What’s a blahg if it doesn’t feature a Monday morning Sopranos discussion? While the past couple of seasons have drawn some heat from critics, it’s hard to deny that the writers and producers have done a great job of bringing one of televisions greatest shows to its end. (Ed note/Spoiler Alert: Don’t get nice if you use Tivo.)
These past few episodes seem to be showing Tony in a slightly different light than the previous seasons. It seems like Mr. Chase and his crew of writers are hoping to remind us that while often lovable, Tony Soprano is first and foremost the Boss of a mafia family, not a big teddy bear. He’s a loving husband and father…but he is also a ruthless killer and force not to be taken lightly.
When Coco, a member of the NY crew, sees Meadow out on a date he becomes intimidating and insulting. Meadow then relays the story to Tony, who assures her Coco is harmless and will be dealt with. Boy is he dealt with. Tony finds Coco in his NY restaurant and pistle whips him and smashes his face on a curb. With tensions already running high between NYC and NJ, this couldn’t have come at a worse time…but Tony allows his emotions to get the best of him. And who can blame him?
Phil, who has spent much of the past two seasons with a chip on his shoulder because of his brothers murder, is becoming increasingly difficult to deal with…and nearly killing a member of his crew does not help the situation. Little Carmine even tries to step in and use his incredible command of the english language to mediate the dispute, though just a few episodes ago he vowed not to get involved. It appears that Carmine now realizes the situation is too volitile to sit back and do nothing. Is he ready to throw his hat in the ring?
AJ’s attempted suicide brings us back to Tony’s personal life, which has become just as unsettled as his professional one. Upon dragging AJ out of the pool, Tony’s first reaction is to curse and yell at him. It isn’t until after this small fit of rage, that Tony gathers himself and pulls his son to his lap and consoles him. Once again, Tony finds that someone he was trying to prepare for the future and help become a man has let him down….even admitting to Dr. Melfi that he was ashamed of AJ. The suicide attemt returns the Soprano family to the all too familiar settings of a hospital. It also returns a bit of angst and frustration to Tony and Carmela’s always firey marriage, as Carmela suggests that AJ’s depression is obviously a character trait drawn from the Soprano gene pool. Will the family’s weak link (the Fredo if you will) finish the series hospitalized, or can he bounce back from this bout with the Soprano curse?
While in the hospital dealing with AJ’s emotional collapse, we are once again reminded that Edie Falco is one of the best actresses on television. A very accomplished actress, she has won three Emmys, two Golden Globes and three Screen Actors Guild Awards. Whether it was the early seasons where she was attempting to reconcile her love of jewelry and money with the the cold fact of where these things were coming from, or this past season as she was trying to hold the family together during Tony’s stay in the ICU, Ms. Falco has done the best acting of anyone on the set. Through bad haircuts, a crush on a priest and a misguided affair with a school counselor, Edie has carried more than her share of weight on this show and she will be missed when the final curtain falls.
Meadow doesn’t seem to have the acting chops to hang with the rest of the cast, but the writers have done a great job of keeping her in the plot line without asking her to do too much. Last night she decided to persue her Law degree, rather than attend med school. Does this mean Meadow could one day take the ‘Tom Hagen’ position in the NJ family?
Two episodes left.
Lots of questions.
