# Sopranos 5/7 - getting better **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 8, 2006, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sopranos-5-7-getting-better/355835 "2006-05-08T02:14:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![phungi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/phungi/32/395_2.png) [@phungi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phungi)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2006, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sopranos-5-7-getting-better/355835/21 "2006-05-08T12:49:25Z")
> [@BlackKnight](#): > > So much of this episode dealt with the past. We even got a flashback, which is somewhat rare on this show. Tony and Chris talk about all the times they’ve had. Performing an impromptu robbery brings back memories of the good ol’ days, but I sense some sort of desperate grasping at the past when Tony constantly mocks the “We’re with the Vipers!” guy. He remembers previous times like that with some fondness, but seems to realize that the theft was merely an echo of a past age. He’s already turned it into a “Hey, remember that time with the Vipers” thing. He’s trying so hard to see it as current, but already talks about it as if it were an old story. > > (It reminds me of when a group of old friends get together after they’ve all gone off to college and / or gotten careers. They’ll reminisce. And if something funny or amazing happens, they’ll see it in light of their memories together. But they all know that things have moved on. Childhood is over, and that’s just a last hurrah.) > > Overall, his viewpoint has shifted from “what times we’ll have”, through “what times we’re having”, all the way to, “what times those were”. BlackKnight nailed it, IMHO. As soon as this episode ended, I said “they only have a past, but no present”… a very sad, slow, but important episode… ---
**Author:** ![corkboard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e9bcb4/32.png) [@corkboard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/corkboard)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2006, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sopranos-5-7-getting-better/355835/22 "2006-05-08T12:52:56Z")
Yeah- when she first appeared in the bedroom doorway, I thought “Chrissy- WTF??” Then, “oh. nevermind.” ---
**Author:** ![D\_Odds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/d_odds/32/2882_2.png) [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2006, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sopranos-5-7-getting-better/355835/23 "2006-05-08T13:25:23Z")
> [@Lochdale](#): > > Also, stealing wine at $5 a bottle? These are petty people. You get the thrill of the steal, plus whatever little money Chris made from it. Janice is doing her job…I want to reach right through the TV and smack her. Repeatedly. She’s got Bobby wound around her little finger. It was nice, however, to finally see Bobby angry and ‘mobbed’ up. Was that the first? I know I wouldn’t want to be the one standing between him and his target…that is one big dude. ---
**Author:** ![Hamlet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hamlet/32/2818_2.png) [@Hamlet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hamlet)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2006, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sopranos-5-7-getting-better/355835/24 "2006-05-08T13:26:06Z")
I liked this episode much better than any other episode this year. The character development was top notch, the acting was great (notice no A.J.), and the story, although slow, was interesting. My guess about Chris: Ade’s mom kills him ---
**Author:** ![Trunk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/87869e/32.png) [@Trunk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trunk)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2006, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sopranos-5-7-getting-better/355835/25 "2006-05-08T13:37:10Z")
> [@Lochdale](#): > > Odd episode. At first I loved the idea of us actually seeing Chris confess to Tony about Adriana but then I was confused. He didn’t tell Tony enough to justify what Tony did (specifically call Ade and say Chris tried to kill himself). > > Also, stealing wine at $5 a bottle? > > Another slow episode. That was strange. He SOLD it at $5 a bottle. He was acting like he made an easy $300. I can’t remember what they called the wine, but the fact that it’s still sitting around from 1986 indicates that it’s probably of high quality. A good 1986 Bordeaux, for example, might fetch $1000-$3000 per CASE. Weird episode, but I liked it. It had these flashbacks, and a couple of dreamy sequences. Kind of cheap that they’d use Janis screaming, “somebody call an ambulance” in the promos. I like seeing the inter-crew tensions rising up, and it looks like Phil is moving into a position of power (this was the first time, maybe, they they said, “let’s not bother Johnny with this.”). And, Carmella hearing about Ade was pretty interesting. She’s not dumb. She’s just very easily self-deluded, but when she hears something like it, it strains the limits of her delusion. ---
**Author:** ![Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de053/32.png) [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackknifed_Juggernaut)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2006, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sopranos-5-7-getting-better/355835/26 "2006-05-08T14:02:39Z")
That Chris/Kelly marriage has the makings of a truly special romance, huh? First off, she was pretty damn scared to even tell him that she was pregnant. Second, wasn’t he doing lines of coke just prior to that? And finally, he starts drinking and shooting up at a time when he gives signals that he’s maturing. I don’t think Tony wanted to stifle Chris’s success through rehab. He just wanted a drinking buddy to bring back the memories of the old days. The episode’s theme was boredom, after all. ---
**Author:** ![anyrose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/54ee81/32.png) [@anyrose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anyrose)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2006, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sopranos-5-7-getting-better/355835/27 "2006-05-08T14:19:20Z")
> [@McNew](#): > > Yeah- when she first appeared in the bedroom doorway, I thought “Chrissy- WTF??” > > Then, “oh. nevermind.” It occurs to me this might be significant - Does Chris harbor a flame for Meadow? ---
**Author:** ![Judith\_Prietht](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b19c9b/32.png) [@Judith\_Prietht](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Judith_Prietht)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2006, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sopranos-5-7-getting-better/355835/28 "2006-05-08T14:23:27Z")
I was sort of thinking that perhaps Christopher got rid of the wine to get more smack, perhaps explaining the low price he quoted Tony for his share. But I’m not really up on the going rate for heroin, so I could be totally wrong. The shot of Tony playing with Nica was a nice touch. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2006, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sopranos-5-7-getting-better/355835/29 "2006-05-08T14:30:34Z")
> [@phungi](#): > > BlackKnight nailed it, IMHO. As soon as this episode ended, I said “they only have a past, but no present”… a very sad, slow, but important episode… “Things have changed” has really been the theme this year. ---
**Author:** ![EllisDee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellisdee/32/4531_2.png) [@EllisDee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EllisDee)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2006, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sopranos-5-7-getting-better/355835/30 "2006-05-08T14:39:07Z")
Best line, as Tony was holding a glass of the wine he and Chris stole, to Carmela: “We don’t want to saboyage his progress.” heh, that was painfully ironic, considering that Tony helped set Chris back on the path of using. Which brings me to an annoyance I have not just with the Sopranos, but with _all_ media. I’ve known addicts and alcoholics that went sober for extended periods of time, and then resumed drinking like a normal person. It _is_ possible. The main reason it’s possible is because groups like AA spread their recruiting guidelines pretty damn wide. Do you think you’re an alcoholic? Yes? You’re in. What about you? No? Well, that there’s what we call “denial”, and that’s the surest sign you are one. Meaning every person on the planet qualifies. As a result, vast numbers of people who aren’t really addicts, but who rather are simply emotionally damaged people self-medicating with substance abuse, get into the program of “never touch the stuff ever again” without actually needing to take it to such a drastic extreme. For a show that’s supposed to be edgy like the Sopranos, I was hoping, and damn near expecting, that Chrissy would be portrayed as one of these people. Sure, have a glass of wine, but don’t lose your mind over it. I suppose that hope was dashed during the LA episode, but it’s unfortunate IMO. The whole addiction storyline is being played in a trite, cliched fashion. Mix it up a little, why don’tcha. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2006, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sopranos-5-7-getting-better/355835/31 "2006-05-08T14:39:20Z")
Regarding the flashback scene…Did they shoot that at the time and it didn’t get used (didn’t use it then with the intention of using it now) or did they shoot it now? I’d say the shot it back them (Chrissy looked younger), but he had the scar on his stomach that, I think, we just saw for the first time on Tony’s first day back to work when they where all showing them off. ---
**Author:** ![anyrose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/54ee81/32.png) [@anyrose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anyrose)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2006, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sopranos-5-7-getting-better/355835/32 "2006-05-08T14:59:04Z")
> [@Joey P](#): > > Regarding the flashback scene…Did they shoot that at the time and it didn’t get used (didn’t use it then with the intention of using it now) or did they shoot it now? > > I’d say the shot it back them (Chrissy looked younger), but he had the scar on his stomach that, I think, we just saw for the first time on Tony’s first day back to work when they where all showing them off. I say they shot it now, because of the size of Tony’s gut - he wasn’t nearly as heavy last season (3 years ago, or was it 2?) ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2006, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sopranos-5-7-getting-better/355835/33 "2006-05-08T15:03:24Z")
> [@Ellis Dee](#): > > For a show that’s supposed to be edgy like the Sopranos, I was hoping, and damn near expecting, that Chrissy would be portrayed as one of these people. Sure, have a glass of wine, but don’t lose your mind over it. I agree with all of that, but with Chris I think you can legitimately raise those questions of “has he dealt with the issues that made him an addict?” and say ‘no.’ It’s not surprising that he’s having problems again when he’s around drugs all the time. ---
**Author:** ![anyrose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/54ee81/32.png) [@anyrose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anyrose)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2006, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sopranos-5-7-getting-better/355835/34 "2006-05-08T15:06:46Z")
He could be of one of two dangerous minds: - I can handle it. Just this once and then back on track (major denial) or - Why is it everyone else around me can do this s\*\*t b I can’t? It’s not fair (major depravation) either way, he still has lots of issues ---
**Author:** ![ScoobyTX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ec9cab/32.png) [@ScoobyTX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ScoobyTX)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2006, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sopranos-5-7-getting-better/355835/35 "2006-05-08T16:14:55Z")
The scene with the junky & Chris (the junky isn’t his “star employee” or even on his crew- he was just used to set up the hit on Rusty- an unattached person useful because of his smack habit & his fluency in “Eye-tal”), had me as uncomfortable as the junky. I’ve never used smack, but I know some junkies- and the actor playing the junky had the discomfort of a junky needing a fix down pat- the itches, the inability to sit without fidgiting, etc. ---
**Author:** ![MaxTheVool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc29f/32.png) [@MaxTheVool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MaxTheVool)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2006, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sopranos-5-7-getting-better/355835/36 "2006-05-08T16:33:39Z")
“You’re doing a heck of a job, Brownie” ---
**Author:** ![Push\_You\_Down](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/push_you_down/32/9095_2.png) [@Push\_You\_Down](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Push_You_Down)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2006, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sopranos-5-7-getting-better/355835/37 "2006-05-08T17:06:06Z")
> [@MaxTheVool](#): > > “You’re doing a heck of a job, Brownie” That was the best line of the night. Tony playing with Nica I thought was really an important scene. It seemed to show that tony wasn’t completely done with the “every day is a gift.” mindset. It seemed really out of step with Tony but then again we’ve never seen Tony around kids that young before. I love it when Bobby gets tough. Last season we saw him rough up a guy who owed him money. Sweet Bobby gets means. I didn’t think Kelly looked like Meadow other than they are both skinny pretty Italian girls… ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2006, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sopranos-5-7-getting-better/355835/38 "2006-05-08T17:21:06Z")
> [@Push You Down](#): > > That was the best line of the night. Yeah, it was. Did Tony playing with Nica make anyone else think of Vito Corleone’s death scene? I didn’t think Tony was going to keel over, it just reminded me. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2006, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sopranos-5-7-getting-better/355835/39 "2006-05-08T17:24:08Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > Did Tony playing with Nica make anyone else think of Vito Corleone’s death scene? I didn’t think Tony was going to keel over, it just reminded me. I even went as far as being scared he might have one of his attacks and drop the kid onto the pavement. But definitely Vito in the garden. ---
**Author:** ![Rilchiam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2006, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sopranos-5-7-getting-better/355835/40 "2006-05-08T19:20:40Z")
> [@Joey P](#): > > Regarding the flashback scene…Did they shoot that at the time and it didn’t get used (didn’t use it then with the intention of using it now) or did they shoot it now? I checked the season 5 boxed set last night. Drea de Matteo did the commentary on “Long Term Parking”, and said that they did indeed film this scene at the time. But while she and Steven Van Zandt were rehearsing their scene together, they both decided that it would play better if the audience didn’t know for sure that Adrianna was going to die until she herself realized it. They approached David Chase and, according to her, “begged” him to remove the expository scene. Good call, I say. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sopranos-5-7-getting-better/355835.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sopranos-5-7-getting-better/355835.md?page=3)