The Sopranos, season 4, 9/10; Thanks to free HBO last weekend I got to record season 4 of The Sopranos which I saw back in the day, almost 20 years ago. It is excellent and stands the test of time pretty well. It can be extremely dark but actually has quite a few lighter moments and farce than what I remember from my original viewing. I do wonder if the Italian-American stereotypes depicted is a bit over the top. I don't know maybe it is accurate from what I have seen of Jersey Shore it can't be too much of an exaggeration. The acting performances are excellent and the cast works really well.
Agreed. I didn't see Sopranos while it was on the air because I didn't, and still don't, get HBO. But I would hear about it in the lounge at work, the day after each episode aired. I knew that there was a long scene where a gangster got dismembered in a bathtub (when Tony kills Ralphie) because that was much discussed at the time. After I retired, I rented the discs one by one at Blockbuster and saw the entire series. Then I bought the complete series box set (although the discs are cheaply made, and now some of them skip or stall, so I have bought a few seasons worth to fill in the gaps.)
Here are some more reasons to see The Sopranos:
1- Some truly bizarre situations and wild humor -- as in, the Pine Barrens episode, but also in random moments of dialogue. There's one late night conversation between two of the lower level hoods when they are so tired they forget what they're talking about. There's a conversation in a car between Tony and a couple of his underlings when one of them thinks Tony just said that Gary Cooper was gay.
2- Special effects for grotesque events. The guy who hangs himself in his basement because Tony has driven him into debt does it so realistically it's hard to watch. When Adriana pukes on the conference table in the presence of the FBI agents, it's a real gusher. Tony kicking the guy who was trash-talking Meadow is another stomach-clencher.
3- This is a show that covers all the age groups. Old age is covered extensively -- from Tony's mother in assisted living to Junior's descent into doddering old age. But there are also plot lines that follow adolescents in crisis -- from AJ's delinquency, drug use, and depression to the effeminate teenage boy whose conflict with his uncle over manliness comes late in the series. All kinds of health crises crowd in on the characters -- lots of hospital scenes, including a subplot that follows one character through cancer to his final breath.
4- The writers never come out and tell you how much the wives know about their husbands' crimes, but there is enough shown to make you wonder about it, especially in Carmela's case. She clearly knows that she's living the high life because her man is a mobster. There's that wonderful little scene where she invites all her gal pals over to watch classic movies, and the movie starts with the FBI warning, which they stare at glumly.
