Is it me, or has it been kind of dead this season so far?
I agree it’s been a tad slow developing. Jumping the shark is a bit premature, however. It looks as though several scenarios are in the works: Adrianna’s FBI troubles, Christopher & Tony’s relationship, Junior’s RICO trial, etc. I don’t remember exactly how many episodes it took last season (it seems so freaking long ago) but I recall thinking the same thing then, until Dr. Melfi was raped in the garage, and things took off from there.
Stayed tuned, I think we’re in for some serious stuff with Paulie soon.
Not a chance! I like this season just fine. You can’t have five seasons of just people being whacked - at the end there wouldn’t be much of anything left. So now the story is getting a little deeper under the skin, showing these guys starting to crack.
I think we’re seeing, over five years, the rise and fall of the Soprano family. It’s only natural that the ride up was a little more exciting. But the ride down should be engrossing.
Nope, the show has not jumped the shark. I’ll admit that the episodes have been a tad slow for my tastes, too. I think this season’s last few episodes are going to culminate in some real excitement.
Since we’re talking about the show, I’d like to comment on Sunday’s episode. It was nice to see Bobby do ‘that thing’ for Junior. He did it very well.
I’ve a quick question. To what was Christopher referring when he and Adriana were talking in her office? He said he owed Tony for something he did for Christopher, but he couldn’t talk about it. It’s not the whole Hollywood/screenplay thing, is it? I thought Adriana knew about that.
I feel so bad for Artie. He’s borrowing money, it seems, from Ralphie on next week’s ep. Is he (Artie) divorced, by the way? I can’t remember what happened in season two. Which is sad because I just watched it a couple of weeks ago…
Artie’s wife, who is a hottie, left him so I assume they are getting divorced. Yeah that preview has me worried too. It seems Tony would help him out. Remember, when David Scatino got in, he pushed Tony real hard to get in the card game and Tony tried to talk him out of it. Unless Artie’s in trouble for something he is ashamed or doesn’t want Tony to know. Tony would charge him vig but he wouldn’t be a hard ass for it if Artie was honest up front about his ability to repay.
I think Christopher is referring to Tony showing him the guy who killed his dad.
This season is starting just fine. It’s not a soap opera where everything is linear. I expect the next few episodes to be volatile.
I thought he was referring to Tony’s helping him avenge his father’s death by pointing out the cop that, according to Tony, had shot Christopher’s dad. (Great lines: Christopher: Wasn’t he carrying my crib into the house when he was shot? T: Actually, he was carrying some tv trays we stole, but he could have been carrying your crib.)
Of course, the cop claimed Christopher was being “set up,” so there’s one more plot line that should come back Christopher in future episodes (along with Adrianna and his heroin addiction).
I thought he was referring to Tony’s helping him avenge his father’s death by pointing out the cop that, according to Tony, had shot Christopher’s dad. (Great lines: Christopher: Wasn’t he carrying my crib into the house when he was shot? T: Actually, he was carrying some tv trays we stole, but he could have been carrying your crib.)
Of course, the cop claimed Christopher was being “set up,” so there’s one more plot line that should come back to haunt Christopher in future episodes (along with Adrianna and his heroin addiction).
Sorry about the double post covering a point OBLONG had already answered in the meantime.
Have we had any clue as to what’s become of the Russian (aka the “interior decorator”) who got away from Chris and Paulie in the Pine Barrens? It’s hard to believe there haven’t been repercussions.
Ah, I forgot about the cop thing. I think I assumed Tony was lying and Christopher knew but didn’t care.
Oh! What about Gloria Trillo’s reappearance?!?!? What’s that all about?
Has Ted McKinley finally joined the cast? How about the addition of a bunch of cute, smart alecky kids (some of which disappear unexplainedly)? That could be an interesting mafia series then. :rolleyes:
The show has sucked this year. That Columbus Day episode in aprticular was the pits, although we did all learn an important lesson at the end. I’m getting a little impatient waiting for any of these story lines to go anywhere. Raphie’s seeing Janis, then he’s not. The boss guy from NY is gonna get killed, then he’s not. Meadow’s going to drop out of school, then doesn’t. The Russian guy escaped last season, nothing happened. Uncle Junior’s on trial… for something… something’s happenning with the trial… maybe. The guys were stealing too much from the construction site, could be big trouble… no, its no problem.
Now we have a horsie that won 2 races and then got sick. Can’t wait to see what doesn’t happen with that story line.
I wouldn’t say “jumped the shark,” but it’s come a long way down relative to it’s high. I have noticed one thing about both The Sopranos and Six Feet Under which is starting to annoy me: They seem to create exciting plot points that they never go on to develop. It has the effect of leaving me thinking how good it’s going to get (and thus making me think the show is better than it is) and then rather than resolving it, the show just brings up a new development. I can’t give examples but I know that they’re there. It’s been 2 seasons in the Sopranos and my memory fades.
I have to admit I’ll be quite pissed if the Russian Rambo isn’t addressed. Quite.
Who is Ted McKinley?
I still think the Gloria appearance is either a dream or not what we think. It’s not Tony at the door and they just used creative editing to make us think that in the preview.
I agree it’s probably not Tony at the door but the point is she’s back. You’d think after her little talk with Patsy, she’d steer clear of anyone connected to Tony. But then again, she is crazy…
JuanitaTech: Ted McGinley is the patron saint of shark-jumping.
Whoops my mistake. Ted McGinley. Go here and click on his link on the left. He is the patron saint of shark jumping.™
LOL Great minds think alike. Kisses! Mean it! to Dewey Cheatem Undhow.
It will undoubtedly feed into Tony’s “Gary Cooper” fantasy, which they brought up again in “Christopher” for what at first seemed a cheap laugh, but which we should remember goes back to the first episode and Tony’s bemoaning the loss of the “strong, silent type.”
I don’t remember Tony visiting Dr. Melfi during the most recent episode. Given that and his getting in her face in the coming attractions, I wonder if he’s headed for another “I don’t need therapy, I’m just fine on my own” phase.
I pretty much expected the plots for the season to merely be set up in the 1st 5 episodes. This is because the first 5 are released to the media (according to the New York Times preview) at the beginning of the season (so that they have something to review). With episode 6, the action should realy begin. The producers don’t want anything substantial to happen in the 1st 5 for fear of a story leak.
One thing that I don’t get is: Why would Christopher and Silvio give a photo of Johnny Sack with Tony to the DiMaggio boys? Isn’t that just plain stupid? What does Tony have to gain by that?
Meanwhile, we’re starting to get a closer look at Silvio’s wife’s personality in this season. I think that she may be Silvio’s backbone, and could be driving his recent insubordination of Tony’s orders. Remember the verbal lashing that she gave to the priest?
Anyone else notice that the women on the Sopranos all seem to have become more empowered in the off-season. Example 1: Silvio’s wife as discussed above. Example 2: Janice sodomizing Ralphie in bed and then later kicking him out of the house. Example 3: Bobby Bacala’s obvious love for his wife, and how important she was to him. Example 4: Johnny Sack’s love for his wife and how he’d sacrifice his life to protect her honor. Example 5: The future of the family may lie in Adriana’s hands.
It seems that the only man who is independent of being controlled by women is Tony, who shoos away Carmella’s requests, forces Meadow back to school and neglects most of the advice of his psychiatrist. I guess that having a rough mother aids in being a successful mobster. But then again, here comes Gloria.
Sorry, just thought I’d share some of my observations.