The Sopranos - Season #1
HBO
Crime / Drama
10th January 1999 - 4th April 1999
13 Episodes
Approx. 42-58 minutes per episode
Viewed Oct-Nov 2012
A
To a lot of fans of TV drama,
The Sopranos needs no introduction. Along with
The Wire,
it's considered the dog's bollocks of drama shows for the small screen - but does it live up to the hype and can I, a mere amateur critic of TV dramas, agree with such sentiments? Let's find out...
For the uninitiated,
The Sopranos follows the trials and
tribulations of Tony Soprano; a mob boss who lives in the leafy suburbs
of New Jersey with his wife and two kids. The series generally tracks
the stresses and strains of Tony's life by following his interaction with other members of the mafia organisation on the one hand and through his family life, and all the usual baggage associated with
bringing up kids and keeping a marriage together, on the other.
The Sopranos does indeed prove to be such compelling viewing precisely because Tony Soprano has
to manage both a network of violent and volatile criminals in one half of his life
and is forced
to deal with typical family issues that we can all identify with on the other. Both, of course, add up to a whole which is an intriguing combination. Curiously, the kind of emotional investment Tony Soprano puts into his managerial role, and the type of pressures he faces, are really not dissimilar to any other passionate manager who is trying to run his own everyday business, it's just that his pressures tend to have life-threatening issues around them and he does tend to lean towards having severe anger-management problems. His family life also of course, as mentioned, involves all those things that most father-figures can identify with and contend with; the ball-busting wife and rebellious kids.
Unlike lesser TV series',
although highly dramatic, events in
The Sopranos are entirely plausible - the actions of the people are always credible and you never get the feeling that they are acting out of character. To my mind this element, along with the fact that the subject matter mixes an unreal world (that is alien to most of us) with the familiar world of family life, is what gives
The Sopranos that certain class that it has over others of this ilk.
As the series develops, it's gradually made clear that these mobster are not really very happy people. True, they have the same kind of vulnerabilities
and weaknesses that Mr Joe Average might have but it's their macho-culture, along
with their own violent methods of serving out their own form of
justice, that ends up eating at them internally and is their undoing. Along
the way, we get an insight into how the mob operates and what the codes or rules are that they live by, but, again, it's the blurring of these rules that is their downfall: They have to appear loyal on the surface - yet underneath they often stab each other in the back; they have to appear to be in control - yet they can't appear to lose face or back down at the same time (something that is inevitable to the ordinary man); taboos are in place- yet they can't help bringing them to the surface to ridicule or discredit a rival. All this, it seems, addressing what it
means to be a "real man" and bringing conflict to the fore but jeopardising friendships as a result.
Each episode begins with that car drive from Lincoln Tunnel to the New Jersey suburbs while the stirring
"Woke Up This Morning""
by Alabama 3 is played in the background. But it's a different regular
feature - his visits to the psychiatrist, Dr Melfi - that allows the
story to unravel nicely. The whole season begins with an exchange
between these two and it's through their meetings that we're reminded of
key moments in Tony's life but also where we're given insights into
what is really going on inside Tony Soprano's head. As we see, the more
that is revealed and the more that the problems pile up, the more we
begin to realise that life of the mobster is not all that glamorous or
enviable after all.
Episodes, which usually last around 50-60 minutes, often have two main
story-lines or strands running through them. For example in Episode 2 ("46
Long") there is the story of how Tony tries to get his mother placed in a
retirement home running alongside Christopher's hot-headed plans to
hijack Tony's Uncle Junior's trucks. Episode 5 ("College") follows
Tony's travels with his daughter as she visits various colleges, while
the secondary story follows the sexual tension between his wife and the
priest as he spends the evening with her. Then there is Episode 9
("Boca") where we hear of Junior's sexual exploits, much to the amusement of
the rest of the mob, and also follow the story behind Meadow's school football team coach. Some
episodes, in the middle of the season, like Episode 7 ("Down Neck") fill
out details of Tony's childhood in the 1960s and give us details of key
events regarding his dad's exploits - and answering why Tony is who he is today.
All these scenarios are as gripping as a grappling hook and will
envelope you like a warm quilt on a cold night. The script is as sharp
as a razor and the dialogue as tight as a snazzy drum. Personally, I did
feel the need to have sub-titles running occasionally in the early
episodes to make sure I "got it" and I also hit the pause button once in
a while to mull over some of the key exchanges but I am very glad that I
did. Although this can kill immersion at times, I felt it
was a small investment to make for future enjoyment. I was also struck
with the amount of Italian slang that the characters throw into
conversations as well, a fact that kind of past me by first time I watched the series when subtitles were off. It's a useful tool though, if you care to take
the time to google the word, for finding the meaning of such words.
Incidentally, based on the viewing of Episode 1 of a certain rival
series, all this is not as hard work as
The Wire which certainly
does require ongoing subtitles and far more pauses for the significance
of certain dialogues to properly sink in.
Tony Soprano
When you consider he's a violent leading member of the mob who uses
intimidation and threats to get what he wants, it may be strange to say
that there is something that makes us warm to the man. Perhaps it's the
fact that even though he knows he has to be seen to be in control, he
acknowledges his vulnerabilities and weaknesses by opening up to his
psychiatrist. In a later episode, during the life-threatening "car-jacking" scene I was shouting at the
screen and rooting for him all the way! Despite the set-backs he also
has a great sense of humour and I loved the way he was cracking jokes soon after recovering from that threat on his life in Episode 12.
Carmela Soprano
If you're the wife of the capo of the mob and you're aware
that your dearly beloved has committed terrible crimes, you have to have
some inner strength of some kind I suppose. Although Carmela is a
strong character and has done well to keep the family functioning with
some degree of success, she does use her ball-busting qualities too liberally in my opinion. The long-suffering Tony gets it in the
neck constantly even when it's clear he's stressed out and needs her to
lay off a bit. She's very pushy with her kids and does tend to lose her sense of humour a lot.
Jennifer Melfi
You'd have to question the motives behind why anyone would choose to
counsel a capo of the mafia but Melfi is the one who steps into those
shoes. Her main connection with Tony is the Italian heritage, but she is
often a victim of his wrath and is threatened with physical assault on
more than the odd occasion. She often explores issues regarding his
mother and his family and it's these home-truths that usually gets him
angry - particularly as he feels guilt about putting her mother in a
retirement home. She has some odd facial expressions and her lines are
delivered in a strange drawl at at times but she's an essential and central
character.
Livia Soprano
The mischievous, manipulative and downright creepy Livia Soprano is Tony's mother.
At first I was undecided what her agenda was but by the end of the
season you realise that she gets a kick out of stirring up
trouble among her family; her "woe is me" act really is
just a way of winding Tony up. She has more say in how her brother,
Junior, runs the show than he'd like to admit. Towards the end, in
Episode 12 ("Isabella"), her act becomes quite comical as she
turns on the water-works more and more after "putting her foot in it"
once again. On a serious note though, playing chess with peoples' lives
doesn't sit too well with our Tony - check out the way he picks up that
pillow in the final episode!!
Meadow Soprano
Last but not least, the final line-up of ladies in Tony's life is his young
teenage daughter, Meadow. Unlike her brother, AJ, Meadow is academically
minded and has thoughts of extending her education beyond high-school.
She is aware of her father's business dealings and, during Episode 5 (
"College"), confronts him about whether he's in the mafia. Although he
doesn't come right out and say it, he does reveal that he deals with
"certain types" - and this truthful revelation does bring a level of
trust to their relationship. Meadow has a lot of integrity and is a
likeable member of the family.
Anthony Soprano, Jr
AJ is only just becoming aware of who his dad is. He generally has a low
profile in this season and apart from the cancelled fight in the
playground in Episode 4, his main contribution was in the episode where
he got drunk on the sacramental wine and was forced to visit his grandma
at the nursing home while expelled. Other than this and dropping the
odd F-bomb now and again (and having his parents responding with a
disapproving "Hey!" every time) - there's not really much else of note
to say about this young chap. Unless his kind of vacant nature and unacceptable haircut is worth mentioning. The stretched photo opposite flatters him, he's more podgy in this season.
Corrado Soprano, Jr
With those huge glasses and that "butter wouldn't melt in his mouth"
manner, the uncle of Tony Soprano looks like a sweet and innocent old
man. Like Melfi, some of his facial expressions make him look comical,
even as he always appears to be angry and hard-done-by - but like all
capos, under that exterior, a dark side lurks beneath. After the death
of Jackie Aprile, Tony submits to Junior and allows his uncle to become
boss without a struggle. However Junior still believes he is being
undermined and after hearing from the conniving Livia that Tony is
seeing a psychiatrist, uses this knowledge as an excuse to exact
justice.
Christopher Moltisanti
Although referred to as the nephew of Tony Soprano and with a strong
bond between them, he is actually a cousin of Carmela and so not a
blood-relative. Self-absorbed and tormented with the idea that the mob
owes him something the hot-headed Christopher likes to take risks and is
a bit of a loose cannon - check out his attack on the shop-assistant.
He is driven by the desire to gain some sort of fame and recognition and
is ecstatic when he sees his name in the paper. He has desires to be a
writer for the screen (even though he is totally illiterate (or dyslexic).
His self-interest and short-temper makes him an unpleasant and
unlikeable character.
Pualie Gualtieri
Paulie and Silvio are Tony's right hand men and keep the machine oiled in the background. They are his advisors and
run the most important errands but are also willing to be first
in line to whack someone if necessary. They are very loyal to their boss
and you feel they wouldn't cross Tony for anything. We get a flavour of
Paulie's negotiating skills in Episode 3 ("Denial, Anger Accceptance")
when he uses a small receptionist's bell repeatedly smashed to the head
as part of his persuasive technique. Paulie is a more prominent figure
than Silvio and is given a little more screen-time.
Silvio Dante
Silvio Dante is Tony's rock but always appears to be sniffing at a
strong smell lingering in the air. He also seems to have picked up this habit where he needs to take the posture of an intimidating doorman when he stands around. His swept back hair is ridiculous and seems to get higher as the season progresses. Like AJ, Silvio just doesn't seem to
play a very prominent role in this season, just being the guy that's there at Tony's side but not really doing anything greatly
meaningful or interesting.
Sal "Big Pussy" Bonpensiero
Sal, or Big Pussy for short, is the third member of Tony's immediate
circle and seems to be the one who helps out with the financial side of the
business. Like Silvio, he doesn't have a big role to play or feature
very heavily in the story strands until, that is, Tony's insider in the
police force warns Tony that in the past Sal has been hitched up to a
wire. Shortly after this, Sal starts to suffer severe back pains and is
not seen again in the final two episodes - which does him no favours at
all.
To conclude,
The Sopranos certainly
does live up to the
hype. It is a riveting series and the only
time I felt there was any hint of filler was during the final episode
when Artie Bucco, the chef, went to see the priest. But even that was
very brief and only seemd to drag because they are two minor characters.
This really is nit-picking.
Other nit-picking aspects might include some skewy editing and
continuity errors during some scenes in Melfi's office along with some
bizarre editing when Artie Bucco visits Livia in the hospital in the
final episode. Also in the final episode I do find it hard to believe
that Tony would tell Melfi about those FBI tapes AND that she would
later let him back in while concealing a pair of scissors(!) for
protection; not exactly very professional. However, these moments are so
minor and serve more as an exercise in trying hard to find fault in a
season that is essentially all positive and magnificent throughout. Season #1 of
The Sopranos is Class with a capital "C".
A
