Archie
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Post by Archie on Sept 20, 2018 1:04:37 GMT
I just finished rewatching this wonderful show. I used to think The Wire is much better but now I'm not so sure. Gandolfini and Falco give the GOAT TV performances.
Season 5 is my favorite. It's absolutely perfect in every way.
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Post by theycallmemrfish on Sept 20, 2018 1:11:55 GMT
Overall, it's a very good show. Ensemble is mostly on point, the writing's there, and it has some of the richest characters on TV.
However, there are definitely a few stinkers in there. Basically any time Meadow or AJ were featured prominently, that episode was doomed.
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Post by Johnny_Hellzapoppin on Sept 20, 2018 12:32:02 GMT
It's an excellent show, and its lows for me are not noteworthy enough for me to not apply the term excellent. The story telling is grandiose, the villainy Shakespearean and the occasional moments of decency and humanity are usually incidental and sometimes accidental . It gives you a world populated almost entirely with shit-stains on the undies of humanity, and you cant look away from the car crashes that are their lives. The phrase horrifyingly beautiful always comes to mind. Tony Soprano is the greatest of all TV villains, seemingly incapable of any lasting decency. I have no doubt in my mind he would let his entire family fall on the sword if it meant saving his own life, power and money. His pettiness, selfishness, arrogance and Machiavellian instincts are incredible and terrifying to behold. I despise him like no other character from film and television. All this magic was on the page, but James Gandolfini took it, and brought it to life in a way few actors have ever done with a role. He made the detestable unmissable and I would comfortably call it the greatest television performance I've seen from an American actor.
The overall scope of the show takes it to a place that the where the likes of "A Hit Is a Hit", "Christopher" & "Chasing It" don't drag it down into the mud enough to permanently stain it, and while it doesn't take the crown of the granddaddy of television for me anymore, it did for a short while and it will always be close enough to taste it.
Season 5 is easily my favourite too, and that run of episodes from "Unidentified Black Males" too "All Due Respect" can be held up as a platinum moment in the history of television.
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speeders
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Post by speeders on Sept 20, 2018 12:49:39 GMT
I'm so ashamed to say I've only had the pleasure of seeing season 5, which was absolutely excellent. Really aiming to start watching the show from scratch this fall/winter.
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Post by IceTruckDexter on Sept 20, 2018 17:53:20 GMT
I'm so ashamed to say I've only had the pleasure of seeing season 5, which was absolutely excellent. Really aiming to start watching the show from scratch this fall/winter. Disgraceful! |
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Post by stephen on Sept 20, 2018 18:02:24 GMT
I don't think it's the greatest show ever, but I would certainly rate it as one of the most influential ones ever made. So many shows today, better and worse, have the fingerprints of The Sopranos all over them.
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Post by IceTruckDexter on Sept 20, 2018 18:06:30 GMT
I don't think it's the greatest show ever And you're wrong for that. |
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chris3
Badass
I just ordered a slice of pumpkin pie...
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Post by chris3 on Sept 20, 2018 18:58:05 GMT
Though my personal favorite show will always be Twin Peaks, I honestly believe The Sopranos is the absolute *greatest* television show of all time. Better than (the excellent) The Wire, MUCH better than (the wildly overpraised) Breaking Bad. I am, however, a bit surprised to see all the love for season 5 on this thread. Aside from the absolute brilliant final two episodes, much of season 5 feels like wheel-spinning to me. But maybe that's because I always enjoyed the familial drama a lot more than the mafia plotlines, and 5 is more focused on its plot and less prone to the weird symbolic/abstract tangents that occur throughout 4 and 6 (for example, the divisive coma subplot in the beginning of 6 is my favorite part of the entire series). Or maybe Tony B. just didn't interest me as much as the other supporting characters. But despite 5 coming across as a bit uninspired compared to the other late seasons, "Long Term Parking" will always be the most devastating hour of television OF ALL TIME. I was literally shaking with anger, disgust, sadness, and shock. I don't think I've ever seen another episode of TV that affected me in that particular way.
So what are everyone's rankings? I'd go:
6 (A and B; maybe that's cheating)
4
1
3
5
2
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Archie
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Post by Archie on Sept 20, 2018 19:14:01 GMT
Though my personal favorite show will always be Twin Peaks, I honestly believe The Sopranos is the absolute *greatest* television show of all time. Better than (the excellent) The Wire, MUCH better than (the wildly overpraised) Breaking Bad. I am, however, a bit surprised to see all the love for season 5 on this thread. Aside from the absolute brilliant final two episodes, much of season 5 feels like wheel-spinning to me. But maybe that's because I always enjoyed the familial drama a lot more than the mafia plotlines, and 5 is more focused on its plot and less prone to the weird symbolic/abstract tangents that occur throughout 4 and 6 (for example, the divisive coma subplot in the beginning of 6 is my favorite part of the entire series). Or maybe Tony B. just didn't interest me as much as the other supporting characters. But despite 5 coming across as a bit uninspired compared to the other late seasons, "Long Term Parking" will always be the most devastating hour of television OF ALL TIME. I was literally shaking with anger, disgust, sadness, and shock. I don't think I've ever seen another episode of TV that affected me in that particular way. So what are everyone's rankings? I'd go: 6 (A and B; maybe that's cheating) 4 1 3 5 2 My ranking: 5 > 3 > 6B > 4 > 2 > 1 > 6A And yeah, Long Term Parking is a masterpiece. |
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Post by Johnny_Hellzapoppin on Sept 21, 2018 7:37:13 GMT
Ranking:
Season 5 (A+)
Season 3 (A)
Season 6B (A)
Season 4 (B+)
Season 2 (B+)
Season 1 (B+)
Season 6A (B)
All very close.
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Archie
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Eraserhead son or Inland Empire daughter?
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Post by Archie on Sept 23, 2018 13:37:09 GMT
Top 5 performances in the show? In my opinion:
1. James Gandolfini
2. Edie Falco
3. Nancy Marchand
4. Michael Imperioli
5. Joe Pantoliano
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Post by Johnny_Hellzapoppin on Sept 23, 2018 13:48:07 GMT
I'll do 10, as with a cast like this it's worth it.
01 James Gandolfini
02 Edie Falco
03 Michael Imperioli
04 Drea de Matteo
05 Aida Turturro
06 Nancy Marchand
07 Dominic Chianese
08 Joe Pantoliano
09 Robert Iler
10 Vincent Curatola
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Post by notacrook on Sept 23, 2018 14:30:59 GMT
My #4 all-time favourite show. Incredibly influential, impossible rich in its writing, and exceptionally cast pretty much across-the-board.
Seasons ranked:
1) S3 - 10
2) S5 - 10
3) S6B - 10
4) S1 - 9.5
5) S2 - 9.5
6) S4 - 9.5
7) S6A - 8.5
(Rough) Top 5 performances:
1) James Ganfolfini
2) Edie Falco
3) Michael Imperioli
4) Drea de Matteo
5) Joe Pantoliano
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Post by quetee on Sept 23, 2018 15:08:19 GMT
Wow, I need to rewatch this cause I haven't seen the show since it left the air. By the way, I was fortune enough to see James in the play, "God of Carnage" before his passing. He was amazing in it.
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Post by Viced on Oct 9, 2018 20:21:42 GMT
Re-watching the whole thing for the first time in years...
Absolutely criminal that Nancy Marchand didn't win an Emmy for season 1. One of the best and most authentic miserable old lady performances ever.
And the last two episodes of the season are certainly all-timers...
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Post by Johnny_Hellzapoppin on Oct 9, 2018 20:30:20 GMT
Re-watching the whole thing for the first time in years... Absolutely criminal that Nancy Marchand didn't win an Emmy for season 1. One of the best and most authentic miserable old lady performances ever. And the last two episodes of the season are certainly all-timers... Planning to do the same myself soon. It's been about 3 years since I've watched it at all. I did this deliberately, as I had watched it from start to finish about 5 times, and in the last run through it I was definitely thinking, yeah I've over-watched this. I'm excited to see how it's ageing for me. |
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Archie
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Post by Archie on Oct 9, 2018 20:32:25 GMT
Re-watching the whole thing for the first time in years... Absolutely criminal that Nancy Marchand didn't win an Emmy for season 1. One of the best and most authentic miserable old lady performances ever. And the last two episodes of the season are certainly all-timers... Thoughts on "College"? I used to think it was boring but now it's one of my favorite TV episodes ever. |
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Post by Viced on Oct 9, 2018 20:42:27 GMT
Re-watching the whole thing for the first time in years... Absolutely criminal that Nancy Marchand didn't win an Emmy for season 1. One of the best and most authentic miserable old lady performances ever. And the last two episodes of the season are certainly all-timers... Thoughts on "College"? I used to think it was boring but now it's one of my favorite TV episodes ever. It actually grew off me a teensy bit this time around... though it's still amazing. The stuff with Carmela and Father Phil is just... a little bit boring. Or maybe I just hate that freeloader Father Phil. But the Tony/Meadow stuff mostly makes up for it. |
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Archie
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Post by Archie on Oct 10, 2018 3:51:55 GMT
Thoughts on "College"? I used to think it was boring but now it's one of my favorite TV episodes ever. It actually grew off me a teensy bit this time around... though it's still amazing. The stuff with Carmela and Father Phil is just... a little bit boring. Or maybe I just hate that freeloader Father Phil. But the Tony/Meadow stuff mostly makes up for it. Father Phil cracks me up. I loved it when Carmela verbally destroyed him in the season 1 finale. |
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Post by Viced on Oct 18, 2018 14:41:03 GMT
Finished season 2... a minor step down from the first but still top-level shit. David Proval as Richie Aprile is really one of the best one season TV performances for me... as Junior says - he's got tremendous moxie for his size.  He was the perfect antagonist for Tony even though you just know he's too unhinged to last more than one season. My only problem with the season is that his death escalated a little too quickly. It would have happened soon enough from Silvio or someone else on orders from Tony, and Janice doing it is a nice twist... but I feel he really didn't act like enough of an asshole to her until his final moments to warrant being shot. Just a minor gripe though. But overall... lots of great Christopher stuff, the trip to Italy, The Happy Wanderer (where after Tony realized he couldn't make new friends in season 1, he now realizes he can't keep the old ones either), and Uncle Jun at his best stuck in the house. And arguably the best episode ending of all time to cap off the season: |
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Archie
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Post by Archie on Oct 18, 2018 16:06:11 GMT
Finished season 2... a minor step down from the first but still top-level shit. David Proval as Richie Aprile is really one of the best one season TV performances for me... as Junior says - he's got tremendous moxie for his size. He was the perfect antagonist for Tony even though you just know he's too unhinged to last more than one season. My only problem with the season is that his death escalated a little too quickly. It would have happened soon enough from Silvio or someone else on orders from Tony, and Janice doing it is a nice twist... but I feel he really didn't act like enough of an asshole to her until his final moments to warrant being shot. Just a minor gripe though. But overall... lots of great Christopher stuff, the trip to Italy, The Happy Wanderer (where after Tony realized he couldn't make new friends in season 1, he now realizes he can't keep the old ones either), and Uncle Jun at his best stuck in the house. And arguably the best episode ending of all time to cap off the season: I really like season 2. It's a bit slow in the middle — but it has some of the best moments of the entire series. Pussy's downfall might be my favorite storyline in the show, and I love the supernatural aspects of the season. David Proval was great, but Robert Patrick is my MVP. |
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Post by Viced on Oct 30, 2018 0:25:23 GMT
Finished season 3... probably the best yet even though part of me will always be curious about how it would have went down if Nancy Marchand didn't pass. The awesome opener, Bracco's finest moment with Employee of the Month, fuckin Ralph and his Gladiator obsession, the legendary Pine Barrens, and another great two-hander to end the season. And one of my favorite scenes from the series... brief but very powerful: But I have to mention the best moment of the season... the legend Artie Bucco vibing at the Crazy Horse opening:  |
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Post by Viced on Nov 6, 2018 23:33:22 GMT
Finished season 4... always was my least favorite season and I think it still is.
But that's only because one of them has to be the worst...
Still pretty amazing -- tons of great Ralph stuff, fuckin Pie-o-My, Chris' intervention, poor Artie Bucco getting his earring ripped out, and of course the total masterpiece Whitecaps that features Falco and Gandolfini making mince meat of every other actor in the history of acting.
Just a little too much meh stuff though -- mainly Furio/Carmela and Ginny Sack's ass... even though both of those things have a big impact on the show by the end of the season. Also great to see more Johnny Sack this season... aka the best cigarette smoker in the history of television.
And I have to post the two funniest moments:
Tony assuming Meadow's male roommate is gay kills me every time.
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Archie
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Post by Archie on Nov 11, 2018 16:11:27 GMT
Season 3, despite how different it could’ve been (if Nancy Marchand didn’t pass), still managed to be an incredible season, and plunged the series into a dark territory. Employee of the Month, University, and the last 3 episodes are flawless.
Season 4 is a very special season to me. It perfectly encapsulates its themes of isolation and post-9/11 paranoia — not to mention the psychological unravelling of Tony as an irredeemable soul. It's also a wonderful season for Carmela.
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Post by Viced on Nov 16, 2018 23:05:10 GMT
Finished season 5... probably the best but at the same time I'm sick of always comparing the seasons since I love 'em all.
First episode is a little clunky... with Tony acting like a nutjob desperately trying to woo Melfi. But it's all greatness after that.
- This one gets to me... one of the most sadly beautiful moments of the series:
- Feech La Manna going back to prison is one of the most brutally depressing things I've ever seen. Apparently Loggia had trouble remembering his lines, but I think there's an alternate universe where him not laughing at Tony's stupid jokes would be a reason for Tony to trust him more, leading to him fucking up less and becoming a big part of the show. Oh well.
- One episode that stood out for me this season -- Marco Polo. I mean, I would've loved an hour of the Marco Polo game in the pool with Artie being it for the whole time and everyone else fucking with him... but yeah I think it turned out better the way Imperioli wrote it. Great look at differences in Italianamerican cultures and Tom Aldredge really shines in the first chance he's given. I really love how much Hugh loves Tony too...
And of course The Test Dream is endlessly fascinating, nothing more needs to be said about the devastating masterpiece Long Term Parking, and All Due Respect is almost as good.
And of course (x2) Tony B...... Buscemi fits into the cast perfectly and it's a shame he couldn't have stuck around... but his fresh out of prison character is handled absolutely perfectly. From wanting more to extreme loyalty to his prison buddies... and those borderline creepy long glances at Meadow thinking about his own MIA daughter.
Also, this re-watch I'm struck by how many fascinating and complex relationships Tony alone has. Usually a great TV show only has a handful of interesting relationships... but I mean -- Carmela, Christopher, his mother, Uncle Jun, both kids, Janice, Artie, Johnny Sack, Tony B, Paulie (and to a lesser extent Silvio)... the list goes on.
Also (x2) need to mention the legend David Strathairn showing up... and great episodes directed by Peter Bogdanovich and Mike Figgis.
And finally... have to mention one of my favorite episode endings. Honestly one of the worst things Tony's ever done:
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He was the perfect antagonist for Tony even though you just know he's too unhinged to last more than one season. 