# The Sopranos - psychics are real. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 4, 2009, 10:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sopranos-psychics-are-real/498679 "2009-06-04T10:52:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![KGS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/90ced4/32.png) [@KGS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KGS)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2009, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sopranos-psychics-are-real/498679/41 "2009-06-04T23:12:27Z")
> [@River\_Hippie](#): > > His apartment looked like shit. And he killed 16 Czechoslovakians. Leaving aside this board’s inherent prejudice against psychics…during Paulie’s “psychic” scene, I wonder what the rest of the group must have been thinking, while the psychic was saying things like, _“Sonny…he says he was your first,”_ and _“Poison ivy? Does it still itch?”_ I mean, c’mon, think about it. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![zbuzz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e19b73/32.png) [@zbuzz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zbuzz)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2009, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sopranos-psychics-are-real/498679/42 "2009-06-04T23:32:52Z")
As far as I remember, the only unexplainable and overtly spooky/paranormal moment of the Sopranos comes in the episode with Livia’s wake. As Tony opens a door with a mirror on it we very briefly see the late Pussy’s reflection in the mirror. The difference between this scene and the others mentioned is that it’s a neutral point of view shot and only the audience ever sees Pussy. It’s not a dream or hallucination of one of the characters, nor can it be explained away (from the perspective of inside the show, I mean). The whole Paulie Vs The Psychic scene is played mainly for laughs. If you take much more out of it than that, I say you’re missing the Pine Barrens for the trees. ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2009, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sopranos-psychics-are-real/498679/43 "2009-06-04T23:39:57Z")
> [@zbuzz](#): > > As far as I remember, the only unexplainable and overtly spooky/paranormal moment of the Sopranos comes in the episode with Livia’s wake. As Tony opens a door with a mirror on it we very briefly see the late Pussy’s reflection in the mirror. The difference between this scene and the others mentioned is that it’s a neutral point of view shot and only the audience ever sees Pussy. It’s not a dream or hallucination of one of the characters, nor can it be explained away (from the perspective of inside the show, I mean). Tony definitely never sees Pussy? Hmm. Okay, that is weird. It’s something to think about. It’s interesting how many different ways you can see Sopranos. I never really thought paranormal stuff was an issue at all, but I guess there’s an issue for everyone. ---
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2009, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sopranos-psychics-are-real/498679/44 "2009-06-05T04:20:05Z")
> [@Mr\_Shine](#): > > I think the psychic on _The Mentalist_ was much more akin to pre Red John Jane, just a _really_ good cold reader. I was more annoyed by Jane managing to increase his bank something like 1000x playing Blackjack for a few hours. He was actually playing poker, which is less implausible since his people reading skills could be credited. His skills in the episode were still pretty unrealistic. TV shows that use magical or fantasy elements well don’t really bother me. But the “make a skeptic see the error of his ways” storylines are pretty annoying. It’s only fiction, but on some level I think the sort of idiots that believe in the supernatural will buy it as some sort of validation of their beliefs even though it’s on a TV show or movie. Hollywood is always at least vaguely credulous that there’s Something Out There hinted at whenever the opportunity arises. Rarely is skepticism presented realistically or does it turn out to be correct. I actually liked The Mentalist for the first few episodes because they actually portrayed the other characters as regarding the protagonist as having magical powers when it was clear to the audience that he didn’t. He’d use some mentalism trick, people would say “WOWEE YOU MUST BE MAGICAL” and he’d basically say “there’s no such thing, dipshit!”. I liked that. That seems to be toned down a lot after the first few episodes. I’m guessing some focus groups said “hey, stop denying the woo ☹ :(” ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2009, 11:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sopranos-psychics-are-real/498679/45 "2009-06-05T11:43:40Z")
I loved Pine Barrens, but I can’t believe people are still arguing about the Russian. I can’t believe anybody ever thought he was going to return in another episode. Nothing magical happened there: they shot him, but didn’t kill him, and he ran away deeper into the Pine Barrens. Maybe he died later, maybe he didn’t. It doesn’t matter one bit. ---
**Author:** ![Mr\_Shine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mr_shine/32/464_2.png) [@Mr\_Shine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr_Shine)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2009, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sopranos-psychics-are-real/498679/46 "2009-06-05T13:35:45Z")
> [@SenorBeef](#): > > He was actually playing poker, which is less implausible since his people reading skills could be credited. His skills in the episode were still pretty unrealistic. He was not, he was playing Blackjack, (and was asked to not play again due to card counting). Poker would still be a little :rolleyes: but acceptable in context. But I don’t want to hijack the thread any further. ---
**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:** [June 5, 2009, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sopranos-psychics-are-real/498679/47 "2009-06-05T19:01:08Z")
> [@KneadToKnow](#): > > Easy, there, big fella. > > “Did you even _watch_ the show?” is a joke line. It’s from _Galaxy Quest_. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2009, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sopranos-psychics-are-real/498679/48 "2009-06-05T22:24:44Z")
> [@Mr\_Shine](#): > > He was not, he was playing Blackjack, (and was asked to not play again due to card counting). Poker would still be a little :rolleyes: but acceptable in context. > But I don’t want to hijack the thread any further. Maybe we’re thinking in different instances. I remember a scene where he coerced a suspect into offering a piece of jewelry that was evidence as collateral in a poker game. ---
**Author:** ![Mr\_Shine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mr_shine/32/464_2.png) [@Mr\_Shine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr_Shine)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2009, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sopranos-psychics-are-real/498679/49 "2009-06-05T22:42:49Z")
> [@SenorBeef](#): > > Maybe we’re thinking in different instances. I remember a scene where he coerced a suspect into offering a piece of jewelry that was evidence as collateral in a poker game. The poker game was to unmask the villain at the end, the Blackjack game was when they first set foot in the casino. Jane borrows $20(?) from Lisbon and turns it into $20,000(?) just by card counting. ---
**Author:** ![FinnAgain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/finnagain/32/12500_2.png) [@FinnAgain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinnAgain)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2009, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sopranos-psychics-are-real/498679/50 "2009-06-05T22:47:15Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > Maybe he died later, maybe he didn’t. It doesn’t matter one bit. Sure it does, and it renders it either magical woofun or poor writing. Even if we assume they just shot his ear off, or whatever, the episode itself never explained how he’d be able to 1) backtrack without being seen 2) get off the trail he was leaving without leaving a separate trail 3) do a combination of 1 and/or 2 well enough to get back, steal (hotwire?) their car and then escape and, having done that 4) not alert his employer that members of the mafia had freaking tried to murder him, twice. Number 4, alone, would merit it being brought up against at some point in the series. Even if he dropped dead at some point, he’d have died, of blood loss, in his pajamas, in some mobster’s car. Surely someone would have noticed. I think it bears discussion one way or another. ---
**Author:** ![Lemur866](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lemur866/32/434_2.png) [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2009, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sopranos-psychics-are-real/498679/51 "2009-06-05T23:24:43Z")
I gotta break the spoiler to comment, so anyone who doesn’t want this episode spoiled should have probably stopped reading this thread about the episode a lot earlier. If you’re still reading now, then you don’t care about spoilers. > [@](#): > > Even if we assume they just shot his ear off, or whatever, the episode itself never explained how he’d be able to 1) backtrack without being seen He can backtrack without being seen because he’s a former Spetznaz who killed 18 Czechoslovakians and Chris and Paulie are city boys who don’t know the first thing about cover or concealment. > [@](#): > > 1. get off the trail he was leaving without leaving a separate trail He left a separate trail, and if Chris and Paulie had joined the boy scouts as kids instead of being wiseguys they might have seen it. But since they’ve got no skillz, they didn’t. > [@](#): > > 1. do a combination of 1 and/or 2 well enough to get back, steal (hotwire?) their car and then escape Again, because Chris and Paulie are outta their element. The Russian is in his element. And the episode definitely plays up the angle that while Chris and Paulie think they’re tough guys, they ain’t so tough compared to the Russian. He gets away and leaves them holding their dicks because while they may be killers they’re stupid and lazy and soft. > [@](#): > > and, having done that 4) not alert his employer that members of the mafia had freaking tried to murder him, twice. Number 4, alone, would merit it being brought up against at some point in the series. Even if he dropped dead at some point, he’d have died, of blood loss, in his pajamas, in some mobster’s car. Surely someone would have noticed. Yeah, that’s more of a problem, it would’ve caused some friction between Tony’s outfit and the Russians. But maybe he dropped dead after leaving the car. He drives home, staggers into his apartment (he can’t go to the hospital), drinks himself a bottle or two of vodka and wakes up dead. His buddies find him dead of gunshot wounds but never know who did it. Or they know who did it, but they always hated that guy anyway, so they don’t care. Or whatever. Sometimes in real life you never find out what really happens and you’re left scratching your head, and you’ll never find out because there’s no writer to supply a denouement. The Russian isn’t magic, he just knows the forest and the snow and gets lucky, while Paulie and Chris are lazy spoiled bums who think being able to pull a trigger makes them tough. ---
**Author:** ![FinnAgain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/finnagain/32/12500_2.png) [@FinnAgain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinnAgain)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2009, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sopranos-psychics-are-real/498679/52 "2009-06-05T23:30:23Z")
Well, even “super spec ops assassin training” seems a bit like a deus ex to me. Not to mention that Chris and Pauli were, what, 30 seconds behind him, tops? Even a ninja wouldn’t have had time to create a decoy trail and escape without leaving tracks in virgin snow. So I suppose that ‘magic’ may be a misnomer, but I still vote for sloppy writing. ---
**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:** [June 5, 2009, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sopranos-psychics-are-real/498679/53 "2009-06-05T23:32:37Z")
oh geez people… Ever put your keys down turn around and suddenly you can’t find them? Two dummies in the unfamiliar woods get lost while chasing someone and people are complaining there’s magic or poor writing? ---
**Author:** ![FinnAgain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/finnagain/32/12500_2.png) [@FinnAgain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinnAgain)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2009, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sopranos-psychics-are-real/498679/54 "2009-06-05T23:35:39Z")
> [@Push\_You\_Down](#): > > Two dummies in the unfamiliar woods get lost while chasing someone and people are complaining there’s magic or poor writing? Despite being totally awesome, I have to confess that I am only one individual person, and not in fact people. Also, you’ll notice that I’m not complaining about Pauli and Chriss getting _lost_ which is fine, but the Russian managing to escape without leaving tracks while two people were right behind him, steal their car and then vanish rather than telling his nasty crime buddies that the mob had just tried to kill him twice. ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2009, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sopranos-psychics-are-real/498679/55 "2009-06-05T23:35:45Z")
> [@Push\_You\_Down](#): > > oh geez people.. > > Ever put your keys down turn around and suddenly you can’t find them? > > Two dummies in the unfamiliar woods get lost while chasing someone and people are complaining there’s magic or poor writing? Hell, I’ve got magic earrings that I’ve put down in my apartment and still don’t know where they are. And unlike the Russian I want to find them. ---
**Author:** ![Shalmanese](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shalmanese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shalmanese)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2009, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sopranos-psychics-are-real/498679/56 "2009-06-06T14:51:49Z")
> [@Terence Winter](#): > > That’s the question I get asked more than any other. It drives people crazy: ‘Where’s the Russian? What happened to the Russian?’ We could say, ‘Well, he got out and there’s a big mob war with the Russians,’ or ‘He crawled off and died.’ But we wanted to keep it ambiguous. You know, not everything gets answered in life." Chase said "They shot a guy. Who knows where he went? Who cares about some Russian? This is what Hollywood has done to America. Do you have to have closure on every little thing? Isn’t there any mystery in the world? It’s a murky world out there. It’s a murky life these guys lead. And by the way, I do know where the Russian is. But I’ll never say because so many people got so pissy about it. .. ---
**Author:** ![FinnAgain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/finnagain/32/12500_2.png) [@FinnAgain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinnAgain)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2009, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sopranos-psychics-are-real/498679/57 "2009-06-06T17:40:51Z")
Yep, so poor writing with Chase being petulant that his artistic talent is being questioned. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2009, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sopranos-psychics-are-real/498679/58 "2009-06-06T18:43:23Z")
I don’t see why we’re singling out _The Sopranos_ on this issue. Psychics always have real powers in TV shows. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2009, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sopranos-psychics-are-real/498679/59 "2009-06-07T03:21:37Z")
> [@Push\_You\_Down](#): > > oh geez people.. > > Ever put your keys down turn around and suddenly you can’t find them? Well, I once put a Czechoslovakian down, turned around, and somebody’d killed him, if that means anything. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sopranos-psychics-are-real/498679.md?page=2)