The Sopranos: Season 6 [Archive]

Jolly Bengali

03-08-2006, 11:29 AM

For Season 3, Lawnboy... I finally rewatched it recently (bought the DVD set), which I had said I'd do in the Season 5 discussion thread.

It has its fair share of absolutely amazing episodes... perhaps more "fantastic" episodes than any other season ("University" comes to mind). But 3 has the only "bad" episode in "Sopranos" history (the 2nd one, with Tony's mother dying... the title is a Polish phrase), and is awkwardly done at times (parts of "Employee of the Month", the Melfi rape episode, for instance). Still an excellent season, probably on par with 1 or 2, but I don't really see reason to put it above them. Respect your take on it, though.

As for 5... 5 might be the best season in the show's history, for me. Other times I think it's the 2nd-worst - it's very close. It had one awkward episode (the premiere), one weak episode (the one where Tony B. goes back to the Mafia life, beating up the Korean guy) and a few awkward scenes or situations, but for the most part its a taut, well-focused, extremely well-acted season. The scene with Tony and Melfi in therapy, and Tony revealing what really happened on the night with Tony B., is the best acting I've ever seen Gandolfini do on the show.

So if I had to rank, I'd put it as 2, 5, 3, 1, 4... but it's very close, and on any given day I could shuffle those all around. For the best half of a season, to my memory, I think the 2nd half of Season 3 is unmatched.

I'm excited for this season, but I just can't see the show maintaining this level of quality. It's too unlikely. I'm hoping it won't dip below 4, though.

The Lawn Wrangler

03-10-2006, 03:58 AM

the episode where tony's mother dies is pretty hilarious.. i hear she didn't suffer, for that we can be grateful.

season 4 isn't bad at all, it's just the furio/carmella storyline that was boring

Jolly Bengali

03-10-2006, 05:15 AM

Oh, I should probably state this as clearly as possible...

Spoilers in the 24 thread are one thing... spoilers in this thread are punishable by death. I'll honestly hunt you down and kill you. It's been 18 months of waiting for this, so if anyone hears about something cool coming up or something, be sure to put it in spoiler tags.

Oh and 2DAYSHOLYSHIT

gravymaster

03-12-2006, 01:38 PM

Ok ok ok.......I'm fucking pumped. WOoooooooooooooot!

conor.

03-12-2006, 01:50 PM

i really wanted steve buscemi to stay on, hopefully he'll be directing an episode this season atleast

Cerpin Taxt

03-12-2006, 05:34 PM

He is, there was a featurette on HBO OD about it.

gravymaster

03-12-2006, 06:59 PM

Wow....great first episode. Those last ten minutes were intense as all hell.

Jolly Bengali

03-12-2006, 07:28 PM

That was the most genuinely odd Sopranos episode in history, but it closed very, very strong. Eugene was a nice character for the classic "really flesh him out and kill him" thing that comics and dramatic television series do all the time (last done in the Sopranos with Ralph). The opening was very, very odd in terms of musical selection and rhythm, but it worked. The first half of the episode was very awkward in pacing - it was just too quick for The Sopranos - but it threw out a tremendous amount of exposition while getting everyone accustomed to the characters again, which means the way is clear for the show to return to its usual rhythm, with the audience comfortable again, and all of the plot set-up out of the way - nicely done by the writers. The second half of the episode was basically flawless... Tony being shot was absolutely unexpected, and you feel for Tony so much as he's rolling around trying to find a phone. Anyways, I liked it better than last season's opening, even with so many awkward moments (Curto's death, for instance.) A very distinctive and classy way to open the year - reasserting the fact that this is the most unique show you can find on television. Great to have it back.

Short note - Jamie-Lynn Singer (still not sure why she isn't being credited as Jamie-Lynn Discala, but whatever) is a godess. Jesussss.... that opening was distracting due to that.

America: Fuck Yea!

03-12-2006, 08:23 PM

tonight was awesome... this season is going to be great!

Jolly Bengali

03-12-2006, 08:36 PM

I'm still not really comprehending that Tony was shot in the chest

gravymaster

03-13-2006, 04:37 AM

He got shot in the right side of his stomach...right?

Jolly Bengali

03-13-2006, 04:47 AM

Sorry... that

Tony was shot in the side side of his stomach

Tough, tough guy.

blueguy

03-13-2006, 05:39 AM

I'm very disturbed that Janice has a kid.

gravymaster

03-13-2006, 12:40 PM

http://homepage.mac.com/stevegarfield/ooat/oldguy.jpg
"I lost my uppers!"

DAntae

03-13-2006, 05:34 PM

it had some good stuff going on...its just been such a long wait. I wanted even more "ummphfff"...yeah it means something.

god forbid tony has a stroke...god forbid he has a heart attack...god forbid I give him head in a truck and then his daughter's fiance sees it.

Jolly Bengali

03-13-2006, 05:42 PM

Did you notice him grabbing the hot dog bare, sans bun?

:bang:

03-13-2006, 06:50 PM

jamie lynn is getting a divorce

what's up with no scenes from next week?

gravymaster

03-13-2006, 06:53 PM

what's up with no scenes from next week?
They want the rubes to think Tony is dead. Duh. ;)

:bang:

03-13-2006, 07:30 PM

maybe he is :shifty:

America: Fuck Yea!

03-13-2006, 08:36 PM

gravymaster

03-13-2006, 08:43 PM

there is a bad rumor going around that the reason for no scenes from the next episode is that this was the last episode and the rest of the season is going to be flashbacks building up to it...

I will be fucking pissed...
I actually heard it is because the next episode has NOTHING to do with this storyline and will be one of those stand alone episodes we have grown to...um, love.

But, Joe, if your scoop is correct, I will turn against the fucking series. I'm serious.

:bang:

03-14-2006, 05:26 AM

that's what i heard too...

DAntae

03-14-2006, 07:34 AM

well if its flashbacks but all new material...meh. take a wait and see approach. just hope its not clips of old shows then with a little new filler...that would piss pretty much everyone off.

America: Fuck Yea!

03-14-2006, 10:30 AM

well if its flashbacks but all new material...meh. take a wait and see approach. just hope its not clips of old shows then with a little new filler...that would piss pretty much everyone off.

no, the next 19 episodes will be all new material covering the time between Season 5 and 6.

from what I understand.

:bang:

03-14-2006, 11:27 AM

i heard that. and i heard that this season would lead up to this week's episode and then the short season would take over from sunday's. if that made any sense

there were a bunch of so ____ is now ____? aren't they going to say any more about it? as in so a.j. is now in college? aren't they going to say any more about it?

Jolly Bengali

03-14-2006, 03:01 PM

Any other show, (a) I would dismiss the rumor, and (b) if they tried it then it would be terrible.

This being The Sopranos, though, they could of course do this... and they might even make it good. But I really don't see the purpose... there was a tremendous amount of plot material introduced in this episode, and all sorts of major characters made appearances. There would be absolutely no tension in terms of whether characters live or die, which is always a major playable element within the show, and most of the characters don't seem to be in a place that looks like it had an interesting path along the way.

So, against my instincts (since this seems like a very plausible rumor), I'm gonna go ahead and say that I'm expecting an immediate follow-up to Tony's shooting this week.

Edit: Next week deals with the fallout, and isn't a flashback. http://www.buffalonews.com/editorial/20060314/1016384.asp. Rumors appear to be based on a speculative forum post on an offical board.

Seems to be the week for newspapers explaining ambiguous plot points involving Tonys... actually wound up having a conversation about Tony from 24 with a friend, and he turned out to have been talking about Tony from The Sopranos... this conversation had lasted for five minutes before we found out.

America: Fuck Yea!

03-15-2006, 10:38 AM

this is excellent news... even if the Sopranos could pull of a season of flashbacks, I would rather it stay in its format..

substance over style.

Jolly Bengali

03-19-2006, 04:41 PM

Exactly... bumping because this is an especially important night, never has an episode had to deal with such an important cliffhanger/potential fallout as this one...

This is do-or-die in terms of whether I'm optimistic or pessimistic about the rest of the season. I'm hoping like hell that this isn't a disappointment.

gravymaster

03-19-2006, 04:45 PM

This is what the info for this episode says on my digital cable:

"Join the Club"- tony suffers from a case of mistaken identity during a business trip.

Well.....he is shot last week and going on business trips already? I'm still thinking flashbacks.

Jolly Bengali

03-19-2006, 07:00 PM

Jesus... easily one of the most well-acted, well-written, and altogether best episodes I have ever seen of this show... and given how much I throw hyperbolic praise at "The Sopranos", that's saying something.

I'd say something like a 9.8 or a 9.9 (premiere I gave an 8.3...)... just a truly fantastic episode. Top 5 ever. Took a lot of the great plot material from last week's episode and spun it into good conversations, great comedic moments with Christopher and A.J., lots of further development of the situations of the characters, which will help out for later in the season... and then the truly amazing, poetic "alternate history Tony" thing, complete with another woman's voice as his wife. Astounding. The gradual realization of what the hell is going on at the beginning of the episode was so satisfying.

I can never say enough good things about this show. I picked the wrong show to make a website about - this is the best thing ever made.

gravymaster

03-19-2006, 07:54 PM

I agree with all your points, Bengali. Fucking fantastic. Moving, heavy hearted, and very emotional towards the end. Easily Edie Falco's best episode of the series.

Honestly, the way they are going with Tony's injury, I'm not 100% sure he will be ok. The doctors seem to be giving him little to no chance of a full recovery.

America: Fuck Yea!

03-19-2006, 08:02 PM

I thought it was good.. lots of foreshadowing and connections to the past 5 seasons...

next week is going to be rowdy...

best show on television.

(though I don't agree Rob... Edie was brilliant tonight, but she will never top Whitecaps (Season 4 closer)... ;)

The purgatory scenes are great for the character development and the "Arc" that has been developing from Season 2->6....

AJ is still a shithead....

gravymaster

03-19-2006, 08:05 PM

God....AJ really is a shithead. That, we can both agree on :)

America: Fuck Yea!

03-19-2006, 08:32 PM

love it when Vito says something like, "maybe he was a closet homosexual and couldn't deal with it..." :LOL:

Jolly Bengali

03-19-2006, 08:39 PM

I'm gonna disagree with Mr. Lawnboy and say this was probably her finest work...

On a lighter note, does anyone else find Meadow so attractive that it's actually distracting? She got extremely hot in 21 months...

America: Fuck Yea!

03-19-2006, 08:44 PM

the problem that I have is her work in this episode equalled 7-10 minutes compared to the 40 in Whitecaps where Tony almost beats the shit out of her...

"Get the FUCK OUT of my house... I can't look at you...."

Jolly Bengali

03-20-2006, 04:34 AM

Well yeah, Whitecaps is basically Tony v. Carmela in an epic match-up... but the episode is a bit too much of a LOOK AT US ACT episode (still fantastic, yes, but the acting/emoting is more obvious.)

This whole episode... Falco just made Carmela so real. Her crying after Tony almost died, her monologue to Tony, all that... maybe I'm full of shit and it was more obvious, but it connected with me in a way that Carmela never had before... and every little gesture was pitch-perfect. And she's in a lot of scenes, and never one chink in the illusion of a real person.

Also, Gandolfini is no slouch here - he acts the alternate Tony absolutely perfectly. His voice changes ever-so-subtly, the little flashes of what he might have become in his eyes, the same calm, rational presence... a great permutation of a character he knows so well.

Lounge Fly

03-20-2006, 04:43 AM

when there were only ever 3 seasons of the godfather, no way should sopranos have ran to 6 seasons.

box elder

03-20-2006, 06:54 AM

i thought it was a very good episode. for the first few minutes there i thought that rumor about the whole season being a flashback might actually be true, but i wouldn't have minded either way. the dream/hallucination was executed very well in every way. i think some of the imagery/metaphor were fairly clear. alzheimer’s, the identity mishap and the light tower were all about tony figuring out who he really is and realizing he has no real idea. however, the elevator being out, tony falling down the stairs, and the religious aspects (the commercial and the monks) are not clear at the moment. perhaps i have to think about it more or watch it again.

at this point, i think it’s leading in 1 of 2 directions: either tony will get better and decide to quit the biz (i think he'd end up being killed anyway if this happens), or he's going to rot in a coma the whole season (eventually "figuring it all out" in his dream/hallucination) while his families (literal and mob) fall apart around him, and him eventually dying. But you never know with this series; I could be way off.

Jolly Bengali

03-20-2006, 12:14 PM

when there were only ever 3 seasons of the godfather, no way should sopranos have ran to 6 seasons.

Are "Law and Order" and "Lethal Weapon" the same? They both had two lead policemen who try to solve crimes, with a buddy dynamic and a racial difference.

"The Godfather" and "The Sopranos" are not the same thing, TV and movies are not the same thing, and making a general comment about how you think The Sopranos ran too long does nothing to add to this discussion.

Anyways, Bob, I'm gonna peg Tony as getting out of the coma sometime within the next three episodes... there's a limit to how interesting they can make the series without the central character. He can't be not interacting with people for too long.

box elder

03-20-2006, 12:19 PM

but like i said, i wouldn't put anything past this series; they pretty much have carte blanche to do whatever they want to. if they kept tony's character going merely through his dream sequence... who knows? they might try that.

blueguy

03-20-2006, 02:20 PM

Just watched it, and that was damn good TV. For a while, I was thinking the whole dream thing was a bit pointless, but then I started picking up on the metaphors. Still, not nearly as good as the stuff going on in the real life.

Little Kid Lover

03-20-2006, 02:26 PM

I really hope this is the best season yet.

Tetsujin

03-20-2006, 03:26 PM

gah I cant find a torrent anywhere. I found one for last weeks but none this week :(

DAntae

03-20-2006, 05:15 PM

damn did that wound look a bit exaggerated...or was it just me. the epiosde had some solid performances. aj does indeed need his ass kicked. previews for next week look like a lot of shit is going to go down...thus being awesome.

Jolly Bengali

03-20-2006, 05:30 PM

Just a quick thing - so far people have been good - but "next week previews", if you say anything real, please say it in spoiler tags... just as with 24, a lot of people don't watch the "next week" stuff on purpose...

DAntae

03-20-2006, 05:33 PM

I assume "shit going down" is pretty vague

box elder

03-20-2006, 05:53 PM

shit goes down

Jolly Bengali

03-20-2006, 07:21 PM

It is, Dan, which is why I said people had been good so far. But people can also be idiots, and I really don't want to see something like TONY SEEMS TO WAKE UP NEXT WEEK a few weeks from now.

gravymaster

03-20-2006, 07:27 PM

What is that wound? That isn't his wound from the bullet is it? Didn't really get that..

America: Fuck Yea!

03-20-2006, 07:33 PM

Tony wakes up in the end of the next (3rd) episode or beginning of the 4th episode...

blueguy

03-20-2006, 07:57 PM

gah I cant find a torrent anywhere. I found one for last weeks but none this week :(
www.tvtorrents.com and www.mininova.org have it.

box elder

03-21-2006, 07:26 AM

What is that wound? That isn't his wound from the bullet is it? Didn't really get that..

it's probably the bullet wound, but they would have had to do surgery to remove the actual bullet, therefore it would be larger than it was just from the shot.

DAntae

03-21-2006, 05:37 PM

yeah but the wound even with surgery seems a little bit over the top. still though who knows how much damage was done. anyhow shit is going down.

gravymaster

03-26-2006, 07:55 PM

So, so, so good. Loved this episode. I am really loving this season so far. Next week's episode looks totally intense with Tony calling the shots from his hospital bed and Paulie going crazy.

America: Fuck Yea!

03-26-2006, 08:33 PM

Carmella (Falco) secured her emmy tonight...

This show is amazing! glad we are getting down to business.. Chase obviously learned from the mistakes of Season 4, and he brought Tony out just on time... (if this had been 4, Tony would have been under for 6 episodes)...

AJ is still a peice of shit...

Did you notice the the monks were at Crystal Montesary.......Christopher Montesante??? Am I reaching here?

ALSO:

so I came home tonight and decided to watch the blacksheep season...

4

watching the opening episode of Season 4 (For All Debts Public and Private http://www.tv.com/sopranos/for-all-debts-public-and-private/episode/183957/summary.html ) and when Christopher kills the cop that killed his father, the TV is playing a cop show...

the cop on the show (mind you, all of this is playing in the background) arrested someone and names himself "Finnerty" (all this while Chris is going through the cops pockets....)

it occures at 44:42

Jolly Bengali

03-26-2006, 09:49 PM

Christopher killing the cop is one of my favorite moments in the entire series... 4 is loaded with great material, it's a shame that it still manages to be one or two tiers below the others. Great find on Finnerty, Lawnboy.

As for this episode... my basic take on it is "last week minus one-to-three awesome moments." So about a low 9 out of 10, rather than last week's near-perfection. All involved acted beautifully again, and Vito is developing into an interesting wild card. One of the strongest episodes comedically since Christopher's drug problem intervention episode - this one was loaded with great scenes and one-liners. The resolution of Tony's side-plot was fantastic, too; that house was a marvelous creation, and Paulie almost killing Tony through talking is pretty fucking awesome. Very sad to see the state Tony's in, though...

With Silvio basically proving to be about as uninteresting a character as you would expect (still the man, but there isn't a hidden layer here that we haven't seen) Christopher is basically the most interesting non-Tony character on the show right now. He's being responsible about A.J., thinking on his feet, and looking more together than he usually does. He's still a fuck, like they all are, but I'm coming to really admire the guy when compared against so many screw-ups and whiners in the organization.

gravymaster

03-27-2006, 04:28 AM

How is it possible Joe, Bengali and I are the only ones here that watched this episode? Christ, people, this is good shit.

box elder

03-27-2006, 05:59 AM

i watched it.

i guess i was wrong about the search light having to do with him "finding himself" and it was more like a "come into the light" death thing. i thought it was pretty cool to have buscemi (sp?) come back for that scene, but who was the person in the doorway supossed to be? i'm thinking probably his mother, but who knows. the scene where he's trying to tell paulie's idiotic ass to shut up through the wall was funny as hell. as far as the real world scenes, vito and paulie are some fucking creeps, yer right. why is he still trying to hook up with meadow's boyfriend? wouldn't that really piss tony off if he were to find out? and sil obviously can't handle being the boss even for a few days. christopher's movie sounds like some garbage, but it's pretty funny to see them all discussing it so seriously.

looks like next week it's back to business as usual for tony. and here i really thought he'd want out after that whole experience, but eh. what do i know?

billi vanilli

03-27-2006, 06:21 AM

i thought it was his mother, too.

i've been refraining from watching the new season, as i wanted to catch up, but last night my dad wanted to watch it with me, so i did. i'd read this thread, so i wasn't totally lost, but i was a little confused anyway. but that's beside the point. it was a great episode. i love that he woke up from the coma, but i would've liked just a little more explination of the name... i got everything else... i think.

oh, and the scene with 'cleaver' was absolutely fucking hilarious. :LOL:

blueguy

03-27-2006, 02:39 PM

Watched it today. Very good episode, but not quite up to last week's excellence.

AngryDad33

03-28-2006, 10:28 AM

Very Good season so far. This is the first season I've been watching on t.v. before we rented the seasons on DVD also my mom use to care if I watched it with her but now she doesn't care.

Anyways I agree with you guys that's a pretty big wound for a gunshot

Also do we know who shot Tony yet because I was out of the room when Tony got shot.

gravymaster

03-28-2006, 11:47 AM

Also do we know who shot Tony yet because I was out of the room when Tony got shot.
You seriously don't know who shot Tony?

Jolly Bengali

03-28-2006, 12:28 PM

Pretty awful time to go out of the room... I feel bad. I hope you at least got to see the struggle to get to the phone.

Junior shot Tony.

blueguy

04-03-2006, 05:18 AM

This seems really all out of whack or leading to Tony going ape-shit.
Christopher wants out again. Paulie going behind Tony's back (Tony will find out). Carmela warning about keeping an eye on Vito.

box elder

04-03-2006, 12:11 PM

well, yeah. on the one hand you have Tony essentially getting back to "business as usual" but on the other hand he seems preoccupied with "living every day to the fullest" and figuring out some kind of "meaning of life." those two things are going to become mutually exclusive at some point, i think. it's also starting to look like paulie might get whacked here pretty soon; that was some bullshit going behind Tony's back after he had specifically promised that guy's mother that nothing would happen. when you add that in with him essentially saying "fuck carmella" the episode before, i think something's coming to a head there. and that's not even to mention what might happen with Christopher, Vito and the NY guy who's in prison right now (John?). this season could get very interesting very soon.

blueguy

04-03-2006, 12:50 PM

I seem to recall some shady dealings with Paulie last season too after he got out of jail. He's going to be drawing too much attention to himself eventually and Tony will get wind of what's going on. Will he get whacked for it? I dunno.

box elder

04-03-2006, 01:11 PM

the way they have him acting (especially towards his aunt/mother who raised his ass!) seems to be leaning towards him getting whacked. kind of like the way ralphie or steve buschemi's character were acting prior to their deaths (though abviously neither of them were as important a character as paulie is).

Jolly Bengali

04-03-2006, 01:36 PM

I was actually going to say the opposite, that Tony might appreciate Paulie more (besides the knee-beating incident...) Paulie is the only one who was really with Tony for any significant amount of time in this episode, and seemed to be very loyal to him.

Anyways, a very disjointed episode, much like the first in that a lot of plot material was set up but at the price of the episode's cohesiveness and effectiveness. Yet this had the problems of the first without the awesome second half; although it's great to have Tony back and functioning, there's an uncertainy to how the series will get back to normal that is still lingering, and not entirely in a "I'm sure they know what they're doing" way. Still a solid 8.0ish out of 10, and certainly not bad, but I've come to expect being impressed or awestruck when I watch the show, at least a few times per episode, and this one just sort of floated by. Final note - a lot of the dialogue seemed a little bit like forced parroting of the writer's ideas, as if all the characters decided they were going to state a viewpoint on some issue. Felt fake at times.

box elder

04-03-2006, 01:44 PM

he may have been physically "there" with Tony the most, but he was out of it the entire time, with Tony having to get his attention many times throughout the episode. considering that Paulie's acting like a psycho, going behind Tony's back on many things (not just the knee-beating) and doing a poor job in general (not knowing how many stops there are, not paying any attention) i doubt Tony's really "appreciating" him at this point, especially assuming he actually finds out about all the shady dealings. it's also noteworthy that Paulie is the one who almost unwittingly killed Tony while he was in the coma, and that Tony (in his dream) was telling him to "shut the fuck up."

also, i agree about the discussion of the "issues" -- it felt very forced and unrealistic at times.

Jolly Bengali

04-03-2006, 05:16 PM

Good point that Paulie almost killed Tony.

Also... my friends and me joke about this a lot, but The Sopranos really needs to have more decent, uncorrupt, unstereotyped black characters - the only ones I can recall are the black preacher father, Noah, and the black cop who Tony gets fired. Seems like almost always it's a rapper or a gangsta or a complete fuck-up; I realize this could also apply to the Mafiosi (although the Italian-Americans do have Melfi and Meadow) but too often the show seems happy to leave the black characters 2D.

America: Fuck Yea!

04-03-2006, 05:22 PM

I diasagree JB...

The cop who Tony got fired was actually a good and noble character. He followed the law and stood up to Tony... and when Tony tried to help him out of his own guilt, he stll stood his ground and refused the money.

Jolly Bengali

04-03-2006, 08:47 PM

But one episode? I completely agree on the characterization of that specific character, he made my list... but they seem so few and far between. Just seems like the black guys have been overwhelmingly rapper gangsta fellas, and the dialogue a little too stereotypical. But there are other readings of it, I guess.

gravymaster

04-03-2006, 09:22 PM

Yeah, but the whole show is based off of another stereotype, JB.

I really didn't like this week's episode that much. No real reason...just didn't dig it.

DAntae

04-04-2006, 07:53 AM

finally caught up on the last two episodes.

neither one were that great. still good to watch but they didn't sit well. I did like the scientist though. also remind me never to drive a garbage truck...ever.

best part of the last episode was tony's sister dismissing him to get the car. he drops a line and expects to get some sort of support.

paulie tossing out the televsion was also very awesome.

SSBOB

04-05-2006, 06:48 PM

Recent episode is interesting. I've recently gotten addicted to this show. This is television at it's best.

Next week looks like it's going to kick some ass.

gravymaster

04-09-2006, 07:09 PM

Fantastic episode. I'd have to watch it again, but I am almost positive it was my favorite of the season so far. I enjoyed it from start to finish and it had a good mix of family/business/humor/seriousness to it. Just loved it.

Jolly Bengali

04-09-2006, 07:29 PM

I gave it a 9.3 when asked... I'm not sure why, there wasn't really a weakness. I may raise that really quickly, just need a bit of time to think about it.

Every scene in this was tight, and when you think about it, a lot of things actually happened... we now have the status quo basically back in place in terms of Tony and his family, but with Johnny Sack in a very vulnerable position, Junior in a mental institution, Rusty on the watch list, and Vito out of the picture... the plotlines are really getting down to business. Good to see.

Tony beating him was textbook for making you understand a character's motivations without explicitly stating them; the Melfi discussion lead perfectly into it. This had been a remarkably happy episode before that point, in many ways (minus Sack and Vito's miseries, but still, relatively happy)... and then they send that notion to hell. This can't be a happy series, and they made sure of that. And despite Tony doing something horrible, we all love the guy, and I couldn't help but think "nice work" in taking out a tough opponent. It was ugly, yes, but it was a truly impressive scene.

Meadow is still gorgeous.

gravymaster

04-09-2006, 07:33 PM

Meadow is still gorgeous.
And A.J. is STILL a fag.

Jolly Bengali

04-09-2006, 07:41 PM

An entertaining fag, though

SSBOB

04-10-2006, 01:28 PM

Last scene was quite the surprise. He had a really sucky fake excuse to do it though. ("Why did you slam the fridge") humerous. But I felt bad for the guy he beat the shit out of. I liked him. Very good scene.. powerful.
I don't like Vito. I wouldn't mind seeing him whacked. I started not liking him when he wasn't happy when Tony turned out to be okay at the hospital. Jackass. :P I'm curious to see what Vito will do now that someone knows that he's gay, and could be ratted out on... Interesting.
Great episode.

Jolly Bengali

04-17-2006, 04:17 AM

Excellent episode that played off a lot of the plot material from the last one. Vito in New Hampshire was great, the cell phone scene between Tony and the construction worker was one of the funniest scenes in the show's history, and the plot for the season keeps moving along at a solid clip - Meadow's developments, Carmela and her spec house, Angie Bompensaro being drawn into crime, etc. Excellent work.

gravymaster

04-17-2006, 05:15 AM

AJ still sucks, Meadow is starting to suck despite the fact she was in a bra last night.

I didn't enjoy the episode as much as last week's, but that one was very hard to live up to. Watching all the guys talk about homosexuality and seeing how uneasy it made them was hilarious. I enjoyed watching Tony squirm while talking about it to Melfi.

AngryDad33

04-17-2006, 08:58 AM

I thought it was a great episode It was really interesting to see how uneasy they got when they figured out Vito was gay. I wonder who will whack Vito or if Vito will get whacked. Cause it seems to me Tony will stick up for Vito.

box elder

04-17-2006, 09:19 AM

i think they might just let him be. i don't think they can invite him back into the fold or anything, but i see no reason why Tony would have him whacked. and the ending scene with him kind of amalgamating himself to the new town seemed to suggest that he's just going to live in peace there (plus the fact that it was playing that independence day song during the credits).

i might be wrong, but it seems with the gay stuff and the meadow Muslim stuff that this episode was a little on the preachy side. i mean, unless that Muslim guy getting detained is actually leading somewhere, what was meadow's whole speech for other than to be a diatribe against Bush? we get it; Bush sucks, now just tell us a goddamn story.

blueguy

04-17-2006, 02:42 PM

I think it gives a background on Meadow's feelings about the whole thing. Not like it took 10 minutes or anything.
AJ still sucks, Meadow is starting to suck despite the fact she was in a bra last night.

I disagree. I thought it was funny as hell in the kitchen when she didn't say anything and forced the others to spill the beans instead of her.

gravymaster

04-17-2006, 03:17 PM

I just dislike Aj and Meadow's whiny attitudes. So...both annoy me.

Dr. Spirograph

04-18-2006, 03:23 AM

^ I agree. The actors who portray Meadow and AJ aren't exactly the most convincing performers. But Meadow is really, really easy on the eyes, so I don't mind too much when she's gnawing on the scene.

But the whole outing-in-the-mob thing is pretty interesting stuff, I have to say. But I wonder why Chase and co. went out of their way to make Vito so unlikable early in the season -- plenty of viewers already wanted him dead during Tony's coma, let alone after he donned the motorcycle get-up.

blueguy

04-18-2006, 12:18 PM

box elder

04-18-2006, 12:22 PM

yeah, i think that's why he did it; he knew it would bring his character to the forefront.

Samuel L Bronkowitz

04-18-2006, 04:36 PM

Just read an interview with the actor and he said it was his idea to make him gay. he got inspired by some book he was reading about the mob (imagine that) and it had a guy in there named Vito as well who was gay. Although it seemed the family had no problem with it.
It really brought his character some recognition. In all honestly, I never really noticed the character until the incident last season.

I watched something on A&E On Demand the other week about a high-ranking mob figure who got whacked 'cuz he was gay.....don't know if it's the same guy you're talking about, but in this case the family definitely had a problem with it. So if art imitates life, Vito will be taking the gas pipe soon enough.....so to speak.

:bang:

04-18-2006, 05:27 PM

I just dislike Aj and Meadow's whiny attitudes. So...both annoy me.
oh yeah, totally.

but their acting is fine...cause you're supposed to dislike their whining. christopher was a little whiny at the begining too

gravymaster

04-18-2006, 05:57 PM

It is just funny to see what they are doing with Meadow's character. She is starting to "feel" for those in need of help and criticize those that are making it hard for them....yet her dad is the biggest criminal on the east coast and she has him to thank for all the good things in her life.

A.J., on the other hand, don't give a fuckkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk.

Jolly Bengali

04-18-2006, 08:35 PM

I think there's the possibility for a lot of interesting material from Meadow, though... her boyfriend sub-plots have been somewhat tiring but solid throughout the run of the series, and now that they're past the legitimately annoying college application mailaise/college malaise period, she's a very interesting character.

A.J. is, of course, fucking annoying, but thankfully they're using him in fairly small doses this season, and him trying to whack Junior appears to be treated (thankfully) as a childish macho declaration, rather than a serious threat. He's good comic relief.

I understand being pissed off by both of them though, gravy, completely legit complaint. But for me, it works.

Vito I'm pulling for to be safe in New Hampshire, would make for the only successful "leaving the life" or anti-Tony mutiny that we've seen on the show so far. Then again, that might be a tip-off that he's fucked.

America: Fuck Yea!

04-18-2006, 08:44 PM

While I agree that the show is so good that I find myself feeling sorry for Vito, keep it in the back of your mind that this guy is a Sociopath. and he wouldn't be in such reflection had he not been caught in the club.

and Meadow has been this whiney since day one, and she and Finn work for me. I hate Finn, but his character suits her...

and fuck AJ...

gravymaster

04-23-2006, 07:07 PM

Kind of a side episode, but some good stuff went down. Artie just losing it the whole time was damn entertaining and the Chris side venture was cool too. I spit my drink out of my mouth when Lauren Bacall got punched in the face. So fucking hilarious.

Thats A Paddlin

04-23-2006, 07:20 PM

What I think of the season so far {1-10}.

1. Members Only - 8
2. Join The Club - 8.5
3. Mayham - 9
4. The Fleshy Part Of The Thigh - 9.5
5. Mr. And Mrs. Sacromoni Request… - 8.2
6. Live Free Or Die - 8
7. Luxury Lounge - 8

DAntae

04-24-2006, 07:35 AM

finally caught up on the last 3 episodes. not much more to say other than there is so many things going on.

gravy...bacall getting punched was brilliant. it was just too perfect.

I also loved how quickly chris fell off the wagon.

paulie is now by far my most favorite person to watch.

Thats A Paddlin

04-24-2006, 06:31 PM

Anyone else think The Fleshy Part Of The Thigh was the funniest episode since Pine Barrens?

Jolly Bengali

04-24-2006, 09:36 PM

This has been by far the funniest season of the show (and, thankfully, by intention.)

I loved this episode - Artie beating Benny up was awesome simply since it's nice to see Artie succeed for once; the whole feud was great. Lots of wonderful one-liners, Kingsley and Bacall were both excellent, and Tony & Artie's relationship was nailed, doing a wonderful job of playing off years of episodes between the two of them. An eventful, funny, fascinating episode. Great to see a (to my knowledge) new writer & new director deliver.

Thats A Paddlin

04-25-2006, 07:02 PM

Actually, this is the 4th episode Wiener has written.

America: Fuck Yea!

04-25-2006, 07:13 PM

love the artie episode... for all the reasons given.

Jolly Bengali

04-28-2006, 05:11 AM

Actually, this is the 4th episode Wiener has written.

Really? Any idea which others?

Sometime I have to go through and track which writers/directors have the best records. I tend to pay attention whenever Tim Van Patten is involved, for instance, or Robin Green & Mitchel Burgess (sp?)

Jolly Bengali

05-01-2006, 12:50 PM

I'll double-post, I guess.

Great fucking episode, not as good as last week's but really enjoyed it. Me and my friend came up with the idea that each season has six or seven "standalone" episodes, it seems, and six or seven that are part of the larger plot arc for the season. This was one was in the latter camp, and it felt like a very enjoyable continuation. Only thing that didn't quite work is why exactly she was attracted to Tony.

box elder

05-01-2006, 01:20 PM

^ or why flap-jack dude would be attracted to fat-ass Vito when it seems that town is chock full of teh gays.

blueguy

05-01-2006, 02:19 PM

Pretty good episode. Whoever edited it should be shot though. Some very odd and bad cuts throughout the whole episode.

I really wish AJ went through with it so he'd get what's coming to him. Pretty damn funny though that he had a panic attack.

Samuel L Bronkowitz

05-01-2006, 04:37 PM

Only thing that didn't quite work is why exactly she was attracted to Tony.

well, he is Tony Soprano, not to mention the papers he signed assured her of a sweeeet payday......

Gay4Moleman

05-01-2006, 05:41 PM

"Johnny Cakes" was a really good episode; I especially liked the interaction b/w Tony and AJ, that made the show for me. Also it looks like AJ has become afflicted with panic attacks-very interesting. I have to admit, I was a little surprised Tony didn't bang that real estate chick, but I appreciate the fact that he's loyal to Carmela after the shooting. 8.5

Jolly Bengali

05-01-2006, 08:03 PM

In the same Eugene vein as the first episode this season... this is not the first time A.J. has had a panic attack, he's had at least one more (football) and a few breakdowns that were arguable, such as being sent to military school.

Similarly proud of Tony, though, actually congratulated him out loud with a "good for you."

DAntae

05-02-2006, 01:50 PM

no shit. when tony actually decided to leave I was floored...as said, like a sense of pride.

junior had me tearing up from laughter...even with his brief appearance.

gravymaster

05-07-2006, 06:20 PM

That scene with the bikers was fucking awesome. Hahahaha.

Wow....this flashback scene with Tony and Chris is fantastic.

Jolly Bengali

05-07-2006, 07:05 PM

That was tremendous, yeah. A good episode, just felt a little dead, energy-wise... interesting character material for everyone, and no bad scenes, but didn't feel astounded the way I usually do. Great to see them really using Adriana's death for good material, reminded me of the Pussy flashback episode in Season 3 (which, similarly, was great character material but a little dead.)

gravymaster

05-07-2006, 07:24 PM

You know, every Sunday night, I have two seperate groups of friends who watch the show together. Both sets invite me week after week and I always just tell them I am tired and I will just watch it in bed. Like CLOCKWORK one person calls me after every episode and goes, "d00d that fucking SUCKED". I swear to fucking christ, why do some people even WATCH this show? If you are looking for big hits and blood and guts every episode, please move on! I know I complained about the lack of action last season, but jesus christ some people shouldn't be allowed to sit and watch episodes of this show. It reminds me of Tony's line a few weeks ago in regards to people talking about Vito: "Then you got these other people, always looking to wack someone". It is like some of the viewers of this fucking show...always looking for main characters to get wacked or "the episode SUCKED, d00d."

And they all wonder why I don't come over and watch the show with them.

America: Fuck Yea!

05-07-2006, 08:15 PM

I thought tonight was great.

Jolly Bengali

05-07-2006, 09:18 PM

America: Fuck Yea!

05-07-2006, 09:22 PM

Do you think the flashback was to a scene that was shot for the Adriana-whack episode, but never included? Or was it shot back then for future use? It had to have been way back, because Gandolfini, assuming he's not wearing a fat suit, is fucking enormous in these episodes, and looked slim in that.

I honestly thought the same thing. I think it was a deleted scene that they knew would come in handy if they didn't use it outright.

box elder

05-08-2006, 08:55 AM

i don't think they would have ever wanted to include that scene in the episode, because if i recall correctly, there was some ambiguity at first on whether Christopher actually had tried to commit suicide, and having that scene would have removed that aspect entirely. and i didn't really notice whether it looked like it was filmed back then or now, but they probably could have used certain angles/trick photography to make Tony look a little slimmer.

anyway, i thought it was a great episode. nice to see Paulie finally stop acting like a complete prick (even if it took a cancer scare). i like the Christopher storyline too; so many shows have the drug addict recover and be perfectly fine forever more, and that's just completely unrealistic (ever heard the phrase "relapse is a part of recovery"?).

and how is carmella so damn oblivious? i'm guessing it's subconsciously willful so she can justify her lifestyle, but come on!

Thats A Paddlin

05-08-2006, 06:04 PM

Wow, I cant stand the Season 6 ney-sayers. Every episode has been pretty strong, the weakest being "Live Free Or Die".

Anyway here's what I think of the last 3....
Luxury Lounge - 8
Johnny Cakes - 9
The Ride - 8.5

Jolly Bengali

05-08-2006, 08:19 PM

I wasn't even aware there were Season 6 naysayers... the response here is putting this season up there with the very best seasons of the show, maybe even best we've seen. Has to end strong to keep that up, of course, given that strong endings were such a key part of the greatness of all the Sopranos seasons, but this has been just wonderful so far.

blueguy

05-08-2006, 09:55 PM

If that flashback scene was newly filmed material they did a good job covering it up. When Chris showed up, for no apparently reason I might add, there was a different washer and dryer even.

box elder

05-09-2006, 05:35 AM

When Chris showed up, for no apparently reason

well, they had to make fun of the vipers some more, right?

blueguy

05-09-2006, 07:31 AM

damn my typing skills have taken a shit lately.

The Lawn Wrangler

05-09-2006, 06:11 PM

It was a deleted scene from last season, Drea DeMatteo mentions it on the audio commentary from that episode.

gravymaster

05-09-2006, 07:09 PM

I wasn't even aware there were Season 6 naysayers...
I firmly believe that they are people that heard The Sopranos was a good show, watched a few and saw some great action then expected that everytime.

Remember when the show wasn't mainstream and started growing by word of mouth? I think it peaked (popularity speaking) somewhere in the mid 3rd-late 4th season and ever since it has been losing viewers because it isn't the "bang bang shoot 'em up kill everyone standing" show that some thought it would be. I think, right now, the people that are still watching (and enjoying) are the same people that watched in the beginning because it is a GOOD FUCKING SHOW.

I must admit, I think my early posts before this season started came off as one of these people. Believe me, I am not. I just wanted some storylines to progress and come to a head. I think that last season was just really, really slow. But, I have to say, this has been one of my favorite seasons yet. I have really enjoyed every single episode so far. If it ends with a bang or with some massive twist, it may be my favorite season by far.

Thats A Paddlin

05-09-2006, 07:27 PM

Terrific anaylasis. But I believe thier are still people who rank a season based on the body count.

gravymaster

05-09-2006, 07:38 PM

Terrific anaylasis. But I believe thier are still people who rank a season based on the body count.
Definitely. To be fair, I like to see kills too, but you can't base the show off of it. It is so much more than that.

blueguy

05-09-2006, 07:40 PM

Good thinking gravy, but on the way home and listening to a talk show on the radio, a couple of them were commenting on how this season has been a letdown, and they've been longtime Sopranos fans. And sure enough. First complaint they had was too much time spent on Vito and his feelings. Didn't like this week's episode because it was too lovey dovey or something because Christopher and Tony were bonding. Screw them. This season has rocked.

Jolly Bengali

05-10-2006, 02:41 PM

I still think 5 was absolutely amazing, with the exception of the Buscemi-turns-on-Korean episode, which was atrocious. Ended so strong.

America: Fuck Yea!

05-10-2006, 03:15 PM

5 is my second favorite season, and 6 is amazing so far. Naysayers need to shut the fuck up.

Samuel L Bronkowitz

05-10-2006, 03:41 PM

They're not losing as many viewers as the naysayers would make you think. Certain factors such as On Demand aren't accounted for when compiling ratings, so it's useless to make comparisons against seasons past, considering On Demand wasn't in too many households prior to the show's hiatus.......

America: Fuck Yea!

05-14-2006, 08:11 PM

I liked tonight a lot. Sad to see Johnny Sac go.

I got the impression that they are now less concerned about making a bang this season, and more concerned about making that 8 episode Mini season starting in January a bang. I still think it will be NY vs. NJ.

I still feel this is a great season though and I loved tonight's episode.

Jolly Bengali

05-15-2006, 05:49 PM

Another solid episode, 4 in a row where I really enjoyed myself. The Melfi-Tony scenes were the highlight, reminded me of "Unidentified Black Males" from Season 5, where the intensity and themes of the episode really get loose in the therapy. Their scenes are still the best-written and most powerful on the show.

Was nice to see a bit of tenderness between Janice and Tony, tempered with the hilariousness of "you'd still be in here fucking complaining." Meadow continues to be gorgeous. Jonny Sack appears to be basically off the show, now, and Phil in charge would probably be a step towards that NY v. NJ conflict. A full-on gang war is something the show has never really done, so it would certainly be interesting, if a bit too predictable, as a way to go out.

I'm getting a little sick of the Vito sub-plot, however, because while it's well-handled and interesting it really isn't contributing anything to the plot. Hopefully they really connect him back into what's going on in New Jersey sometime soon, or get rid of him, because I can't really get excited about the prospect of too many more "cut to New Hampshire" scenes.

smyce

05-15-2006, 08:23 PM

Well now Vito is out of New Hampshire so I dont see anymore cut backs to NH. Im sure he'll be spotted as he passed by Satriale's. Im sure they will close that door before the last 8 start in January.

blueguy

05-16-2006, 08:31 AM

So depsite what I said last week, after watching this week's episode, I think I'm starting to understand the critisism. Not that I totally agree with it, but I see it.
This week was still a good episode, but a part of me felt it was a bit dull because it so much time is being spent on Vito and Johnny Sack. But at the same time, Vito plot took a neat twist with the accident and shooting and him going back to NJ. It should be interesting to see how that plays out. The whole story with Johnny has been dull from the start, but like you say, it may be leading up to something big.

So while I'm enjoying these episodes, it's starting to feel a little dull waiting for these stories to play out. Paulie's cancer and his relationship with his "mother" and Junior's stuff would be far more interesting to watch right now, I think.

edit: I did love that part where Vito was trying to get through the morning of work avoiding looking at his watch and when he finally thinks it's getting close to lunchtime, it wasn't even 10 yet. lol.

Thats A Paddlin

05-16-2006, 01:19 PM

Moe N Joe - 8.2/10

Favorite Scenes
-Vito's narration {the 10 o' clock thing} I could identify COMPLETLY....Also, thats the first narration the show has ever done
-Vito's shooting of the man, very unexpected

Those we're the two highlights, other than that it was a solid but not overtly amazing epiode. I hope the final 2 are groundbraking in some big way.

box elder

05-16-2006, 02:42 PM

yeah, i've gotta say i'm glad to see the gay vito story is seemingly nearing an end. not that it wasn't mildly interesting, but watching a morbidly obese guy and a dude with a village people mustache make out isn't exactly what i call aesthetically pleasing. it's like a couple septuagenarians necking: of course they have every right to do it, but i don't really enjoy seeing it.

DAntae

05-16-2006, 06:00 PM

remind me never to live on property where I have to drive to get my mail.

smyce

05-17-2006, 08:09 PM

remind me never to live on property where I have to drive to get my mail.

Hey.

Just reminding you to never live on property where you have to drive to get your mail.

Just looking out man.

America: Fuck Yea!

05-17-2006, 08:43 PM

perhaps you shouldn't park your '84 Wagoneer like an asshole in the middle of said two-lane street to get the damn mail.

The guy had it coming.

rickey

05-17-2006, 08:49 PM

The Sopranos are turning into "6 feet under" with all the men making out.

This season has just been one story after another. It hasn't tied up any story lines yet - other than Johnny Sack pleading guilty. Last week Christopher is back on the smack and this week he only has a 10 second scene.

They have got to come up with some excellent episodes in the next two weeks to salvage this season.

I need more beatings and killings and less of the "I love you Johnny Cakes".

gravymaster

05-17-2006, 09:57 PM

I need more beatings and killings and less of the "I love you Johnny Cakes".
That line gave me my best laugh of the season. We will see, though. I think thte last 2 episodes are going to be awesome.

Jolly Bengali

05-18-2006, 12:58 AM

I can't see how the last two won't be great, given how much quality we've gotten so far this year. Their big task is to deliver some real closure to all those storylines, yes, but this style of plotting is infinitely preferable to Season 4's slow burn, which made for a unified year but bored the hell out of me mid-season.

box elder

05-18-2006, 05:51 AM

America: Fuck Yea!

05-18-2006, 03:05 PM

now that i think about it, what the hell was vito doing on that little ass road to begin with? it showed him on little deserted roads going up there too. wouldn't NH to NY be a pretty strait shot 93 to 95?

If I wanted to pound vodka and wasn't in a hurry, I would be on little roads as well...

Jolly Bengali

05-21-2006, 07:11 PM

So the point of the whole Vito business seems to become clear: means towards creating a gang war?

Anyways, a pitiful end for Vito, but he deserves it at this point for coming back and denying his identity; overwhelming greed cancels out any sympathy I had for him. Phil's still a fuck though.

A lot of interesting stuff, and the Melfi-Tony scene was phenomenal (as were all the Tony-AJ interactions.) I really want a more extended psychiatry scene in the last episode; every little scene we get is amazing with Melfi, but it's only about a minute per episode; I'd be amazed if she had more than fifteen minutes of appearances so far this season. They've been the best fifteen minutes of the year, but still.

Anyways, stoked for the finale, I hope we get some closure and enough loose ends remaining to propel the final 8. Wasn't a wonderful episode, but was solid (probably third or fourth worst of the year) and a lot of interesting plot progression.

box elder

05-21-2006, 08:11 PM

i have a weird feeling about carmella dying. i don't really know why, but a lot of the stuff that happened in Paris (dreaming about Adrianna, talking about Jackie Jr, thinking of all the people who've died, seeing the searchlight that was very reminiscent of Tony's coma, etc) and plus just the way certain things were shot, like the drawn out shots of things she was looking at, and the ominous way the camera was zooming/panning in her final scene in the basement. i could be crazy, but i just had a feeling throughout this episode that something bad's gonna happen to Carmella.

anyway, i liked the episode in general. good closure on the Vito thing that will surely propel an interesting beef. nice interaction between Tony and AJ. also nice juxtaposition of the theme of Tony's need for power, and his obvious powerlessness over the escalating situation w/ NY. i also liked that they ended the episode with that picture of Vito -- Sopranos has always had a good way of humanizing characters and forcing viewers to think about how horrible these pointless deaths are.

Thats A Paddlin

05-21-2006, 08:12 PM

Cold Stones - 10/10

OMG...such a flooring episode, all around.

Vito - Most disturbing death in the show's history besides Big Pussy.

gravymaster

05-21-2006, 09:29 PM

Great episode, I loved it. Good to see Vito's death turned into the inevitable war we have all been talking about for years. Can't wait for the finale.

I was going to the bathroom during the scenes from next week, but my roommate told me they said that next week they were showing the last 3 episodes and the finale would be in two weeks. Any truth to that?

:bang:

05-22-2006, 05:40 AM

yeah, they never have new episodes during memorial day weekend

rumor going around is that phil is also gay

rickey

05-22-2006, 02:10 PM

Yeah, that episode was pretty good. Some gangster shit, some gay shit, it had it all.

But if the writers insert some Johnny Cakes heads to jersey for revenge storyline, I am never watching this show again.

America: Fuck Yea!

05-22-2006, 02:20 PM

But if the writers insert some Johnny Cakes heads to jersey for revenge storyline, I am never watching this show again.

it's about as likely as "The Russian" coming back.

blueguy

05-22-2006, 02:47 PM

Wouldn't that be a kick in the nuts if he did come back.

Said before, I'll say it again. AJ is such a dipshit. Glad to see Tony putting his foot down. Not sure I agree that Carm is going to die, but something pretty odd going on there.

Jolly Bengali

05-22-2006, 03:18 PM

I loved how Ro and Carm were on completely different planes of existence for that whole time there... also great to see them not just repeating the jokes from the "gang goes to Italy" episode, at least not with Carm.

smyce

05-22-2006, 04:16 PM

The whole scene in Paris, I kept thinking Carm was gonna run into Furio. I dont know why, but I just kept waiting for him to be a chef or a salesman or something in on of the places she went.

Carm dying....far fetched but then again this season hasnt had a major surprise yet and that could be something.

I do think that Phil is gay and that will come out eventually.

Vito's gay angle is not coming to fruition. It was all to set up the war and we are finally gonna get an 8 episode mafioso war between NY and NJ and I do think that true fans of the show have been anticipating this since day 1. This is going to be the greatest way to end I believe, and during the war....all bets off.

Finale in 2 weeks. They have to give us something to buzz about during the layoff. Carm dying...probably not but someone will die...major...maybe Paulie (though thats been rumored since season 2 finale) or Bobby or someone major. The anticipation for this war to begin is HUGE. I can not wait to see it unfold.

Jolly Bengali

05-22-2006, 04:25 PM

smyce

05-22-2006, 05:12 PM

I don't really think it will be an 8-episode war, though... plus, it's Sopranos, you have to figure this will be different from your stereotypical gang war. But yeah, signs would seem to point towards a serious dust-off between NYC and NJ coming up soon.

I didnt mean war in a sense of everything in the episodes will include violence. We will just know, as viewers, that a war is in progress.

box elder

05-22-2006, 05:48 PM

like i said, i agree that Carm dying is a little far-fetched. it's just the feeling i got throughout that episode. maybe they wanted people to think that. but it would be kind of a good way to set up a "Tony has nothing to lose" scenario. especially since he really tried to stop cheating on her and failed (and it seems in the finale even tries to hook up with the girl he turned down before). who knows?

blueguy

05-22-2006, 07:53 PM

Carm dying....far fetched but then again this season hasnt had a major surprise yet and that could be something.

Tony getting shot wasn't a surprise?

smyce

05-22-2006, 10:39 PM

Tony getting shot wasn't a surprise?

Good point. That was a surprise. It almost slips my mind that the season started that way since he really shows no signs of injury.

Is Meadow moving to Cali with Finn a way of letting us knows shes out for the Final 8?

America: Fuck Yea!

05-23-2006, 05:48 AM

box elder

05-23-2006, 06:16 AM

it was symbolic since he was "coming out of the closet"

haha, i didn't even think about that angle. shit, maybe he is gay.

Thats A Paddlin

05-23-2006, 05:33 PM

did anyone find Phil's entrance into the room from the closet hilarious. I love how he just slid the doors open.

OMG yes I just burst out laughing when I thought about that....its so sinister and dramatic, like the villian we didnt know was still alive in a Woo film.

smyce

05-23-2006, 07:27 PM

did anyone find Phil's entrance into the room from the closet hilarious. I love how he just slid the doors open.

(and it was symbolic since he was "coming out of the closet" and Vito was doing everything he could to "get back into the closet")

haha

I almost threw up I was laughing so hard. I wanted to stop laughing to enjoy the scene, but it was too funny.

The Lawn Wrangler

05-23-2006, 11:01 PM

http://home.iprimus.com.au/yogii/trappedinthecloset.gif

Jolly Bengali

05-24-2006, 03:26 AM

Ahahaha

Yeah that was a little much.

(nice name on the .gif file too)

smyce

05-24-2006, 04:55 AM

HAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

OH man that got me!!

LOL..Its to early for that shit. Damn thats funny

:bang:

06-05-2006, 07:37 AM

not that good

Jolly Bengali

06-05-2006, 08:57 AM

Not tremendous... had a lot of plot material that felt like a mid-season episode, which ticks me off because I was hoping they would have a bit more of a setup for the last 8/sense of closure to this one, rather than just treating it like a minor break point.

That being said... there was a lot of fascinating stuff, and the final scene was so tremendous that it basically redeemed the episode. I'm a little worried that not all the characters are getting their time to shine - Bobby's been dropping out recently, for instance, and I seem to barely ever see Paulie anymore - but I guess at various times each season someone will get the focus, and they did have character material earlier this season, so it's all good.

Was really fun to see the Jamba Juice girl back (forget her name), and the whole episode had a wonderful sense of theme when it came to cheating/relationships all around. Nice wrap-up; not perfect, and if this were the series finale I'd fucking murder someone, but this works for now... just not enough to push Season 6 into the stratosphere.

gravymaster

06-05-2006, 10:48 AM

:bang:

06-05-2006, 11:27 AM

Lots of people complaining about this "finale" today, but I really don't know why.
because they crammed a whole bunch of shit in, didn't have a big climax or a real cliffhanger

gravymaster

06-05-2006, 11:32 AM

because they crammed a whole bunch of shit in, didn't have a big climax or a real cliffhanger
Right, but I think that they wanted to establish some storylines before the final 8 episodes. I think it was more of a halfway point to a very long season rather than a finale to this one. If they postponed Vito and the NYC made guy getting wacked until last night, would you have thought differently about the season?

:bang:

06-05-2006, 11:38 AM

yeah, it would have been a better set up. i thought the whole 'zip though winter' felt forced. really i haven't like the pacing much at all this season

gravymaster

06-05-2006, 11:43 AM

I have noticed in years past that the 2nd to last episode of the season is always more intense than the finale.

:bang:

06-05-2006, 11:51 AM

well, it was intense but hardly a 'shit that was awesome' episode

i liked the season but to wait so long, with it coming to end...totally disappointing

gravymaster

06-05-2006, 11:58 AM

Well, at least you don't have to wait too long until the final 8 episodes. Janurary isn't that bad compared to 2+ years.

:bang:

06-05-2006, 12:05 PM

well, hbo made alot better shit in those two plus years than this season of the sopranos, thats for sure

blueguy

06-05-2006, 02:22 PM

disappointing. Any sort of cliff-hanger would have been nice.

America: Fuck Yea!

06-05-2006, 03:20 PM

I loved it... Edge of my seat through most of it. I totally thought Chris was going to get killed.

and I don't think a lot of people realize that this is Episode 12/20, not 12/12.

rickey

06-05-2006, 03:25 PM

i thought it was a pretty good episode, but for a season finale, there wasnt enough of a cliffhanger, and was someone big was going to get knocked off(Chris, Silvio, someone) before the end.

the ending was too sappy...and WTF is up with AJ bringing home the salsa AND her kid?!? tony took it pretty well, considering how bad tony freaked out when meadow came home with a 'charcoal briquet'

:bang:

06-06-2006, 06:42 AM

and I don't think a lot of people realize that this is Episode 12/20, not 12/12.
i think alot of the 'sopranos can do no wrong' crowd is using this as a cop out

blueguy

06-06-2006, 07:49 AM

I still think Chris is going to get knocked off before the end. Messing around with the real estate chick seemed like a bad move, but worked out in the end with Tony, but now he's back to the drugs and the FBI guy warned Tony that someone close to him is in danger, I'm still thinking Chris.

It did seem a bit odd that Tony was ok with AJ's girl, but the whole, "every day is a blessing" thing might be twisting his views on things. That, and he probably thinks (rightfully so) that where AJ is right now is FAR better then he's been the whole time the show has been running. Still, would have been nice to see AJ screw something else up for this episode.

Kind of bummed out that I don't think Paulie even appeared in this episode, and I think Silvio had 1 or 2 lines.

gravymaster

06-06-2006, 12:28 PM

i think alot of the 'sopranos can do no wrong' crowd is using this as a cop out
Well then Chase is too, because that's where I got that from.

Jolly Bengali

06-06-2006, 01:36 PM

To be fair to Chase, he DID say that this wouldn't be a true season finale because of the way he is writing the final 8 episodes. Lots of people complaining about this "finale" today, but I really don't know why. It was an episode that set up some major plots for the final 8 episodes and was filled with some pretty dramatic scenes as well. The scene with Tony and Phil was so fucking good I couldn't believe it.

Oh I'm with you on that... I think the episode got stronger and stronger as it went along. But a few scenes seemed a little "forced dramatic", a la Season 4's "Whitecaps", such as Tony and Carm in the kitchen... basically as if the writers decided they needed a "big scene" and didn't sell the set-up to them enough to make it feel entirely natural.

I will say this though - there has been a criminal, criminal underuse of Melfi this season. Give me prolonged scenes in there, please, not just 2 minutes of her an episode. Those 2 minutes are typically the best part of the episode, but risk it a bit, fill out the role a little more... we're nearing the end and I want to see a bit more progress with Tony. 8 more episodes to do this, but they have to get moving soon or there just won't be time.

i think alot of the 'sopranos can do no wrong' crowd is using this as a cop out

I'm hardly from the "can do no wrong" crowd, given how often I tear into very minor problems with the show, and I'm pretty sure that it's a legitimate argument. HBO has never stated that these 8 are going to be anything more than a bonus continuation to Season 6, and are not billing it as a Season 7 in the way that FOX would sell another season of Futurama that was composed entirely of unaired, already-produced episodes from other seasons as a new batch.

I'm similarly disappointed, I was hoping for a bit more finality/set-up, but the more I think about it the more I enjoy the way this was handled; the season ends on a remarkably happy scene, with problems beneath the surface that will tear apart that scene in the final 8. This is our last glimpse of true Sopranos contentment and happiness before what can only be presumed is a really brutal final 8 episodes, where everything finally turns full-on tragic. This wasn't a perfect 12th episode, but I'll take it. We've got time, if the writers make sure to give the characters time in the final episodes to get to a satisfying place.

gravymaster

06-06-2006, 01:45 PM

I will say this though - there has been a criminal, criminal underuse of Melfi this season. Give me prolonged scenes in there, please, not just 2 minutes of her an episode. Those 2 minutes are typically the best part of the episode, but risk it a bit, fill out the role a little more... we're nearing the end and I want to see a bit more progress with Tony.
To be perfectly honest, the scenes with Melfi are my least favorite part of the show. In the beginning of the show, they were necessary to show why Tony thinks the way he does, etc. However, now, we all know why Tony acts the way he does. We don't need Melfi and her awful acting tarding up the episodes with shit we already have been over. 8 episodes left and I hope they have a limited amount of scenes with her.

:bang:

06-06-2006, 01:54 PM

Well then Chase is too, because that's where I got that from.
no shit

America: Fuck Yea!

06-06-2006, 03:49 PM

I'm similarly disappointed, I was hoping for a bit more finality/set-up, but the more I think about it the more I enjoy the way this was handled; the season ends on a remarkably happy scene, with problems beneath the surface that will tear apart that scene in the final 8. This is our last glimpse of true Sopranos contentment and happiness before what can only be presumed is a really brutal final 8 episodes, where everything finally turns full-on tragic. This wasn't a perfect 12th episode, but I'll take it. We've got time, if the writers make sure to give the characters time in the final episodes to get to a satisfying place.

I agree with this completely.

To be perfectly honest, the scenes with Melfi are my least favorite part of the show. In the beginning of the show, they were necessary to show why Tony thinks the way he does, etc. However, now, we all know why Tony acts the way he does. We don't need Melfi and her awful acting tarding up the episodes with shit we already have been over. 8 episodes left and I hope they have a limited amount of scenes with her.

I agree with this as well... Maybe a little more, but her role is really insignificant now that we know these characters.

I know when I watch any parts of Season 1-5 on DVD, I oftentimes skip through the Melfi scenes.

Jolly Bengali

06-06-2006, 05:16 PM

Best scene in Season 5 is in Melfi's office, in "Unidentified Black Males", when Tony basically has a panic attack during a session...

I can respect not finding the scenes particularly exciting, but they're so important to why the show is what it is; the Tony character, and all his fascinating contradictions, was largely forged through the Melfi scenes.

gravymaster

07-15-2006, 09:40 AM

Gandolfini knee surgery delays 'Sopranos'

PASADENA, Calif. (AP) — Fans of The Sopranos will have to wait a bit longer for the mob drama's final chapter.

Because of "unexpected" knee surgery for series star James Gandolfini, the concluding episodes that were expected to begin in January will be delayed about two months, HBO Chairman Chris Albrecht said.

The surgery alone would have pushed the season start back just a few weeks, but that would have put The Sopranos up against the football playoffs and the Super Bowl, Albrecht told a television critics' gathering Wednesday.

A specific air date for the Sunday-night series has yet to be determined but it's likely to be in early March 2007, he said.

A call to HBO about Gandolfini's surgery was not immediately returned Thursday. The actor, who plays mob boss Tony Soprano, was in a traffic accident in New York recently. A collision with a taxi knocked him off his scooter but he reportedly was able to walk away.

Albrecht joked Wednesday how much mayhem the last eight episodes from series creator David Chase could contain.

"I know you're all hoping that people die," he told the Television Critics Association, noting some have complained "that not enough people are dying and getting whacked in the show."

He promised the audience won't be disappointed in the conclusion.

"I know the story lines for the final eight, and I am absolutely positively certain that when the curtain comes down on Sopranos, the vast, vast, vast majority of people will say it's one of the great things of all time."

Viewers of the HBO series have been a patient lot. When The Sopranos returned last March, it was after a hiatus that was just three months shy of two years.

Albrecht denied that ratings fell for the just-concluded season, saying "the reverse is actually true."

"When you take into account the cumulative audience, not just from all the plays (repeat airings), but from HBO on Demand, there were more people watching last season than the season before," he said.

Albrecht also said that HBO will be offering debuts of its original series on HBO on Demand six days before they air on the HBO channel.
http://www.usatoday.com/life/television/news/2006-07-13-sopranos-delay_x.htm
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