SiO4 posted...

Ohhh, not sure I remember that.
Gotta do some research on that!!

Thank me later!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Its been over longer than it aired been 7 years since gandolfini died and 13 since the show went off the air damn

One of the greatest shows of all time. I end up going through little marathons of youtube clips sometimes.

The pilot is a little weird when you look back on it. Tony is the boss and assaults and extorts people in public, the Scorsese-eques narration, Carmella with an AK-47, Silvio being kinda an outsider who doesn't know his friend Artie...but of course it's a pilot. Thank God Fox or any other network didn't pick it up.

And early-mid series thick Meadow >.

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CADE FOSTER posted...

Its been over longer than it aired been 7 years since gandolfini died and 13 since the show went off the air damn

You need to see the movie The Drop. It was Gandolfini's last role. It released after he died.

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Southernfatman posted...

One of the greatest shows of all time. I end up going through little marathons of youtube clips sometimes.

The pilot is a little weird when you look back on it. Tony is the boss and assaults and extorts people in public, the Scorsese-eques narration, Carmella with an AK-47, Silvio being kinda an outsider who doesn't know his friend Artie...but of course it's a pilot. Thank God Fox or any other network didn't pick it up.

And early-mid series thick Meadow >.

Thick and not even legal. Perfect combination!!!

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Southernfatman posted...

One of the greatest shows of all time. I end up going through little marathons of youtube clips sometimes.

This. Full stop!!
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Southernfatman posted...

The pilot is a little weird when you look back on it. Tony is the boss and assaults and extorts people in public, the Scorsese-eques narration, Carmella with an AK-47, Silvio being kinda an outsider who doesn't know his friend Artie...but of course it's a pilot. Thank God Fox or any other network didn't pick it up.

Yeah they totally walked back a lot of stuff from the pilot but I mean, most shows end up doing that once they find their common footing. Pretty sure there was like a year long break between the two episodes too, as Gandolfini puts on a shit ton of weight between the time lol.

SiO4 posted...

I tend to like the Meadow scenes!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oKYNXo-jUBo

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The Great Muta 22 posted...

Yeah they totally walked back a lot of stuff from the pilot but I mean, most shows end up doing that once they find their common footing. Pretty sure there was like a year long break between the two episodes too, as Gandolfini puts on a shit ton of weight between the time lol.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oKYNXo-jUBo

Meadow dances in her panties at 1:10

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"Is that all you deadbeats do ovah here is talk about c****?" Sorry, had to quote the show.

RIP Johnny Sack

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Niiice....Could have gone on longer though!!
Still nice though!!

Also, about that train, Albany & Boston....I WISH there was a train from Albany to Boston that wasn't a pain, but it can't really be done.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_IsyuTZq3cw

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And here I go on one of those marathons. I miss Tony's old voice. He sounds almost like a cartoon character later in the show. I prefer James' natural voice/accent.

And the dream sequences in the show are the best in any show or movie. They're so realistic with the the random stuff, finger guns, melting bullets, teeth falling out, quick jumps from place to place, etc. The one where he's an Italian plumber and visits the house with the woman on the staircase that's obviously his dead mother creeped me out bad when I first saw it.

I could talk about this show forever.

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Southernfatman posted...

And here I go on one of those marathons. I miss Tony's old voice. He sounds almost like a cartoon character later in the show. I prefer James' natural voice/accent.

And the dream sequences in the show are the best in any show or movie. They're so realistic with the the random stuff, finger guns, melting bullets, teeth falling out, quick jumps from place to place, etc. The one where he's an Italian plumber and visits the house with the woman on the staircase that's obviously his dead mother creeped me out bad when I first saw it.

I could talk about this show forever.

I love everything about the dream sequences in the show, especially the ones that not so subtly acknowledge Tony's deep subconscious hatred he has for his father and how Johnny Boy is responsible for Tony being as fucked up as he became. The whole scene with the coach, if you listen to the dialogue, absolutely is a metaphor to how Johnny treated and constantly belittled Tony. Any other time the coach is brought up he is talked about as if he had a real love and deep respect for him, and yet in that he's directly calling out Tony's manhood and claiming he's not prepared or good enough, something we hear Janice reference earlier when Junior mocks Tony for having "small hands".

People rag on the "In Camelot" episode but the ending with the Linkin Park song and just a total amount of bullshit Tony is trying to sell to his boys about Johnny's goomar when all she was was a money grabbing whore that directly pulled him away from Tony and Liv is so fucking amazing. He has to keep the fantasy image of his dad alive to justify who he became and acknowledge Johnny was a piece of shit gangster that didn't give a damn about his family.

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Yeah, I love the sort of arc (you know who had an ark?) about Johnny Boy and Tony. It's like people think it was Livia who was the real villain, but it's actually Johnny. Speaking of him, the actor in the flashbacks was PERFECT! He pulled off being sleazy and intimidating. The scene where he tells young Tony not to gamble, the look he gives...Same for the hospital scene where Livia has a miscarriage and asks Tony if the story Johnny was telling her was true. It's like he's looking through you into your soul.

And it shows why Tony has such a great, even if rocky at times, relationship with his uncle. Junior was the one who played catch with Tony and took him to ball games and the like. I think about the scene where Junior is in the nursing home/retirement community because he is so far gone mentally with his dementia. He doesn't recognize Tony at first, but finally remembers they used to play catch. He remembered that, but not being involved in the mafia. He was like Tony's real dad because Johnny didn't really care about his family.

Man, I hope The Many Saints of Newark is just as good. I can't wait.

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Southernfatman posted...

Yeah, I love the sort of arc (you know who had an ark?) about Johnny Boy and Tony. It's like people think it was Livia who was the real villain, but it's actually Johnny. Speaking of him, the actor in the flashbacks was PERFECT! He pulled off being sleazy and intimidating. The scene where he tells young Tony not to gamble, the look he gives...Same for the hospital scene where Livia has a miscarriage and asks Tony if the story Johnny was telling her was true. It's like he's looking through you into your soul.

And it shows why Tony has such a great, even if rocky at times, relationship with his uncle. Junior was the one who played catch with Tony and took him to ball games and the like. I think about the scene where Junior is in the nursing home/retirement community because he is so far gone mentally with his dementia. He doesn't recognize Tony at first, but finally remembers they used to play catch. He remembered that, but not being involved in the mafia. He was like Tony's real dad because Johnny didn't really care about his family.

Man, I hope The Many Saints of Newark is just as good. I can't wait.

@Southernfatman

Yeah there's a whole bunch of "sins of the father" types of messaging happening in the show that Chase doesn't really ever blatantly spell out while he's pushing the narrative of Liv being the villain of the series, at least earlier. The whole story between Chris and Tony basically plays into the notion of a surrogate father figure as well, where Dickey Moltisanti basically was the same type of scum bag that Johnny was and Tony basically became an older brother and really more of a father figure to Chris. The difference between Christopher and Tony was that when Chris sobered up he was able to recongize what a lousy father that Dicky was to him, and you can see it in Tony's face when Chris actually is willing to address it to him that Tony is totally pissed off, likely both at Chris for "not respecting his father" and because Chris is willing to go that extra step and start realizing the truth about his old man. Whether it was intentional or not Gandolfini was able to sell that mentality perfectly. And it makes total sense to see what ends up happening to their relationship shortly there after this.

"C'mon Tone, between the coke, the vodka, whatever the fuck else he was squirting up his arm. Let's be honest about the 'great' Dickey Moltisanti, my dad, your hero. He wasn't much more than a fuckin' junkie."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z9COLaIu0YU

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The Great Muta 22 posted...

The difference between Christopher and Tony was that when Chris sobered up he was able to recongize what a lousy father that Dicky was to him, and you can see it in Tony's face when Chris actually is willing to address it to him that Tony is totally pissed off, likely both at Chris for "not respecting his father" and because Chris is willing to go that extra step and start realizing the truth about his old man. Whether it was intentional or not Gandolfini was able to sell that mentality perfectly. And it makes total sense to see what ends up happening to their relationship shortly there after this.

I never thought about it that way, but I totally see it. And maybe we will get to see Tony and Dickie's relationship in the prequel.

Speaking of his dad, not long ago I noticed in the scene where Chris visits his mother and gets out his dad's picture, towards the end you see his mom at the table drinking coffee and the picture is turned down. His mom mentions she never "saddled Chris with a step-father", so there's some sort love or loyalty there, but it was obviously a rocky relationship and part of her despises Dickie. It sort of reminds me of Livia. She would tell people Johnny was a saint and maybe part of her really thought that, but you know deep down she hated him for several well deserved reasons.

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The mafia stuff was great but the stuff with his family was boring and uninteresting

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I have to say, however.
As much as I like The Sopranos, I really don't like the nauseating level of product placement in the series.
It is absolutely everywhere.

TBH, I miss the days when shows avoided it altogether by have fake products in their scenes.

There are a lot of scenes in The Sopranos that second as commercials, and it's annoying.
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SiO4 posted...

I have to say, however.
As much as I like The Sopranos, I really don't like the nauseating level of product placement in the series.
It is absolutely everywhere.

TBH, I miss the days when shows avoided it altogether by have fake products in their scenes.

There are a lot of scenes in The Sopranos that second as commercials, and it's annoying.

I didn't think it was too horrible, but yeah there are those certain scenes. Two that immediately come to mind are when a character (I think Paulie in Pine Barrens) says something like "I could go for some Irish Spring" (who says that?) and when Tony gets AJ a car and does an obvious commercial for it.

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cSUFaSVPCRQ

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Really wanted to go to the first(maybe last?) SopranosCon that was in NJ last year for the 20th anniversary
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Amazing show.

I also gotta say that I think it being one of the earliest shows of what's since been described as this sort of golden era of primo TV gives if a certain rough around the edges charm that wouldn't be present today. Like I think if it were made 20 years later you might miss out on a lot of the zanier, more humourous stuff and it'd be worse for it

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