home

Soprano's Open Thread: Show Four

By Jeralyn, Section The Sopranos
Posted on Sun Apr 02, 2006 at 05:54:31 PM EST
Tags: (all tags)
Share This: Digg! StumbleUpon del.icio.us reddit reddit

The Sopranos starts now. The episode is called "The Fleshy Part of the Thigh." Here's the lead-in:

Tony and Johnny Sack haggle over Barone Sanitation's future; Paulie is rocked by an aunt's revelation.

I bet a lot more happens than that.

< Newsweek on the Duke Lacrosse Team Rape Allegations | Supreme Court Won't Hear Padilla Case >

  • The Online Magazine with Liberal coverage of crime-related political and injustice news

  • Contribute To TalkLeft


    • Display: Sort:
    Soprano's Open Thread: Show Four | 32 comments (32 topical)
    Re: Soprano's Open Thread: Show Four (none / 0) (#1)
    by Dadler on Sun Apr 02, 2006 at 06:55:59 PM EST
    F*ck mobsters. Is there any more tired paradigm than the mafia one? Godfather and Goodfellas said it all. Delete this, Jeralyn, I dare you. Love, John Gotti Junior.

    Re: Soprano's Open Thread: Show Four (none / 0) (#2)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sun Apr 02, 2006 at 07:12:47 PM EST
    Sorry you don't like the show, Dadler. I do.

    Re: Soprano's Open Thread: Show Four (none / 0) (#4)
    by Edger on Sun Apr 02, 2006 at 07:19:56 PM EST
    It is a pretty well worn paradigm Dadler, but mobsters make for good drama and morality plays, I'll give them that much. I rarely watch TV and I've never seen the Sopranos, but I still occasionally rent Godfathers 1,2, and 3 and watch them back to back. It's a good six hour escape.

    Re: Soprano's Open Thread: Show Four (none / 0) (#3)
    by Dadler on Sun Apr 02, 2006 at 07:30:48 PM EST
    You don't know I don't like it, I'm just bustin' yer ....

    Re: Soprano's Open Thread: Show Four (none / 0) (#5)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sun Apr 02, 2006 at 07:47:53 PM EST
    We've long had a family tradition that we get together on Christmas and gather 'round the tube and watch G-Father I and II. GF-1 was always good for the Tom Hagen/Solozzo/Discipline factor. That way, I could say to my kids, Did ya clean your room and shop for your Mother? Relax. If I wanted to kill ya, you'd be dead already.

    Re: Soprano's Open Thread: Show Four (none / 0) (#6)
    by jondee on Sun Apr 02, 2006 at 07:50:00 PM EST
    Im a Millers Crossing kinda guy myself. Scorcese's hey goombah schtick got a little old sometime after Mean Streets and Raging Bull.

    Re: Soprano's Open Thread: Show Four (none / 0) (#7)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sun Apr 02, 2006 at 07:58:38 PM EST
    Hey, what's the rumpus? Tom, look into your heart? What heart? Ah, the Coen Bros of St Louis Park, MN.

    Re: Soprano's Open Thread: Show Four (none / 0) (#8)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sun Apr 02, 2006 at 08:03:50 PM EST
    Well, back on topic, I thought the show was great. It looks like Tony is going to have a long flirtation with the born-agains, and there were no wierd flashbacks. The rappers and the rocket scientist were a nice and different touch. So, was the season opener about the guy who wanted out a precursor to Tony wanting out?

    Re: Soprano's Open Thread: Show Four (none / 0) (#9)
    by jondee on Sun Apr 02, 2006 at 08:09:32 PM EST
    "Mr. Inside-outsky like some g.d Bolshevik pickin up his orders from yeg central. Ya join up Johnny Caspar, ya bump Bernie Bernbaum - up is down, black is white."

    Re: Soprano's Open Thread: Show Four (none / 0) (#10)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sun Apr 02, 2006 at 08:38:02 PM EST
    Don't give me the high hat! I didn't watch the Sopranos, yet. Free Showtime Weekend. Watched Crash instead. Powerful stuff. Time to watch Sopranos now. Let Jim lick his sores. Tomorrow's another day.

    Re: Soprano's Open Thread: Show Four (none / 0) (#11)
    by glanton on Sun Apr 02, 2006 at 08:56:11 PM EST
    I didn't catch tonight's episode but I did catch the credits at the end. Do they always play "One of These Days" by Pink Floyd when they roll credits? Cool stuff. Big Love immediately follows Sopranos, and I have become pretty fond of that show. TL, have you checked it out yet?

    Re: Soprano's Open Thread: Show Four (none / 0) (#12)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sun Apr 02, 2006 at 09:12:24 PM EST
    Glanton, I got through five minutes and hated it. I like Desperate Housewives which is on at the same time. The only tv shows besides news I watch are the Sopranos, DH and the Apprentice. I used to never miss Sex and the City and Six Feet Under, and I miss both of those. Commander and Chief is good too, and it will be back in a few weeks.

    Re: Soprano's Open Thread: Show Four (none / 0) (#13)
    by glanton on Sun Apr 02, 2006 at 09:18:46 PM EST
    God, I miss Six Feet, too. That was good stuff. Sex and the City was great too, though the TBS and WGN fiasco is kid of stupid. Somehow editing those episodes, even slightly, seems to take the heart out of them. As for Big Love, I'm enjoying it so far. Decent acting, in my opinion; bizarro, often highly comedic plotlines. But it's early yet. Not nearly the proven caliber of Sopranos, obviously.

    Re: Soprano's Open Thread: Show Four (none / 0) (#14)
    by demohypocrates on Sun Apr 02, 2006 at 10:08:15 PM EST
    I thought it was the best episode this season. Tony is thinking about his near death experience. Some creepy scenes with a born again. Seems like he is going soft. Question is who might challenge him? Ya have to wonder if his crew will get into it with the rapppers. Shootin the feller in the ass might be a prob. If ya dont like it, why post about it? It aint Godfather, or Six Feet Under or the Apprentice. What part of SOPRANOS OPEN THREAD was hard to undertand?

    Re: Soprano's Open Thread: Show Four (none / 0) (#15)
    by roxtar on Mon Apr 03, 2006 at 02:17:20 AM EST
    If there really is a god...... ....there will be a Vito/Pastor Bob story arc.

    Re: Soprano's Open Thread: Show Four (none / 0) (#16)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Mon Apr 03, 2006 at 06:04:14 AM EST
    Tony has struggled with existential thoughts since the first episode. He's pin balled from self-doubt to old-world family value system to his standard fallback "whatever happened to Gary Cooper?" ode to rugged American individualism as he sees it. That hasn't prevented him from rising to the occasion to do his job when the time comes. Anybody remember the "College" episode when he takes Meadow to visit Bowdoin and Bates in Maine, recognizes a rat who flipped years ago and goes about the business of trying to take care of both while bouncing around like a bull in a china shop? That's always been Tony's MO to one degree or another. Hence, the desire/need to see Melfi. Pastor Bob took himself totally outta the runnin' with the 6 thousand years, anti-science crap. Tony believes in science. He's also got too many voices Tony trusts goin' against him.

    Re: Soprano's Open Thread: Show Four (none / 0) (#17)
    by Jlvngstn on Mon Apr 03, 2006 at 07:10:16 AM EST
    As I said after week one, Tony's new neuroses would appear to be the desire to get out and have a "normal life". Of course he is incapable of getting out but as is demonstrated by his concession with Johnny Sacks and not taking the 2k from the media follows this theory. I thought it was a great show, I for one am glad to see Tony contemplating a tad bit of morality. I think within 3 episodes Tony will have a tail on Vito and will find out he is gay. I wonder if that is a death sentence?

    Re: Soprano's Open Thread: Show Four (none / 0) (#18)
    by nolo on Mon Apr 03, 2006 at 07:26:49 AM EST
    I agree that Pastor Bob took himself out of the running when he started nattering on about the world being 6000 years old and dinosaurs living alongside humans. "You mean like the Flinstones?" Hah. The look on Tony's face said it all -- though Chris's rationale for why it had to be BS was priceless (Adam and Eve would have been running away from the dinosaurs all the time, making the Garden of Eden none too restful).

    Re: Soprano's Open Thread: Show Four (none / 0) (#19)
    by kdog on Mon Apr 03, 2006 at 09:38:49 AM EST
    Tony can't be right in the head. The old Tony would have that crazy born again cat tossed out on his keister for talking that jive.

    Re: Soprano's Open Thread: Show Four (none / 0) (#20)
    by Slado on Mon Apr 03, 2006 at 09:45:56 AM EST
    Last nights show was solid. When I think back on it I can't believe they put so much into 1 hour. Tony I think will be searching for meaning in his life for the rest of this season. The pastor was option #1 and he's now moving on. He'll find other stuff attractive as well as the season continues. We'll see Tony trying to be "good" or reasonable and then Johnny and circumstance will force him back into familiar traits. On Howard Stern this morning they discussed an article about David Chase commenting on the dream sequence. Supposedly it wasn't a dream but Tony in purgatory. The stairs (red) represented his decent into hell and the house was hell if he had walked into it. What's interesting is unlike Chris when he almost died I don't think Tony knows how close to hell he got but at the same time feels he needs to live his life to the fullest. The bullet in the ass was hilarious.

    Re: Soprano's Open Thread: Show Four (none / 0) (#21)
    by kdog on Mon Apr 03, 2006 at 09:49:30 AM EST
    Yeah Slado...I can see Tony getting more into the heavy physics he was talking to the fellow patient about. For some reason that guy reminds me of Kurt Vonnegut.

    Re: Soprano's Open Thread: Show Four (none / 0) (#22)
    by Slado on Mon Apr 03, 2006 at 10:10:55 AM EST
    I know what you mean but then Tony had a chance to make a connection when he was leaving but didn't. Just like the preacher man I think Tony will keep trying things out but then when they take any effort on his part or require hime to change some views he will move on to something else. I only wonder if he's going to be some sort of tragic figure where we watch him want to change but isn't strong or willing enough to do so and winds up in the end exactly where we found him.

    Re: Soprano's Open Thread: Show Four (none / 0) (#23)
    by Jlvngstn on Mon Apr 03, 2006 at 10:24:05 AM EST
    Slado/Kdog, do you think Tony will end up walking around outside in a bathrobe talking to himself? I know that is too true to life but with all the foreshadowing of morality and getting out it would seem to me an easy way out for the show. I guess part of me wants Tony to get out but I have no idea why. He is a butthead husband/father yet I still want him to seek redemption. I have watched every episode of Big Love thus far and it is painful to watch. I like that they are starting to play how the kids feel (well one anyway) in all of this.

    Re: Soprano's Open Thread: Show Four (none / 0) (#24)
    by Slado on Mon Apr 03, 2006 at 11:43:42 AM EST
    I really think Tony is headed for a bad ending. Be it a straightjacket, ala Junior, or getting killed. Think Carlito's way or some such thing but they want us to want him to succeed only to yank the rug out from under us. Like you said you love him despite him. He's the sweetest murdering theif you'd ever want to know but he hurts people and in reality only does the right thing when it's convienent for him. I think he'll either try to get out and not or recognize that he's a mobster and meet a just end. That's my 2cents but who knows. With David Chase, anything could happen.

    Re: Soprano's Open Thread: Show Four (none / 0) (#25)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Mon Apr 03, 2006 at 03:00:49 PM EST
    I think Tony is going to have Janice's husband Bobby taken out. Vito will get his too. Paulie is becoming a loose cannon. I don't think Tony will be killed because that would make a movie hard to do, and Chase said he hasn't ruled out a movie after the series ends. I think the kid who Paulie beat up last night is going to end up being Meadow's next love, after her engagement falls apart. It was so obvious he was smitten with her in the hospital room. Her fiance is going to have more run-ins with Vito, who also will be be killed at somepoint, now that Carmela has tipped Tony off to him. Thanks for the comment about the purgatory imagery, I hadn't seen that. Charlie, you should be a tv reviewer, your Soprano posts have been your best writing on TalkLeft.

    Re: Soprano's Open Thread: Show Four (none / 0) (#26)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Mon Apr 03, 2006 at 06:43:38 PM EST
    Thanks, Jeralyn, I appreciate that. I did do movies, concerts and sports many years ago when I was in college. It's been dormant a long time. Thanks. Vito's history. Bobby's 55/45gone. Paulie Walnuts is 75/25 gone. He's just getting to be more trouble than he's worth to Tony. Diminishing Returns. I agree about Jason Barone and Meadow. Finn won't go quietly. Remember, Annette Benning was his mother in an episode. She could be good for a SPECTACULAR episode or two. She's as good as it gets and the fireworks she'll have with Tony, Carmella or Meadow or any combination thereof should be something. They've all got the chops to hold their own with her in a scene. Christopher is always dancing on the edge. Remember, Tony hated giving up Tony B to Phil Blundetto, but when push came to shove, he took care of it. Tony's not dying. Not unless Gandolfini's film career suddenly takes off or Chase decides he just doesn't want to do it anymore. I don't see either one happening at this point.

    Re: Soprano's Open Thread: Show Four (none / 0) (#27)
    by Johnny on Tue Apr 04, 2006 at 07:13:32 AM EST
    For some reason that guy reminds me of Kurt Vonnegut.
    You too? All that oneness talk... Resonates with me of course. Great character,a nd I personally think we have seen the beginning of the transformation of Tony into... a rat!

    Re: Soprano's Open Thread: Show Four (none / 0) (#28)
    by Slado on Tue Apr 04, 2006 at 07:34:57 AM EST
    I don't think Tony is dying anytime soon but I just get the feeling the series will end with something bad happening to him. Death or maybe jail. I just can't see the series ending good for Mr. Saprano.

    Re: Soprano's Open Thread: Show Four (none / 0) (#29)
    by kdog on Tue Apr 04, 2006 at 08:15:03 AM EST
    I don't know Johnny...Tony ratting? Say it ain't so Joe! That would be a way for him to get a shot at a "normal life", but I just can't see him doing it. Not after he mentioned how he respected Phil for doing things "old school" in Johnny Sac's absence, as much as he hates Phil, that's saying something. I think Tony takes the code of conduct too seriously to ever rat.

    Re: Soprano's Open Thread: Show Four (none / 0) (#30)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Tue Apr 04, 2006 at 04:41:44 PM EST
    For the record ... "That guy" who reminds people of Kurt Vonnegut is famed actor Hal Holbrook.

    Re: Soprano's Open Thread: Show Four (none / 0) (#31)
    by Slado on Tue Apr 04, 2006 at 05:10:21 PM EST
    Obviously his best work was as the love intrest on Designing Women. I don't know why but I always liked that stupid show.

    Re: Soprano's Open Thread: Show Four (none / 0) (#32)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Tue Apr 04, 2006 at 06:23:40 PM EST
    No way do I see Tony ratting. I think there will be another rat, but I'd bet on Bobby who seems to put his loyalty to Janice and new baby over his loyalty to Tony & co., or Vito, to avoid being exposed as gay. It would be poetic justice if the feds turned Christopher, in light of how he exposed Arianna to Tony, but I don't think that's a possibility unless he gets strung out on drugs again.

    Soprano's Open Thread: Show Four | 32 comments (32 topical)