Television The Sopranos

Favourite episode from each season?

1. College
2. Fun House
3. Pine Barrens
4. Whoever Did This
5. Long-Term Parking
6a. Join the Club
6b. Kennedy and Heidi

Seasons 2-5 are littered with great episodes though. I think more than any other show Sopranos perfected individual great episodes which stand alone regardless of the wider plots and themes of the season
 
Nickosaur said:
Finished episode 5 last night, "College". The first four episodes, in showing us the life of Tony Soprano and his balance of business and family, have been good without blowing me away, but I thought episode 5 was brilliant.
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I feel The Sopranos just churns consistent quality. There are some excellent ones within - College, Funhouse, Pine Barrens, Whitecaps, etc etc. The writing, the directing, the acting consistently stays at an 8.5 to 9 out of 10*. It doesn’t lull and then spike, like a lot of highly rated modern television does. Sort of sits on its own iceberg alongside The Wire and Mad Men.

* unless it’s the episode the actor Chris Moltistani directed.
 
2cents said:
Favourite episode from each season?

1. College
2. Fun House
3. Pine Barrens
4. Whoever Did This
5. Long-Term Parking
6a. Join the Club
6b. Kennedy and Heidi

Seasons 2-5 are littered with great episodes though. I think more than any other show Sopranos perfected individual great episodes which stand alone regardless of the wider plots and themes of the season
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Super similar:

1. College
2. Fun House
3. Pine Barrens
4. Whitecaps
5. Long-Term Parking/All Due Respect (entire last 3 ep stretch of season 5 is phenomenal)
6a. Join the Club
6b. Made In America (I mean it’s just a masterpiece)
 
Pine Barrens is the one with Chris and Paulie in the woods right? That episode was genius.
 
VorZakone said:
Pine Barrens is the one with Chris and Paulie in the woods right? That episode was genius.
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Yeah that's the one. Season 3 is so good though, I almost chose University over it.

DWelbz19 said:
entire last 3 ep stretch of season 5 is phenomenal
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Just amazing TV that whole run. I feel the same about the final three of season 3 as well.
 
Welsh Wonder said:
There's something missing from this post but I can't quite put my finger on it
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I think its the use of clip instead of video, and view instead of watch.

Not that they're incorrectly used words, they just don't sound 'right'.
 
Started this again a few days ago. Third time around I feel like none of the context or subtleties are going over my head now, can tell it'll be the best viewing yet!
 
Vidic_In_Moscow said:
Started this again a few days ago. Third time around I feel like none of the context or subtleties are going over my head now, can tell it'll be the best viewing yet!
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Yeah, I think I'm on the fourth or fifth iteration now (mid s04 atm) and I know exactly who or where or what is being referred to and what are the nuances behind the situations.

One thing that I've noticed now and it's one of the very few shortcomings of the series is the absence of Tony's backstories of him climbing up the ladder and doing the dirt. There's some mentions of him doing some crazy stuff in his early 20's and 30s but they seem a bit shallow and artificial and they just actually underline the missing of the coherent story lines.

The ones about his childhood are good but there seems to be a huge gap from pre-teens to the presence.
 
Roosney said:
Yeah, I think I'm on the fourth or fifth iteration now (mid s04 atm) and I know exactly who or where or what is being referred to and what are the nuances behind the situations.

One thing that I've noticed now and it's one of the very few shortcomings of the series is the absence of Tony's backstories of him climbing up the ladder and doing the dirt. There's some mentions of him doing some crazy stuff in his early 20's and 30s but they seem a bit shallow and artificial and they just actually underline the missing of the coherent story lines.

The ones about his childhood are good but there seems to be a huge gap from pre-teens to the presence.
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Imho tony has portrayed himself to be ruthless enough and whacky enough for me to picture how he rose the rank.

I can imagine this same guy doing his button when he was younger. I mean the very same middle age tony soprano can join the family today and he'll easilly out perform the likes of moltisanti and paulie thrown together.
 
I think leaving much of it to imagination with subtle references works - he is trying publicly to move away from that part of his life but you see it rise up in him often enough to know he got up to all sorts of bad stuff.
 
Vito is in series 1 but as an extra character called Gino!

Also two Goodfellas references by two actors who were both in Goodfellas in the same episode.
 
Everytime I see the title of this show, it instantly takes me back to being a few months unemployed, and this show getting me through it. Breaking Bad is the only other show that had me so intensely engrossed, it was absolutely flawless. I think I'll give it a 2nd watch soon.
 
Finished season 1 again and this show is just on another level. A masterpiece. I'm happy purely because there's so much more to watch, even though I've already seen it.

I'm really appreciating what a great character Tony' Mother is this time around, and also that Tony looks much like Alex Jones.
 
Meadow Soprano: "Madame de Stael said, 'in life, one must choose between boredom and suffering.'" Tony Soprano: "Go to your room!"

:lol:
 
Just been watching Livia's funeral episode again, the whole thing is fecking gold, loads of awkward hilarity when Janice gets them altogether, and some weird spookiness (Pussy in the mirror, some dude coming down the stairs...) But this from Chris talking absolute shite is the best:

 
Sky1981 said:
I find moltisanti annoying on the later part. Could be that's how the writer wants, but alec baldwin chopper? Ffs... lol
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That scene where he's at the gas station and he sees his future self driving a piece of shit car with snot-nosed kids and a nagging wife is classic. At that exact moment, Adriana's fate was sealed.
 
I inexplicably really don't like 'Aunt Ro' Aprille this time around. She's really annoying.
 
"Get your coat, we're leaving!"

"Eh I don't have a coat."

"Well then get moving god dammit!"



"I wonder what's French Canadian for 'I grew up without a mother'? Sacre bleu, where is me mama?"

 
Vidic_In_Moscow said:
Vito is in series 1 but as an extra character called Gino!

Also two Goodfellas references by two actors who were both in Goodfellas in the same episode.
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Dr. Melfi and who else? This is killing me, the answer's right on the tip of my tongue, and won't google it gotdamn. Was Paulie in it? Arrgh.
 
Roosney said:
Dr. Melfi and who else? This is killing me, the answer's right on the tip of my tongue, and won't google it gotdamn. Was Paulie in it? Arrgh.
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Paulie, Pussy, Christopher, Carmine, Larry-Boy Barese and Phil were all in Goodfellas.
 
2cents said:
Just been watching Livia's funeral episode again, the whole thing is fecking gold, loads of awkward hilarity when Janice gets them altogether, and some weird spookiness (Pussy in the mirror, some dude coming down the stairs...) But this from Chris talking absolute shite is the best:
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This and the psychic asking Paulie if the poison ivy still itches, would be nice to have any explanation for these.
 
Roosney said:
This and the psychic asking Paulie if the poison ivy still itches, would be nice to have any explanation for these.
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The poison ivy thing was from when Paulie and Chris whacked Mikey P.

Roosney said:
Yeah I remember Chrissy from there too, not the others. And I just watched it this winter :wenger:
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Just remembered, Beansie was in Goodfellas too.
 
Uncle Junior is also in Godfather Part II if I remember right.
 
Tommy said:
Uncle Junior is also in Godfather Part II if I remember right.
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Yep he is, decent-sized role too. I believe Paulie is also an extra in it but not prominent enough to really be seen.
 
2cents said:
Just been watching Livia's funeral episode again, the whole thing is fecking gold, loads of awkward hilarity when Janice gets them altogether, and some weird spookiness (Pussy in the mirror, some dude coming down the stairs...) But this from Chris talking absolute shite is the best:

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I really love that episode. It's got that eerie feel to it. I think I heard David Chase talking about it - that he wanted to make it like that and he got it spot on imo.

Proshai, Livushka.
 
2cents said:
The poison ivy thing was from when Paulie and Chris whacked Mikey P.



Just remembered, Beansie was in Goodfellas too.
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Phil Leotardo is Goodfellas too.
 
This a great scene too. Just after they jacked The Vipers.

 
2cents said:
The poison ivy thing was from when Paulie and Chris whacked Mikey P.



Just remembered, Beansie was in Goodfellas too.
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Yeah I know but was it really written as a paranormal thingy with Mikey talking from the beyond or had the psychic done his groundwork on a made guy. Small details but stuff like this I find quite intriguing.
 
Roosney said:
Yeah I know but was it really written as a paranormal thingy with Mikey talking from the beyond or had the psychic done his groundwork on a made guy. Small details but stuff like this I find quite intriguing.
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Ah I get you, yeah I think the writers just liked to leave a lot of questions unanswered in the Sopranos, I remember reading an interview with Chase where he said that in life you don't always get a nice resolution to everything that plays out.
 
I have never seen it but have downloaded it all for the future. I will watch it after The Wire, which I will watch after all the other stuff I have on my HDD.
 
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