• Welcome to BookAndReader!

    We LOVE books and hope you'll join us in sharing your favorites and experiences along with your love of reading with our community. Registering for our site is free and easy, just CLICK HERE!

    Already a member and forgot your password? Click here.

The Sopranos

Libre

Libre

Member
I just started to watch the series. I'm always way ahead of - or seriously behind - the curve (usually the latter). Anyway, I finally got hooked on it at the end of the last season - and now of course it's (supposedly) ending after this season.
I think it's the best show ever on television. The acting, scripts, and direction are all so incredibly good. The subtleties. The complexities. The sub-plots. The way that a look from one of the actors can convey so much - with no words spoken. And they don't beat you over the head with the significance of some of these subtleties - either you get it or you don't. I like that. They give the audience credit, and don't try to explain everything. For example, in last night's episode, the way Ben Kingsley was portrayed (by himself, of course). Yes, a classy guy, and an important person, yet, protected and insulated, and so privaleged that he's clueless as to what the world is really about. That he could even associate with these hoods shows how naive he is. The way Christopher couldn't quite get the hang of calling him by his proper title, "Sir Ben". Not all that compicated, but he kept getting it wrong. And the way Christopher's "swag" (that he mugged off Lauren Becall) that he presented to Tony - was really useless garbage. They conveyed ALL this wordlessly - with looks and camera shots. The role played by the short tempered restaurant owner was also amazing. What an actor. Brilliant. Even when NOTHING is happening - at least no action or violence - there is always the edge of anticipation. In a recent episode, Hal Holbrook gave an absolutely brilliant performance. Utterly moving. What did I have to watch growing up? The Untouchables ("C'mon, let's get 'em boys"...bash, boff, bam! BANG BANG BANG!). Or Gunsmoke. Rawhide. Sea Hunt. Even Bonanza - the best of the bunch. The Sopranos is like Shakespeare compared with those blunt and childish series.
Each episode of this show is better than many movies. I LOVE it. But I gave it the kiss of death by getting into it, I guess. Everything I like, I like after everbody else does, and then it goes away. One of these days I might even get into Rock and Roll. Then it will die and classical will get big.
Nah.
 
I agree, The Sopranos at its best is masterful. And season 6, so far, has occasionlly promised to be better than the series has ever been before - though I must say I found the last two episodes a bit slow. But it's always beautifully acted and written. One thing I always love about it is the way it allows things to take their time; so many TV series still believe that each episode must contain a certain number of plots and subplots which must all be resolved before the episode is over, but Sopranos can let some subplots (the one about Vito is a great example) run for years before they develop it into a major plot point. One little detail in season 4 can become a huge point in season 6. Plus, it's very much character-driven, something I always enjoy.

It's still not quite number one on my all-time series list, but once season 6 is finished I plan to re-watch the whole series and I have a feeling it might be after that.
 
I've always enjoyed the sopranoes but avoided the current season because i have not seen alot of the previous seasons. It's being shown 2 episodes a night on channel four from season 1 for you english folk ;) 12 - 2am
 
I love this show and I'm dying to know what is happening this season. I'm on premium cable strike (because it costs so damn much) so I've got to wait until the DVDs come out.
 
I enjoy the series too, but I am behind on watching it. I must wait for the DVDs as well and I left off on the second volume of season four... Yeah, I have some catching up to do.
 
This show is the only reason I have kept HBO in my cable package.

Seasons 1, 2 & 3 to me the best! I have all seasons on DVD and watched multiple times.

How many of you would like to see the return of the Russian Interior Decorator? It probably wont happen, but would bring up a huge threat to the Jersey family.
 
beer good said:
One thing I always love about it is the way it allows things to take their time; so many TV series still believe that each episode must contain a certain number of plots and subplots which must all be resolved before the episode is over, but Sopranos can let some subplots (the one about Vito is a great example) run for years before they develop it into a major plot point.
Click to expand...
Excellent point, beer good. Another example is the way Carmella has been asking Tony to get in touch with the building inspector for some time now, and it keeps slipping his mind. It didn't even come up last episode. It feels like all this is happening in "real time". Like OH YEAH, THE BUILDING INPECTOR! I HAVEN'T THOUGHT ABOUT THAT IN A WEEK OR SO (because I really haven't)!
Unlike other series, as you point out, beer good.
Like, take the original Star Trek (of course, also a GREAT series). But there, an entire civilization could develop, reach its zenith, and then crumble - as the Enterprise is warping out at the last instant. And, all in in less time than it takes to cook a lasagna.
 
Yeah, Sopranos is good. The episodes with Tony in the hospital though were absolutely the worst of the series and really sucked big time.

Can't compare Sopranos though to Gunsmoke, Rawhide, or Bonanza.....completely different type programs. For me, bring back all the Westerns and I will be watching TV again instead of maybe 4 or 5 shows.
 
Whenever they bring back an old show (that I thought was so great the first time around), I realize how downright awful they really were. You can see re-runs of the oldies. They're bad.
Exception: The Twilight Zone
 
Libre said:
Whenever they bring back an old show (that I thought was so great the first time around), I realize how downright awful they really were. You can see re-runs of the oldies. They're bad.
Exception: The Twilight Zone
Click to expand...
perhaps you were watching the wrong shows.

The Honeymooners
Laugh-In (Rowan & Martin)....absolutely brilliant show
Bob Newhart Show
Studio One
Taxi
Mash
Andy Griffith Show
 
muggle said:
perhaps you were watching the wrong shows.
Click to expand...

Well, as I said (I think) I'm not much of a TV fan. I never watched any of those shows you mentioned regularly. Never heard of one of them (Studio One). I've seen enough Honeymooners - that one was great. I couldn't stand Laugh-In. I remember everyone else raving about it though.
 
I agree with Muggle, there are some good older shows out there. I love MASH, we're thinking about starting to collect the DVDs. We also really like Emergency!, but I think that is because we're geeky like that rather than because it was a quality show. These shows can't compare to The Sopranos, but I think that is partially because of when they were filmed and the fact that The Sopranos' writers don't need to worry about sex, language or violence like normal TV writers do.
 
The past 2 episodes have been the funniest this show has ever been. The look of disgust on Paulie's face when discussing Vito cracked me up. And Tony discussing The L Word in therapy was great too. Who knew Tony was a fan? We have something in common now. I liked it last week when Christopher mugged Lauren Bacall and called Vito 'La Cage Aux Fat', I was rolling laughing at that one.
 
How about the look that Christopher gave Sir Ben through the crack in the seat in the First Class section of the airplane? What a look! A look that could kill!
 
I know, it was great, him peeping between the seats. Kingsley looked uncomfortable too. I like when Christopher mangles the English language, which he does a lot. I liked it in this past episode when he said, 'I saw it on Law and Order the SUV'!. He kills me.
 
Am I the only one dissapointed in this season? Looks like Carmella is really questioning where she is headed in her life. I just wish I knew where the show was headed.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top